Gators beat Vols on Hail Mary, 26-20
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Feleipe Franks heaved a 63-yard touchdown pass to Tyrie Cleveland as the clock expired, and No. 24 Florida beat 23rdranked Tennessee 26-20 in a wild, wacky and sometimes unwatchable rivalry game Saturday.
Franks scrambled away from the rush on a
first-and-10 play with 9 seconds remaining and found Cleveland behind safety Micah Abernathy for a Hail Mary that no one — especially the Volunteers — saw coming.
The final play capped a crazy fourth quarter in which the teams combined for 37 points and little, if any, defense.
Tennessee (2-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) can blame three missed field goals for not being ahead late. The Gators (1-1, 1-0) looked as if they had the game in hand early in the final frame, but found a way to let the Volunteers get back in it.
It looked for sure as if it was headed for overtime — and then Franks found Cleveland.
Texas A&M 45, Louisiana-Lafayette 21
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M needed a second-half comeback to defeat Louisiana-Lafayette.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (1-2) led 21-14 at halftime before the Aggies scored 31 consecutive points en route to the victory, one preserving embattled coach Kevin Sumlin’s job for at least another week.
“We just talked about that in the locker room, that we were like two different teams,” Sumlin said of the Aggies’ Jekyll and Hyde showing. “We’re a work in progress.”
After much of the first half went wrong for A&M, the third quarter went entirely right, as the Aggies (2-1) scored 17 points in that span to grab the lead for good.
Freshman Aggies quarterback Kellen Mond, in beginning to live up to his preseason hype as a five-star prospect, collected a five-yard touchdown run and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass
to fellow freshman Camron Buckley in the decisive third quarter.
“He’s gotten better,” Sumlin said of Mond. “He’s more comfortable, and he’s more assertive.”
Sumlin is on the hot seat after the Aggies have lost six consecutive games to Power Five opponents, dating to last season and including A&M blowing a 34-point lead against UCLA in this year’s season opener. The Aggies have responded with two consecutive victories, but also needed to break open a 14-14 tie against Nicholls State last week before prevailing 24-14.
The Aggies open SEC play against Arkansas in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday and will try and make it six in a row against the Razorbacks. Arkansas still leads the overall series 41-29-3.
No. 15 Auburn 24 Mercer 10
AUBURN, Ala. — Kamryn Pettway ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns as No. 15 Auburn overcame five turnovers to hold off FCS school Mercer in another troubling performance by the Tigers’ offense.
After being held without a touchdown in a 14-6 loss at third-ranked Clemson the previous week, Auburn (2-1) could at least point to a stout defensive opponent as the reason for its troubles.
Not this time. Mercer (1-2), which only resumed its football program five years ago and plays a division down in the Southern Conference, gave the Tigers all they could handle, much to a chagrin of a disgruntled crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium — many of whom didn’t bother returning to their seats after a lackluster first half in which the Southeastern Conference powerhouse led only 10-3.
Much of Auburn’s woes could be attributed to an inability to hold onto the ball. The Tigers lost three fumbles in the first half and another returning a punt on what should’ve been their first possession of the second half. Jason Stidham also had an interception when Kam Lott ripped the ball away from Nate Craig-Myers , a lackluster effort by the intended receiver that symbolized the entire afternoon.