STARKVILLE, Miss. Wes Byrum kicked a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter and that was all No. 9 Auburn needed to defeat Mississippi State 3-2 on Saturday night.

The Tigers (3-0, 1-0 SEC) committed three turnovers, missed two field goals and handed the Bulldogs their only points with a safety.

But Auburn allowed only 116 yards to Mississippi State (1-2, 0-1).

The Tigers' new spread offense still has lots of work to do. Chris Todd was 14-for-26 for 154 yards and Ben Tate ran for 92 yards on 20 carries.

Mississippi State scored with 7:05 left the fourth quarter when Auburn offensive lineman Ryan Pugh was called for holding in the end zone, giving the Bulldogs two points.

Wesley Carroll was 10-for-25 for 78 yards for the Bulldogs.

Elsewhere

LSU 41, NORTH TEXAS 3: Charles Scott keeps breaking loose for long gains and LSU's running game looks as powerful as ever.

If the seventh-ranked Tigers don't find a passing game to match, they may not have it so easy when they begin SEC play at Auburn next weekend.

Scott ran for touchdowns of 39 and 43 yards, Trindon Holliday scored on a 92-yard punt return, and LSU (2-0) cruised over winless North Texas.

ALABAMA 41, WESTERN KENTUCKY 7: John Parker Wilson passed for 215 yards and two touchdowns and freshman Mark Ingram ran for two scores, leading host No. 11 Alabama past Western Kentucky. The Crimson Tide (3-0) got the kind of start-to-finish effort coach Nick Saban had been seeking. Alabama rolled to 557 yards a week after getting held to 172 by Tulane to enter SEC play on a high note.

KENTUCKY 20, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 14: Robbie McAtee tackled Eldred King at the 1-yard line as time expired to preserve Kentucky's home win.

McAtee's game-saving ankle tackle came after Middle Tennessee quarterback Joe Craddock heaved a desperation pass 61 yards in what appeared to be a last-second victory for the Blue Raiders. Instead, McAtee's tackle kept Kentucky undefeated (3-0).

MISSISSIPPI 34, SAMFORD 10: Marshay Green scored on a 77-yard punt return and Mississippi used 31 unanswered points to win easily. The Rebels (2-1) struggled early with the Bulldogs of the Championship Subdivision, who led 7-6 until the final four minutes of the first half.

TENNESSEE 35, UAB 3: Jonathan Crompton threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns to lead Tennessee.

The Volunteers (1-1) erased bad memories of a poor offensive effort at UCLA two weeks ago before entering the toughest stretch of their SEC schedule.

UAB (0-3) gave Tennessee a short field to set up the Vols' first touchdown. Crompton rolled out of the pocket and tossed a 20-yard pass to Gerald Jones in the left corner of the end zone to put Tennessee up 7-0 with 4:35 in the first quarter.

VANDERBILT 38, RICE 21: Jared Hawkins rushed for 107 yards and the Vanderbilt defense held Rice scoreless in the second half.

The Commodores (3-0) snapped a 21-21 halftime tie on Jamie Graham's 27-yard touchdown run with 11:41 left in the third quarter.