ATLANTA — With every trick in the book and every joker in the deck, Arkansas and Florida treated 73, 374 at the Georgia Dome and a national CBS audience at home to a wild SEC Championship game Saturday night.

In the end, Florida played more tricks, and with a listed wide receiver Percy Harvin upstaging Arkansas’ Darren McFadden as a ballcarrier, beat the Razorbacks, 38-28 to win the SEC Championship.

Urban Meyer’s Gators, 12-1, advance at the least to the Sugar Bowl and maybe even to the Jan. 8 national championship game versus unbeaten Ohio State as No. 2-ranked Southern California was upset Saturday afternoon by UCLA.

Houston Nutt’s SEC West champion Razorbacks, 10-3, await a bowl assignment, probably Jan. 1 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas considering the Capital One Bowl scouts of the Orlando, Fla., based bowl were hard to find Saturday night.

ADVERTISEMENT

Florida’s defense, tops against the run in the SEC, held SEC leading rusher McFadden to 73 yards on 21 carries though McFadden and the Razorbacks had some big moments after spotting Florida a 17-0 lead.

However they could not overcome Harvin’s 105 yards and a touchdown on 6 carries plus his 5 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

All that earned the Gator freshman a unanimous vote from attending media as the SEC Championship game MVP.

Relatively tame after a 3-0 first quarter with Florida’s Chris Hetland kicking a 34-yard field goal and Arkansas’ Jeremy Davis missing a 40-yard field goal, Arkansas was down, 17-0 on two Florida second-quarter touchdowns until Arkansas wideout Marcus Monk, helped by a Florida pass interference penalty, scored on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Casey Dick with 1: 55 left in the half.

Reggie Lewis, the safety who interfered on the previous play, interfered on that one, too, but Arkansas obviously declined the penalty.

“ Marcus Monk gave us a lift before half, ” McFadden said, “ but they are No. 1 in the league against the run and they showed it. ”

Arkansas also had special problems on special teams with Florida setting up one second-quarter touchdown on a blocked punt and Reggie Fish’s fumbled punt in the end zone that Florida’s Wondy Pierre-Louis recovered for a touchdown that broke the Razorbacks’ back.

Meyer also gambled and won with a huge fake punt on Jemalle Cornelius’ 17-yard run on fourth-and-15 before Fish fumbled when punter Eric Wilbur did punt on fourth-and-1 after executing the fake so well.

“ We never let go of the rope, ” Nutt said. “ But you can’t make mistakes like that on special teams. And Percy Harvin is hard to stop. They move him around from receiver to running back like we do with Darren McFadden. ”

Arkansas tallied big in the third quarter on an interception of a Chris Leak pass by linebacker Weston Dacus setting up Felix Jones ’ 2-yard TD reception of a McFadden pass, and defensive end Antwain Robinson picked off a Leak shovel pass and returned it for a 40-yard TD.

Arkansas also scored on a 29-yard flea flicker with senior wideout and ex-quarterback Cedric Washington throwing a 29-yard TD to Felix Jones. Harvin popped a 67-yard TD run up the middle in the fourth quarter and receiver Andre Caldwell also threw a 5-yard Florida touchdown.

“ We never quit, ” Nutt said. “ I wanted to bring the trophy home to Coach [Frank ] Broyles and Chancellor [John ] White but we weren’t able to do that. ”

McFadden played the last three quarters despite an ankle injury and “ wasn’t himself, ” Nutt said. How They Scored

FIRST QUARTER Florida 3, Arkansas 0 How: Chris Hetland 34-yard field goal, 6: 10 Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, TOP 2: 25 Keys: Kashin Moore breaks 28 off RG, first down at A 35. Percy Harvin, runs 11 on pitch, first down A 24. Leak scrambles 11 on third-and-13. SECOND QUARTER Florida 10, Arkansas 0 How: Chris Leak 9 run, Chris Hetland PAT, 8: 54 Drive: 1 play, 9 yards, TOP 29 seconds Keys: Jarred Fayson blocks Jacob Skinner punt at A 9. Leak runs 9-yard keeper and vaults into end zone. Florida 17, Arkansas 0 How: Percy Harvin 37 pass from Chris Leak, Chris Hetland PAT, 4: 02.

Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, TOP 3: 23

Keys: Harvin 10 run on second-and-7 pitch to F 39. Leak shovel pass 9 to Harvin to F 48. Tim Tebow 4 run on third-and-1 to A 48. Leak passes 13 to Cornelius Ingram, first down at A 35. Leak on second-and-12 sees Harvin beating FS Kevin Woods for 37-yard TD.

Florida 17, Arkansas 7

How: Marcus Monk 48 pass from Casey Dick, Jeremy Davis PAT, 1: 55

Drive: 3 play 66 yards, TOP 2: 07

Keys: On first-and-15, FS Reggie Lewis called for pass interference against Marcus Monk, first down at A 42. Darren McFadden 9 run to A 50. McFadden 2 run on second-and-1 first down to F 48. On first down with Reggie Lewis hanging on to Monk and drawing declined pass interference, Monk catches 48-yard TD pass from Dick.

THIRD QUARTER Florida 17, Arkansas 14 How: Felix Jones 2 pass from Darren McFadden, Jeremy Davis PAT, 12: 06 Drive: 7 plays, 33 yards, TOP 2: 18 Keys: Weston Dacus intercepts Chris Leak pass at F 32. Jones 6 run on McFadden handoff, first down to F 19. McFadden 15 run on second-and-10 sweep around LE to F 4. Mustain 2 run, hangs on to bobbled shotgun snap. McFadden out of Wildcat quick 2-yard TD pass to Jones. Arkansas 21, Florida 17 How: Antwain Robinson 39 interception, Jeremy Davis PAT, 8: 33 Drive: None Keys: Effective in the first half on shovel pass to Harvin, Leak tries it again but DE Antwain Robinson is right there to pick it off at Florida 39 and score TD untouched. Florida, 24 Arkansas, 21 How: Wondy Pierre-Louis recovers fumbled punt, Chris Hetland PAT, 3: 47 Drive: None Keys: On fourth-and-10 from F 15, P Eric Wilbur fakes punt and hands it to Jermale Cornelius, 17 first down to F 32. After burning final timeout on fourth-and-1 at F 31, Wilbur does punt 58. Reggie Fish fumbles it and Wondy Pierre-Louis recovers in end zone for TD. FOURTH QUARTER Florida 31, Arkansas 21 How: Percy Harvin 67 run, Chris Hetland PAT, 14: 22 Drive: 1 play, 67 yards, TOP: 30 seconds Key: Harvin takes reverse, pops up middle for 67-yard TD. Florida 31, Arkansas 28

How: Felix Jones 29 pass from Cedric Washington, Jeremy Davis PAT, 12: 29

Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, TOP 1: 53

Keys: Jones returns kickoff 20 to A 37. Dick passes 22 to Monk on first down to A 45. Florida called for pass interference on third down, first down at F 29. Washington takes throwback from Dick and throws 29-yard TD to Jones. Florida 38, Arkansas 28

How: Tate Casey 5 pass from Andre Caldwell, Chris Hetland PAT, 9: 04

Drive: 8 plays, 84 yards, TOP 3: 25

Keys: Andre Caldwell 20 run, first down to F 40. Harvin 8 run to F 48. Tim Tebow 5 run, first down to A 48. Leak passes 28 to Cornelius Ingram, first down at A 20. Leak passes 10 to Ingram at A 10. Caldwell on Tebow pitch passes 5-yard TD to TE Tate Casey.

Florida 38, Arkansas 28 Arkansas 0 7 14 7 — 28 Florida 3 14 7 14 — 38

First Quarter Fla — FG Hetland 33, 6: 10. Second Quarter Fla — Leak 9 run (Hetland kick ), 8: 54. Fla — Harvin 37 pass from Leak (Hetland kick ), 4: 02. Ark — Monk 48 pass from Dick (J. Davis kick ), 1: 55. Third Quarter Ark — Jones 2 pass from McFadden (J. Davis kick ), 12: 06. Ark — Robinson 40 interception return (J. Davis kick ), 8: 33. Fla — Pierre-Louis recovered fumble in end zone (Hetland kick ), 3: 47. Fourth Quarter Fla — Harvin 67 run (Hetland kick ), 14: 22. Ark — Jones 29 pass from C. Washington (J. Davis kick ), 12: 29. Fla — Casey 5 pass from Caldwell (Hetland kick ), 9: 04. A — 73, 374.

Ark Fla First downs 18 17 Rushes-yards 35-132 30-202 Passing 179 194 Comp-Att-Int 12-26-3 17-31-2 Return Yards 36 29 Punts-Avg. 6-29. 3 6-37. 3 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-0 Penalties-Yards 5-25 8-67 Time of Possession 31: 58 28: 02 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING—Arkansas, McFadden 21-73, Jones 13-57, Mustain 1-2. Florida, Harvin 6-105, Moore 3-32, Tebow 8-31, Leak 11-19, Cornelius 1-17, Wynn 1- (minus 2 ). PASSING—Arkansas, Dick 10-22-2-148, McFadden 1-3-1-2, C. Washington 1-1-0-29. Florida, Leak 16-30-2-189, Caldwell 1-1-0-5. RECEIVING—Arkansas, Monk 3-69, Jones 2-31, McFadden 2-27, Da. Williams 2-14, Cleveland 1-18, Houston 1-12, C. Washington 1-8. Florida, Ingram 6-71, Harvin 5-62, Caldwell 3-31, Baker 2-25, Casey 1-5.