TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL LSU hands Alabama first loss in overtime, 16-13

JaMarcus Russell hit Dwayne Bowe with the game winning TD pass.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama's defense couldn't bail out the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide this time -- or rescue its national title hopes.
JaMarcus Russell kept No. 5 LSU's own championship aspirations alive by hitting Dwayne Bowe in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown in overtime, lifting the Tigers to a 16-13 victory on Saturday.
Russell hit Justin Vincent on a swing pass for 10 yards to open the possession after Alabama (9-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) had to settle for a field goal. Then the LSU quarterback was stopped for no gain when he couldn't find an open receiver against the nation's top scoring defense.
A reverse to Xavier Carter went for 4 yards, forcing a third-and-6. Russell rolled right and threw a strike over the middle to Bowe to punctuate an up-and-down day mostly dominated by the defenses.
The LSU players swarmed to the end zone while the Tide fans mostly remained in their seats, stunned by the sudden end to their surprising run at perfection.
LSU (8-1, 5-1) won it without having to turn to placekicker Chris Jackson, who had already missed three of his four long field goal attempts.
No. 1 USC 35,California 10
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Matt Leinart passed for 246 yards and ran for two touchdowns, and LenDale White ran for three more scores in USC's 32nd straight win, a rout of slumping California.
Reggie Bush ran for 82 yards for the Trojans (10-0, 7-0 Pac-10), while USC defense intercepted Joe Ayoob four times and kept Cal out of the end zone until 1:34 remained.
The Trojans haven't lost since their 34-31 triple-overtime defeat at Memorial Stadium in 2003, when Leinart and Bush couldn't overcome an early deficit and a slew of mistakes.
USC is even better now -- and mistake-prone Cal (6-4, 3-4) is plummeting, with four losses in its last five games. The Bears took their largest loss in coach Jeff Tedford's four seasons, also losing on Senior Day for the first time in his tenure.
No. 2 Texas 66,Kansas 14
AUSTIN, Texas -- Vince Young became Texas' career total offense leader with 281 yards passing and a career-high four touchdown tosses as Texas clinched the Big 12 South Division title.
Young had scoring passes of 45 yards and 64 yards to Limas Sweed and Quan Cosby, and Aaron Ross returned a punt 71 yards for a TD as Texas built a 52-0 lead by halftime, tying the school record for most points in a half.
Texas (10-0, 7-0) ran its winning streak to 17 games and earned its first berth in the Big 12 championship game since 2001, although Longhorns fans are thinking well beyond what could be their first conference title since 1996.
Young passed for 264 yards and all four TDs in the first half. He left the game with five minutes left in the third quarter.
No. 3 Miami 47,Wake Forest 17
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Kyle Wright tied a school record with five touchdown passes, Charlie Jones ran for two more scores and Miami stayed on track for a spot in the first Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
A week after a surprisingly easy victory at Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes (8-1, 5-1 ACC) used a quick-strike offense to avoid a letdown in their first visit to Groves Stadium since 1971.
South Carolina 30,No. 12 Florida 22
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Mike Davis and Daccus Turman ran for two touchdowns each for South Carolina and Steve Spurrier beat Florida in his first meeting against the school where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1966 as a quarterback and a national championship in 1996 as a coach.
It wasn't the kind of blowout Spurrier's Gators perfected during his 12 seasons there from 1990-2001. But it broke Florida's 14-game winning streak in the series -- a run Spurrier contributed to by going 10-0 vs. South Carolina -- that had dated to 1939.
And it closed any chance the Gators (7-3, 5-3) had of playing for the Southeastern Conference championship.
With their fifth straight SEC victory -- a school first -- it's the Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3) who have an outside shot of reaching the Georgia Dome as SEC Eastern Division champions.
Oklahoma State 24,No. 13 Texas Tech 17
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Al Pena scored on a 1-yard run with 23 seconds remaining to stave off a rally by Texas Tech and give Oklahoma State a win.
Julius Crosslin did most of the work on the Cowboys' last drive with runs of 12, 11, 10 and 9, putting Pena in position to break a 17-17 tie.
It was the first Big 12 win for Oklahoma State (4-5, 1-5) and spoiled Texas Tech's hopes of its first 10-win season since 1976.
Clemson 35,No. 17 Florida St. 14
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Charlie Whitehurst threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns to lead Clemson over Florida State, the second time in three meetings that Tigers coach Tommy Bowden has beaten father Bobby.
Whitehurst went 21-of-32 a week after resting his sore shoulder and Chansi Stuckey had 11 catches for 156 yards and two TDs for Clemson (6-4, 4-4 Atlantic Coast).
The Seminoles (7-3, 5-3) gained just 226 yards as they lost for the second game in a row and the third time in their last five. They have lost three games in the ACC for the first time since joining the league in 1992.
Virginia 27,No. 24 Georgia Tech 17
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Marques Hagans led Virginia on two scoring drives after it squandered a 17-point lead and the Cavaliers became bowl eligible by beating Georgia Tech for the fourth consecutive season.
Virginia (6-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) got two first-quarter touchdown runs from Wali Lundy in building a 17-0 lead.
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