No. 6 Alabama Beats Mississippi on FG

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) -- Jamie Christensen&#39;s 31-yard field goal as time expired lifted No. 6 Alabama to a 13-10 victory over Mississippi on Saturday.<br> <br> Brodie Croyle finished with 234 yards passing and converted three third downs on the game-winning drive for the Crimson Tide (6-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference), who looked out of sync against an inspired Ole Miss team looking for its first big win under new coach Ed Orgeron.<br> <br> But the Tide shook off its sluggishness and made the plays when they counted to remain unbeaten heading into next week&#39;s showdown with rival Tennessee.<br> <br> Alabama began its decisive drive at its own 24-yard line with 2:39 to play. <br> <br> Croyle, held in check for much of the second half by an aggressive Rebels defense, took command. He was 3-of-4 for 24 yards on the drive with three key conversions - a 20-yard run on third-and-9, a 7-yard pass to Matt Miller on third-and-2 and a 2-yard sneak on third-and-1 in the final minute.<br> <br> That set up Kenneth Darby&#39;s 16-yard run to the Ole Miss 14. Alabama called time out with 3 seconds left. Christensen converted his game-winner from the right hash, then was mobbed by his relieved teammates.<br> <br> Darby, the SEC&#39;s leading rusher, had 70 of his 100 yards in the second half.<br> <br> He appeared to give Alabama a spark early in the second half when he burst 48 yards untouched to give the Crimson Tide a 10-7 lead. <br> <br> But Ole Miss (2-4, 0-3) wouldn&#39;t let the Tide pull away, and Robert Bass&#39; 24-yard field goal early in the fourth tied it at 10.<br> <br> Neither team&#39;s offense could generate much of a threat the rest of the way until Alabama&#39;s game-winning drive in the closing minutes.<br> <br> Keith Brown stepped forward as the top replacement for the injured Tyrone Prothro, catching six passes for 79 yards.<br> <br> The Crimson Tide seemed ripe for an upset after an exhilarating rout of Florida two weeks ago and with the Volunteers coming to Tuscaloosa next week.<br> <br> Ole Miss used a fired-up defense and just enough offense to put together its best game under its new coach.<br> <br> Against the SEC&#39;s second-best pass defense, Micheal Spurlock was 19-of-32 for 210 yards, his third consecutive 200-yard passing game, with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Mario Hill.<br> <br> The Rebels held Darby to just 30 yards in the first half and led 7-3 at halftime. That margin could have been bigger - Ole Miss missed one field goal and had another blocked.<br> <br> The Rebels&#39; touchdown came after forcing a turnover from the SEC&#39;s stingiest team which entered with just five turnovers.<br> <br> Linebacker Garry Pack recovered DJ Hall&#39;s first-quarter fumble at the Tide 26, and three plays later, Spurlock hit Hill for the TD.<br> <br> The Tide cut it to four early in the second on Christensen&#39;s 43-yard field goal.<br> <br> © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.