Florida springs Leak, knocks off fourth-ranked Georgia

This Cocktail Party might have been a savory setup for Florida’s real celebration. And once again Georgia’s national title hopes were sunk in the River City.

Chris Leak threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score, and the Gators used an impressive defensive performance to take down the previously unbeaten Bulldogs 14-10 Saturday at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, Fla.

No. 16 Florida (6-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) defeated its rival to the north for the 14th time in the last 16 meetings and kept alive hopes of winning the SEC East and returning to the conference title game for the first time since 2000.

The Gators need to beat Vanderbilt and South Carolina and have Georgia lose one of its remaining games against Auburn and Kentucky to win the division.

“A lot of people counted us out after that devastating LSU loss,” Florida defensive tackle Marcus Thomas said. “Now, we’re back in the race for the SEC.”

(6) Miami 34, North Carolina 16

Tyrone Moss rushed for career highs of 195 yards and four TDs, three scores after halftime, as the Hurricanes (6-1, 3-1 ACC) beat the Tar Heels (3-4, 2-2) in Miami.

The Hurricanes trailed 16-7 at intermission, but scored three touchdowns in an 8-minute span of the third quarter to take control.

(7) LSU 56, North Texas 3

Shyrone Carey ran for two scores and fellow backup tailback Justin Vincent added a TD run as the Tigers (6-1) rolled past the Mean Green (2-5) in Baton Rouge, La., in a game that had been postponed because of Hurricane Katrina.

The Tigers won their fifth straight game and their 13th consecutive non-conference game.

The Mean Green lost for the fifth time in six games.

(10) Florida State 35, Maryland 27

Drew Weatherford and James Coleman scored fourth-quarter touchdowns to lead the Seminoles (7-1, 5-1 ACC) to a come-from-behind victory over the Terrapins (4-4, 2-3) in Tallahassee, Fla.

Weatherford’s 15-yard run with 8:52 left gave the Seminoles a 28-27 lead, and they scored 3 minutes later on Coleman’s 1-yard run.

(11) Penn State 33, Purdue 15

Tony Hunt ran for 129 yards and Kevin Kelly booted four field goals as the Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1) beat the Boilermakers (2-6, 0-5) in State College, Pa., to remain in a tie for first place in the Big Ten.

The Boilermakers, who started the season in the Top 25, lost their fifth straight.

(12) Ohio State 45, Minnesota 31

Antonio Pittman rushed for two second-half touchdowns and a career-high 186 yards, springing the Buckeyes (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) to a victory over the Golden Gophers (5-3, 2-3) in Minneapolis, in a game featuring more than 1,000 yards of offense.

Troy Smith passed for 233 yards and three scores, two to Santonio Holmes, and Ted Ginn Jr.’s 100-yard touchdown on a kickoff return highlighted a wild first quarter for the Buckeyes.

(15) Wisconsin 41, Illinois 24

Brian Calhoun ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns as the Badgers (8-1, 5-1) defeated the Fighting Illini (2-6, 0-5) in Champaign, Ill., to remain tied for first in the Big Ten.

Illinois lost its sixth straight game despite gaining a season-high 538 yards on offense.

(17) Texas Tech 28, Baylor 0

Taurean Henderson ran for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and Cody Hodges threw for another as the Red Raiders (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) blanked the Bears (4-4, 1-4) in Waco, Texas.

The shutout was Tech’s first since 2002 and its first in a Big 12 road game. The Red Raiders are off to their best start since 1976.

(19) Auburn 27, Mississippi 3

Brandon Cox passed for 205 yards and a touchdown, and Kenny Irons ran for 101 yards and another TD to lead the Tigers (6-2, 4-1 SEC) to a win over the Rebels (3-5, 1-4) in Auburn, Ala.

Auburn place-kicker John Vaughn also hit a pair of field goals for the Tigers after a nightmarish 1-for-6 performance in an overtime loss at LSU.

(20) TCU 23, San Diego St. 20

Cory Rodgers ran 6 yards for the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter and David Roach had an interception in the end zone as the Horned Frogs (8-1, 6-0 Mountain West Conference) held off the Aztecs (3-6, 2-4) in San Diego for their seventh straight win.

Robert Merrill carried 29 times for a season-high 170 yards and two touchdowns for TCU.

(25) Michigan 33, (21) Northwestern 17

Leon Hall returned a fumble recovery 83 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, and the Wolverines (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) won their third straight, shutting out the Wildcats (5-3, 3-2) in the second half on their way to a victory in Evanston, Ill. The 17 points were a season low for the Wildcats, whose three-game win streak ended.

South Carolina 16, (23) Tennessee 15

Steve Spurrier brought a different team to Knoxville, Tenn., and left with a familiar result.

Josh Brown kicked a 49-yard field goal with 2:45 left and the Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3 SEC) held on for an upset win over the Volunteers (3-4, 2-4).

The Gamecocks snapped a 12-game losing streak to Tennessee and won for the first time in Knoxville.