Auburn ekes past No. 10 South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Barrett Trotter threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Lutzenkirchen with 1:38 left to lift Auburn to a 16-13 victory over No. 10 South Carolina yesterday.

The Tigers (4-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) had struggled to move the ball against South Carolina's defense. Trotter had thrown two interceptions and was sacked four times by the Gamecocks (4-1, 2-1). But down 13-9, Barrett led Auburn on a 12-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a pass to wide open Lutzenkirchen in front of the goal line.

The junior fumbled the ball into the end zone, then recovered it just before sliding out of bounds to put Auburn ahead.

South Carolina advanced to Auburn's 29 on its final possession before time expired, though Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier argued that the clock should have stopped with 1 second left after a completed pass for a first down.

Michael Dyer ran for 141 yards on a career-high 41 carries and had a 1-yard TD for Auburn, which has won its past 11 SEC games.

The Tigers' D held the Gamecocks to 54 yards and one first down in the final period. And Trotter and the Tigers found their groove just in time. They converted four third downs in the go-ahead drive, including the touchdown to Lutzenkirchen.

Auburn limited Marcus Lattimore, the SEC's leading rusher, to 69 yards on 17 carries, including a 15-yard TD.-- AP