TOP 25 ROUNDUP

TOP 25 ROUNDUP

Saturday’s other games

No. 2 Alabama 24, Mississippi 20: TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — John Parker Wilson threw for a season-high 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Alabama made a late defensive stand to hold off Mississippi. The Crimson Tide stopped the Rebels on fourth-and-5 from its 43-yard line in the final minute, when Jevan Snead’s pass to Dexter McCluster fell incomplete. He was well covered by Javier Arenas. Alabama (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) scored 24 consecutive points after falling behind for the first time this season, 3-0, and allowing its first points in an opening quarter. Then Ole Miss (3-4, 1-3) answered 17 straight points and closed to within 24-20 on Joshua Shene’s 35-yard field goal with 6:09 left.

No. 6 USC 69, Washington State 0: PULLMAN, Wash. — Mark Sanchez became the first USC quarterback to throw five touchdown passes in a half. It was the largest shutout victory for USC (5-1, 3-1 Pac-10) since a 69-0 win over Montana in 1931, and the Trojans were showing signs of mercy late in the first half. USC’s defense, ranked first in the nation coming in by allowing just 9.4 points per game, ended the Cougars’ streak of scoring at 280 games dating to Sept. 15, 1984, when Ohio State beat Washington State 44-0. That scoring streak was second-longest in the nation to Michigan’s 295 games. The Cougars absorbed their largest margin of defeat since they began playing in 1894.

No. 7 Texas Tech 43, Texas A&M 25: COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Graham Harrell threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more to give Texas Tech its best start in 32 years. Harrell completed 44 of 56 passes for 450 yards as the Red Raiders moved to 7-0 — 3-0 in the Big 12 — after beating A&M for the seventh time in eight meetings. Jerrod Johnson completed 26 of 39 passes for 283 yards for the Aggies (2-5, 0-3 Big 12), who led 23-20 at halftime.

No. 8 Oklahoma State 34, Baylor 6: STILLWATER, Okla. — Playing its first game as a top 10 team since 1985, Oklahoma State made quick work of Baylor, scoring on four straight first-half possessions en route to a 34-6 win. Dez Bryant had a career-high 11 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns and Keith Toston added two scoring runs as Oklahoma State (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) set up a showdown next Saturday at No. 1 Texas.

No. 10 Georgia 24, No. 22 Vanderbilt 14: ATHENS, Ga. — Knowshon Moreno rushed for a season-high 172 yards, freshman A.J. Green had 132 yards receiving and 10th-ranked Georgia overcame its mistakes. Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes for Georgia (6-1, 3-1 SEC), which twice built 14-point leads but didn’t put away the Commodores until Blair Walsh kicked a 39-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining.

No. 14 Utah 49, Colorado St. 16: SALT LAKE CITY — Backup quarterback Corbin Louks ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns and starter Brian Johnson threw two touchdown passes as Utah remained unbeaten. The Utes improved to 8-0 for the fourth time ever and gained a season-high 549 yards of offense in Johnson’s 21st win as a starter, tying Alex Smith’s school record.

Virginia 16, No. 18 North Carolina 13, OT: CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Cedric Peerman scored from 2 yards in overtime to continue the Tar Heels’ struggles in Charlottesville. Virginia (4-3, 2-1, Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 10-3 with 2:18 to play, but Peerman scored on a two-yard run with 47 seconds left in regulation and Robert Randolph’s conversion was barely good to send the game into overtime. Casey Barth kicked a 28-yard field goal to begin OT, and North Carolina (5-2, 1-2) led 13-10. Tight end John Phillips caught a 19-yard pass from Marc Verica to put the ball on the Tar Heels’ 4. Peerman ran for 2 yards and then two more for the winning score.

Maryland 26, No. 21 Wake Forest 0: COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Chris Turner threw for 321 yards to back a strong defensive showing by Maryland in the Terrapins’ fifth straight win over a Top 25 team. Maryland (5-2, 2-1 ACC) also defeated California and Clemson this season, but lost 24-14 to unheralded Middle Tennessee State and 31-0 to Virginia. Turner completed 28 of 41 passes, the last a 50-yard touchdown to Danny Oquendo. Darrius Heyward-Bey had a career-high 11 catches for 101 yards and Obi Egekeze kicked four field goals to help the Terrapins move into a tie atop the league’s Atlantic Division.

Associated Press