The Georgia Bulldogs got all they could handle in Columbia as they held off the South Carolina Gamecocks 14-7 on Saturday. Heisman Trophy candidate Knowshon Moreno rushed for 79 yards on 20 carries and scored the Dawgs lone touchdown of the night on a four-yard run in the third quarter. An opportunistic Georgia defense forced two turnovers inside their own red zone to secure the victory. Matt Stafford did just enough for Georgia, completing 15 passes for 146 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. South Carolina (1-2, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) had a late chance to tie the game, but Georgia's Reshad Jones intercepted quarterback Chris Smelley's pass at the 3-yard-line with 13 seconds left to seal the deal. Despite the win, Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC) dropped a spot to No. 3 in the Associated Press rankings.
Goal-line heroics: Middle Tennessee State gave the Kentucky Wildcats (3-0) a major scare in a 20-14 loss that came within one yard of going the other way. On the last play of the game, MTSU's Eldred King caught a 61-yard Hail Mary pass launched by quarterback Joe Craddock, only to be tackled at the one-yard line by Robbie McAtee as time expired. McAtee's game-saving play salvaged what was a rough night for Wildcats kicker Lones Seiber, who missed three field goals and had another blocked. Wildcats' sophomore quarterback Mike Hartline threw the first two touchdowns of his career to keep Kentucky undefeated.
Football or soccer? Auburn's ninth-ranked Tigers eked out a 3-2 victory versus the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a sloppy, low-scoring affair. Despite losing three fumbles, the Tigers managed to win on the strength of a 35-yard field goal by Wes Byrum in the second quarter. Mississippi State's only points came when the Auburn offense was called for holding in the end zone, which by rule is an automatic safety. Auburn's Chris Todd got the starting nod at quarterback over teammate Kodi Burns and was effective but unspectacular with 154 yards passing, no touchdowns and one fumble. The Tigers missed two field goals, but their defense held MSU to 116 total yards of offense in a dominating effort to keep them out of the end zone.
Did You Know?
In four meetings with the Georgia Bulldogs, Coach Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks have mustered a total of 38 points, winning only once.
No. 7 Lousiana State's diminutive Trindon Holliday, a track sprinter who nearly made the U.S. Olympic Team, had 163 return yards, including a 92-yard punt return, in a 41-3 victory over North Texas.
The Kentucky defense gave up its first touchdown of the season versus MTSU after keeping their last two opponents' offenses out of the end zone.
No. 11 Alabama did not punt once in a 41-7 victory over Western Kentucky.
After shutting out Rice coming out of halftime, Vanderbilt has given up 10 second-half points all season.
