ACC—NC State beat in-state rival North Carolina for the fifth straight time. The last time NC State beat North Carolina five straight times was 1988-1992. The Wolfpack defense held the Tarheels to just 3 yards rushing and posted four sacks. North Carolina’s featured back Giovani Bernard back was held to 47 yards on 18 carries. The Wolfpack defense also knocked North Carolina starting quarterback Bryn Renner out of the game. The 13-0 game was the first time NC State has shutout North Carolina since 1960 and North Carolina State’s first shutout of an ACC opponent in a decade.
Big 10—Northwestern upset No. 10 Nebraska 28-25 on Saturday. The Wildcats were 17-point underdogs in Lincoln. Dan Persa left the game early due to a shoulder injury, leaving Kain Colter to play quarterback. Colter rushed for two touchdowns and threw a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Kain Colter connected with Jeremy Ebert on an 81-yard touchdown pass, the second longest passing play in Northwestern history. The Wildcat defense held Nebraska to a season-low 122 yards rushing. Northwestern got its first win over a top-10 team since beating No. 8 Iowa on the road on November 7, 2009.
Big 12—No. 3 Oklahoma State got by No. 14 Kansas State in Boone Pickens Stadium by a score of 52-45. Brandon Weeden threw for 502 yards in the game, a school passing record. Kansas State had three opportunities to tie the game from the Cowpokes’ 5-yard line in the final 12 seconds of the game, but came up short. Wide receivers Justin Blackmon and Tracy Moore had 205 yards and 146 yards receiving, respectively. Cowboys kicker Quinn Sharp was 3 for 3 on field goal, 5 for 5 on extra points, and averaged 51 yards per punt. Oklahoma State is now 9-0 and off to its best start since 1945 when it went undefeated. Oklahoma keeps its national title hopes alive.
Big East—Louisville went into Morgantown and beat the Mountaineers 38 to 35, ending a four-game losing streak in the series. The Mountaineers outgained the Cardinals 533 to 351 yards, but still lost the game. Louisville cornerback Adrian Bushnell blocked a West Virginia field goal attempt on the first play of the fourth quarter, and cornerback Andrew Johnson returned the ball 82 yards for a Cardinals touchdown. Freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater made his sixth start and had his best performance of the season, completing 21 of 27 passes for 246 yards. Louisville is on a three-game winning streak. The Big 12 may have chosen West Virginia over Louisville in conference expansion, but the Cardinals got the last laugh.
C-USA—The Golden Hurricane defeated Central Florida 24-17 in Orlando. The Knights lost at home for the first time this season. The Golden Hurricane rushed for 251 yards on a UCF defense that was only allowing 87 yards on the ground per game. Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne completed 15 of 28 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown. Kinne also led Tulsa’s rushing attack with 92 yards. Tulsa did not have a single penalty in the game. Tulsa remains undefeated in C-USA play at 5-0.
MAC—Northern Illinois edged Toledo 63-60 in the Glass Bowl Tuesday night. Northern Illinois’s first two touchdowns were on kickoff returns of 100 and 95 yards by freshman wide receiver Tommylee Lewis. Huskies quarterback Chandler Harnish threw six touchdown passes in the game. Northern Illinois’s offense was balanced with 265 yards passing and 267 yards rushing. Losing, 60-56 with 4:16 remaining, the Huskies put together a 66 yard touchdown drive and retook the lead with 19 seconds left in the game. The game had 123 total points, the most scored in a game since 2007 when North Texas and Navy combined for 136 points. The game was the second-highest scoring game in the history of the MAC.
MWC—Air Force retained the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy after beating Army 24-14 in Falcon Stadium Saturday afternoon. Air Force beat Navy in overtime in October. Air Force went into the half losing 14-0 to Army. The Falcons regrouped and scored 24 unanswered points in the second half on two touchdowns, one followed with a 2-point conversion, and three field goals. Air Force forced Army to turn the ball over five times and stopped the Black Knights from converting on fourth down three times, including a fourth-and-goal on Air Force’s 1-yard line.
Pac-12—UCLA beat No. 19 Arizona State 29-28 in Pasadena and took control of the Pac-12 South after Arizona State missed a 46-yard field goal on the final play of the game. After blowing a 9-point lead early in the third quarter, the Bruins were able to retake the lead with 49 seconds in the game on a Derrick Coleman 1-yard touchdown run. During the drive, the Bruins converted on third-and-29 with a 33-yard pass to senior wide receiver Nelson Rosario. Rosario had 151 yards off of five catches. Coleman has 119 yards on seventeen carries. The win was Rick Neuheisel’s biggest conference victory in his four years as the UCLA head coach.
SEC—No. 1 LSU defeated No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in overtime in a game billed as The Game of the Century. The defenses of both teams controlled the flow of the game. Neither team scored a touchdown. All points were from field goals. Alabama squandered its opportunities, missing four field goals in the game, including a 52-yarder in overtime, and allowing LSU to get a goal-line interception to prevent a touchdown. The game was 6-6 after regulation, and LSU kicker Drew Alleman only needed to connect on a 25-yard field goal to win the game after Alabama went scoreless in its overtime possession. Alleman was 3 for 3 on field goals, and LSU punter Brad Wing had a 73-yard punt in the game. LSU moves to 9-0 and is the frontrunner for the national championship game, where strangely enough, it could possibly face Alabama again.
Sun Belt—Louisiana-Lafayette got by rival Louisiana-Monroe 36-35 at Cajun Field Saturday. The Warhawks led 35-24 with 3:08 left. The Ragin’ Cajuns scored two touchdowns, separated by a successful onside kick, in the final two minutes to get a 1-point victory: a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Darryl Surgent and a 3-yard run from running back Alonzo Harris. Two-point conversions on both touchdowns were unsuccessful. Quarterback Blaine Gautier had 355 yards passing and four touchdowns. The Ragin’ Cajuns were 50% on third down conversions. UL-Lafayette goes to 8-2 on the season. The last time the program had 8 wins in a season was 1993.
WAC—Utah State was losing to Hawaii 28-7 in Honolulu at halftime. The Aggies rallied in the second half, outscoring the Warriors 28-3, to get a huge 4-point road win on the islands. The Aggies took the lead for the first time in the game on a Robert Turbin 1-yard touchdown run with just 14 seconds left in the game. Running back Robert Turbin averaged 6.4 yards per carry and has scored at least one rushing touchdown in each of his last thirteen games. Utah State only made 15 first downs compared to Hawaii’s 28. The Aggies were 2 for 2 on fourth downs, while the Utah State defense stopped the Warriors on all 3 of their fourth down conversion attempts.
ACC—Georgia Tech gave No. 5 Clemson its first loss of the year with a 31-17 defeat. Yellow Jackets quarterback Tevin Washington led the charge, rushing for 176 yards and a score. Never before has a Georgia Tech quarterback rushed for more than 151 yards in a game. The triple-option offense racked up 383 rushing yards and controlled the ball for 39 minutes in the game. The Yellow Jackets defense recovered two Clemson fumbles and picked off Tajh Boyd twice in the game. Georgia Tech ended a two-game losing streak and ended Clemson’s national title hopes.
Big 10—Minnesota upset Iowa 22-21 at TCF Bank Field to get the Golden Gophers their first conference win of the season. Minnesota lost its first three conference games by an average margin of 38 points. Minnesota quarterback Marqueis Gray passed for 193 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 62 yards and the winning touchdown. Marqueis Gray rushed for the right pylon on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 2:48 left in the game. Golden Gopher fans stormed the field when time expired. The win allows Minnesota to retain the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy for another year. Minnesota last defeated Iowa in consecutive years in 1999 and 2000.
Big 12—Iowa State upset a No. 19 Texas Tech team that had defeated Oklahoma the week before. Texas Tech was embarrassed 41-7 at home. Iowa State redshirt freshman quarterback Jared Barnett passed for 144 yards and rushed for 92 yards in his first start. The Cyclones rushed for 368 yards and controlled the ball for 40:09. Iowa State had not rushed for over 300 yards in a game since 2001. Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege accounted for all three of the Red Raiders turnovers. He threw two interceptions and fumbled once. Iowa State’s defense held the Red Raiders to their fewest points at home since a 56-3 Nebraska thumping in 2000.
Big East—Louisville got consecutive Big East wins for the first time since 2006 as it overpowered Syracuse 27-10. Louisville’s defense held the Orange to just 246 yards, their lowest output this season. The Orange only got past Louisville’s 35-yard line twice the whole game. Louisville freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was 17 for 24 with 198 yards and two touchdowns in his fifth start. Louisville tailback Victor Anderson rushed for 93 yards and a score. The Cardinals moved to 2-1 in the Big East and 4-4 overall.
C-USA—On Thursday night, No. 17 Houston thrashed cross-town rival Rice 73-36. Case Keenum threw nine touchdown passes in the game. His fifth touchdown pass broke the all-time FBS record for career touchdown passes, which was 134, set by Graham Harrell in 2008. Houston’s offense racked up 656 yards, 534 of which were threw the air. Wide receiver Patrick Edwards caught five touchdowns and had 318 yards receiving. Wide receiver Tyron Carrier returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the seventh kickoff he has taken in for a touchdown in his career. Houston is undefeated at 8-0.
MAC—Western Michigan beat Ball State 45-35 to move within one game of bowl eligibility and stay undefeated at Waldo Stadium. The second quarter of the game had seven touchdowns: four consecutive touchdowns for Western Michigan and three touchdowns for Ball State. The Broncos had 610 yards in the game with 465 of them coming through the air. Wide receiver Jordan White caught 9 passes for 172 yards and became Western’s all-time receptions leader. Two other wide receivers had over 100 yards receiving: Chleb Ravenell had 9 catches for 157 yards, while Robert Arnheim had 104 yards on 8 catches.
MWC—Wyoming went into Qualcomm Stadium and defeated San Diego State 30-27 on Saturday night. The Cowboys scored all of their points before halftime, where they led 30-13, and held on in the second half after allowing SDSU to score two more touchdowns. Wyoming freshman quarterback Brett Smith threw two touchdowns and rushed for two touchdowns. Wyoming had no turnovers. The Cowboys forced one turnover; cornerback Tashaun Gipson came up with an interception on the Wyoming 5-yard line, denying the Aztecs from entering the red zone mid-way through the third quarter. The Cowboys are now 2-0 in the Mountain West.
Pac-12—No. 6 Stanford survived No. 20 USC. With a tie game late in the fourth quarter, USC cornerback Nickell Robey intercepted Andrew Luck at the Stanford 33-yard line and ran 33 yards for a pick six. The Trojans led by 7 with 3:08 left in the game. Stanford regrouped and drove 76 yards to tie the game with 38 seconds left. Each team scored a touchdown and a PAT in both the first and second overtime. In triple overtime, Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for a score, and a two point conversion was made to tight end Coby Fleener. The Trojans tried to answer. A 21-yard pass to freshman wide out Marqise Lee got them to the Stanford 4-yard line. On the next play, USC tailback Curtis McNeal fumbled when Stanford’s Terrence Stephens knocked the ball loose, and Stanford’s A.J. Tarpley recovered the ball in the end zone to get the Cardinal the 56-48 win. The Cardinal have now beat the Trojans three years in a row and are 8-0 for the first time since 1951.
SEC—No. 22 Georgia took down Florida 24-20 in the game dubbed the World’s Largest Cocktail Party. Georgia has now won six straight games, and Florida had lost four straight games for the first time since 1988. The Georgia defense held Florida to just 226 net yards and -19 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs defense only allowed 32 yards and one first down in the second half. Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones had four of the Bulldogs’ six sacks in the game. After leading 17-3, Florida turned the ball over on two fumbles that gave Georgia short fields of 25 and 18 yards that the Bulldogs capitalized on with touchdowns. Georgia’s offense was 3 for 3 on fourth downs.
Sun Belt—The Red Wolves beat the Mean Green 37-14 in Jonesboro Saturday to go 6-2 on the season. Arkansas State has its best record in eight games since 1986. The Red Wolves raced out to 31-0 by halftime. Arkansas State nearly doubled North Texas’s offensive output, 540 yards to 283 yards. In the second quarter, punter and placekick holder Neely Sullivent rushed for a 14-yard touchdown on a fake field goal attempt. Red Wolves quarterback Ryan Aplin passed for 322 yards and was also the team’s leading rusher in the game with 69 yards. The Red Wolves are undefeated in Sun Belt games and are bowl eligible.
Independents—Notre Dame beat Navy 56-14 in the Irish’s best performance of the season. Notre Dame rushed for seven touchdowns in the game and only punted the ball away once. The Fighting Irish’s defense held Navy to its lowest offensive output of the year at 229 yards. Notre Dame has now beat Navy for the second time in 5 years after winning 43 straight games against the Midshipmen from 1964 to 2006. The Fighting Irish move to 5-3.
ACC—No. 7 Clemson is 8-0 for the first time in eleven years after a 59-38 win over North Carolina. Quarterback Tajh Boyd threw five touchdowns and no interceptions en route to 367 passing yards. Tigers defensive end Kourntnei Brown had two touchdowns: an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble returned for a touchdown. The Tar Heels turned the ball over six times, while the Tigers lost just one fumble. Clemson scored 35 of their 59 points in the third quarter.
Big 10—No. 16 Michigan State gave No. 6 Wisconsin its first loss of the season, 37-31. Michigan State started the game down 14-0, but came back in the second quarter scoring 23 unanswered points on a safety, two offensive touchdowns, and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. By the end of the fourth quarter Wisconsin had the momentum and tied the game at 31-31. The Spartans had 1:26 to put a drive together. Michigan State drove to the Wisconsin 44-yard line and had time for a final play with four ticks left on the clock. Kirk Cousins launched a Hail Mary into the end zone. It was deflected and caught by Spartans wide receiver Keith Nichol who pushed across the goal line to win the game. Michigan State had 0 penalties in the game.
Big 12—Texas Tech upset undefeated No. 3 Oklahoma in Norman on Saturday night, ending a 39-game home winning streak. Texas Tech was a four touchdown underdog. Red Raiders quarterback Seth Doege threw for 441 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Alex Torres caught three of his touchdown passes. The Red Raiders built up a 31-7 lead just over two minutes into the second half. The Sooners go their act together after halftime, but it was too little too late. The Red Raiders held on to win the game 41-38, possibly keeping the Sooners out of the national title game.
Big East—Syracuse took down No. 15 West Virginia for the second straight year. The Orange upset the Mountaineers last year 19-14 in Morgantown. West Virginia promised revenge in 2011. The Orange blasted the Mountaineers 49-23 in the Carrier Dome, picking up their first home win over West Virginia in ten years. Quarterback Ryan Nassib threw four touchdowns, three of which were caught by tight end Nick Provo, and ran for another touchdown. Wide receiver Dorian Graham returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score in the second quarter. The Orange defense sacked Geno Smith twice, batted down two of his passes, and intercepted two of his passes. Syracuse’s 49 points were the most they have ever put up against West Virginia.
C-USA—UAB picked up its first win of the season in Week 8 with a 26-24 win over UCF at Legion Field on Thursday night. Trailing by 1 with 21 seconds left in the game, Ty Long put a 40-yard field goal through the uprights to win the game for the Blazers. UAB had 27 first downs and 501 yards of offense. UAB quarterback Jonathan Perry, filling in for an injured Bryan Ellis, completed 31 of 42 passes for 327 yards. Perry also rushed for 33 yards on eight carries. After the game, UAB head coach Neil Callaway said, “The satisfaction of winning a football game is mighty big for us.” The Blazers ended a seven-game losing a streak, dating back to November 27, 2010.
MAC—Eastern Michigan defeated Western Michigan by a score of 14-10 Saturday to win the Michigan MAC Trophy. Eastern Michigan defeated Central Michigan the previous Saturday. Sophomore running back Javonti Greene caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and rushed for a 50-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Eagles are looking good at 5-3 after compiling only five wins total across the 2008, 2009, and 2010 seasons. The last time the Eagles had five wins in a season was 1995 when Eastern went 6-5.
MWC—Texas Christian University blanked New Mexico 69-0. The Horned Frogs broke their program’s record for most points scored in a game. The previous record was 68 points against Austin College in 1932. TCU’s defense held the Lobos offense to just 85 yards and forced three fumbles. Nine different Horned Frogs scored touchdowns. Senior kicker Ross Evans was 9 for 10 on PAT’s. TCU moves to 3-0 in Mountain West Conference games.
Pac-12—USC defeated long-time rival Notre Dame in South Bend 31-17. The Trojans have beaten the Fighting Irish in 9 of their last 10 meetings. USC outgained Notre Dame 443 yards to 267 yards and forced the Irish to turn the ball over three times in the second half. On one of those turnovers, a Notre Dame fumble on the USC 1-yard line, USC safety Jawanza Starling scooped the ball up and ran 80 yards for a touchdown. Matt Barkley completed 24 of 35 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Curtis McNeal rushed for 118 yards, while Marc Tyler rushed for 63 yards. Stud wide receiver Robert Woods had 8 grabs for 119 yards. The Trojan defense held Notre Dame to just 41 yards rushing.
SEC—No. 1 LSU kicked No. 20 Auburn to the curb in a 45-10 home victory. The news all week was about the suspensions of Tyrann Mathieu, Spencer Ware, and Tharold Simon for testing positive for drugs. Louisiana State proved it did not need the three Tigers as it dismantled Auburn in its eighth straight double-digit-point victory this season. Freshman running back Kenny Hilliard rushed for 65 yards on just 10 carries. Running back Michael Ford was even better with 82 yards off of 12 carries. Both Jarrett Lee and Jordon Jefferson saw time at quarterback: Lee threw for 165 yards and two touchdowns, while Jefferson threw for 54 yards and a touchdown. LSU punter Brad Wing averaged 51.3 yards per punt on four punts.
Sun Belt—Western Kentucky upset Sunbelt frontrunner UL-Lafayette in Bowling Green Saturday by a score of 42-23. The win ended an eighteen-game home losing streak for the Hilltoppers and was the Hilltoppers’ first win at home over a FBS foe. Running back Bobby Rainey had a career-high three touchdowns and 206 rushing yards. Fullback Kadeem Jones rushed for two scores. WKU quarterback Kawaun Jakes had 15 completions on 18 passes, amassing 242 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Western Kentucky has now won three straight games, its longest winning streak since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2008.
WAC—Nevada got by Fresno State 45 to 38 in a Saturday afternoon shootout. Wolf Pack senior receiver Rishard Matthews had 148 yard on seven catches. On special teams, Matthews returned a punt for an 86-yard touchdown. Junior running back Mike Ball had 198 yards on the ground, with his longest carry being 41 yards. The Wolf Pack defense recovered two Fresno State fumbles. Nevada has now won fifteen straight home games. At 2-0 in conference games, Nevada is in first place in the WAC.
ACC—The Virginia Cavaliers upset No. 12 Georgia Tech 24-21 on Saturday. It was Georgia Tech’s first loss of the season. The Cavalier defense held the Yellow Jackets’ explosive triple-option offense to 296 yards. Cornerbacks Chase Minnifield and Demetrious Nicholson each intercepted the Yellow Jackets’ Tevin Washington in the game. Virginia fans stormed the field after the huge win. Mike London’s team gained a lot of confidence halting Georgian Tech’s best start since 1966.
Big 10—No. 23 Michigan State dominated in-state rival No. 11 Michigan for the fourth straight year. The Spartans’ defense held Heisman-wannabe Denard Robinson to just 42 yards rushing and put up seven sacks. Spartans safety Isaiah Lewis ran back an interception for 39 yards to secure the 28-14 victory. Kirk Cousins passed for 120 yards and had two touchdown passes to Keshawn Martin. Edwin Baker rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown. The ESPN-overhyped Wolverines were no match for a physical Spartan defense. In Michigan, the Wolverines are the Spartans’ “Little Sister”.
Big 12—No. 21 Texas A&M shellacked No. 20 Baylor 55-28. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill passed for 415 yards and a career-high six touchdowns. Wideout Ryan Swope caught four touchdowns—two of which were 68 yards—and had 206 yards receiving. The Aggies put up a season-high 681 yards of offense. Texas A&M’s defense sacked Robert Griffin III five times, and Aggies cornerback Dustin Harris intercepted Griffin, only the second pick the Baylor signal caller has thrown this season. Texas A&M wins the Battle of the Brazos for the third straight season and the 19th time in the last 21 meetings. The rivalry will likely not be played again anytime soon, as the Aggies head to the SEC.
Big East—Connecticut moved to 1-1 in the Big East standings as it defeated South Florida 16-10 in East Hartford. The Huskies did not score a touchdown in the victory. Kicker Dave Teggart kicked three field goals, and cornerback Byron Jones ran a Bulls fumble 10 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The turnover proved to be the game winning score. UConn forced two interceptions and two fumble and only gave up two fumbles of its own. Connecticut is 7-1 in Big East home openers and 4-1 against South Florida at home.
C-USA—Southern Methodist defeated Central Florida 38-17 on Saturday, reversing the outcome of the 2010 Conference USA Championship Game. Mustangs quarterback J.J. McDermott passed for 358 yards and two scores. Mustangs wide receiver Cole Beasley had ten catches for 134 yards and a score. Running back Zach Line rushed for 82 yards and two scores. In the second quarter, SMU cornerback Richard Crawford ran back a punt 92 yards for a touchdown. The Mustangs cruise to 3-0 in league play and 5-1 overall.
MAC—Eastern Michigan defeated rival Central Michigan on the road 35-28. The Eagles blew a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, allowing the Chippewas to tie the game at 28 apiece with 1:09 left, but Eagles quarterback Alex Gillett scored on a 30-yard scamper with 37 seconds left in the game to get the 35-28 win. All five of Eastern’s touchdowns came on runs. Running backs Dominque White and Javonti Greene each carried the ball nineteen times. White had 161 yards and a touchdown, while Green had 96 yards and three touchdowns. Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan meet next Saturday; the winner of that game will win the Michigan MAC Trophy.
MWC—Boise State routed Colorado State 63-13 in its first Mountain West conference game. Kellen Moore was 26 for 30, accumulating 338 yards and four passing touchdowns. Running back Doug Martin averaged 10 yards per carry and had 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Tyler Shoemaker had nine grabs for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Colorado State’s defense allowed 742 yards of offense by the Broncos, a Boise State school record. Broncos backups saw significant time in the second half of the blowout.
Pac-12—USC won its eighth straight game against its in-state rival California on Saturday night at AT&T Park. The Trojans defense forced five turnovers. Linebacker Dion Bailey had two of the three interceptions. The USC defense held Cal to just 1.3 yards per rush for a total of 35 rushing yards. The Trojans had a 23-0 lead until late in the third quarter. Kyle Negrete averaged 42 yards on his five punts. Freshman kicker Andre Heidari was perfect, going 3 for 3 on both field goals and extra points. Despite criticisms, USC moves to 5-1 and 3-1 in Pac-12 play.
SEC—Alabama made a statement by beating OIe Miss 52-7. The Crimson Tide outgained the Rebels 615 to 141. Mississippi scored a touchdown on their opening drive, but after that, the game belonged to Alabama. The Crimson Tide scored 52 unanswered points and did not turn the ball over a single time in a very lopsided game. The 52 points amounted to Ole Miss’s worst loss since a 1981 49-3 loss to Florida and Bama’s largest accumulation of points in a SEC game since 1990. Trent Richardson averaged 10.8 yards per carry and also had four touchdown runs.
Sun Belt—Louisiana-Monroe got its second straight victory over Troy in a 38-10 win on the road. The Warhawks were down 10-3 in the third quarter before scoring 28 unanswered points. The Warhawks’ defense played lights out, holding a potent Troy offense to just 126 yards (140 passing yards, -14 rushing yards). Linebacker Cameron Blakes and safety Isaiah Newsome each intercepted Troy’s Corey Robinson. UL-Monroe’s offense put up 523 yards. Warhawks quarterback Kolton Browning had 275 passing yards and three touchdown throws. Warhawks wideout Tavarese Maye had 161 receiving yards, which included a 38-yard touchdown catch.
WAC—San Jose State bested Hawaii 28-27 in a sloppy Friday night game at Spartan Stadium that saw twelve turnovers. Both the Warriors and the Spartans had three interceptions and three fumbles. Matt Faulkner connected with sophomore wide receiver Chandler Jones on a 37-yard touchdown strike with just 36 seconds left in the game to get the go-ahead score. Fans stormed the field as the Spartans beat Hawaii at home for the first time since 1997. San Jose State has won three of their last four games after going 1-12 last season. Mike McIntyre is turning things around in San Jose.
ACC—Wake Forest has started ACC play 3-0 for the first time ever. The Demon Deacons beat the Seminoles 35-30 at home, putting up 391 yards of offense on a stout Seminole defense that was only giving up 257 yards per game prior to Saturday. Wake Forest forced one fumble and got four interceptions while giving not a single turnover to Florida State. The Demon Deacons have beaten the Seminoles in four of the last six meetings. Wake Forest is in the race for the ACC title.
Big 10—No. 14 Nebraska came back to beat Ohio State in the second half in what would become the biggest comeback in Cornhusker history. Down 21 points in the third quarter, the Huskers rallied to score 28 points and win their first Big 10 conference home game by a score of 34-27. Quarterback Taylor Martinez had his best passing percentage of the year, going 16 for 22. He also rushed for 102 yards. Running back Rex Burkhead was clutch, rushing for 119 yards and a touchdown as well as making five catches, one of which was a touchdown.
Big 12—No. 3 Oklahoma embarrassed No. 11 Texas 55-17 in the Red River Rivalry. The 38-point victory was the most lopsided since 2003, when the Sooners won by a series-record 52 points. Oklahoma had a school record eight sacks. The Sooners also had a school record with three defensive touchdowns in the game: cornerback Demontre Hurst returned an interception for 55 yards, defensive end David King returned a sack-fumble for 19 yards, and cornerback Jamell Fleming stripped a receiver and returned the ball 56 yards to the end zone.
Big East—The Scarlet Knights are 2-0 in the Big East for the second time in 21 years in the Big East. The Rutgers defense got four interceptions and picked up six sacks against Pittsburgh. Freshman Gary Nova got his first start at quarterback for the Scarlet Knights, replacing Chas Dodd. The freshman went 11 for 24, but did have two touchdown passes and no interceptions. Rutgers won the game 34-10 and is now a respectable 4-1.
C-USA—Houston dominated East Carolina by a score of 56-3 on Saturday night. Case Keenum completed 30 of 37 passes for 304 yards. Of eleven receivers catching passes, Patrick Edwards led with 133 yards and two touchdowns. Case Keenum is second in NCAA all-time passing yards with 15,895 yards. He is also second in NCAA all-time touchdowns with 124. Houston’s defense was just as dominant as its offense. The Cougars had four interceptions and nine sacks against the Pirates. The Cougar defense also held ECU to just 21 yards on the ground.
MAC—Miami (OH) defeated Army 35-28 to get their first win of the 2011 season. The RedHawks racked up 501 yards of offense on Army’s young defense. RedHawks quarterback Zac Dysert had 342 passing yards, while wide receiver Nick Harwell had ten catches for 186 yards. Dysert threw four touchdowns, two of which were caught by Harwell, and ran 1 yard for another. Don Treadwell picked up his first win as a head coach.
MWC—No. 5 Boise State blasted former conference rival Fresno State in its own stadium on national television Friday night by a score of 57-7. Boise State had scored 30 points before it allowed the Bulldogs offense to cross midfield. Kellen Moore threw for 254 yards and three touchdowns. Boise State wide receiver Geraldo Boldewijn returned from suspension and caught two touchdowns in the second quarter. Freshman wide receiver Matt Miller had a touchdown catch in the first quarter. The Broncos’ running game accounted for another five scores. Boise State had a +4 turnover margin.
Pac-12—Oregon State picked up its first win of the season by beating Arizona 37-27 in Corvallis. The Beavers snapped a six-game losing streak dating back to last season. After a scoreless first quarter, Oregon State scored 27 of their 37 points in the second quarter. Midway through the third quarter, the Beavers had a 30-6 lead that they nearly squandered. The Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points before Oregon State scored again with 5:22 left. Oregon State won the turnover battle 4-2.
SEC—South Carolina smashed Kentucky 54-3 Saturday in Columbia, their biggest margin of victory in a SEC game since joining the conference in 1992. The Wildcats scored a field goal on their first possession of the game, but after that the game was all Gamecocks. The Gamecocks tallied 639 yards of offense. Connor Shaw got his first start of the season at quarterback. Shaw threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns. The Gamecocks defense was just as good, holding the Wildcats to just 96 yards of offense. The South Carolina defense only allowed four completions and made four interceptions.
Sun Belt—UL-Lafayette took down perennial Sun Belt favorite Troy Saturday night at Cajun Field. The Ragin’ Cajuns ended Troy’s four-game winning streak over UL-Lafayette and are now 3-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. Wide Receiver Javone Lawson had eight grabs for 131 yards. Senior cornerback Melvin White intercepted a pass from Troy’s Corey Robinson and ran it 89-yards for a pick-six. UL-Lafayette commands first place in the Sun Belt standings.
WAC—Utah State beat Wyoming Saturday night in Logan with a 63-19 landslide. The Aggies amassed their highest point total since 1963! Surprisingly, the game started with Wyoming winning 12-0. Freshman quarterback Chuckie Keeton threw five touchdowns. Running back Robert Turbin ran for 109 yards and a touchdown; he also caught a 19-yard touchdown pass. Turbin has rushed for 100-plus yards in each of the Aggies’ last four games. Utah State went 8 for 11 on third downs.
