Sunday, September 28, 2008
No. 2 Oklahoma 35, No. 24 TCU 10
NORMAN, Okla. — With a dominant defense and Sam Bradford’s pinpoint passing, Oklahoma is on its way back to No. 1. Bradford threw for a career-best 411 yards and four touchdowns, Manuel Johnson set a school record with 206 yards receiving and the second-ranked Sooners avenged their last loss at Owen Field. With top-ranked Southern California and three other top 10 teams losing, Oklahoma (4-0) made as strong a case as anyone to get back to No. 1 for the first time since it lost to Kansas State in the 2003 Big 12 championship game.
No. 8 Alabama 41, No. 3 Georgia 30
ATHENS, Ga. — Alabama has the look of a national championship contender, racing to a 31-point halftime lead over third-ranked Georgia on the way to a decisive victory. The Bulldogs became the third member of the top four to lose on a miserable week for ranked teams, while No. 8 Alabama (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) figures to move up at least three or four places to its highest spot yet under second-year coach Nick Saban.
Ole Miss 31, No. 4 Florida 30
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Houston Nutt needed just five games to get a signature win at Mississippi. Jevan Snead threw two touchdown passes, ran for another score and led the Rebels to a stunning victory. Snead, the former Florida recruit who backed out of his commitment when he learned the Gators were going after Tim Tebow, outplayed last year’s Heisman Trophy winner. And he did it in The Swamp, where Florida (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) had won 21 of its last 22 games. The victory came in Snead’s fifth career start and gave Nutt a huge win in his first season with Ole Miss (3-2, 1-1). Snead was 9-of-20 passing for 185 yards, not great numbers, but he made plays when the Rebels needed them. His biggest was an 86-yard touchdown pass to Shay Hodge that put the Rebels ahead 31-24 with 5:26 to play.
No. 5 LSU 34, Mississippi St. 24
BATON ROUGE, La. — Charles Scott surpassed 100 yards rushing for the fourth straight game and punched in two short touchdowns, and LSU remained undefeated. The Bulldogs (1-4, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) turned in a feisty performance in a bid to add another surprising result to a week highlighted by upsets of No. 1 Southern California and No. 4 Florida. But Scott’s 27 carries for 141 yards kept LSU (4-0, 2-0) moving and the clock rolling.
No. 7 Texas 52, Arkansas 10
AUSTIN, Texas — Colt McCoy put up five touchdowns in another near-perfect start, and Texas routed Arkansas to hand Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino an embarrassing debut in a border rivalry famous for close games. The loss was the most lopsided in the series since a 35-point Texas victory in 1970. In the previous 10 meetings between Texas and Arkansas (2-2), the average margin of victory was fewer than nine points. The Longhorns (4-0) have outscored opponents 198-36 this season — an average margin of victory of 41 points.
No. 15 Auburn 14, Tennessee 12
AUBURN, Ala. — Jake Ricks recovered a fumble in the end zone and Auburn sent Tennessee to its worst start in 14 years. The Vols (1-3, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) fell to 1-3 for the first time since 1994, the second full season for embattled coach Phillip Fulmer.
Navy 24, No. 16 Wake Forest 17
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Eric Kettani rushed for a career-high 175 yards and backup quarterback Jarod Bryant scored the decisive touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give Navy its first win over a ranked team in 23 years.
Maryland 20, No. 20 Clemson 17
CLEMSON, S.C. — Chris Turner threw for a touchdown and Da’Rel Scott rushed for one to rally Maryland to its second straight Death Valley victory.
Houston 41, No. 23 East Carolina 24
GREENVILLE, N.C. — Case Keenum threw for 399 yards and three touchdowns, and Houston earned its first win against a ranked opponent in a dozen years.
No. 25 Fresno State 36, UCLA 31
PASADENA, Calif. — Tom Brandstater threw for three touchdowns and Ryan Mathews ran for one score and caught another and Fresno State outlasted UCLA.
Associated Press