Michigan survives scare
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan's tuneup turned into quite a test.
Trailing by eight, Ball State threw an incomplete pass into the end zone with 2:46 left and couldn't connect on a heave from midfield on the final play, allowing the second-ranked Wolverines to escape with a 34-26 victory on Saturday.
Michigan (10-0) let its guard down — maybe the Wolverines were looking ahead to the much-anticipated game Nov. 18 at No. 1 Ohio State? — and allowed the Cardinals (3-7) to make a late charge in a game they were expected to lose by five touchdowns.
Mike Hart ran for 154 yards and a TD and teammate Brandon Minor rushed for 108 yards and another score. Chad Henne was 17-of-24 for 155 yards with a TD and an interception that Ball State ran back for a score in the first quarter.
The Buckeyes built a 17-point halftime lead against Illinois and overcame a ho-hum performance by its offense to hold off the stubborn Illini.The Buckeyes (10-0, 6-0, Big Ten) had won each of their first nine games by at least 17 points.Rashard Mendenhall's 3-yard TD run with 1:40 to go brought Illinois within seven and after Ohio State's Brian Robiskie's recovered an onside kick by the Illini, the Buckeyes were forced to punt.
Wisconsin (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) scored the first touchdown given up by Penn State's defense in more than two games. Penn State (6-4, 4-3) squandered the few scoring chances it had.
Brandon Cox passed for 251 yards and two touchdowns and Auburn held Arkansas State to 177 total yards.The Tigers (9-1) turned the ball over four times, but got the easy tuneup they hoped for to set up season-ending games with traditional rivals Georgia and Alabama.
Chris Leak ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Gators survived a fourth-quarter rally and beat Vanderbilt for the 16th straight time.With the win and Tennessee's loss to LSU, the Gators (8-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) clinched the Eastern Division and a spot in the SEC championship game for the first time since 2000.
JaMarcus Russell hit Early Doucet with a 4-yard touchdown pass with 9 seconds left to lift LSU.Russell's third touchdown pass of the game gave the Tigers (7-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) their first road win of the season.
Darren McFadden ran for a career-high 219 yards and two touchdowns and Marcus Monk had eight catches for a career-best 192 yards for the Razorbacks.Arkansas (8-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) rushed for 267 yards to pad their league-leading average of 235 yards a game.
Colt McCoy threw three touchdowns passes to break the Texas single-season record and the Longhorns stayed in control of the Big 12 South.McCoy also had a career-high 346 yards on 23-of-29 passing for Texas (9-1, 6-0). His 27 touchdown passes broke the school mark of 26 shared by Vince Young (2005) and Chris Simms (2002). The redshirt freshman is two shy of the NCAA freshman season record of 29, set by Nevada's David Neill in 1998.Bobby Reid, the third-rated passer in the country, was 11-of-28 for 123 yards and two interceptions for Oklahoma State (5-4, 2-3).
John David Booty threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter and Terrell Thomas scored on a 71-yard blocked field goal return to help USC roll to its most lopsided win of the season.
Marshawn Lynch caught one of Nate Longshore's three touchdown passes and ran for another score as California won its eighth straight.Robert Jordan had two touchdown catches and DeSean Jackson romped 72 yards on his school-record fourth TD punt return in just 20 games at first-place Cal (8-1, 6-0), which moved one big step closer to its first conference title since 1975.No. 11 Notre Dame 45, North Carolina 26Brady Quinn passed for four touchdowns and a season-high 346 yards to help Notre Dame beat North Carolina.It appeared for a while the Fighting Irish would put the game away early, breaking a 7-7 tie with a pair of touchdowns and a field goal to move ahead 24-7. But the Irish gave up a 90-yard kickoff return by Brandon Tate and a 72-yard touchdown catch by Hakeem Nicks as the Tar Heels kept it respectable.
Kevin Marion had an 81-yard touchdown run and Patrick Ghee intercepted a pass in the end zone with just under a minute left as Wake Forest held on.Jyles Tucker had two sacks and forced a key fourth-quarter fumble and the Demon Deacons limited the Eagles to 28 yards rushing to move to 8-1 for the first time since 1944. At 4-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake is in a first-place tie with Maryland in the Atlantic Division.Matt Ryan set career highs by completing 40-of-57 passes for 402 yards and a touchdown, but had two interceptions — both in the end zone — for the mistake-prone Eagles (7-2, 3-2), who had their four-game winning streak snapped.
Allen Patrick ran for a career-high 173 yards and Oklahoma sealed the victory by converting a fourth-and-inches from its own 29 with 1:29 remaining.The Sooners won their fourth straight in coach Bob Stoops' 100th game at Oklahoma and broke a four-game winning streak by the Aggies.
Dan Ennis kicked a 31-yard field goal as time ran out, lifting Maryland to its fourth straight victory and keeping the Terps tied for first in the ACC's Atlantic division.
Reggie Ball threw four touchdown passes — two to Calvin Johnson — and Georgia Tech denied North Carolina State its third win of the season against a ranked team.
Brandon Ore ran for two touchdowns, including an 8-yard game-winner with 1:39 left to carry Virginia Tech past Miami.Ore finished with only 79 yards on 28 carries against the Hurricanes (5-4, 2-3).
Jonathan Stewart ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns as Oregon rolled up 316 yards on the ground.
Chris Henry ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns on a school-record 35 carries and Arizona limited Washington State to 45 yards rushing.Arizona (4-5, 2-4 Pac-10) entered the game last in the conference, averaging 71.4 yards rushing per game .Arizona QB Willie Tuitama completed 10-of-17 for 159 yards.
