College football: Week 9 Top 25 roundup

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Virginia intercepted Miami’s backup quarterbacks four times after Jacory Harris was hurt to upset the No. 22 Hurricanes 24-19 on Saturday.

Virginia (4-4, 1-3 ACC), which had lost nine straight conference games, knocked Harris from the game on a huge hit by John-Kevin Dolce in the second quarter with the score still 0-0.

The Cavaliers beat a ranked team for the first time since defeating No. 21 Georgia Tech 24-17 on Oct. 25, 2008.

Keith Payne ran for two touchdowns, and Marc Verica added a touchdown pass for Virginia.

The Hurricanes (5-3, 3-2), who seemed to hit their stride in a convincing victory against North Carolina last week, made it inside the Virginia 20 just once in the first three quarters, and Stephen Morris’ pass into the end zone was intercepted by Chase Minnifield.

No. 1 Oregon runs past USC 53-32 to stay perfect

LOS ANGELES — Southern California really thought it had figured out how to stop Oregon’s high-octane offense when the Trojans took a third-quarter lead on the nation’s top-ranked team.

Turns out the Ducks were only pausing on the way to another convincing win.

LaMichael James rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns, Darron Thomas threw three of his four scoring passes to Jeff Maehl and No. 1 Oregon roared back from a second-half deficit with a 53-32 victory over the 24th-ranked Trojans on Saturday night.

Thomas passed for 288 yards and Maehl had eight catches for a career-high 145 yards for the fleet-footed Ducks (8-0, 4-0 Pac-10), who racked up 599 total yards in yet another barn-burning offensive performance. Oregon still trailed in the third quarter for just the second time all season after USC scored two touchdowns in 2½ minutes to take a 32-29 lead.

“We have a tendency to wear people down,” Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. “I’m not into statements. I’m just into winning games.”

Indeed, FBS rushing leader James led the Ducks to 24 consecutive points to close their first win at the Coliseum since 2000.

Matt Barkley passed for 263 yards and Marc Tyler rushed for two scores for the Trojans (5-3, 2-3), who used trickery and big defensive plays to stay competitive until the third quarter.

Newton, No. 3 Auburn power past Ole Miss, 51-31

OXFORD, Miss. — Cam Newton caught a touchdown pass, to go with the two TD passes he threw, and Mike Dyer ran for 180 yards to help No. 3 Auburn power past Mississippi 51-31 on Saturday night.

The Tigers (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference), who are ranked atop the BCS standings for the first time, easily sidestepped the string of upsets that had struck No. 1 teams in each of the past three weeks.

The Rebels (3-4, 1-4) ended Newton’s string of four straight 170-yard rushing efforts against SEC defenses, but the Heisman Trophy contender passed for 199. He also caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from receiver Kodi Burns.

Auburn scored on Demond Washington’s 95-yard punt return, Onterio McCalebb’s 68-yard touchdown run and Dyer’s 30-yarder in a rare buffet of big plays not involving Newton.

It was the most points the Tigers have ever scored against Ole Miss, which has dropped three straight games.

Newton was 18-of-24 passing, and ran 11 times for 45 yards after running wild in recent weeks. He missed a couple of open receivers for possible touchdowns but got more than ample help from his supporting cast against the Rebels.

No. 4 TCU breezes past UNLV, 48-6

LAS VEGAS — Two years ago, a less-seasoned TCU team won easily at UNLV and set up a showdown at Utah the following week.

It was there that the Horned Frogs’ hopes of playing in a BCS game were dashed in the final seconds.

After a 48-6 victory over UNLV on Saturday night, No. 4 TCU has a chance to make up for that missed opportunity at Utah. This time, the Horned Frogs have their sights set not only on a BCS bowl game, but on a spot in the national championship contest.

Andy Dalton threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns, Jeremy Kerley scored running and receiving, and TCU dominated defensively again to stay undefeated.

TCU (9-0, 5-0 Mountain West), which was also fourth in the BCS standings, heads into a huge matchup at No. 8 Utah (8-0, 5-0) next Saturday having allowed 16 points in the last five games.

No. 18 Iowa stomps No. 5 Michigan State 37-6

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Ricky Stanzi threw three touchdown passes and No. 18 Iowa knocked fifth-ranked Michigan State from the ranks of the unbeaten in decisive fashion, stomping the Spartans 37-6 on Saturday.

Adam Robinson added a pair of touchdowns for the charged-up Hawkeyes, who rolled out to a 30-0 halftime lead and dealt a crushing blow to the Spartans national title hopes.

Iowa (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) jumped ahead 17-0 when Micah Hyde went 66 yards after taking a pitch from safety Tyler Sash, who had picked off a pass.

Sash. Stanzi then found Robinson for a 32-yard TD pass, and Robinson’s 2-yard touchdown run put the Hawkeyes ahead by 30 with 1:01 left in the first half.

Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions for the Spartans (8-1, 4-1), who were trying to move to 9-0 for the first time since winning a share of the national title in 1966.

No. 14 Nebraska hands No. 7 Mizzou 1st loss, 31-17

LINCOLN, Neb. — Roy Helu Jr. rushed for a school-record 307 yards, and No. 14 Nebraska knocked No. 7 Missouri from the ranks of the unbeatens with a 31-17 victory Saturday.

The Cornhuskers (7-1, 3-1 Big 12) held off the Tigers after building a 24-0 lead and moved into a first-place tie with Missouri in the Big 12 North. Nebraska earned the inside track to the division title by winning the head-to-head meeting.

Missouri (7-1, 3-1) has lost 17 straight road games against Top 25 opponents since 1997.

Helu ran for touchdowns of 66, 73 and 53 yards. The Cornhuskers played without quarterback Taylor Martinez in the second half after he came up hobbling following a run late in the second quarter. Zac Lee took over to start the third quarter.

Nebraska put heavy pressure on Blaine Gabbert and held him to 18-of-42 passing for 199 yards. He was sacked six times.

No. 8 Utah holds off Air Force, 28-23

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — Utah’s defense forced five turnovers and stopped the Falcons twice on downs in the final quarter, helping the eighth-ranked Utes hold off Air Force for a 28-23 win Saturday to set up a showdown with No. 4 TCU next weekend.

Safety Greg Bird came up with one big hit after another and Eddie Wide scored twice as the Utes ran their record to 8-0 for the third time in the last seven years.

Utah (5-0 Mountain West) will face its biggest challenge so far this season when it hosts TCU next Saturday, a marquee matchup between two hopeful BCS busters.

Tim Jefferson passed for 201 yards and ran for another 67 as the Falcons (5-4, 3-3) dropped their third straight game. He also threw two interceptions.

Pryor, 10th-ranked Buckeyes roll over Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — With the field of unbeaten teams shrinking, Ohio State is piling up the style points.

Terrelle Pryor threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns and Dan Herron rushed for 114 yards and another score in the first half to lead the 10th-ranked Buckeyes to a 52-10 victory over Minnesota on Saturday.

Pryor completed 18 of 22 passes and also rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown for the Buckeyes (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten), who are trying to ram their way back into the national championship picture.

MarQueis Gray had three catches for 81 yards for Minnesota (1-8, 0-5), which has lost eight straight games and is stumbling toward the finish of another lost college football season in the Twin Cities.

The Golden Gophers struggled in all areas, but nowhere more than the punting game. Dan Orseske’s 10-yard punt just before halftime led to Ohio State’s fourth touchdown of the half, and the Buckeyes also scored off a blocked punt and had a 70-yard punt return by Jordan Hall.

No. 11 Oklahoma beats Colorado 43-10

NORMAN, Okla. — With his feet back under him, Ryan Broyles was able to speed to the best receiving performance in Oklahoma history.

Broyles broke the school record with 208 yards receiving as part of the Sooners’ biggest passing day ever, and No. 11 Oklahoma bounced back from its first loss of the season to beat Colorado 43-10 on Saturday night.

Broyles took a day off from practice during the week to rest his two sore ankles, then took aim at a record he’d had his eyes on for a while. Manuel Johnson held the previous mark with 206 yards receiving in a win against TCU in 2008, with Broyles as his teammate.

“I looked at that at the beginning of the year actually,” said Broyles, who leads the nation with 9.9 receptions per game.

The opportunity for a record-setting outing presented itself when Colorado (3-5, 0-4 Big 12) focused on taking away the screen passes and short passing game that’s such a big part of Oklahoma’s offense. The Sooners (7-1, 3-1) showed they can go deep, too.

Landry Jones threw for a career-high 453 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Broyles. Jones’ total was the second-best in school history, behind only Sam Bradford’s 468 against Kansas in his 2008 Heisman Trophy season. Combined with backup Drew Allen’s 35 yards, the Sooners broke the school record for passing set on Bradford’s biggest day.

Luck and No. 13 Stanford dominate Washington, 41-0

SEATTLE — Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck outclassed Jake Locker, and it wasn’t even close.

Luck ran for a 51-yard touchdown the first time he carried the ball, directed Stanford to touchdowns on its first four possessions, and the 13th-ranked Cardinal routed Washington 41-0 on Saturday.

The anticipated matchup of Luck and Locker, two of the most highly touted NFL draft prospects for next spring brought out nearly 20 NFL scouts.

What they saw was completely one-sided.

Along with his TD run, the sophomore quarterback completed 19 of 26 passes for 192 yards and threw a 3-yard TD pass to Zach Ertz on the final play of the third quarter. Stanford punted just once and scored on five of its first six possessions. The only miscue of the entire, rainy afternoon, was a jump ball on the final play of the first half that Nate Fellner wrestled away for the sixth interception of the season.

Otherwise, Luck was nearly perfect. He had one pass dropped and another fell incomplete when he was hit as he threw — and he added 92 yards rushing. Stepfan Taylor ran for a pair of short touchdowns as part of his 104 yards for the Cardinal (7-1, 4-1 Pac-10), who improved on the best start at Stanford in 40 years.

And it’s now clear for the Huskies (3-5, 2-3) that, baring a giant upset next week at No. 1 Oregon, they will have to win their final three games to reach bowl eligibility.

Scott leads No. 15 Arizona to 26-21 win over UCLA

PASADENA, Calif. — Backup Matt Scott had another big game, passing for a career-high 319 yards, and No. 15 Arizona held off UCLA 29-21 on Saturday to remain in contention for its first Pac-10 championship.

Scott was 24 of 36 with one interception and one touchdown. The junior also carried 12 times for 71 yards.

He threw for 233 yards and ran for another 65 in a 44-14 victory over Washington last weekend filling in for Nick Foles. Foles sprained his right knee two weeks ago and might be healthy enough to return next Saturday when the Wildcats play at No. 13 Stanford.

Keola Antolin rushed for 111 yards on 23 carries for the Wildcats (7-1, 4-1 Pac-10), off to their best start since winning seven of their first eight games en route to a 12-1 finish in 1998.

Richard Brehaut passed for 228 yards and two touchdowns for the Bruins (3-5, 1-4), who lost their third straight game but performed much better than in their last two, when they were outscored 95-20 at California and Oregon.

Jeffery’s 70-yard TD lifts No. 17 Gamecocks to 38-24 win over Tennessee

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Alshon Jeffery’s 70-yard touchdown catch broke a fourth-quarter tie and kept No. 17 South Carolina in control of the SEC East with a 38-24 victory over Tennessee on Saturday.

The Vols (2-6, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) had rallied back from a 14-point deficit on a pair of touchdown passes from backup quarterback Tyler Bray to tie the game 24-24.

That’s when Stephen Garcia found Jeffery in the middle of the field and the SEC’s leading receiver outraced three defenders to the end zone with 12:17 to go.

Garcia added two rushing touchdowns, the second from 1-yard out with 3:28 left that sealed the win for South Carolina (6-2, 4-2).

The Gamecocks are the East’s only two-loss team. They can clinch their first berth in the SEC title game with wins over Arkansas and Florida in the next two weeks.

Mallett leads No. 19 Arkansas to 49-14 win over Vandy

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Ryan Mallett kept finding new targets, even as his top receivers kept leaving with injuries.

It was that kind of night for the Arkansas quarterback, who set a school record with 409 yards passing in a 49-14 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Mallett topped his own record of 408 yards, set last year against Georgia, and finished 27 of 44 passing as the No. 19 Razorbacks (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) won their second straight game. The junior also threw for three touchdowns and connected with eight different receivers as Arkansas scored 43 straight points after trailing early.

Mallett missed parts of each of the past two games with injuries. He suffered a concussion in the first quarter of a loss at Auburn two weeks ago and left with a bruised throwing shoulder in the second half against Mississippi last week.

“Ryan Mallett was focused all week,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “He came out today and really read the defense well and threw the ball well also.”

The Commodores (2-6, 1-4) gained 140 yards on their first two possessions, both of which ended in touchdowns as they took a 14-6 first quarter lead. But Vanderbilt only gained 13 yards the rest of the game.

Weeden’s 2 TD passes lead No. 20 Oklahoma St. past K-State, 24-14

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Brandon Weeden threw two touchdown passes and No. 20 Oklahoma State’s high-powered offense overcame the absence of star wide receiver Justin Blackmon to beat Kansas State 24-14 Saturday afternoon.

Blackmon, suspended for the game after being arrested on a misdemeanor DUI charge, left the Cowboys (7-1 overall, 3-1 Big 12) without the nation’s leader in receiving yards per game, total receiving yards, scoring and touchdown catches.

As a result, the attack that came into the game No. 3 nationally in total offense and No. 2 in scoring sputtered much of the day, particularly in a 7-7 first half. But aided by Dan Bailey’s precise placement punting and Johnny Thomas’ touchdown on an interception return, the Cowboys scored 17 straight points in the second half.

Daniel Thomas’ 1-yard touchdown run shaved the lead to 24-14 with a little more than 4 minutes left, and Kansas State (5-3, 2-3) recovered the ensuing short kick. But an offsides penalty forced Kansas State to kick it again and Oklahoma State carefully gathered in the ball.

No. 23 Mississippi State beats Kentucky, 24-17

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Vick Ballard rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown, and No. 23 Mississippi State relied on its running game and defense to beat Kentucky 24-17 on Saturday.

The Wildcats threatened to tie the game in the final minute, but quarterback Mike Hartline’s pass was intercepted by Johnthan Banks at the goal line to seal a sixth straight victory for Mississippi State (7-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) — its longest streak since 1999.

Kentucky (4-5, 1-5) hasn’t beaten a ranked team on the road since 1998. Randall Cobb caught 12 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, but Kentucky clawed its way back, tying the game at 17 late in the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Hartline to Moncell Allen.

Mississippi State scored the go-ahead touchdown on Chris Relf’s 5-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

Griffin leads No. 25 Baylor past Texas 30-22

AUSTIN, Texas — Time to take all that talk of Baylor’s “Big 12 takeover” seriously. Like they say in the Lone Star State, ‘It ain’t bragging if it’s the truth.’

Robert Griffin III passed for two touchdowns and ran for another in leading No. 25 Baylor to a 30-22 win over reeling Texas on Saturday night, the Bears’ first victory against the Longhorns since 1997.

“The tide has changed. This year, we’re the team to beat,” Griffin said after his teammates could be heard chanting “Our house!” in the visiting locker room.

Stuck at the bottom of the Big 12 for so long, Baylor (7-2, 4-1) came in ranked for the first time since 1993, but still in search of a win that would make them legitimate contenders for the South division title.

A second-half rally in Austin proves the Bears are going to be a factor down the stretch.

“Our players are about as resilient a bunch as I’ve ever been around,” Baylor coach Art Briles said.

Baylor trailed 19-10 early in the third quarter before Jay Finley ran 69 yards for a touchdown. Griffin then scored on a 1-yard touchdown and hit Kendall Wright with a 30-yard scoring pass in the fourth.

Baylor’s defense kept Texas (4-4, 2-3) out of the end zone after long drives and came up with a big turnover that helped give the Bears the lead. On offense, Griffin & Co., just kept making the big plays.