Southeast Roundup : Auburn Grinds Down Tennessee, 34-8

Auburn went back to the run Saturday and it was too much for Tennessee.

Brent Fullwood rushed for 207 yards in 18 carries, and the eight-ranked Tigers trounced the Volunteers, 34-8, in a Southeastern Conference game at Auburn, Ala.

“Everybody thought we couldn’t run the football,” Fullwood said, alluding to the first two games of the season, when Auburn passed frequently. “Well, we proved them wrong today.”

Fullwood scored on a 19-yard run and set up another score with an 85-yard run as the Tigers (3-0 overall, 1-0 in the SEC) turned what was expected to be a close game into a rout.

“I don’t know how we could have played worse,” said Coach Johnny Majors of the Volunteers (1-2, 0-2). “As the game went along, we fell apart and Auburn improved.”

Mississippi St. 16, Florida 10--Artie Cosby kicked three field goals at Starkville, Miss., and the Bulldogs held the Gators without a touchdown to score their second straight SEC victory.

The last time the Bulldogs (3-1, 2-0) won their first two conference games was 1982. Florida (1-3, 0-2) lost its third straight game.

The Bulldogs held the Gators to 207 yards and bottled up quarterback Kerwin Bell, who finished 10 of 24 passing for 100 yards but was sacked 3 times for 27 yards in losses.

Bell’s 100 yards gave him 4,933 in two-plus seasons, allowing him to surpass Steve Spurrier (1964-66) as the Gators’ career record-holder. Spurrier had 4,833 yards.

Mississippi State quarterback Don Smith had 262 yards total offense.

Georgia 31, South Carolina 26--Sophomore Steve Crumley kicked four field goals--including a 50-yarder with 5:55 to go--as the Bulldogs beat the Gamecocks at Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina drove from its 20 to the Georgia 11 in the final minutes, but nose guard Andy Dotson made a diving interception of a tipped Todd Ellis pass to clinch the victory with 1:36 left.

Ellis completed 21 of 31 passes for a school-record 342 yards, breaking Tommy Suggs’ mark of 324 yards set in 1968 against Florida State.

Kentucky 37, Cincinnati 20-- Chris Schenault and David Johnson returned pass interceptions for touchdowns as the Wildcats defeated the Bearcats in the rain at Cincinnati.

The Wildcats (2-0-1) took the lead for good, 13-9, on Schenault’s 65-yard return of Danny McCoin’s pass late in the second quarter. Johnson went 95 yards with his interception early in the third quarter.

Johnson also set up the first touchdown for Kentucky, recovering a fumbled punt on the Cincinnati 15-yard-line in the first quarter. Quarterback Bill Ransdell hit tight end Joe Curry for a score on the next play.

Mississippi 35, Tulane 10--Reserve quarterback Mark Young threw for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns in the second half to rally the Rebels past the Green Wave at Oxford, Miss.

Young had scoring passes of 43, 40 and 10 yards as Mississippi (2-1-1) rolled up 28 points in the second half after trailing, 10-7, at halftime. Young connected with Ricky Myers on the 43-yarder early in the second half to put the Rebels ahead to stay.

Tulane (1-2) came into the game leading the nation in total offense with an average of 525.5 yards per game, but Mississippi held the Green Wave to 289 total yards.

At halftime, the Mississippi retired the No. 18 jersey of Archie Manning, the former Rebel All-American quarterback.