SEC roundup: Arkansas escapes upset again

Associated Press

Casey Dick threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Williams with 1:22 remaining, and Louisiana-Monroe's Jeremy Gener missed a 45-yard field goal, enabling Arkansas to escape with a 28-27 home victory Saturday night.

The Razorbacks (2-0) trailed 24-6 in the third quarter and 27-14 in the fourth but rallied for the second straight week to avoid a major upset. On fourth-and-1 from the Louisiana-Monroe 32 with 2:03 remaining, Dick faked a handoff and lobbed a deep pass down the middle while under a heavy pass rush. Chris Gragg came down with the ball at the 7 for his first career catch.

Moments later, Dick threw the winning touchdown pass, but the Razorbacks had to withstand one final drive by the gutsy Warhawks. Kinsmon Lancaster completed passes of 27 and 12 yards to Anthony McCall, but the Warhawks eventually stalled and Gener's final kick was off the mark.

No. 13 Alabama 20, Tulane 6: Forced out of New Orleans a week ago by the threat of Hurricane Gustav, Tulane got a standing ovation from Alabama fans just for jogging into the stadium. The Crimson Tide wasn't as nice, even as it struggled to a win.

Javier Arenas returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown, and Alabama held on just one game after looking like world beaters against then-No. 9 Clemson. A listless Alabama (2-0) allowed four sacks of John Parker Wilson, fumbled once, missed two kicks and gained only 172 yards — just 38 in the first half.

Coach Nick Saban got his 100th collegiate career victory, but he wasn't exactly thrilled.

"It's a little disappointing. It's our goal to play with consistency ... but we were unable to do that," he said. "We did not make progress as a team."

No. 20 Wake Forest 30, Mississippi 28: Riley Skinner didn't panic, even though he had only a minute following Mississippi's go-ahead touchdown on fourth down.

Sam Swank ran onto the field with a smile on his face before attempting the game-winning field goal. Nerves? What nerves? Wake Forest used its experience and poise to avoid becoming the latest Atlantic Coast Conference team to disappoint.

Skinner led the Demon Deacons on a 56-yard drive in the last minute, Swank kicked a 41-yard field goal with three seconds left, and Wake Forest edged Ole Miss on Saturday.

"You've got mature guys out there. You've got guys that have been through it," said Skinner, a redshirt junior. "We were pretty efficient with how we lined up."

After Jevan Snead's 5-yard touchdown pass to Cordera Eason on fourth-and-3 with 1:01 left gave Ole Miss the lead, Wake Forest was in danger of following last week's ACC upset victims, Clemson and Virginia Tech. The league faced the prospect of going into next week with the embarrassment of not having a ranked team. But Skinner and Swank weren't through.

No. 5 Florida 26, Miami 3: Tim Tebow was good early and even better late, enough to help the Gators snap a six-game losing streak against rival Miami. Tebow threw two touchdown passes, speedster Percy Harvin ran for a score, and Florida used a swarming defensive effort to win at The Swamp.

It was Florida's first victory since 1985 in the on-again, off-again series. The rebuilding Hurricanes (1-1), three-touchdown underdogs, hung close for three quarters with the Gators (2-0), who had averaged more than 40 points at Florida Field with Tebow as the starting quarterback.

No. 2 Georgia 56, Central Michigan 17: Led by Knowshon Moreno, Georgia responded just fine after being bounced from No. 1.

Moreno rushed for 168 yards and tied his career high with three touchdowns, while massive defensive end Demarcus Dobbs rumbled for an improbable 78-yard score after picking off a deflected pass to lead the second-ranked Bulldogs at home.

Auburn 27, Southern Miss 13: Chris Todd completed 21 of 31 passes for 248 yards in his first start and gave the host Tigers' passing game a needed lift.

Mississippi State 34, Southeastern Louisiana 10: Wesley Carroll threw two touchdowns, and Anthony Dixon had two rushing scores to lead the host Bulldogs. Dixon led MSU (1-1) with 80 yards on 18 carries.