No. 4 Oklahoma 17, Iowa State 7
No. 4 Oklahoma 17, Iowa State 7
AMES, Iowa — Chris Brown ran for two second-half touchdowns and the Sooners survived a major scare. D.J. Wolfe’s end-zone interception midway through the fourth quarter helped turn the tide for the Sooners (7-1, 3-1 Big 12), who won at Iowa State for the 20th straight time. Oklahoma, stunned by Colorado 27-24 in its only other Big 12 road game, committed three turnovers and didn’t take the lead until the fourth quarter. The Sooners nearly gave it back. Iowa State (1-7, 0-4), aided by a shanked punt, drove to the Oklahoma 8 with 7:24 left, where Bret Meyer converted a fourthth-and-1. However, Wolfe grabbed a tipped pass from Meyer to keep Iowa State from tying the game. The Cyclones forced Oklahoma into a fourth-and-4 with 3:02 left, but Sam Bradford found Jermaine Gresham for a 14-yard reception. Garrett Hartley sealed the win with a 43-yard field goal with 1:38 left.
Vanderbilt 17 No. 6 South Carolina 6
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mackenzi Adams threw two touchdown passes and D.J. Moore had two interceptions as Vanderbilt upset South Carolina and ended coaches Steve Spurrier’s unblemished record against the Commodores that began in 1987. Spurrier came into this 14-0 all-time against Vandy (4-3, 2-3 SEC) and, with the Gamecocks (6-2, 3-2) ranked as high as they’d been since 1984, seemed a strong bet to keep that streak alive. Instead, Vanderbilt took a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and held off Spurrier’s club the rest of the way. The Commodores hadn’t beaten a team ranked this highly since topping No. 6 LSU, 7-6, in 1937.
No. 14 Florida 45, No. 8 Kentucky 37
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Tim Tebow threw for a career-high four touchdowns and Florida rebounded from back-to-back losses with its 21st straight win against the Wildcats. The victory puts the defending national champions back in the Southeastern Conference title hunt despite recent losses to Auburn and LSU. The Gators (5-2, 3-2) are now tied with South Carolina and Georgia for first in the SEC East. Kentucky (6-2, 2-2), which knocked off then-No. 1 LSU in triple overtime a week earlier, came into the game concerned Tebow’s Gators presented a bigger threat because of his running. The Wildcats held him to 78 rushing yards, but the junior’s left arm proved far more problematic. Tebow connected on 18 of 26 passes for 256 yards.
UCLA 30, No. 10 California 21
PASADENA, Calif. — Nate Longshore’s return wasn’t enough to get California back on the winning track. Having Patrick Cowan back did the trick for UCLA. With Cal in UCLA territory, Alterraun Verner intercepted Longshore’s pass and sprinted 76 yards to the end zone with 1:33 remaining to seal the win. Kahlil Bell rushed for 142 yards on 22 carries and Kai Forbath kicked three field goals as UCLA (5-2, 4-0 Pac-10) remained perfect in conference play. The loss almost certainly cost Cal (5-2, 2-2), which came up short at the end for the second week in a row, any chance at the Pac-10 title. Cal’s DeSean Jackson had nine catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Longshore, who missed the last game because of a sprained ankle, finished 22-of-34 for 232 yards and three touchdowns, but with three interceptions.
No. 15 Missouri 41, No. 22 Texas Tech 10
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Chase Daniel threw for 210 yards and a touchdown and Missouri intercepted Graham Harrell four times, returning one for a score. Backup tailback Jimmy Jackson had 59 yards and three touchdowns as a fill-in for injured Tony Temple.
No. 19 Texas 31, Baylor 10
WACO, Texas — For all the problems and frustration Colt McCoy had, they weren’t enough to keep Texas from beating Baylor again. McCoy overcame two interceptions, missing a wide-open receiver in the end zone and a personal foul penalty with 293 yards passing and a touchdown. This 10th straight victory over Baylor (3-5, 0-4 Big 12) wasn’t nearly as easy as most have been for the Longhorns (6-2, 2-2), who won the previous nine games by an average of 41 points. Texas still led by only a touchdown when Deon Beasley intercepted a pass with nine minutes left at the Baylor 43. Five plays later, including a 31-yard pass from McCoy to Jamaal Charles, Vondrell McGee scored on a 4-yard run. Brandon Foster returned another interception 91 yards for a touchdown with 5:47 left.
Alabama 41, No. 20 Tennessee
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — John Parker Wilson passed for a career-high 363 yards and three touchdowns, DJ Hall had a school-record 13 catches for 185 yards for Alabama. It was a rollicking debut for Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban in the intense border rivalry that had been dominated lately by the Volunteers (4-3, 2-2 SEC). Alabama (6-2, 4-1) got its biggest win in the series since a 56-28 victory in 1986 and had lost 10 of the last 12 meetings. Saban set the tone by opening the game with a successful onside kick that set up the first of four Leigh Tiffin field goals for a team missing three suspended starters. Wilson completed 32-of-46 passes, including touchdowns to Hall of 16 and 2 yards. He also ran six times for 28 yards.
Associated Press