Associated Press
Associated Press
OXFORD, Miss. — Mississippi’s Andrew Ritter said his game-winning, 41-yard field goal felt good off his foot. Then he watched with dread as it started drifting right. By the time it reached the uprights, it was dangerously close.
The senior held his breath. So did the rest of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
It sailed through with about a foot to spare. The crowd exploded. It was the finishing touch on Mississippi’s 27-24 upset victory over No. 6 LSU on Saturday night.
“Can you believe it?” Ritter asked.
It was a happy ending for Ole Miss (4-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) after the Rebels let a 17-point lead slip away when LSU’s Zach Mettenberger hit Jarvis Landry for a 4-yard touchdown to tie it at 24 with 3:19 remaining.
But the Rebels responded with a methodical, 14-play drive that ended in Ritter’s field goal with 2 seconds remaining.
“This is the biggest win of my life,” Ole Miss defensive end Cameron Whigham said. “I’m just so proud to be a part of the Ole Miss family and be able to compete with my brothers each Saturday.”
It capped a remarkable day of upsets across the league. LSU joined Georgia, Texas A&M, Florida and South Carolina as ranked SEC teams to lose Saturday.
It was another thrilling game for the Rebels, who lost last week against Texas A&M on a last-second field goal.
“What (the team) went through this week, with the outside world having their opinions, you can imagine how proud I am,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said.
Bo Wallace completed 30 of 39 passes for 346 yards and Jaylen Walton rushed for a career-high 105 yards and two touchdowns for the Rebels, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Ole Miss finished with 525 total yards. LSU had 388.
LSU (6-2, 3-2) nearly pulled off the comeback, but couldn’t overcome a rough game by Mettenberger, who threw three crucial interceptions.
“We didn’t do some of the things that we needed to come in here and do,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “I really thought we were going to throw those balls and complete them and I thought they were great calls.”
The winning field goal was redemption for Ritter, who had a 29-yard attempt blocked earlier in the fourth quarter.
LSU moved the ball fairly well in the first half, especially on the ground, but Mettenberger’s bad decisions and poor throws cost the Tigers dearly.
The 6-foot-5, 235-pound senior came into the game leading the SEC with 1,890 yards, 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions. But he had a brutal first half, throwing three interceptions, including two in the end zone.
All three were thrown into tight coverage. Mettenberger finished 19-of-33 passing for 274 yards and a touchdown.
No. 1 ALABAMA 52, ARKANSAS 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — AJ McCarron threw three touchdown passes and Kenyan Drake rushed for 104 yards and two scores to lead Alabama.
The Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) rolled to a 28-0 halftime lead and easily avoided catching the upset bug that struck other SEC powers. Alabama has won by the same margin over Arkansas two years running.
The Razorbacks (3-5, 0-4) have dropped five straight games and were coming off a 52-7 loss to No. 11 South Carolina.
Drake needed just eight carries to reach 100 yards for the second straight week. T.J. Yeldon had 88 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
McCarron was 15-of-21 passing for 180 yards in three quarters.
No. 2 OREGON 62, WASHINGTON ST. 38
EUGENE, Ore. — Marcus Mariota threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another as Oregon overcame the prolific passing of Washington State’s Connor Halliday.
Mariota kicked things off with a 57-yard scoring dash on the first series of the game for the Ducks, who wore pink helmets, cleats and socks for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Byron Marshall ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns for Oregon (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12).
Halliday completed 58 of 89 passes for 557 yards and four touchdowns for the Cougars (4-4, 2-3). His attempts broke the FBS-level record of 83 set by Drew Brees on Oct. 10, 1998. His total attempts and completions also broke the Pac-12 records set by Arizona’s Matt Scott last season, and his total yards set a Washington State record.
Halliday also threw four interceptions, including one that was returned 51 yards for a touchdown by Terrance Mitchell early in the fourth quarter.
No. 4 OHIO STATE 34, IOWA 24
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Carlos Hyde ran for 149 yards, including 106 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, to lead Ohio State to a victory over Iowa.
It was the Buckeyes’ 19th consecutive victory, the most in the nation and tying the second-best streak in school history.
But it didn’t come easy. The Hawkeyes (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten) dominated offensively in the first half and led 21-14 at the break behind the passing of Jake Rudock and running of Mark Weisman and Damon Bullock.
Hyde tied it with the first rushing TD against Iowa this season on Ohio State’s first drive of the third quarter, and the Buckeyes took over.
No. 24 AUBURN 45, No. 7 TEXAS A&M 41
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Nick Marshall accounted for four scores and Auburn battered Johnny Manziel in a win over Texas A&M.
Tre Mason’s 5-yard score with less than two minutes to play was first ruled down at the 1, but it was reviewed and ruled a touchdown.
A&M (5-2, 2-2 SEC) had a last chance, but Manziel was sacked by Dee Ford on fourth down to secure the win.
Manziel threw for 454 yards and four touchdowns and ran for a fifth score, but also had two interceptions and missed a series in the fourth quarter with an apparent injury to his right arm or shoulder before returning.
Marshall threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 100 yards and two more scores for Auburn (6-1, 3-1), which lost 63-21 to the Aggies last season.
No. 13 STANFORD 24, No. 9 UCLA 10
STANFORD, Calif. — Tyler Gaffney ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns, and Stanford smothered Brett Hundley and UCLA.
Kevin Hogan threw for 227 yards and a spectacular touchdown to Kodi Whitfield as the Cardinal (6-1, 4-1) regrouped again after losing at Utah last week. Stanford has not lost consecutive games since October 2009.
Stanford hurried Hundley all afternoon to slow down UCLA’s up-tempo offense.
Hundley completed 24 of 39 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions to Jordan Richards — the second with a little more than 2 minutes remaining to seal Stanford’s victory. UCLA (5-1, 2-1) has not started 6-0 since 2005.
TENNESSEE 23, No. 11 SOUTH CAROLINA 21
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Michael Palardy made a 19-yard field goal as time expired to give Tennessee a victory over South Carolina that ended the Volunteers’ 19-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw left the game after being sacked by Marlon Walls and Daniel McCullers with less than five minutes remaining. Team officials appeared to be looking at his left knee while he was on the sideline.
Tennessee got into field-goal range on a spectacular 39-yard catch by freshman Marquez North. Four consecutive runs by Marlin Lane got the Vols to the South Carolina 2 and set up the field goal.
Tennessee (4-3, 1-2 SEC) hadn’t beaten a ranked foe since a 31-13 victory over No. 21 South Carolina on Oct. 31, 2009. The Vols also had lost 16 of their last 18 SEC games.
South Carolina (5-2, 3-2) had a four-game winning streak snapped.
No. 12 BAYLOR 71, IOWA STATE 7
WACO, Texas — Bryce Petty threw for 343 yards and two touchdowns, Antwan Goodley had 182 yards receiving and two scores, and Baylor tied a school record with its 10th straight win.
The Bears led 37-0 at halftime and narrowly missed their first shutout win in the Big 12. Baylor (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) matched its 10-game winning streak from 1936-37.
Iowa State (1-5, 0-3) was without quarterback Sam Richardson while Baylor pulled away in the second quarter. The Cyclones had nine first downs and three turnovers.
The Cyclones scored with 47 with seconds left on a 27-yard pass from Grant Rohach to DeVondrick Nealy. Corey Coleman returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards to give Baylor its fourth 70-point game this season.
VANDERBILT 31, No. 15 GEORGIA 27
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jerron Seymour ran for a 13-yard touchdown with 2:53 left, and Vanderbilt rallied from a 13-point deficit by scoring 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to upset Georgia.
The Commodores (4-3, 1-3) got their first Southeastern Conference win this season and their first victory over Georgia in Nashville since 1991. They also snapped a six-game skid to the Bulldogs.
Georgia (4-3, 3-2) lost its second straight after failing to hold a 27-14 lead. Brendan Douglas fumbled after a catch with 1:59 left, and Aaron Murray was intercepted on the final play.
Torren McGaster started the comeback by recovering a fumbled punt late in the third quarter. Backup quarterback Patton Robinette ran for a 2-yard TD, and Carey Spear kicked a 40-yard field goal. Seymour put Vandy ahead a play after Georgia punter Collin Barber could only fall on a high snap at his own 13.
No. 16 TEXAS TECH 37, WEST VIRGINIA 27
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Davis Webb threw two touchdown passes and Texas Tech scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to beat West Virginia.
In his first road start, Webb completed 36 of 50 passes for 462 yards. He became the first Red Raiders freshman to surpass 400 yards passing in each of his first two starts.
Texas Tech’s Ryan Bustin kicked three field goals and Kenny Williams had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs, including the go-ahead score with 9:20 left in the game.
The Red Raiders (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) moved into sole possession of first place in the conference.
Dreamius Smith ran for two touchdowns for the Mountaineers (3-4, 1-3), who led 27-16 but punted on four straight possessions in the second half to let Texas Tech take over.
No. 18 OKLAHOMA 34, KANSAS 19
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Blake Bell threw for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and Oklahoma finally awoke from its Red River rout hangover to beat lowly Kansas.
The Sooners (6-1, 3-1 Big 12), whose national championship aspirations were cast aside by Texas last weekend, stumbled through the first quarter and found themselves in a 13-0 hole.
But behind Bell’s steady play, a stingy pass defense and a 49-yard touchdown toss from wide receiver Lacoltan Bester to Sterling Shepard on an end-around play, the Sooners scored 25 straight points on their way to winning their ninth straight over the Jayhawks.
James Sims ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas (2-4, 0-3), but he didn’t have much help.
ARIZONA ST. 53, No. 20 WASHINGTON 24
TEMPE, Ariz. — Taylor Kelly accounted for 352 yards and four touchdowns, Marion Grice scored three times and Arizona State’s defense bottled up Washington’s Bishop Sankey.
Arizona State (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) has struggled against the run the past two seasons and Sankey entered the game as the nation’s leading rusher at nearly 150 yards per game. The Sun Devils flipped the tables with a dominating defensive performance, limiting Sankey to 22 yards on 13 carries while holding the nation’s eighth-best offense to 212 total yards.
Grice ran for 161 yards and added to his nation-leading scoring total with a spectacular touchdown catch and two more scores on the ground.
Kelly threw for 268 yards and two scores and Zane Gonzalez kicked four field goals in Arizona State’s eighth straight win over Washington (4-3, 1-3).
No. 21 OKLAHOMA STATE 24, TCU 10
STILLWATER, Okla. — Clint Chelf completed 10 of 25 passes for 178 yards and an interception and Oklahoma State used a quarterback change to earn a win over TCU.
Josh Stewart added 10 catches for 141 yards and had a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown, giving the Cowboys (5-1, 2-1 Big 12 Conference) enough offense to celebrate a homecoming victory.
Chelf replaced J.W. Walsh at quarterback after the sophomore threw his second interception of the first half, an ill-advised throw into the middle of the end zone. Walsh finished 9-of-18 for 115 yards and two interceptions.
TCU (3-4, 1-3) also switched quarterbacks in the second quarter after falling behind 17-0, but it didn’t help as the Horned Frogs struggled in their second trip to Stillwater in as many years.
No. 23 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 38, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 17
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.— Jordan Lynch rushed for 316 yards, an FBS record for a quarterback, and Northern Illinois stayed unbeaten with a victory at Central Michigan.
Lynch had three rushing touchdowns and was 20 for 30 through the air for 155 yards and another score to help the Huskies (7-0, 3-0 Mid-American) extend the nation’s best conference winning streak to 20 games.
Northern Illinois extended its road winning streak to 13 games, second only to No. 2 Oregon’s 18 straight.
No. 25 WISCONSIN 56, ILLINOIS 32
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Melvin Gordon rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 25 Wisconsin to a 56-32 rout of Illinois on Saturday.
Gordon topped 1,000 yards for the season on a 13-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put the Badgers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) up 42-17. He finished the chilly, 40-degree night with 1,012 yards for the season.
Gordon’s touchdown capped the second of two bruising, third-quarter drives that put Illinois away. Running back James White finished the first with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Joel Stave.
Before the drives, Illinois (3-3, 0-2) found ways to claw back from an early 21-0 deficit and trailed 28-17 at halftime.