COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -No. 1 Ohio State got a scare, but avoided being yet another upset victim.
The Buckeyes built a comfortable lead before allowing two touchdowns off turnovers in the third quarter – they almost lost another fumble after that – and slipped past Michigan State 24-17 on Saturday.
All week, both sides had talked about what happened in the 1998 meeting, when the unbeaten Buckeyes were 26 1/2-point favorites and had a 24-9 lead in the third quarter yet unraveled to lose the No. 1 ranking when the Spartans pulled off a 28-24 shocker.
Michigan State (5-3, 1-3 Big Ten) almost pulled off a repeat of that performance from nine years ago.
The Buckeyes (8-0, 4-0) rolled for most of the first three quarters on two touchdown passes by Todd Boeckman, the running of Chris Wells and a bruising defense that shut down Michigan State.
Ahead 24-0 late in the third quarter, they were seemingly in command and looking ahead to next week’s test at Penn State.
In the span of four plays, it was 24-14 and Michigan State blew a chance to recover another Ohio State turnover on the very next play when two defenders touched Wells’ fumble, but the back ended up recovering.
No. 4 Oklahoma 17, Iowa State 7
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Chris Brown ran for two second-half touchdowns and the Sooners survived a major scare.
D.J. Wolfe’s end-zone interception midway through the fourth quarter helped turn the tide for the Sooners (7-1, 3-1 Big 12), who won at Iowa State for the 20th straight time.
Oklahoma, stunned by Colorado 27-24 in its only other Big 12 road game, committed three turnovers and didn’t take the lead until the fourth quarter.
The Sooners nearly gave it back.
Iowa State (1-7, 0-4), aided by a shanked punt, drove to the Oklahoma 8 with 7:24 left, where Bret Meyer converted a fourthth-and-1. However, Wolfe grabbed a tipped pass from Meyer to keep Iowa State from tying the game.
The Cyclones forced Oklahoma into a fourth-and-4 with 3:02 left, but Sam Bradford found Jermaine Gresham for a 14-yard reception. Garrett Hartley sealed the win with a 43-yard field goal with 1:38 left.
Vanderbilt 17 No. 6 South Carolina 6
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Mackenzi Adams threw two touchdown passes and D.J. Moore had two interceptions as Vanderbilt upset No. 6 South Carolina and ended coaches Steve Spurrier’s unblemished record against the Commodores that began in 1987.
Spurrier came into this 14-0 all-time against Vandy (4-3, 2-3 SEC) and, with the Gamecocks (6-2, 3-2) ranked as high as they’d been since 1984, seemed a strong bet to keep that streak alive.
Instead, Vanderbilt took a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and held off Spurrier’s club the rest of the way. The Commodores hadn’t beaten a team ranked this highly since topping No. 6 LSU, 7-6, in 1937.
No. 7 Oregon 55, Washington 34
SEATTLE (AP) – Jonathan Stewart rushed for a career-high 251 yards and two touchdowns, and Andre Crenshaw added a pair of second-half scoring runs for Oregon.
Stewart’s 32 carries were seven more than his previous high. Stewart rushed for 144 yards at halftime, had 198 at the end of the three quarters, and became the first Oregon back to rush for 200 yards since Ontario Smith set a school record with 285 yards against Washington State in 2001.
The Ducks (6-1, 3-1 Pac-10) finished with a school-record 465 rushing yards.
As the second half wore on, Oregon mixed in Crenshaw, and the sophomore added 113 yards. His 5-yard run with 12:54 left gave Oregon a 38-31 lead and put the Ducks ahead for good.
Washington (2-5, 0-4) lost its fifth straight, all to teams who were ranked in the top 12 at one point this season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker threw for a season-high 257 and four scores.
No. 14 Florida 45, No. 8 Kentucky 37
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – Tim Tebow threw for a career-high four touchdowns and Florida rebounded from back-to-back losses with its 21st straight win against the Wildcats.
The victory puts the defending national champions back in the Southeastern Conference title hunt despite recent losses to Auburn and LSU. The Gators (5-2, 3-2) are now tied with South Carolina and Georgia for first in the SEC East.
Kentucky (6-2, 2-2), which knocked off then-No. 1 LSU in triple overtime a week earlier, came into the game concerned Tebow’s Gators presented a bigger threat because of his running. The Wildcats held him to 78 rushing yards, but the junior’s left arm proved far more problematic.
Tebow connected on 18 of 26 passes for 256 yards. He nearly had a fifth TD pass, but Cornelius Ingram allowed the ball to slip through his fingers. Tebow’s previous career-high of three TDs came earlier this year in games against Troy and Western Kentucky.
No. 9 West Virginia 39, Mississippi State 13
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Pat White threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in the first half and Steve Slaton rushed for 127 yards and a score.
West Virginia (6-1) scored on its first five possessions and wasn’t threatened. The Mountaineers now enter the heart of the Big East schedule with a game next Saturday at Rutgers.
Playing at home for the first time in a month, West Virginia put together its best first quarter of the season following an open week on the schedule. After jumping ahead 31-0 early in the second, the Mountaineers managed just two first downs and no points on their next five possessions. Mississippi State fell to 4-4.
UCLA 30, No. 10 California 21
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) – Nate Longshore’s return wasn’t enough to get California back on the winning track. Having Patrick Cowan back did the trick for UCLA.
With Cal in UCLA territory, Alterraun Verner intercepted Longshore’s pass and sprinted 76 yards to the end zone with 1:33 remaining to seal the win.
Kahlil Bell rushed for 142 yards on 22 carries and Kai Forbath kicked three field goals as UCLA (5-2, 4-0 Pac-10) remained perfect in conference play.
The loss almost certainly cost Cal (5-2, 2-2), which came up short at the end for the second week in a row, any chance at the Pac-10 title. Cal’s DeSean Jackson had nine catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
Longshore, who missed the last game because of a sprained ankle, finished 22-of-34 for 232 yards and three touchdowns, but with three interceptions.
No. 13 USC 38, Notre Dame 0
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – Southern California handed Notre Dame a beating for the ages.
Mark Sanchez threw four touchdown passes – two on short drives after miscues by the Fighting Irish – and USC’s win over the Fighting Irish was by the largest margin in the 79-game history of the rivalry.
Notre Dame still claims the most-lopsided win in the history of the series, a 51-0 win in 1966.
Sanchez threw TD passes of 10, 8, 5 and 48 yards and the Trojans won their sixth straight over the Irish, the longest streak for USC against Notre Dame. The Irish won 11 straight from 1983-93.
USC (6-1), coming off three lackluster games – including a 24-23 loss to Stanford – started slowly, but got rolling when a punt by Notre Dame’s Geoff Price struck teammate Munir Prince and USC’s Vincent Joseph recovered at the Irish 10. The Trojans scored on the next play on a pass from Sanchez to Fred Davis.
The Irish played as ugly as they looked in their throwback green jerseys and yellow pants, dropping to 1-7 for just the second time, matching the 1960 start.
The loss ensures Notre Dame its 13th losing season since it started playing football in 1887, and its fourth losing season since 1999. It also is the fourth straight home loss, tying a school record.
No. 15 Missouri 41, No. 22 Texas Tech 10
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Chase Daniel threw for 210 yards and a touchdown and Missouri intercepted Graham Harrell four times, returning one for a score.
Backup tailback Jimmy Jackson had 59 yards and three touchdowns as a fill-in for injured Tony Temple.
Freshman Derrick Washington added 66 yards for Missouri (6-1, 2-1 Big 12), which rebounded from a 10-point loss at Oklahoma last week.
The scoring total was by far a season low for Texas Tech (6-2, 2-2), which entered the game first in points (50) and yards (582) per game.
No. 15 Kansas 19, Colorado 14
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) – The Jayhawks forced three turnovers and stopped Colorado on downs twice in the fourth quarter, escaping with a 19-14 victory on Saturday.
It was the Jayhawks’ first win in Boulder since 1995. Kansas (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) has won seven straight to start the season for only the second time since 1968. The team also started 7-0 in 1995.
The Buffaloes scored with 3:42 remaining on Cody Hawkins’ 5-yard pass to Byron Ellis to make the score 19-14.
After the Jayhawks’ offense went three-and-out, the defense stepped up. Colorado lost six yards on the final drive before turning it over on downs.
The Jayhawks had gained at least 400 yards of offense and scored 30 or more points in every game coming in, but the Buffaloes (4-4, 2-2) limited them to 333 yards of offense.
Scott Webb kicked fields goals of 48 and 35 yards for the Jayhawks.
Hawkins was 27-of-44 for 287 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
No. 19 Texas 31, Baylor 10
WACO, Texas (AP) – For all the problems and frustration Colt McCoy had, they weren’t enough to keep Texas from beating Baylor again.
McCoy overcame two interceptions, missing a wide-open receiver in the end zone and a personal foul penalty with 293 yards passing and a touchdown in a 31-10 victory Saturday. This 10th straight victory over Baylor (3-5, 0-4 Big 12) wasn’t nearly as easy as most have been for the Longhorns (6-2, 2-2), who won the previous nine games by an average of 41 points.
Texas still led by only a touchdown when Deon Beasley intercepted a pass with nine minutes left at the Baylor 43. Five plays later, including a 31-yard pass from McCoy to Jamaal Charles, Vondrell McGee scored on a 4-yard run. Brandon Foster returned another interception 91 yards for a touchdown with 5:47 left.
Alabama 41, No. 20 Tennessee
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) – John Parker Wilson passed for a career-high 363 yards and three touchdowns, DJ Hall had a school-record 13 catches for 185 yards for Alabama.
It was a rollicking debut for Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban in the intense border rivalry that had been dominated lately by the Volunteers (4-3, 2-2 SEC).
Alabama (6-2, 4-1) got its biggest win in the series since a 56-28 victory in 1986 and had lost 10 of the last 12 meetings.
Saban set the tone by opening the game with a successful onside kick that set up the first of four Leigh Tiffin field goals for a team missing three suspended starters. Wilson completed 32-of-46 passes, including touchdowns to Hall of 16 and 2 yards. He also ran six times for 28 yards.
Terry Grant carried 26 times for 104 yards and had six catches for 31 yards and a TD.
Pittsburgh 24, No. 23 Cincinnati 17
PITTSBURGH (AP) – LaRod Stephens-Howling scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead the Panthers (3-4, 1-1 Big East)
Pitt, which had lost four in a row, didn’t take the lead until Stephens-Howling carried the ball for the fifth consecutive play during a last-quarter drive that ended with his 7-yard score.
Cincinnati (6-2, 1-2) entered the game leading the Big East in rushing defense but was shredded by a Pitt running attack that featured big days by Stephens-Howling and LeSean McCoy. Stephens-Howling carried 13 times for 100 yards and McCoy, a freshman, gained 137 yards on 25 carries.
It was the first time Pitt had two 100-yard rushers in a game since Curvin Richards (202) and Darnell Dickerson (108) accomplished it against Rutgers on Nov. 5, 1988.
Ben Mauk was 21-of-32 for 237 yards and rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown for the Bearcats.
Oklahoma State 41, No. 25 Kansas State 39
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) – Jason Ricks kicked a 26-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining and Oklahoma State overcame the best passing performance of Josh Freeman’s career.
The Wildcats (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) called all three of their timeouts as Ricks was setting up, but his kick was right down the middle to cap a comeback made necessary when K-State coach Ron Prince decided to go for two points instead of the tie after Leon Patton’s 11-yard touchdown run with 1:10 remaining.
Josh Freeman threw for a career-best 404 yards and three touchdowns to star receiver Jordy Nelson, who also caught the go-ahead 2-point conversion, but it wasn’t enough for the Wildcats.
Zac Robinson was 11-for-25 for 181 yards and three touchdowns for Oklahoma State (5-3, 3-1), including two to freshman Dez Bryant, and he also ran for 109 yards.
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