SOUTHEASTERN ROUNDUP : Davis Runs for 246 Yards, Rescues Auburn

Stephen Davis did his best Bo Jackson imitation Saturday and wound up with some Bo-like numbers.

On a day when No. 4 Auburn seemed primed for an upset, Davis made sure it didn’t happen.

He rushed for a career-high 246 yards and scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to help the Tigers rally for a 31-14 victory over Arkansas at Auburn, Ala., extending the nation’s longest Division I-A winning streak to 19 games.

Davis had rushed for at least 100 yards in two consecutive games and four times overall this season, but he was told by running backs coach Rodney Allison to take his play to another level against the Razorbacks.

“He said we needed a 200-yard game rushing today,” said Davis, whose previous career best was 158 yards in the season opener. “I took it upon myself to carry the team.”

Auburn, 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Southeastern Conference, trailed, 14-10, entering the fourth quarter, the 11th time the Tigers have fallen behind during their nearly two-year winning streak. Then Davis took over.

On the third play of the fourth quarter, the 223-pound junior powered over from the one to put Auburn ahead to stay against Arkansas (3-5, 2-4). On the Tigers’ next possession, Davis burst around right end for a 24-yard touchdown to push the lead to 24-14.

He capped his performance with a 53-yard run down the right sideline, streaking past the smaller defensive backs with a glimpse of the speed that made him a high school track star in South Carolina.

Davis would have pushed the 300-yard mark had a 42-yard run in the first quarter not been nullified by a penalty.

Auburn struggled much of the game, falling behind in the first quarter when nose guard Junior Soli picked off Patrick Nix’s pass and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown.

Auburn, which vaulted into national championship contention two weeks ago with a 36-33 upset of then-No. 1 Florida, managed only a 33-yard field goal by Matt Hawkins in the first half.

The Tigers went ahead for the first time when Nix found Frank Sanders alone in the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown pass with 8:52 left in the third quarter. Sanders finished with seven receptions for 128 yards.

But Arkansas didn’t fold. The Razorbacks drove back down the field, going 76 yards in 12 plays for Barry Lunney’s one-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak. That turned out to be the only bright spot for the Arkansas’ offense.

Mississippi 34, Louisiana State 21--Josh Nelson passed for three touchdowns and Dou Innocent had his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game as the Rebels broke a four-game losing streak at Oxford, Miss.

Mississippi, which had scored only one offensive touchdown in each of its three previous games, led early in the second quarter, 21-0.

The Rebels (3-4, 2-5) hadn’t beaten an SEC team since a 20-14 victory over Vanderbilt on Sept. 17.

LSU (2-5, 2-4) lost three fumbles in the first quarter, the last leading to a six-play, 68-yard Mississippi drive that ended with Mark Smith’s three-yard touchdown run with 12:21 left in the second quarter. Smith, who had 16 carries for 79 yards, also had a 59-yard run during the drive.

Tennessee 31, South Carolina 22--Freshman Peyton Manning passed for three touchdowns, two to James Stewart, at Columbia, S.C., as the Volunteers (4-4, 3-3) won for the third time in four games.

Manning, the son of Archie Manning, completed 19 of 23 passes for 189 yards, with the scoring passes to Stewart covering six yards and one yard.

Mississippi State 47, Kentucky 7--Kevin Bouie rushed for a school-record 217 yards and one touchdown in 23 carries and Derrick Taite had touchdown passes on plays covering 34 and 31 yards as the Bulldogs (6-2, 3-2) recorded their most lopsided victory in their 22-game series with the Wildcats (1-7, 0-6).

Coming into the game, Bouie had only 273 yards in 68 carries this season. But the senior topped the school rushing mark of 198 yards set by Dennis Johnson against Memphis in 1974.

Michael Davis scored on a 13-yard run in the second quarter for his 25th touchdown, a Mississippi State record.

Vanderbilt 17, Northern Illinois 16--With the score tied, 10-10, late in the third quarter, Eric Vance intercepted a pass and returned it 44 yards, setting up Jermaine Johnson’s nine-yard touchdown run to help the Commodores (4-4) nip the Huskies (3-6) in a nonconference game at Nashville, Tenn.

Northern Illinois pulled within a point with 1:02 to play when George Anthony scored from the two, but Gerald Collins and Anthony Azama stopped Sean Allgood short on a two-point conversion run.