Texas snapped its losing streak in the Red River Rivalry and Missouri got its first signature win in the Southeastern Conference.
Texas snapped its losing streak in the Red River Rivalry and Missouri got its first signature win in the Southeastern Conference.
The Longhorns and Tigers pulled off upsets in their big conference games Saturday, with Texas beating No. 12 Oklahoma 36-20, and No. 25 Missouri knocking off No. 7 Georgia 41-26.
At the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Longhorns (4-2, 3-0 Big 12) ended Oklahoma’s three-game winning streak in the rivalry to give coach Mack brown at least a temporary reprieve from all the gloomy talk about his future with the Longhorns.
Brown insisted the victory was special for what it was — finally a win for this senior group over Oklahoma (5-1, 2-1), a 3-0 start in Big 12 play and the possibility of a conference title and BCS game still in their future.
In Athens, Ga., the Tigers (6-0, 2-0 SEC) held off a late rally by Aaron Murray and the Bulldogs (4-2, 3-1), who were playing without a half-dozen key injured players.
Missouri closed with two late touchdowns after quarterback James Franklin left with a shoulder injury that will keep him out at least next week at home against Florida.
No. 1 ALABAMA 48, KENTUCKY 7
LEXINGTON, Ky. — T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake each ran for two touchdowns to help Alabama blowout Kentucky.
After a scoreless first quarter thanks to fumbles by the running backs and dropped passes in Kentucky territory, the Crimson Tide (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) scored on their last eight possessions and outgained the Wildcats (1-5, 0-3) 668-170.
AJ McCarron shook off the handful of drops to throw for a career-high 359 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown to Kevin Norwood.
No. 2 OREGON 45,
No. 16 WASHNGTON 24
SEATTLE — Marcus Mariota threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns, added another 88 yards and a TD rushing, and No. 2 Oregon won its 10th straight over their rivals to the north.
Mariota’s passing was nearly spotless, he used his legs to make the Huskies pay when throwing options were covered and was easily the best player on the field. Mariota completed 24 of 31 passes, and ran another 13 times. He threw touchdowns of 4 yards to Bralon Addison and a 65-yarder to Josh Huff on the first possession of the second half for the Ducks (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12). Huff had to be carted to the locker room with an apparent right leg injury in the first half, only to come back after halftime and burn the Huskies secondary.
Bishop Sankey ran for 167 yards and touchdowns of 60 and 25 yards for Washington (4-2, 1-2), but had a costly first-half fumble.
No. 3 CLEMSON 24,
BOSTON COLLEGE 14
CLEMSON, S.C. — Tajh Boyd ran for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and defensive end Vic Beasley followed with a 13-yard fumble recovery score to keep Clemson undefeated and on track for next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference showdown with Florida State.
The Tigers (6-0, 4-0 ACC) were out of synch offensively most of the game and trailed 14-10 entering the final period. That’s when Boyd led the 48-yard drive that ended with his 6-yard rush into the end zone to put Clemson on top.
When Boston College got the ball back, Chase Rettig fumbled when sacked by linebacker Tony Steward and Beasley was there to scoop up the ball and put the Tigers up 24-14 over the Eagles (3-3, 1-2).
UTAH 27, No. 5 STANFORD 21
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s defense made a goal-line stand in the final minute and Dres Anderson scored twice, helping the Utes to their biggest upset at home.
This marked the first time in school history the Utes (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) have knocked off a top-five program at Rice-Eccles Stadium. They beat No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl following the 2008 season.
Kevin Hogan marched the Cardinal down to the 6, but on fourth down, amid heavy pressure, he overthrew his intended target. The Utes took a knee to end the game and the 13-game winning streak of Stanford (5-1, 3-1).
No. 25 MISSOURI 41,
No. 7 GEORGIA 26
ATHENS, Ga. — Receiver Bud Sasser threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to L’Damian Washington in the fourth quarter after quarterback James Franklin left with a shoulder injury and Missouri held off Georgia.
Missouri led by 18 points in the first half before Georgia cut the lead to 28-26 in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers answered the challenge with two late touchdowns despite losing Franklin to a shoulder injury.
After Franklin was taken to the locker room, freshman backup Maty Mauk threw a lateral to Sasser, who stopped and tossed a deep to the end zone for Washington. Washington, who outfought cornerback Damian Swann for the catch, had 115 yards and two touchdowns.
James Ponder’s interception of Aaron Murray’s pass with 4:25 remaining set up Henry Josey’s 7-yard touchdown run to end Georgia’s hopes.
Murray threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 9 TEXAS A&M 41,
MISSISSIPPI 38
OXFORD, Miss. — Johnny Manziel threw for 346 yards, ran for two touchdowns and Texas A&M rallied to beat Mississippi.
Texas A&M’s Josh Lambo made a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give the Aggies (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) the win. They trailed 38-31 midway through the fourth quarter, but Manziel engineered a 75-yard drive, ending with his 6-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 38 with 3:07 left.
Ole Miss (3-3, 1-3) was down 21-10 in the third quarter, but rallied thanks to two unlikely touchdown passes by backup quarterback Barry Brunetti.
Johnny Football made his usual array of spectacular plays, but also a few costly mistakes, including an interception in the end zone during the third quarter and a fumble early in the fourth. In the end, he was victorious.
No. 10 LSU 17, No. 17 FLORIDA 6
BATON ROUGE, La. — Jeremy Hill rushed for 121 yards, Zach Mettenberger passed for 152, and LSU’s defense did the rest to give the 10th-ranked Tigers a 17-6 victory over No. 17 Florida on Saturday.
LSU, which came in averaging 45.5 points, had a much harder time finding the end zone against a Florida defense rated among the nation’s best, but 1-yard touchdown runs by fullback J.C. Copeland and freshman reserve quarterback Anthony Jennings were enough for the Tigers (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference).
Tyler Murphy passed for 115 yards for the Gators (4-2, 3-1), who led 3-0 early, but managed only another field goal after that.
No. 11 UCLA 37, California 10
PASADENA, Calif. Brett Hundley passed for a career-high 410 yards and three touchdowns, Paul Perkins rushed for an early score, and No. 11 UCLA prepared for tougher October challenges with the victory over California.
Devin Fuller, Thomas Duarte and Shaq Evans caught touchdown passes as the Bruins (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) got ready for back-to-back road games at Stanford and Oregon by grinding out a win over their upstate UC rivals.
Jared Goff passed for 215 yards in the freshman’s first game since his school-record 504-yard performance for Cal (1-5, 0-3).
TEXAS 36, No. 12 OKLAHOMA 20
DALLAS — Case McCoy threw two touchdowns, defensive tackle Chris Whaley returned an interception 31 yards for a score and Texas beat 12th-ranked Oklahoma.
It was the first win for McCoy and these Texas seniors over the Sooners. Texas never trailed after Whaley’s impressive touchdown play in the first quarter.
Oklahoma had won three in a row in the series, the last two by at least 38 points.
Daje Johnson had an 85-yard punt return for a TD for Texas. Johnathan Gray had 123 yards rushing and Malcolm Brown had 120.
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No. 14 SOUTH CAROLINA 52,
ARKANSAS 7
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Connor Shaw threw for 219 yards and accounted for four touchdowns as South Carolina dominated.
Mike Davis added 128 yards rushing on 19 carries for the Gamecocks (5-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), who won their fourth straight game after a loss to Georgia on Sept. 7.
All-America defensive end Jadeveon Clowney returned after missing last week’s game against Kentucky and had one tackle for South Carolina, which outgained the Razorbacks 537-248.
The loss was the fourth straight for Arkansas (3-4, 0-3), matching first-year coach Bret Bielema’s longest losing streak of his career.
No. 15 BAYLOR 35,
KANSAS STATE 25
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Bryce Petty threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns, Ahmad Dixon made a critical interception late in the fourth quarter and Baylor held on to win.
Tevin Reese had five catches for 184 yards and two scores, and Antwan Goodley had five catches for 139 yards and another touchdown for the Bears (5-0, 2-0 Big 12), who ran their winning streak to nine games dating to their win over Kansas State last season.
The Wildcats (2-4, 0-3), behind 199 yards and three rushing TDs by quarterback Daniel Sams, took a 25-21 lead in the third quarter. But they missed a tying field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter and then Sams threw an interception on their ensuing possession that allowed the Bears to escape.
PENN STATE 43,
No. 18 MICHIGAN 40, 4OT
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Bill Belton ran for a 2-yard touchdown in the fourth overtime to lift Penn State to maybe its biggest win in coach Bill O’Brien’s two seasons.
Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg was sensational in regulation on the tying drive, completing passes of 29 yards to Brandon Felder and 33 yards to Allen Robinson to bring the ball to the 1 with 29 seconds left.
The freshman quarterback sneaked in for the first rushing TD against Michigan this season, tying the game at 34-all.
Brendan Gibbons kicked two field goals and missed two — one was blocked — in OT for the Wolverines (5-1, 1-1). Sam Ficken kicked two, and didn’t need to attempt a fourth, thanks to fourth-and-1 conversion from the 16 by Penn State (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten).
WISCONSIN 35,
No. 19 NORTHWESTERN 6
MADISON, Wis. — Melvin Gordon ran for a 71-yard touchdown and Chris Borland led a fierce defense that figured out Northwestern’s high-octane offense.
The Badgers (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) had seven sacks before a raucous homecoming weekend crowd. Jared Abbrederis burned the secondary for a 63-yard touchdown reception before leaving with a head injury.
Northwestern (4-2, 0-2) the league’s peskiest defense, forced three more turnovers to increase its season total to 17.
Gordon had 22 carries for 172 yards and the long run that gave Wisconsin a three-possession lead before halftime.
No. 20 TEXAS TECH 42,
IOWA STATE 35
LUBBOCK, Texas — Backup quarterback Davis Webb threw for three touchdowns and 415 yards in place of the injured Baker Mayfield to lead Texas Tech.
Webb was 35 for 56 with an interception and Kenny Williams, DeAndre Washington and Sadale Foster each ran for a score for Texas Tech (6-0, 3-0 Big 12). The Red Raiders are bowl eligible at the earliest date since 2008 in their first season under coach Kliff Kingsbury.
The Cyclones (1-4, 0-2) got a 95-yard kickoff return and 38-yard punt return from Jarvis West, and 12 points off three turnovers by the Red Raiders.
No. 23 N. ILLINOIS 27, AKRON 20
DE KALB, Ill. — Jordan Lynch threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as No. 23 Northern Illinois extended its home winning streak to 23 games with a 27-20 Mid-American victory over Akron Saturday night.
Lynch was 16 of 35 for 220 yards passing and ran for 83 more. Cameron Stingily rushed 21 times for 80 yards and a touchdown and Tyler Wedel added field goals of 42 and 21 yards for the Huskies (6-0, 2-0 MAC East).
Jawan Chisholm scored on a pair of 1-yard first half runs for Akron (1-6, 0-3) and ran 20 times for 70 yards. Kyle Pohl was 24 of 56 for 262 yards.
No. 24 VIRGINIA TECH 19,
PITTSBURGH 9
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Logan Thomas threw an early touchdown pass, Cody Journell kicked four field goals and Virginia Tech sacked Pittsburgh’s Tom Savage eight times.
The Hokies (6-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their sixth straight game and ended a four-game losing streak against the Panthers, avenging a 35-17 loss a year ago that sent Virginia Tech into a long skid.
This time, they proved just as inhospitable hosts to the ACC newcomer Panthers (3-2, 2-2).
Savage, who tied an ACC record with six touchdown passes three weeks ago in a 58-55 victory against Duke, never had much of a chance to get wide receivers Devin Street and Tyler Boyd into the game.