SOUTHEASTERN ROUNDUP : Ole Miss Beats LSU, Gains Share of First

No. 17 Mississippi scored a 19-10 victory over Louisiana State Saturday night at Baton Rogue, La., seizing a share of the Southeastern Conference lead and a large part of Coach Billy Brewer’s heart.

“You know, there’s a joke we’ve got: ‘We’re a big cloud of dust coming down a country road.’ That cloud’s getting bigger and closer,” Brewer said.

“This win ranks right up there with some of the biggest we’ve had at Ole Miss,” said Brewer, a former Ole Miss player.

Randy Baldwin ran for 89 yards and three touchdowns to lead Mississippi, 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the SEC. Ole Miss is tied with Florida for the league lead.

Florida, ranked 15th, knocked No. 4 Auburn out of the league lead, 48-7, Saturday night. But Florida is ineligible for the SEC title and the automatic host’s berth in the Sugar Bowl because of NCAA probation.

Ole Miss, with a half-game lead over Tennessee and Auburn in the Sugar Bowl chase, faces Tennessee in two weeks and Mississippi State on Nov. 24 in a bid for its first league title since 1963.

The Rebels haven’t played in the Sugar Bowl since 1970, when Archie Manning was the quarterback.

Baldwin dived over from a yard out to cap an 84-yard drive on Mississippi’s opening drive against LSU (4-4, 2-3). He plunged one yard to cap a 45-yard drive on the second possession and scored from five yards out midway through the second quarter.

Mississippi led 19-7 at halftime.

Alabama 22, Mississippi St. 0--Philip Doyle kicked three field goals and Robert Jones ran for two touchdowns as the Crimson Tide won at Starkville, Miss.

The Crimson Tide (4-4, 3-2) didn’t allow a touchdown for the third consecutive game while limiting Mississippi State (3-5, 0-5) to 202 yards. Alabama has allowed only five field goals in the last 15 quarters.

Alabama’s offense hadn’t scored a touchdown in 11 quarters, but Jones capped the first drive with a two-yard run. Jones covered the final 14 yards of the 14-play, 79-yard drive in four carries.

Jones, starting in place of injured tailback Derrick Lassic, rushed for 58 yards in 17 carries and ended the scoring with a one-yard run in the fourth quarter. Alabama’s Chris Anderson had 19 carries for 106 yards.

Doyle, who had kicked 19 of 22 field goals, kicked a 25-yarder to push the Tide to a 10-0 advantage with 5:49 remaining in the first quarter.