The Week

A crowd of 56,514, some 2,000 more than the 54,406 capacity of Williams-Brice Stadium, got what it wanted when South Carolina beat Georgia for the first time since 1959. At halftime, the Gamecocks led only 13-10, but from then on they controlled the ball. So dominant was South Carolina in the third quarter that the Bulldogs ran off only seven plays, three of which resulted in turnovers. All told, South Carolina had the ball 23 of the final 30 minutes. The Gamecocks won 27-10 behind the running of Johnnie Wright (156 yards) and George Rogers (128 yards). For the losers, Willie McClendon ripped off 150 yards.

Another Atlantic Coast Conference team to topple a Southeastern Conference foe was Maryland, which downed Kentucky 20-3. Churning out his fourth 100-yard game in a row for the Terps was Steve Atkins, who rambled for 153 yards.

North Carolina State, with Ted Brown running for 136 yards, took an ACC contest from Wake Forest 34-10, its fourth straight win.

Both teams scored in every period as Alabama surged past Vanderbilt for a 51-28 SEC triumph. The Tide rolled up 569 yards, 448 of them on the ground, but did not move in front for keeps until Tony Nathan raced 63 yards for a touchdown in the third period to make it 24-21. Nathan wound up with 163 yards rushing. With Martin Cox grabbing six of Van Heflin's passes for 133 yards and two TDs, and with Frank Mordica scampering 79 yards for another score, the Commodores actually led 'Bama 21-16 in the third quarter.

Auburn and Florida were easy SEC victors. The unbeaten Tigers, led by James Brooks' 156 yards in 17 carries, rolled up 462 yards total offense while downing Tennessee 29-10. Florida dealt Mississippi State its first defeat, 34-0.

Houston upset Florida State 27-21. The Cougars, with Emmett King rushing for 142 yards, led 27-0 and barely held off the Seminoles' comeback.

William & Mary had seemingly pulled out a 19-15 win at Virginia Tech when Tom Rozantz combined with Ed Schielfelbein on a 59-yard scoring play with 1:29 remaining. But on the game's last play, David Lamie unloosed a bomb to Ron Zollicoffer for a 50-yard TD and a 22-19 Gobbler victory.

1. ALABAMA (3-1)
2. LSU (3-0)
3. MARYLAND (4-0)

WEST

"I thought we played without emotion," said USC Coach John Robinson after his Trojans had knocked off Michigan State 30-9. Despite the lack of verve that Robinson had feared following the Trojans' upset of Alabama, USC had little trouble overcoming the Spartans' 3-0 first-period lead. Instead of emotion, USC relied on logic. With the Spartans concentrating on shutting off the Trojan sweeps, USC sent Lynn Cain slamming through the comparatively open middle for 96 yards. Despite being keyed on and despite sitting out the fourth quarter, Charles White scored on two short runs and gained 82 yards in 20 carries. Keeping the Spartan defense guessing was Paul McDonald, who connected on scoring passes that covered 13 and 50 yards.