Sunday, September 20, 2009
Notre Dame 33, Michigan State 30
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jimmy Clausen threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, including a 33-yarder to Golden Tate with 5:18 remaining. Kyle McCarthy (Mooney High) intercepted a pass by Michigan State’s Kirk Cousins at the 4 with 57 seconds left and the Irish held on to beat the Spartans in Notre Dame Stadium for the first time since 1993. The Irish were coming off a dispiriting loss at Michigan the week before that put pressure back on coach Charlie Weis, who is 31-22 for a .585 winning percentage in his fifth season. “It’s a big win for Notre Dame, it’s not a big win for Charlie Weis,” Weis said after the game. “These kids fought their butts off and I’m happy for them.” Armando Allen Jr. ran for 115 yards and a touchdown and threw for another, and Nick Tausch kicked field goals of 22 and 46 yards for the Irish (2-1). Blair White caught a pair of touchdown passes and Larry Caper ran for two more as the Spartans (1-2) lost for the second straight week. It was the second time in the past nine meetings that the home team won.
No. 13 Virginia Tech 16, No. 19 Nebraska 15
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Tyrod Taylor dodged several defenders and then rifled an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts with 21 seconds left, rallying Virginia Tech. Taylor, known for his running much more than his passing, completed two big, late throws to lead the Hokies (2-1). Taylor first hit Danny Coale for 80 yards down the right sideline with 1:11 left, setting the ball up at the Nebraska 3. He followed by scrambling for what seemed like a minute before connecting with Roberts.
No. 12 Oklahoma 45, Tulsa 0
NORMAN, Okla. — Landry Jones set a school record with six touchdown passes and Oklahoma recorded its second straight shutout after Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was injured. The Sooners (2-1) broke the school record for consecutive wins on Owen Field by holding opponents scoreless in back-to-back games for the first time since 1987. Ryan Broyles caught a career-high 11 passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns, and Brandon Caleb emerged as a potential second viable target with 104 yards on five catches and two scores. Jones finished with 336 yards on 25 for 37 passing with two interceptions. His first pass was intercepted after it tipped off of Broyles’ hands, but Tulsa went three-and-out and just kept squandering opportunities early.
The Golden Hurricane (2-1), boasting the nation’s top offense the past two seasons, ran 31 of their first 33 plays in Oklahoma territory but came away without a point to show for it.
Iowa 27, Arizona 17
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Freshman running back Adam Robinson rushed for a career-high 101 yards and two touchdowns, and Iowa held Arizona to just eight first downs. Ricky Stanzi added 205 yards passing for the Hawkeyes (3-0), who limited the Wildcats to 253 yards of offense while setting up next weekend’s Big Ten showdown at No. 5 Penn State. Iowa’s Daniel Murray hit a 20-yard field goal to put Iowa ahead 17-10 late in the third quarter, and his 40-yarder following Tyler Sash’s interception made it 20-10 early in the fourth. The Hawkeyes then went on an 8 1/2-minute drive that took up much of the quarter, and Brandon Wegher’s 2-yard TD plunge put Iowa ahead 27-10 with 4:40 left. Nic Grigsby had 75 yards rushing to lead Arizona (2-1), which lost its seventh straight to a Big Ten opponent. The defeat was especially bitter for coach Mike Stoops (Mooney High), who played for the Hawkeyes in the early 1980s. The Wildcats entered play with the nation’s fifth-best rushing offense at 305.5 yards per game, but couldn’t get the run or the pass going against an Iowa defense that took control of the game in the second half. It was close for a while, though, until Arizona’s Matt Scott threw a critical interception late in the third quarter. He heaved a deep ball that floundered like a punt until it landed in the arms of Sash, who returned his fourth interception in the past two games 41 yards. That set up Murray’s second field goal, putting Iowa ahead by 10 with 14:52 left. Given how well their defense was playing, the Hawkeyes were content to milk the clock. Their final touchdown drive went 74 yards in 14 plays and took away any hopes of a Wildcat comeback. Arizona pulled Scott, who was 4 of 14 for 50 yards, in favor of Nick Foles early in the fourth quarter. Foles finished 6 of 11 and threw a 10-yard TD pass to Juron Criner with 1:53 left, the first offensive touchdown allowed by Iowa since the season opener.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Freshman running back Adam Robinson rushed for a career-high 101 yards and two touchdowns, and Iowa held Arizona to just eight first downs. Ricky Stanzi added 205 yards passing for the Hawkeyes (3-0), who limited the Wildcats to 253 yards of offense while setting up next weekend’s Big Ten showdown at No. 5 Penn State. Iowa’s Daniel Murray hit a 20-yard field goal to put Iowa ahead 17-10 late in the third quarter, and his 40-yarder following Tyler Sash’s interception made it 20-10 early in the fourth. The Hawkeyes then went on an 8 1/2-minute drive that took up much of the quarter, and Brandon Wegher’s 2-yard TD plunge put Iowa ahead 27-10 with 4:40 left. Nic Grigsby had 75 yards rushing to lead Arizona (2-1), which lost its seventh straight to a Big Ten opponent. The defeat was especially bitter for coach Mike Stoops (Mooney High), who played for the Hawkeyes in the early 1980s. The Wildcats entered play with the nation’s fifth-best rushing offense at 305.5 yards per game, but couldn’t get the run or the pass going against an Iowa defense that took control of the game in the second half. It was close for a while, though, until Arizona’s Matt Scott threw a critical interception late in the third quarter. He heaved a deep ball that floundered like a punt until it landed in the arms of Sash, who returned his fourth interception in the past two games 41 yards. That set up Murray’s second field goal, putting Iowa ahead by 10 with 14:52 left. Given how well their defense was playing, the Hawkeyes were content to milk the clock. Their final touchdown drive went 74 yards in 14 plays and took away any hopes of a Wildcat comeback. Arizona pulled Scott, who was 4 of 14 for 50 yards, in favor of Nick Foles early in the fourth quarter. Foles finished 6 of 11 and threw a 10-yard TD pass to Juron Criner with 1:53 left, the first offensive touchdown allowed by Iowa since the season opener.