With one swipe of the arm, Alabama’s perfect season remained intact for at least another week, as the Tide (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) barely defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 12-10 in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
Senior nose tackle Terrance Cody blocked two Tennessee (1-3, 3-4) field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, including the 42-yard game-winning attempt by kicker Daniel Lincoln with four seconds left in regulation.
Tennessee’s much-maligned senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton led the Volunteer attack with 265 yards of passing on the day, along with a passing touchdown. Alabama’s offensive output came from four field goals from kicker Leigh Tiffin, and 99 yards on the ground for sophomore sensation running back Mark Ingram. This narrow victory for the Tide makes it the 20th straight regular season victory for Alabama.
One for the record books
Saturday night was a reunion of sorts in Starkville, for new Mississippi State coach and former Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen and Florida coach Urban Meyer and quarterback Tim Tebow.
For two coaches known for their offensive exploits, this game was anything but that. There were three turnovers returned for touchdowns, including two Tebow interceptions being returned by Mississippi State’s freshman safety Johnthan Banks.
In the end, however, the Gators (7-0, 5-0) were just too much for the young Bulldogs, as Tim Tebow added his 50th career rushing touchdown, which tied him with former Georgia running back Herschel Walker as the leader for all SEC players. With the 29-19 win over the Bulldogs (1-3, 3-5), the Gators regained the top spot in the polls, after losing it momentarily to the Crimson Tide.
LSU turns reeling Auburn into tiger bait
After starting the season as one of the hottest teams in the nation, the wheels have started to come off for the Auburn Tigers (5-3, 2-3). Saturday night marked the third consecutive loss for the Tigers, this time coming at the hands of the 9th ranked LSU Tigers (6-1, 4-1) 31-10. LSU sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson passed for a career-high 242 yards, along with two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown.
The LSU defense stifled the high-powered Auburn offense, and held them to only one offensive touchdown on the game. This game was a good warm-up for the Tigers, who will be traveling to Tuscaloosa in two weeks to face the unbeaten Crimson Tide for the SEC West crown.
Did You Know?
Warren Norman is the first Commodore to record two kick return touchdowns in their career. He’s done this all in his freshman year. He also is leading the SEC in all-purpose yards this season.
With a win over Georgia next week, Florida can clinch at least a share of the SEC East title.
With his 99 yards rushing against Tennessee, Mark Ingram has now surpassed the 1000-yard mark for the season.
