COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Southeast Roundup : Georgia Gets Past Kentucky

It took a second-half rally for the second week in a row for No. 12 Georgia to avoid an upset Saturday.

Lars Tate’s five-yard run with 1:08 left at Athens, Ga., enabled the Bulldogs to overcome a 14-0 deficit for a 17-14 Southeastern Conference victory over the Wildcats.

“I think we realized in the second half that Kentucky had an awfully good football team,” said Georgia Coach Vince Dooley, who was on the sideline four days after undergoing a 90-minute procedure to unclog two arteries near his heart.

Georgia had to overcome a 21-7 deficit a week earlier in a 52-24 victory over Vanderbilt.

The Wildcats came even closer, taking the fight to Georgia from the start.

Kentucky had one touchdown nullified by a penalty, had a 70-yard pass play to the Georgia 1 called back for another infraction and also had a pass intercepted after reaching the Bulldog 9.

“This is a tough, tough loss for us,” Kentucky Coach Jerry Claiborne said. “It’s been a long time since a loss hurt that bad.”

Georgia, 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the SEC, cut the lead to 14-10 on Wayne Johnson’s 13-yard run in the third quarter one play after freshman Rodney Hampton’s 50-yard run.

It was Georgia’s 10th victory in a row over the Wildcats, who fell to 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the SEC.

Auburn 38, Mississippi St. 7--At Auburn, Ala., Reggie Slack passed for 185 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first starting assignment for the sixth-ranked Tigers.

Slack was given the job after school officials learned that starter Jeff Burger and teammate Jim Thompson reportedly received a free flight to go on a recent hunting trip with a friend. The two were sidelined for the game while Auburn asked the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. if the trip amounted to a rules violation.

Slack was 11 of 17, including touchdown pass plays of 35 and 6 yards to Lawyer Tillman and 46 yards to Alexander Wright.

The Tigers are 6-0-1 overall and 2-0-1 in the SEC. The Bulldogs fell to 3-4 and 0-3.

Tennessee 29, Georgia Tech 15--At Knoxville, Tenn., freshman tailback Reggie Cobb rushed for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns as the 13th-ranked Volunteers (5-1-1) withstood an injury to its starting quarterback, Jeff Francis.

Francis suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter, and Tennessee officials said his ankle would be placed in a cast and that he could be out for two weeks.

Georgia Tech, playing without starting quarterback Rick Strom, who sidelined with a broken finger, fell to 2-5.

Mississippi 42, Vanderbilt 14--Quarterbacks John Darnell and Mark Young accounted for two touchdowns each at Oxford, Miss., to power the Rebels (3-5, 1-2) over the Commodores (1-6, 0-4).