College Football Roundup | Ohio State flexes muscles
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Todd Boeckman threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns and Chris Wells ran for 133 yards, leading the Buckeyes to a 37-17 victory over No. 24 Penn State.
The Buckeyes’ vaunted defense didn’t play up to its stingy standards, but it didn’t need to be at its best with Boeckman on a roll and Ohio State’s massive offensive line dominating.
Several Buckeyes (9-0, 5-0, Big Ten) earlier this week complained they weren’t getting enough respect despite their No. 1 ranking in the polls and Bowl Championship Series standings. Penn State (6-3, 3-3) was only the second ranked team Ohio State has faced.
Other games
No. 6 West Virginia 31,
No. 25 Rutgers 3
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Steve Slaton ran for three touchdowns and Pat White rushed for 156 yards and a score as the Mountaineers earned a 31-3 victory over Rutgers, their 13th consecutive win over the Scarlet Knights.
Slaton went from sideline to sideline on a spectacular 38-yard run that gave No. 6 West Virginia (7-1, 2-1 Big East) the early lead, and he scored on second-half runs of 1 and 6 yards to bury No. 25 Rutgers (5-3, 2-2).
Connecticut 22,
No. 11 South Florida 15
STORRS, Conn. - Andre Dixon ran for a career-high 189 yards and Connecticut used a late goal-line stand to upset South Florida 22-15 and get its first win over a ranked opponent.
The victory keeps UConn (7-1, 3-0 Big East) in sole possession of first place in the Big East, and all but assures them of the first Top-25 ranking the program’s history.
South Florida (6-2, 1-2), which was ranked No. 2 just two weeks ago, has lost two in a row.
No. 12 Kansas 19, Texas A&M 11
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Brandon McAnderson rushed for a career-high 183 yards and two touchdowns and the Jayhawks improved to 8-0 for the first time since 1909 with a win over Texas A&M (6-3, 3-2).
No. 13 Missouri 42, Iowa St. 28
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Lorenzo Williams recovered a fumble in the end zone at the start of the second half and Missouri (7-1, 3-1 Big 12) pulled away from stubborn Iowa State (1-8, 0-5).
Mississippi State 31,
No. 14 Kentucky 14
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Wesley Carroll threw for two touchdowns and Mississippi State forced six turnovers in the second half to upset Kentucky.
Kentucky (6-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) has lost two in a row since knocking off No. 1 LSU in triple overtime. Heisman Trophy hopeful Andre Woodson threw for 230 yards but was sacked three times and intercepted three times.
The Bulldogs (5-4, 2-3) hadn’t won three road games since 2000, the last time they went to bowl game.
Tennessee 27,
No. 15 S. Carolina 24 (OT)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Volunteers are in position to play for a conference title again after Daniel Lincoln kicked a tying 48-yard field goal with 5 seconds left, then provided the only points in overtime.
The victory, coupled with No. 20 Georgia’s victory over ninth-ranked Florida earlier Saturday, puts the Volunteers (5-3, 3-2) atop the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division. The Vols are tied with Georgia but beat the Bulldogs earlier this month.
Ryan Succop, who gave South Carolina (6-3, 3-3) its only lead of the game at 24-21 with 1:24 left with his own 49-yard field goal, was wide right on a 40-yarder on fourth-and-eight.
No. 17 Texas 28, Nebraska 25
AUSTIN, Texas - Jamaal Charles ran for fourth-quarter touchdowns of 25, 86 and 40 yards to send the Cornhuskers to their fourth consecutive loss.
Nebraska has lost four in a row for the first time since 1961, another black mark for beleaguered coach Bill Callahan, who’s future with the Huskers (4-5, 1-4) beyond this season is in the hands of former Huskers coach and interim athletic director Tom Osborne.
For Texas coach Mack Brown, the win was a milestone - No. 100 with the Longhorns.
No. 19 Michigan 34, Minn. 10
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Mario Manningham had five receptions for a career-high 162 yards and a victory-sealing touchdown early in the fourth quarter to help Michigan pull away.
The Wolverines (7-2, 5-0 Big Ten) have won seven consecutive games since opening the season being stunned by second-tier Appalachian State and getting routed by Oregon.
Without injured star seniors Mike Hart and Chad Henne, Michigan trailed 10-0 early in the second quarter and didn’t lead by more than a score until late in the third.
N.C. State 29, No. 21 Virginia 24
RALEIGH, N.C. - Daniel Evans threw for a career-high 347 yards and three touchdowns, two to Donald Bowens (11 catches, 202 yards), to lead North Carolina State (3-5, 1-3 ACC) past Virginia (7-2, 4-1).
No. 23 Auburn 17, Mississippi 3
AUBURN, Ala. - Brandon Cox threw a 34-yard scoring pass to Rod Smith in the final minutes and Brad Lester rushed for a career-high 96 yards, helping Auburn (6-3 4-2 SEC) hold off Mississippi (2-7, 0-6).
Note
• Weber State beat host Portland State 73-68 to set an NCAA all-division record for most points in a game. The previous record for most points by two teams in regulation was 136, set in 1968 when North Park beat North Central 104-32 in a Division III game. On Oct. 14, Boise State beat Nevada 69-67 in five overtimes. In 1916, Georgia Tech beat Cumberland 222-0, but that was before the NCAA kept track of records.