COLLEGE FOOTBALL : SOUTHEAST ROUNDUP : Auburn’s Gamble Pays Off in Stopping Georgia

Stephen Davis ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns and No. 20 Auburn converted a fourth down in its territory with about two minutes remaining to down Georgia, 37-31, Saturday night at Athens, Ga.

Auburn gained the sixth victory against Division I-A foes it needed to qualify for a bowl berth and left the Bulldogs needing to beat Georgia Tech on Thanksgiving Day to qualify.

The Tigers, 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the Southeastern Conference, stopped Georgia at the Auburn 10 when Hines Ward’s pass fell incomplete on fourth down with 6:17 to play.

Auburn reeled off two first downs, eventually facing a fourth and one at its 42, and, after a time out, elected to use backup quarterback Dameyune Craig on a sneak that got two yards.

Davis raced 42 yards to the 16 on the next play, but Auburn ran out of downs at the Georgia eight with 12 seconds to play.

Ward’s 40-yard pass to Matt Dickson moved the Bulldogs (5-5, 3-5) to their 48, but on the final play of the game, Martavius Houston intercepted Ward’s pass and ran out of bounds.

Louisiana State 38, Mississippi 9--Freshman Herbert Tyler threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another and classmate Kevin Faulk ran for a score and caught a touchdown pass to lead the Tigers (5-4-1) past the Rebels (5-5, 2-5) at Baton Rouge, La.

The victory broke a streak of six consecutive losing seasons for LSU.

It was the second start for Tyler, who replaced Jamie Howard, who injured his right shoulder in LSU’s loss to Alabama last week. Tyler was 13 for 23 for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 43 yards and the touchdown.

Faulk had 159 yards and a touchdown in 23 carries.

Kentucky 33, Cincinnati 14--The Wildcats’ Moe Williams scored three touchdowns and rushed for 272 yards, setting three school rushing records in a victory over the Bearcats (5-5) at Lexington, Ky.

Williams, who had more than 200 yards for the third time this season, equaled his school record with 40 carries in a game while establishing season marks with 264 rushes for 1,449 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns as Kentucky (4-6) snapped a three-game losing streak. Mark Higgs set the old rushing record with 1,278 yards in 1987.

No. 16 Alabama 14, Mississippi State 9--Dennis Riddle rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns as the Crimson Tide (8-2, 5-2) dominated the Bulldogs (3-7, 1-6) at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Riddle carried 38 times, four short of a school record, as the Crimson Tide hammered away mercilessly on the ground. The Tide had the ball for more than two-thirds of the game.

Alabama’s Michael Proctor, who made 13 of 16 field-goal tries last season, missed three for the first time in his career, giving him five misses in a row in the last two games.

No. 15 Arkansas 24, Southwestern Louisiana 13--Del Delco returned an interception 62 yards for a touchdown, his defensive mates set up two other scores and Madre Hill established a school rushing record as the Razorbacks (8-2) downed the Ragin’ Cajuns (6-4) at Fayetteville, Ark.

Hill carried 27 times for 151 yards and has 1,302, breaking the Arkansas record of 1,298 set by Dickey Morton in 1973.

Vanderbilt 29, Louisiana Tech 6--Damian Allen scored two touchdowns, and Steve Yenner kicked three field goals as the Commodores (2-7) beat the Bulldogs (4-6) at Nashville, Tenn.