TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – It was quite a night for Mark Ingram and the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide.
Ingram rushed for a career-high 246 yards and the clinching touchdown as the Crimson Tide improved to 7-0 (4-0 in the SEC West) with a 20-6 victory over a very stubborn No. 22 South Carolina at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The effort by Ingram, who rushed 24 times including a 4-yard touchdown run with 4:54 to play, helped Alabama overcome four turnovers, twice the number of turnovers it had entering the game. Ingram was a one-man show on the final drive, taking direct snaps from center for five straight runs, including dashes of 24 and 22 yards – before scoring his touchdown on a pitch. Ingram covered all 68 yards on the drive and his 246 yards is now the third best in Alabama history.
Ingram’s previous best was 172, gained last week in a victory over Mississippi, which also didn’t have a touchdown against Alabama. The only points for the Gamecocks (5-2, 2-2 SEC East) came on a pair of second-quarter field goals of 22 and 31 yards by Spencer Lanning.
Alabama enjoyed a 356-278 advantage in total offense but made four turnovers, including two interceptions by quarterback McElroy, who was 10-of-20 passing for just 92 yards. Coach Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks managed 214 yards through the air on the arm of redshirt sophomore Stephen Garcia, who completed 20 of 46 passes but was intercepted once, a 77-yard return by Mark Barron that gave Alabama a 7-0 lead. Leigh Tiffin added a 25-yard field, the first of his two field goals on the night, as Alabama closed the first quarter with a 10-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Lanning’s first field goal came with 3:14 to play in the half. Then after Tiffin answered with a 35-yard field goal of his own to put Alabama up 13-3, Lanning closed out the first half by nailing a 31-yarder as time ran out.
It remained 13-6 Alabama until Ingram’s game-clinching touchdown drive.
Alabama limited South Carolina to just 64 rushing yards. The Gamecocks’ Moe Brown was taken from the field late in the first half strapped to a backboard but did flash a thumbs-up sign to the crowd.
Kentucky 21, Auburn 14: At Auburn, Ala., the Wildcats ended a losing streak dating back to 1966 when Randall Cobb scored on a 4-yard run with 3:17 remaining at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Cobb set up the winning touchdown with a 61-yard run two plays earlier. Cobb ran for 109 yards on 12 carries, mostly on direct snaps from center, and fellow back Derrick Locke totaled 137 yards on 19 carries as Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC East) ended a three-game losing streak. The Wildcats outgained Auburn (5-2, 2-2 SEC West) 282-220. Kentucky was playing with injured quarterback Mike Hartline.
Auburn’s Ben Tate rushed 31 times for 132 yards on a 1-yard touchdown run with six seconds remaining in the first half that gave the Tigers a 14-7 halftime lead. The Tigers had opened the scoring when Neiko Thorpe returned a blocked field goal in the first quarter 69 yards.
Kentucky answered in the second quarter on starting freshman quarterback Morgan Newton’s 4-yard run. Norton would only complete five of 13 passes for 39 yards.
It was 14-7 Auburn heading into the final quarter when quarterback Will Fidler, who split time with Newton, scored on a 2-yard run with 6:29 left.
Georgia 34, Vanderbilt 10: At Nashville, the Bulldogs (4-3, 3-2 SEC East) ended a two-game losing streak and headed into a bye week before facing Florida in Jacksonville on Halloween as Joe Cox three two touchdown passes, including one to Caleb King, who had a pair of touchdowns.
The victory by the Bulldogs was their 14th in 15 seasons against the Commodores (2-5, 0-4 SEC East).
Cox missed his first four passes, one of them an interception, but then threw a short pass to A.J. Green, and the SEC’s leading receiver took it 65 yards for a touchdown and Georgia never trailed. Cox finished 16 of 31 for 226 yards and threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to King in the fourth quarter that put Georgia up 27-10. King also scored on a 2-yard run in the second quarter as Georgia took a 17-3 halftime lead.
Georgia, ranked 100th nationally in scoring defense, held Vanderbilt to just 10 points with the help of three quarterback sacks and an interception that set up the Cox to Green touchdown.
Georgia outgained Vanderbilt 399-296 with help from Washaun Ealey, who the leading rusher for the Bulldogs with 17 yards on 13 carries. Vanderbilt had entered the game ranked 22nd nationally in total defense.
Vanderbilt quarterback Larry Smith completed 11 of 26 for 121 and one touchdown, a 5-yarder to Brandon Barden.
Mississippi State 27, Middle Tennessee State 6: At Murfreesboro, Tenn., Anthony Dixon rushed for 135 yards and a pair of touchdowns to become the Bulldogs’ career rushing leader and Mississippi State’s defense shut down Middle Tennessee.
Dixon had a 57-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that moved him ahead of Jerious Norwood. Dixon then scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter when he dove into the end zone, was flipped by a tackler and landed on his feet.
Coach Dan Mullen’s Bulldogs (3-4), who host Florida next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EDT, outgained Middle Tennessee State 333-248 and the Bulldogs forced four turnovers while controlling the clock for 37:51. Middle Tennessee State fell to 3-3.
MSU quarterback Tyson Lee completed 14 of 20 passes for 155 yards.
Mississippi 48, UAB 13: At Oxford, Miss., Jevan Snead threw for 240 yards (on 15-of-22 passing) and three touchowns as the Rebels (4-2) ran out to a 27-0 halftime lead and cruised over the Blazers (2-4).
Jesse Grandy returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown and Ole Miss was on its way. In the second quarter, Snead threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Lionel Breaux and Rodney Scott rushed for touchdowns of 1 and 25 yards for the 27-0 lead. Scott had a team-high 57 yards on nine carries, while Bolden had 56 yards on 12 carries. Shay Hodge caught seven passes for 99 yards.
Snead added a pair of scoring tosses in the third quarter, hitting Markeith Summers for 65 yards and Andy Hartmann for 2 yards to give Ole Miss a 41-0 lead heading into the final quarter. Backup quarterback Nathan Stanley threw a 22-yard scoring pass to Andrew Harris to make it 48-7 in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss totaled 501 yards on offense, 338 of it through the air, and held UAB to just 351 yards total. But UAB outrushed Ole Miss 230-163. Joe Webb led UAB on the ground with 121 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
EASTERN DIVISION
SEC PF PA Div. All PF PA
Florida 4-0 100 43 2-0 6-0 218 52
Georgia 3-2 159 153 2-1 4-3 189 194
South Carolina 2-2 87 97 1-1 5-2 170 130
Tennessee 1-2 80 68 1-1 3-3 192 117
Kentucky 1-3 74 121 0-2 3-3 147 148
Vanderbilt 0-4 29 95 0-1 2-5 123 128
WESTERN DIVISION
SEC PF PA Div. All PF PA
Alabama 4-0 115 36 2-0 3-0 242 81
Louisiana State 3-1 76 61 1-0 5-1 138 87
Auburn 2-2 112 111 1-1 5-2 244 184
Arkansas 2-2 112 133 1-1 3-3 207 162
Mississippi 1-2 36 45 0-1 4-2 181 78
Mississippi State 1-2 65 82 0-2 3-4 192 168
RESULTS
Saturday, Oct. 17
No. 1 Florida 23, Arkansas 20
No. 2 Alabama 20, No. 22 South Carolina 6
Georgia 34, Vanderbilt 10
Mississippi State 27, Middle Tennessee State 6
Mississippi 48, UAB 13
Kentucky 21, Auburn 14
Idle: No. 10 Louisiana State, Tennessee
SCHEDULE
Saturday, Oct. 24
Arkansas at Mississippi, 12:21 p.m. (SEC Network)
Tennessee at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Vanderbilt at South Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Louisiana-Monroe at Kentucky, 7 p.m. (FSN)
Auburn at Louisiana State, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
Florida at Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
Idle: Georgia
HOW TOP TEAMS FARED THIS WEEK
ASSOCIATED PRESS (MEDIA)
Rank/School Rcd Saturday’s games (unless noted)
1. Florida 6-0 W, 23-20 vs. Arkansas
2. Alabama 7-0 W, 20-6 vs. No. 22 South Carolina
3. Texas 6-0 W, 16-13 vs. No. 20 Oklahoma at Dallas
4. Virginia Tech 5-2 L, 28-23 at No. 19 Georgia Tech
5. Boise State 6-0 W, 28-21 at Tulsa Wednesday
6. Southern California 5-1 W, 34-27 at No. 25 Notre Dame
7. Ohio State 5-2 L, 26-18 at Purdue
8. Cincinnati 6-0 W, 34-17 at No. 21 South Florida Thursday
9. Miami (Fla.) 5-1 W, 27-7 at UCF
10. Louisiana State 5-1 Idle
11. Iowa 7-0 W, 20-10 at Wisconsin
12. Texas Christian 6-0 W, 44-6 vs. Colorado State
13. Oregon 5-1 Idle
14. Penn State 6-1 W, 20-0 vs. Minnesota
15. Nebraska 4-2 L, 31-10 vs. Texas Tech
16. Oklahoma State 4-1 vs. Missouri, late
17. Kansas 5-1 L, 34-30 at Colorado
18. Brigham Young 6-1 W, 38-28 at San Diego State
19. Georgia Tech 6-1 W, 28-23 vs. No. 4 Virginia Tech
20. Oklahoma 3-3 L, 16-13 vs. No. 3 Texas at Dallas
21. South Florida 5-1 L, 34-17 vs. No. 8 Cincinnati Thursday
22. South Carolina 5-2 L, 20-6 at No. 2 Alabama
23. Houston 5-1 W, 44-16 at Tulane
24. Utah 4-1 at UNLV, late
25. Notre Dame 4-2 L, 34-27 vs. No. 6 Southern California
SCHEDULE OCT. 13-17
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 17
No. 1 Florida 23, Arkansas 20
Georgia 34, Vanderbilt 10
Mississippi State 27, Middle Tennessee State 6
Mississippi 48, UAB 13
Kentucky 21, Auburn 14
No. 2 Alabama 20, No. 22 South Carolina 6
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 17
No. 19 Georgia Tech 28, No. 4 Virginia Tech 23
Clemson 38, Wake Forest 3
Boston College 52, North Carolina State 20
Virginia 20, Maryland 9
No. 9 Miami (Fla.) 27, UCF 7
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 17
No. 3 Texas 16, No. 20 Oklahoma 13
Texas Tech 31, No. 15 Nebraska 10
Colorado 34, No. 17 Kansas 30
Iowa State 24, Baylor 10
Kansas State 62, Texas A&M 14
Missouri at No. 16 Oklahoma State
BIG EAST CONFERENCE
Thursday, Oct. 15
No. 8 Cincinnati 34, No. 21 South Florida 17
Friday, Oct. 16
Pittsburgh 24, Rutgers 17
Saturday, Oct. 17
Connecticut 38, Louisville 25
West Virginia 24, Marshall 7
BIG TEN CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 17
Purdue 26, No. 7 Ohio State 18
No. 14 Penn State 20, Minnesota 0
No. 11 Iowa 20, Wisconsin 10
Michigan State 24, Northwestern 14
Michigan 63, Delaware State 6
Indiana 27, Illinois 14
CONFERENCE USA
Wednesday, Oct. 14
No. 5 Boise State 28, Tulsa 21
Saturday, Oct. 17
No. 23 Houston 44, Tulane 16
Mississippi 48, UAB 13
East Carolina 49, Rice 13
West Virginia 24, Marshall 7
Memphis at Southern Mississippi 36, Memphis 16
No. 9 Miami (Fla.) 27, UCF 7
Navy 38, Southern Methodist 35, OT
INDEPENDENTS
Saturday, Oct. 17
Temple 27, Army 13
No. 6 Southern California 34, No. 25 Notre Dame 27
Navy 38, Southern Methodist 35, OT
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 17
Bowling Green 31, Ball State 17
Temple 27, Army 13
Ohio 28, Miami (Ohio) 7
Buffalo 21, Akron 17
Central Michigan 34, Western Michigan 23
Kent State 28, Eastern Michigan 6
Toledo 20, Northern Illinois 19
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 17
Air Force 10, Wyoming 0
No. 12 Texas Christian 44, Colorado State 6
No. 18 Brigham Young 38, San Diego State 28
No. 4 Utah at UNLV, late
PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE
Saturday, Oct. 17
No. 6 Southern California 34, No. 25 Notre Dame 27
California 45, UCLA 26
Arizona 43, Stanford 38
Washington at Arizona State, late
SUN BELT CONFERENCE
Tuesday, Oct. 13
Louisiana-Monroe 20, Arkansas State 10
Saturday, Oct. 17
Troy 42, Florida International 33
Mississippi State 27, Middle Tennessee State 6
Louisiana-Lafayette 30, Western Kentucky 22
Florida Atlantic 44, North Texas 40
WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Wednesday, Oct. 14
No. 5 Boise State 28, Tulsa 21
Saturday, Oct. 17
Nevada 35, Utah State 32
Louisiana Tech 45, New Mexico State 7
Idaho 35, Hawai’I 23
San Jose State at Fresno State
MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Thursday, Oct. 15
Morgan State 14, Howard 7
Saturday, Oct. 17
Michigan 63, Delaware State 6
Norfolk State 46, Hampton 6
South Carolina State 35, Florida A&M 20
Bethune-Cookman 34, Savannah State 24
PIONEER LEAGUE
Saturday, Oct. 17
Jacksonville 39, Morehead State 0
Butler 23, Valparaiso 14
Dayton 17, Davidson 0
Drake 21, San Diego 14
Old Dominion 28, Campbell 17
FLORIDA COLLEGES
Saturday, Oct. 17
Edward Waters College vs. Concordia College (Ala.) at Dothan, Ala.
IVY LEAGUE
Saturday, Oct. 17
Holy Cross 34, Dartmouth 14
Pennsylvania 27, Columbia 13
Yale 7, Lehigh 0
Brown 34, Princeton 17
Lafayette 35, Harvard 18
Fordham 39, Cornell 27