NCAA Football: Sooners, Cowboys romp
No. 11 Oklahoma bounced back strong from its loss and No. 3 Oklahoma State had no problem in its first game as the state's top national title contender.
Landry Jones passed for a school-record 505 yards and the Sooners scored the game's final 44 points to hand No. 10 Kansas State its first loss, 58-17 on Saturday.
The Cowboys had an even easier time, jumping out to a 35-point halftime lead and running away from Baylor in a 59-24 victory.
All-American Justin Blackmon matched his career best with 13 catches for 172 yards and two scores for Oklahoma State.
The Sooners' victory leaves Oklahoma State as the only undefeated team left in the Big 12. Preseason No. 1 Oklahoma dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten last week, losing 41-38 at home to Texas Tech.
But that resounding rebound in Manhattan, Kan., seemed to be a sign that the Dec. 3 Bedlam game in Stillwater between the Sooners and Cowboys could still end up deciding the Big 12 championship — and maybe a spot in the national title game for Oklahoma State.
No. 3 Oklahoma State 59, Baylor 24
STILLWATER, Okla. - Joseph Randle set career highs by running for 152 yards and four touchdowns and Oklahoma State started a season with eight straight wins for only the second time in school history.
The other time was in 1945, when the Cowboys finished the season 9-0, won the Sugar Bowl and were ranked fifth in the final poll.
Brodrick Brown recovered two fumbles, and Daytawion Lowe and Justin Gilbert had interceptions as Oklahoma State (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) forced five turnovers.
Robert Griffin III threw for 425 yards to end up 5 shy of his career best set last week for Baylor (4-3, 1-3). In a matchup of two of the nation's top three offenses, the Bears' second-ranked attack outgained Oklahoma State's third-ranked unit 622-601, but the scoreboard was lopsided the opposite way.
No. 4 Stanford 56, No. 20 USC 48, 3OT
LOS ANGELES - Stepfan Taylor ran for the tying touchdown with 38 seconds left in regulation and the go-ahead score in the third overtime, and Stanford's defense preserved its 16-game winning streak by forcing Curtis McNeal's fumble into the end zone on the last play.
Andrew Luck burnished his Heisman Trophy credentials by engineering four late scoring drives for No. 4 Stanford (8-0, 6-0 Pac-12) with 330 yards passing and three TD passes.
But Nickell Robey intercepted Luck's pass and returned it 33 yards for a score to make it 34-27 for USC (6-2, 3-2) with 3:08 left in regulation.
Matt Barkley passed for 284 yards and three scores in his third straight loss to Luck.
Georgia Tech 31, No. 6 Clemson 17
ATLANTA - Tevin Washington rushed for 176 yards and broke the two longest runs of his career, leading Georgia Tech to an upset.
The Yellow Jackets (7-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) raced to a 24-3 halftime lead and held off Clemson (8-1, 5-1) which was off to its best start since 2000, The Tigers had climbed to fifth in the BCS standings, but they figure to take a tumble and are unlikely to have enough game left to re-enter the national race.
The Yellow Jackets snapped a two-game losing streak
Clemson, which had scored 115 points in its two previous games, turned it over four times. Tajh Boyd threw for 295 yards, and freshman Sammy Watkins had 10 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown.
No. 7 Oregon 43, Washington State 28
EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon stars LaMichael James and Darron Thomas returned from injury but true freshman De'Anthony Thomas sparked the Ducks with two second-half touchdowns.
Darron Thomas, who missed a game because of a knee injury, returned to start against the Cougars but threw two interceptions in the first half and was replaced by backup Bryan Bennett in the second.
Washington State (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12) lost its fourth straight. The Cougars hung tough with Oregon for much of the game and trailed by only 15-10 at halftime.
Lavasier Tuinei caught two touchdown passes for Oregon (7-1, 5-0), which has won 21 straight games at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks have also won 17 straight conference games.
No. 8 Arkansas 31, Vanderbilt 28
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Zach Hocker kicked a 42-yard field goal with 6:53 left, and Arkansas rallied again for its fourth straight win.
It was the third time this season the Razorbacks (7-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) trailed by double digits. They didn't trail by 18 as they did against Texas A&M or 17 last week before beating Mississippi. This time, Vanderbilt led 21-7 with 1:39 left in the first half.
The Commodores (4-4, 1-4) also had the ball at the Arkansas 5 in the fourth quarter leading 28-20 when Zac Stacy fumbled and Jerry Franklin picked it up and ran it 94 yards for a touchdown. Tyler Wilson found Jarius Wright in the end zone for the tying 2-point conversion with 13:25 left.
Vanderbilt missed a chance to force overtime when Carey Spear's 27-yard field goal went wide right with 8 seconds left.
Ohio State 33, No. 12 Wisconsin 29
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Braxton Miller threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith with 20 seconds left and Ohio State handed the Badgers another heartbreaking loss.
It was almost exactly seven days earlier that the Badgers were beaten 37-31 at Michigan State on a miracle pass on the final play of the game.
The Buckeyes (5-3, 2-2 Big Ten) won their biggest game of a season shadowed by NCAA problems.
The Badgers (7-2, 3-2) drove to the Ohio State 45 — and got an extra play after time elapsed due to a defensive facemask call — but linebacker Andrew Sweat hit quarterback Russell Wilson as he was throwing to end the game and touch off a wild celebration.
No. 13 Nebraska 24, No. 9 Michigan State 3
LINCOLN, Neb. - Rex Burkhead scored three touchdowns and ran for 130 yards on 35 carries, and Nebraska took control of the Big Ten Legends Division.
Burkhead, who went over 100 yards for the fifth time in six games, scored at the end of 80- and 89-yard drives in the third quarter to put Nebraska (7-1, 3-1) up 24-3.
Taylor Martinez completed six of seven passes for 80 yards in the third quarter after going 1 for 6 in the first half.
Michigan State (6-2, 3-1), coming off the incredible finish to its win over Wisconsin last week, managed just 187 yards against Nebraska's improving defense. Kirk Cousins was 11 of 27 for 86 yards, with an interception that set up the Huskers' first score.
No. 11 Oklahoma 48, No. 10 Kansas State 17
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Landry Jones threw for five touchdowns and All-American Ryan Broyles caught 14 passes for 171 yards and a score.
Kenny Stills added four catches for 101 yards for Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12). Roy Finch finished with 73 yards rushing and another 69 through the air, and the Sooners' potent, fast-paced attack managed 690 yards of total offense against Kansas State (7-1, 4-1), the league's top-ranked defense.
Jones' passing total shattered the previous school record of 468 yards he shared with Sam Bradford, while Broyles moved into first place on the Big 12's career list with 4,499 yards receiving.
No. 14 South Carolina 14, Tennessee 3
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -Connor Shaw threw for one touchdown and ran for another as South Carolina survived in its first game without injured star running back Marcus Lattimore.
The Gamecocks (7-1, 5-1) remain in control of the Southeastern Conference's East Division.
Lattimore suffered a season-ending knee injury Oct. 15 against Mississippi State.
Brandon Wilds had 137 yards on 28 carries and was the centerpiece of a methodical drive that ate up much of the third-quarter. He ran 11 times for 51 yards on the 20-play drive, and Shaw finished it off with a 5-yard touchdown run on a draw that gave the Gamecocks a 14-3 lead with 47 seconds in the third quarter.
Shaw was 10 for 18 for 87 yards and an interception.
Tennessee (3-5, 0-5) couldn't turn multiple South Carolina mistakes into points. Justin Worley finished 5 of 12 for 105 yards and two interceptions.
No. 15 Virginia Tech 14, Duke 10
DURHAM, N.C. - David Wilson rushed for 148 yards and Virginia Tech overcame a sloppy performance to win its Atlantic Coast Conference-record 11th straight road game.
Logan Thomas was 17 of 28 for 190 yards with two interceptions and a 2-yard touchdown pass to Eric Martin. Josh Oglesby added a 1-yard scoring run for the Coastal Division-leading Hokies (8-1, 4-1).
They entered as 15-point favorites, were sluggish and inefficient throughout, yet came up with enough plays to claim their fourth straight victory. Virginia Tech rolled up 433 yards and gave up 326 to Duke.
Sean Renfree was 17 of 35 passing for 204 yards but was intercepted three times for the Blue Devils (3-5, 1-3). They couldn't overcome four turnovers and lost their third straight overall and 44th in a row against nationally ranked teams.
Missouri 38, No. 16 Texas A&M 31, OT
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - James Franklin's 11-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Lucas in overtime lifted Missouri to an upset.
Texas A&M got the ball after the score, but Ryan Tannehill's pass on fourth down was deflected.
The Tigers had a chance to win it in regulation, but a 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as time expired.
Missouri (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) got the ball when Jacquies Smith caused a fumble by Tannehill, which was recovered by Dominique Hamilton.
The Aggies led by 11 at halftime, but Missouri took a 31-28 lead on an 11-yard run by Henry Josey with about eight minutes left. Texas A&M (5-3, 3-2) tied it on a 35-yard field goal about four minutes later.
No. 17 Michigan 36, Purdue 14
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Fitzgerald Toussaint ran for a career-high 170 yards and scored two touchdowns for Michigan.
The Wolverines (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) gave up a TD on the opening drive of the game, then scored 36 straight points to bounce back from their first loss of the season, two weeks ago at Michigan State.
The Boilermakers (4-4, 2-2) haven't won or lost consecutive games this year.
Toussaint had 155 yards rushing through three quarters, helping Michigan find a runner to take some of the load off quarterback Denard Robinson. Backup Michael Shaw ran for a 37-yard TD on his first carry early in the fourth for a 36-7 lead.
Iowa State 41, No. 19 Texas Tech 7
LUBBOCK, Texas - Redshirt freshman Jared Barnett threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and Iowa State shocked Texas Tech a week after the Red Raiders won at Oklahoma.
Making his first start, Barnett's mobility caused the Red Raiders defense fits. He rushed for 92 yards on 19 carries and completed 14 of 26 passes for 144 yards. His touchdowns were career firsts.
It was the largest margin of victory over a ranked team for Iowa State since the Cyclones beat No. 20 Nebraska in Ames by 22 points (36-14) in 2002.
Seth Doege completed 16 of 32 passes for a season-low 171 yards for the Red Raiders (5-3, 2-3). He threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and scored the Red Raiders lone score on an 8-yard touchdown run.
Iowa State (1-4, 4-4) rolled up 368 rushing yards against Texas Tech's 105th-ranked rushing defense.
No. 21 Penn State 10, Illinois 7
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Joe Paterno broke Eddie Robinson's record for victories by a Division I coach with No. 409 in Penn State's sloppy win.
The 21st-ranked Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten) overcame six fumbles thanks to Silas Redd's 3-yard touchdown run with 1:08 to go.
Illinois (6-3, 2-3) drove from its 17 to the Penn State 25, but Derek Dimke's 42-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right upright as time expired.
Redd had a career-high 30 carries for 137 yards for Penn State, none bigger than his late run set up after Illinois cornerback Justin Green was whistled for pass interference after breaking up a fourth-down pass for Derek Moye in the end zone.
No. 22 Georgia 24, Florida 20
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Aaron Murray threw two touchdown passes on fourth down and Georgia overcame several mistakes to win its sixth straight game.
The Bulldogs (6-2, 5-1 SEC) kept pace with South Carolina in the East Division.
It was Georgia's fourth victory in the last 22 games against Florida and it could be a big one for coach Mark Richt. He had been under pressure since losing his first two games this season.
The Gators (4-4, 2-4) have lost four in a row for the first time since 1988, a streak that certainly will taint coach Will Muschamp's first season in Gainesville.
Florida (4-4, 2-4) was eliminated in the division race.
No. 23 Arizona State 48, Colorado 14
TEMPE, Ariz. - Brock Osweiler threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, Cameron Marshall added three scores on the ground and Arizona State avoided a letdown.
In control of the Pac-12 South, Arizona State couldn't afford a slip-up against an injury-riddled, 31-point underdog.
The Sun Devils (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) made sure there wasn't one with a dominating performance, manhandling the Buffaloes on both sides of the ball while jumping out to a 21-point lead in the first quarter.
Marshall finished with 114 yards on 15 carries, Arizona State had 522 total yards and its defense forced five turnovers to stay ahead of UCLA in the division race.
Colorado (1-8, 0-5) lost its 22nd straight road game and sixth straight overall.
No. 25 West Virginia 41, Rutgers 31
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Geno Smith threw two second-half touchdown passes and scored a go-ahead TD on a fourth-down, 1-yard run with 6:18 to play as West Virginia rallied past Rutgers in a wet and snowy storm.
Smith sandwiched touchdown passes of 19 yards to Stedman Bailey and 20 yards to Tavon Austin around his clutch dive into the end zone in rallying the Mountaineers (6-2, 2-1 Big East) from a 10-point halftime deficit to their 17th straight win over Rutgers (5-3, 2-2).
Austin also scored on an 80-yard run and Shawne Alston scored on runs of 52 and 2 yards for West Virginia, which earlier this week announced its intention to leave the Big East and join the Big 12 next season.
Freshman Gary Nova threw two touchdown passes for the Scarlet Knights, who were blanked in the second half after putting up a season high for points in the opening half.