NO. 8 ALABAMA 41, TENNESSEE 10
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Trent Richardson’s 65-yard touchdown run and 5-yard touchdown reception were part of 28 unanswered second-half points as Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC) defeated Tennessee (2-5, 0-4) on Saturday night.
Julio Jones set a single-game school record with 221 yards on 12 catches for the Crimson Tide, which earned its fourth consecutive victory over Tennessee for the first time since 1992.
Tennessee was a 16 1/2-point underdog, as it was a year ago when Alabama needed to block a 44-yard field-goal attempt by the Volunteers as time expired to preserve its 12-10 victory.
The Vols seemed ready to pressure the Crimson Tide again, this time under Coach Derek Dooley, who was facing former boss Nick Saban for the first time. Dooley was part of Saban’s coaching staff for seven seasons at LSU and the Miami Dolphins.
Alabama, which has won 22 consecutive games against unranked opponents, came out of halftime with only a 13-10 lead after a sluggish first half. The Tide wasted no time in the third quarter, getting three consecutive first downs on its opening drive before Mark Ingram pushed the ball 1 yard for the touchdown for a 20-10 lead.
The Vols took a lesson from South Carolina and Mississippi, who successfully limited the Crimson Tide’s running game by blitzing and pressuring McElroy, but the effort wore down a team plagued by a lack of depth. McElroy completed 21 of 32 for 264 yards, mostly to Jones.
Richardson and Ingram had just 91 yards rushing at halftime but added 96 yards on the ground in the third quarter, including Richardson’s touchdown and a pair of 1-yard scoring runs by Ingram. Richardson finished with 119 yards on 12 carries, and Ingram had 88 yards on 14 runs.
NO. 24 MISS. STATE 29, ALA.-BIRMINGHAM 24
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Freshman LaDarius Perkins rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown as Mississippi State (6-2) survived an upset scare to beat Alabama-Birmingham (2-5).
The Bulldogs won their fifth consecutive game, which is the program’s longest streak since 1999. They also earned bowl eligibility for the first time in three seasons and only the second time in a decade.
But it wasn’t easy.
For the second time this season, UAB made an SEC opponent sweat. The Blazers took a 24-23 lead with 10:16 left in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by quarterback Bryan Ellis, who plowed through the right side of the line for the touchdown.
But Mississippi State responded with two field goals from Derek DePasquale - his fourth and fifth of the night - to help the Bulldogs regain the lead. With slightly less than two minutes remaining, UAB had a chance to drive for the winning touchdown, but Pat Shed fumbled after a 31-yard kickoff return and the Bulldogs were able to run out the clock.
The tight game shouldn’t have been a huge surprise. UAB nearly beat Tennessee earlier this season before falling 32-29 in double overtime.
In its long-awaited return to the national rankings, Mississippi State was shaky, especially in the first half. UAB outgained the Bulldogs 207 yards to 103 and tied the game at 10 just before halftime, drawing a smattering of boos from the 56,423 fans in attendance Davis Wade Stadium.
Mississippi State was giving up just 16 points per game coming into Saturday’s game, which ranked third in the SEC, but struggled to contain the Blazers. Ellis completed 23 of 45 passes for 236 yards and 1 touchdown. Shed rushed for 69 yards.
GEORGIA 44, KENTUCKY 31
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Washaun Ealey set a school record with five rushing touchdowns as surging Georgia (4-4, 3-3 SEC) pounded Kentucky (4-4, 1-4).
The Bulldogs forced the mistake-prone Wildcats into four turnovers and converted them into 17 points to win their third consecutive game.
Ealey finished with a season-high 157 yards on 28 carries before getting banged up late in the fourth quarter. His five rushing scores broke the school record of four, set most recently by former running back Robert Edwards in 1997. Ealey also matched Edwards’ record for total touchdowns in a game set in 1995 against South Carolina.
Kentucky outgained Georgia 423-290 but couldn’t overcome another shaky first half. Mike Hartline threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns, but Kentucky’s mistakes often set up the Bulldogs with a short field.
Only once did the Bulldogs start a touchdown drive on their side of midfield. They didn’t have to as the Wildcats kept finding ways to self-destruct.
Sports, Pages 38 on 10/24/2010