~ #1 USC defeated Washington State 47 – 14
The men of Troy continue to roll as QB John David Booty opened up his arsenal Saturday night to complete 28 of 35 passes for 279 yards and 4 TDs in just over 3 quarters of work. It wasn’t even close, so let’s not begin to think it was.
~ #2 LSU defeated #12 South Carolina 28 – 16
A soggy field couldn’t stop the Tigers from dominating on defense limiting the Gamecocks to only 6 yards rushing. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but LSU racked up 28 straight points after South Carolina struck first with a one-yard TD. By the time their score started to rise, LSU had already forced another team to bring in their second-string quarterback of which they are 4 for 4 this year in doing.
~ #3 Florida defeated Mississippi 30 – 24
QB Tim Tebow set a school rushing record for quarterbacks in gaining 166 yards on the ground, but the Gators had a hard time putting away the Rebels. The young Florida team just did not seem ready as 35 players were making their first ever road trip and barely got by a scrappy Ole Miss squad.
~ #4 Oklahoma defeated Tulsa 62 – 21
The Golden Hurricanes pulled out some defense and gained an early 7-0 lead, but that didn’t last long as the Sooners opened it up shortly after. RB Allen Patrick ran for 145 yards and 2 TDs, RB DeMarco Murray scored 3 TDs (2 rush, 1 kickoff return), and QB Sam Bradford threw for 242 yards and 3 TDs in a little over three quarters of work.
~ #5 West Virginia defeated East Carolina 48 – 7
WVU’s two-headed monster of RB Steve Slaton and QB Pat White continue their road to the Heisman. They helped the Mountaineers rack of 599 yards of total offense while the defense held East Carolina scoreless until inside the final two minutes of the game.
~ # 6 California defeated Arizona 45 – 27
The Golden Bears started early with 28 points in the first quarter and it would have been enough even if they hadn’t scored the rest of the game. RB Justin Forsett rushed for 117 yards and 2 scores while QB Nate Longshore threw a TD pass while throwing for 235 yards to lead California.
~ # 7 Texas defeated Rice 58 – 14
The Owls couldn’t stop QB Colt McCoy as he threw for 333 yards and 3 TDs to lead the Longhorns to an easy victory. Texas actually lead 41-0 in the first half before Rice even got their first score so it never got close even once.
~ # 8 Ohio State defeated Northwestern 58 – 7
QB Todd Boeckman and WR Brian Robiskie connected three times in the first half and each reception was for a score as the Buckeyes started the rout early. Northwestern just didn’t seem to recover from the embarrassing loss to Duke last week, and never even seemed to be in the game.
~ # 9 Wisconsin defeated Iowa 17 – 13
The Badgers needed to overcome three turnovers and rally in the fourth quarter to avoid being upset at home by the Hawkeyes. RB P.J. Hill was the lone star for Wisconsin rushing for 112 yards and a score.
~ # 10 Penn State lost to Michigan 14 – 9
An undefeated season is now out of reach for JoePa as Michigan was able to rally behind RB Mike Hart and freshman QB Ryan Mallett to win its second game in a row. Hart had a career high 44 carries and gained 153 yards with one score to lead the Wolverines to a victory they desperately wanted and needed.
~ # 11 Rutgers – IDLE
~ # 13 Oregon defeated Stanford 55 – 31
Stanford made it interesting for a while in the first half, but the Ducks opened it up like no other in the second scoring the final 34 points of the game. QB Dennis Dixon continued his dominance throwing four TDs and rushing for another as Oregon has opened a second straight season with four wins.
~ # 14 Boston College defeated Army 37 – 17
After leading only 16-9 at halftime, Boston College QB Matt Ryan opened up the floodgates as he ran for a TD while throwing for 356 yards and 3 more scores. The Eagles were able to overcome three turnovers with a stifling defense that only allowed 259 total yards to Army.
~ # 15 Clemson defeated N.C. State 42 – 20
Clemson racked up 608 total yards of offense thanks to the running back tandem of James Davis (166 yards and 1 TD) and C.J. Spiller (114 yards and 1 TD). On top of their rushing accolades, they each also caught another score in a game that was never even close for the Wolfpack.
~ # 16 Alabama lost to # 22 Georgia 26 – 23 in OT
Nick Saban couldn’t quite get the Tide to a 4-0 start, but he certainly came close. In a game that went back and forth all night, Georgia QB Matthew Stafford threw a 25-yard TD to Mikey Henderson on the Bulldogs’ first and only play of OT to take the win after Bama had gone up by 3.
~ # 17 Virginia Tech defeated William & Mary 44 – 3
Scoring 27 unanswered points in the first quarter was a good way to get the momentum going in their favor early. The Hokies only outgained W&M by 25 yards but three turnovers leading to easy scores.
~ # 18 Louisville lost to Syracuse 38 – 35
In what is being considered the biggest upset in Big East history, the Orange went into Louisville and from the very first play showed they had come to win. WR Taj Smith got wide open and caught a 79-yard pass on the first offensive play of the game for a TD en route to a 173-yard receiving day on just four receptions including 2 scores. QB Brian Brohm’s Heisman hopes have almost certainly gone down the drain with the Cardinals’ second straight loss even though throwing for 555 yards and 4 TDs.
~ # 19 Hawaii defeated Charleston Southern 66 – 10
QB Colt Brennan spent most of the past week on crutches and the Rainbow Warriors thought he should sit out at least one game. Didn’t matter because back-up QB Tyler Graunke started his second game ever and passed for 285 yards and 3 TDs while rushing for one more score.
~ # 20 Texas A&M lost to Miami 34 – 17
It was the last Thursday night game to ever be played at the Orange Bowl and the Hurricanes made it a memorable one. QB Kyle Wright threw for 275 yards and 2 TDs as Miami demolished Texas A&M. All of the Aggies’ seventeen points came in the fourth quarter after Miami already had established a 31-3 lead and the scrubs for both teams were in.
~ # 21 Kentucky defeated Arkansas
The Wildcats miraculous season while the Hogs’ season suffered its second straight defeat. QB Andre Woodson threw for 270 yards and two scores in a game that was dominated early on by Arkansas. The Hogs went up 20-7, but a fumble return for a TD right before halftime got Kentucky moving and they never looked back.
~ # 23 South Florida defeated UNC 37 – 10
South Florida made sure they held onto their first ever Top 25 ranking for at least one more week with an impressive showing on both sides of the ball. The Bulls outgained UNC 428 – 164 in total yardage and went up 37-3 before the Tar Heels score a very late TD.
~ # 24 Nebraska defeated Ball State 41 – 40
Maybe USC’s victory over Nebraska last week isn’t looking as impressive as originally thought as the Huskers barely got past visiting Ball State. Ball State dominated the game in every aspect of the stats and only lost thanks to a missed a 55-yard field goal in the waning seconds.
~ # 25 Missouri defeated Illinois State
QB Chris Daniel threw for 3 TDs and 294 yards passing to lead the Tigers to a big victory. Missouri ended up throwing 3 interceptions, but their defense did a great job of containing Illinois State and letting the big lead that was opened up early on stick throughout the game.
Lopsided Score of the Week: No real freakish scores this weekend, but Kansas wins lopsidedly by taking out Florida International University 55 – 3 by outgaining FIU 615 yards to 255.
Other Scores Of Interest:
~ Notre Dame is still winless as Michigan State went into South Bend 31 – 14
~ Duke almost had a two-game win streak but fell late to Navy 46 – 43
