LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Matt Jones threw three touchdowns and Arkansas came back on short rest to beat South Carolina 28-6 Thursday night.
The Razorbacks had little time to prepare after Saturday night's seven-overtime win at Kentucky. Behind Jones and DeCori Birmingham's 51-yard touchdown run, they did fine.
Arkansas (6-3, 3-3 SEC) became bowl eligible for the sixth straight season under coach Houston Nutt. That tied a mark South Carolina coach Lou Holtz set when he was at the school from 1977-83.
Rice coach Ken Hatfield equaled that record at Arkansas from 1984-89.
Jones didn't start, but entered on the second series. He completed 11-of-14 for 148 yards, including TDs to tight end Jason Peters and receivers Richard Smith and George Wilson.
It was the third time this season Jones threw three touchdowns in a game.
South Carolina (5-5, 2-5) had four turnovers, and two mistakes left the Gamecocks with just three points after a pair of 13-play drives.
South Carolina running back Demetris Summers suffered a concussion and was taken off the field on a cart after a collision with two Arkansas players left him down for several minutes. He was hurt on the first offensive play of the third quarter when he was hit by free safety Tony Bua and defensive back Jimmy Beasley.
Summers could be seen moving his legs, but South Carolina medical personnel put him on a backboard and immobilized his neck and head. School officials said X-rays on his head and neck were negative.
USC quarterback Dondrial Pinkins completed 21-of-36 for 181 yards. He threw two interceptions.
South Carolina drove inside the Arkansas 10 late in the fourth, but Bo Mosley recovered a fumble by receiver Matthew Thomas on fourth down.
The Razorbacks took a 14-3 lead into halftime with a 13-play, 71-yard drive. Jones rolled right on a bootleg and threw 1 yard to Peters.
CENTRAL FLORIDA: Redshirt freshman guard Dan Veenstra has been suspended one game for violating team rules while senior defensive tackle DeMarcus Johnson has been suspended for the remainder of the season for violating team rules.
Veenstra will miss Saturday's game at Eastern Michigan while Johnson's career comes to an end at UCF.
CLARETT UPDATE: The son of former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes removed himself as the judge in the misdemeanor case involving suspended Buckeyes tailback Maurice Clarett.
It was not immediately clear why Franklin County Municipal Judge Steven B. Hayes took himself off the case. He could not be reached for comment late Thursday.
"Originally, Hayes was adamant that he wouldn't step down," said Jeff Roose, a supervisor in the court clerk's office criminal division. "I don't know what made him change his mind today."
The case was reassigned to Judge Mark S. Froehlich, the clerk's office said.
Clarett's lawyers filed a request for Hayes' removal on Sept. 24. Cases are assigned to judges at random.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David W. Fais denied the affidavit of disqualification on Oct. 2, saying the motion by Clarett's attorneys was "without merit."
Hayes said at the time that he could not think of a reason why he couldn't be an impartial judge in the case.
A message seeking comment was left Thursday night for Clarett lawyer Percy Squire.
While Woody Hayes was Ohio State's coach from 1951-78, the Buckeyes won two Associated Press national titles, 13 Big Ten crowns and 205 games.
MORE SHUFFLING: Charlotte and Saint Louis were invited to join the Atlantic 10 in an expansion that would boost the league to 14 teams.
Charlotte and Saint Louis are in Conference USA, which already will lose Cincinnati, Louisville, South Florida, Marquette and DePaul to the Big East in 2005.
Charlotte athletic director Judy Rose said the school was "thrilled to receive an invitation."
The Atlantic 10 members: Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, Temple and Xavier.
SEC DECISION: Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles said he and his counterparts around the league aren't looking forward to determining who will represent the East Division in the championship game, if that's required.
If Georgia, Florida and Tennessee all win out and end in a tie for the East crown, SEC bylaws call for several methods of determining who will play the West champion. But the first six tiebreakers wouldn't determine the team that plays in Atlanta. The seventh is a vote among athletic directors. Those voting would be all schools except the three involved in a tie, and the West champion.
"Nobody ever thought we'd have to vote, and hopefully it won't come to that this year," Broyles said. "None of the ADs want to vote. We don't want that responsibility."
FLORIDA CLASSIC: Fewer than 7,000 seats remain for the 23rd annual contest between B-CC and FAMU at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. For ticket information call (407) 423-2476.
