By The Associated Press

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) – Turns out No. 3 Southern California was vulnerable.

Oregon State capitalized on four turnovers to upset the Trojans 33-31 on Saturday, snapping USC’s 27-game Pac-10 winning streak and breaking the national championship race wide open.

USC (6-1, 4-1) had also won 18 straight road games. However, the mighty Trojans had shown cracks in their last three games, each a victory by seven points or fewer.

John David Booty’s 2-yard scoring pass to Steve Smith with 7 seconds left pulled USC to 33-31, but Oregon State’s Jeff Van Orsow batted down a pass on the 2-point conversion to preserve the lead.

USC started the day as was one of seven unbeaten teams in the country. Now there are six, including Ohio State and Michigan – exptected to retain the top two spots in the Bowl Championship Series standings Sunday.

Oregon State fans celebrated wildly in the second half when Matt Moore hit Joe Newton with a 9-yard scoring pass and Sammie Stroughter ran a punt back 70 yards for a touchdown to give the Beavers (4-4, 3-2) a 30-10 lead.

USC came back with Booty’s 4-yard scoring pass to Fred Davis to close out the third quarter. Booty then found Smith in the end zone and Chauncey Washington ran in the 2-point conversion to narrow it to 33-25 with 12:09 left in the fourth.

B>No. 1 Ohio State 44, Minnesota 0P>

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Troy Smith added to his Heisman Trophy credentials by running for one touchdown and throwing for another to lead No. 1 Ohio State past Minnesota.

Antonio Pittman rushed for two scores for the Buckeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten), who have won every game this season by at least 17 points. They play lowly Illinois and Northwestern, each of whom is 2-7, the next two weeks while tuning up for the regular-season finale against No. 2 Michigan on Nov. 18 at Ohio Stadium.

The Buckeyes got another strong performance by its defense, which came in tied for the national lead in fewest points allowed (8.2 per game). Only two teams have scored more than seven points against Ohio State this season.

Ohio State intercepted Minnesota’s Bryan Cupito three times and never faced a serious threat from the Golden Gophers (3-6, 0-5), despite playing without stellar defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock, who was out with a concussion.

The offense dominated, piling up 484 yards, though three lost fumbles kept the score from being more onesided before a homecoming crowd of 105,443.

Pittman gained 116 yards on 21 carries and scored on runs of 10 and 13 yards. Chris Wells and Justin Zwick added short touchdown runs.

B>No. 2 Michigan 17, Northwestern 3P>

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Mike Hart ran for 95 yards and a touchdown to lead No. 2 Michigan in a rain-soaked win.

Hart and the Wolverines’ swarming defense kept Michigan (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) on track for the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup at Ohio State on Nov. 18. Next up for Michigan, Ball State next week and then Indiana.

Northwestern (2-7, 0-5) trailed only 10-3 midway through the third quarter against Michigan when Leon Hall, who had a fumble recovery earlier in the game, intercepted a pass from Wildcats quarterback C.J. Bacher to set up the Wolverines at the Northwestern 36.

Hart’s 3-yard scoring run made it 17-3 with 4:05 left in the third quarter.

Adrian Arrington caught a 14-yard scoring pass to put Michigan up 7-0 in the first quarter, and Garrett Rivas kicked a 30-yard field goal midway through the second.

Northwestern pulled to within 10-3 on Joel Howells’ 38-yard field goal on its first possession of the second half.

B>No. 5 Texas 35, Texas Tech 31P>

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) – Colt McCoy threw for 256 yards and four touchdowns, and Texas erased a three-touchdown deficit.

The Longhorns (8-1, 5-0 Big 12) won their 20th straight conference game and 17th consecutive road game, but didn’t take their first lead until early in the fourth quarter when McCoy threw a 28-yard touchdown to Quan Cosby to make it 35-31.

Tech (5-4, 2-3) had chances in the final 6:14. Twice the Red Raiders failed on fourth downs inside Texas 35. Both plays – a completion to Joel Filani and a quarterback sneak by Graham Harrell – came up just short and were reviewed but the officials’ spots were upheld.

Harrell completed 42-of-62 passes for 519 yards and three touchdowns.

B>No. 7 Auburn 23, Mississippi 17P>

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – Brandon Cox passed for a season-high 253 yards and a touchdown and John Vaughn kicked three second-half field goals for No. 7 Auburn.

The Tigers (8-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) trailed Mississippi (2-7, 1-5) twice, but Auburn converted two third-quarter interceptions thrown by Brent Schaeffer into 10 points.

Vaughn’s 20-yarder put the Tigers up for good with 7:35 left in fourth quarter and his 29-yarder sealed it with 35 seconds left. The win was Auburn’s 21st in their last 23 regular-season SEC games and kept their SEC and national title hopes alive.

Auburn had little trouble moving the ball against Ole Miss with 428 total yards, but committed an array of mistakes that allowed the Rebels to flirt with the upset. The Tigers tied a season-high with two turnovers, dropped several passes and committed inopportune penalties. Auburn was flagged for nine penalties for 84 yards, both season highs.

B>No. 8 Tennessee 31, South Carolina 24P>

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Erik Ainge threw two touchdown passes to Bret Smith and the ended a year of ugly memories from last year’s loss to South Carolina.

Spurrier has largely had his way with Tennessee (7-1, 3-1) through the years. The coach won at Neyland Stadium with Duke in 1988, then took eight of 12 games from the Vols as Gators coach from 1990-2001. And he led the Gamecocks to their first win in Knoxville last fall.

It looked like Spurrier’s hex was in effect again at Williams-Brice Stadium after South Carolina (5-3, 3-3) overcame a two-touchdown deficit to lead 17-14 after three quarters.

But Ainge found Smith on a 12-yard TD pass to put the Vols (7-1, 3-1) ahead for good with 13:10 left. Tennessee’s Jonathan Hefney had a 65-yard punt return to South Carolina’s 5 and Arian Foster scored on the next play.

B>No. 9 Florida 21, Georgia 14P>

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Florida’s defense forced two fumbles and intercepted two passes, helping ninth-ranked Florida continue its recent dominance over Georgia.

Florida now has won eight of nine and 15 of the last 17 in the series, and with the latest victory, it remained atop the Southeastern Conference East Division and moved a step closer to returning to the conference title game for the first time since 2000. The Gators (7-1, 5-1) need to beat Vanderbilt and South Carolina to make it happen.

The Bulldogs (6-3, 3-3) lost for the third time in four games and essentially dropped out of the division race.

Although Andre Caldwell scored two early touchdowns – a 12-yard run and a 40-yard reception from Chris Leak – Florida’s defense got the credit for this one.

The Gators led 21-0 after Georgia fumbled on the opening play of the second half. Derrick Harvey knocked the ball out of Kregg Lumpkin’s hands, and Ray McDonald returned it 9 yards for a score.

Matthew Stafford had a 13-yard run and Kregg Lumpkin scored from 9 yards out to pull Georgia to the final margin.

B>No. 11 Notre Dame 38, Navy 14P>

BALTIMORE (AP) – Brady Quinn accounted for four touchdowns and No. 11 Notre Dame amassed a season-high 471 yards in the Fighting Irish’s 43rd consecutive win in the series.

Quinn threw touchdown passes of 36, 33 and 6 yards, and ran 19 yards for a score. With Quinn leading the way, the Irish (7-1) scored on their first five possessions to take a 31-14 lead.

Notre Dame’s first unproductive drive ended in the fourth quarter at the Navy 1, and the Irish never punted.

Quinn finished 18-for-25 for 295 yards, Darius Walker ran for 103 yards on 20 carries and Rhema McKnight had two touchdown catches to help the Irish win their fifth straight. Notre Dame’s winning streak against Navy (5-3) is the longest against one opponent in NCAA history.

Navy quarterback Kalpo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada scored two touchdowns in his first college start and Reggie Campbell ran for 81 yards.

Navy rushed for 271 yards, but 211 of those came in the first half.

B>No. 13 Arkansas 44, Louisiana-Monroe 10P>

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Darren McFadden ran for 129 yards and a touchdown – and also threw for a score – to help Arkansas coach Houston Nutt earn his 100th coaching victory.

McFadden entered as the Southeastern Conference’s leading rusher, but the Razorbacks scored two first-half touchdowns with him at quarterback, a new wrinkle in their offense.

In the second quarter, he rolled out to his left and lobbed a 9-yard pass to Wes Murphy in the end zone for that made it 23-7.

Felix Jones ran for 141 yards for the Razorbacks (7-1), who have won seven in a row, their longest winning streak since 1998.

Nutt is 100-63 in 131/2 seasons with Murray State, Boise State and the Razorbacks.

Louisiana-Monroe (1-7) led 7-0 early after Kinsmon Lancaster found LaGregory Sapp for a 17-yard touchdown.

B>No. 17 Wisconsin 30, Illinois 24P>

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Forced to play much of the way without star running back P.J. Hill, No. 17 Wisconsin rallied from a two-touchdown halftime deficit to beat Illinois.

The Badgers (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) survived two first-half turnovers that led to Illinois touchdowns and two separate injuries to Hill to score 20 straight points against the Illini (2-7, 1-4) in the second half.

Tight end Andy Crooks fell on his fumble in the end zone for a touchdown that put the Badgers ahead 27-24 with 14:50 remaining.

Hill limped off the field late in the first quarter and played only a few more snaps before he left the game for good after a separate injury midway through the third. He finished with 50 yards on 12 carries.

Running back Pierre Thomas scored two touchdowns in the first half.

Badgers linebacker Mark Zalewski intercepted a pass by freshman quarterback Isiah “Juice” Williams on Illinois’ first possession of the third quarter. Stocco completed a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Luke Swan to cut the Illinois lead to 24-17.

Wisconsin drove to the Illinois 8 on its next possession. But the Illini defense held the Badgers to a 21-yard field goal by Taylor Mehlhaff, cutting the Illinois lead to 24-20 with 3:57 remaining in the third quarter.

B>No. 19 Oklahoma 26, No. 23 Missouri 10P>

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Paul Thompson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as No. 19 Oklahoma turned five Missouri mistakes into points.

Two interceptions, a fumble, a blocked punt and a roughing the kicker penalty set up every score for the Sooners (6-2, 3-1 Big 12), who beat No. 23 Missouri for the 15th time in 16 tries.

The Tigers (7-2, 3-2) lost at home for the first time in nine games. After a 6-0 start, Missouri has lost two of three.

Thompson was 11-for-19 for 127 yards, passed for two touchdowns and ran for another. Allen Patrick, in his second game as a starting for the injured Adrian Peterson, carried 36 times for 162 yards.

Missouri came in averaging 33.1 points, but struggled against the Sooners’ 11th-ranked defense. Chase Daniel was 23-for-44 for 284 yards and three interceptions. He also ran 20 times for 75 yards and a score. Other than Daniel, Missouri gained 1 yard rushing on seven carries.

B>No. 18 Boston College 41, Buffalo 0P>

BOSTON (AP) – Chris Crane filled in for sore starter Matt Ryan and overcame a soaking rain to run for two touchdowns and throw for another as No. 18 Boston College sent Buffalo to its seventh consecutive loss.

Crane completed 17 of 26 passes for 142 yards to lead BC (7-1) to scores on its first four possessions. L.V. Whitworth ran for 84 yards and a touchdown, and Andre Callender had 81 yards rushing as the Eagles did not need to punt until late in the third quarter – and that was called back for a roughing the kicker penalty.

Buffalo (1-7) had just 92 yards of total offense – with a total of minus-12 on the ground. The Bulls have not won since a season-opening 9-3 overtime victory over Temple.

Buffalo, which had just three fumbles in its first seven games, dropped the ball four times and lost two fumbles on a wet and windy Saturday; BC fumbled twice but recovered both times.

B>Oklahoma St. 41, No. 20 Nebraska 29P>

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) – Dantrell Savage ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns, and Nathan Peterson returned a fumble for another score to lead Oklahoma State to the win.

Savage scored his second touchdown of the game on a 20-yard run on the second play of the fourth quarter, capping the Cowboys’ comeback from an early 16-point deficit. It’s the just fourth win for Oklahoma State (5-3, 2-2 Big 12) in 41 games against Nebraska but the second straight for the Cowboys in Stillwater.

The loss keeps Nebraska (6-3, 3-2) in a tie for the Big 12 North lead with Missouri, which lost earlier in the day to Oklahoma. Nebraska hosts Missouri next week.

Brandon Jackson had 21 carries for 182 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskers. Zac Taylor threw for 241 yards and two scores.

B>No. 21 Georgia Tech 30, Miami 23P>

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia Tech got Calvin Johnson back in the offense and took a major step toward reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

One week after failing to catch a pass for the first time in his career, Johnson hauled in a tiebreaking, 1-yard touchdown with 6:18 remaining.

Tashard Choice rushed for 107 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown with 31/2 minutes left in a wild fourth quarter. Georgia Tech (6-2, 4-1) scored 17 straight points to take a seemingly comfortable 30-16 lead, but Kyle Wright hooked up with Greg Olsen on a 41-yard touchdown pass that made it close.

Wright threw for 246 yards and Javarris James rushed for 113 yards, but Miami (5-3, 2-2) couldn’t overcome three fumbles and an interception.

Georgia Tech merely needs to win two of its last three conference games to secure the Coastal Division’s spot in the Dec. 2 ACC championship at Jacksonsville, Fla.

B>No. 22 Texas A&M 31, Baylor 21P>

WACO, Texas (AP) – Martellus Bennett rumbled 75 yards on one of his two touchdown catches and Mike Goodson added a game-clinching 64-yard TD run with 2:15 left to give Texas A&M its fourth straight win.

A&M’s Layne Neumann kicked a tie-breaking 22-yard field goal with 6:32 left.

Texas A&M (8-1, 4-1 Big 12) had a third-and-4 when Goodson broke to the left sideline and raced virtually untouched to the end zone. A replay showed the freshman may have dropped the ball just before crossing the goal line, but Baylor (4-5, 3-2) couldn’t challenge since it had called its final timeout.

Bennett, the 6-foot-7, 248-pound tight end, caught five passes for 133 yards. Jorvorskie Lane ran 13 times for 53 yards and his 17th TD of the season.

Dominique Zeigler caught five passes for 180 yards, including a 79-yard TD for Baylor.

B>No. 24 Wake Forest 24, North Carolina 17P>

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – Riley Skinner threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Ken Moore and Jon Abbate intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal No. 24 Wake Forest’s victory.

Abbate picked off Joe Dailey on the game’s final play after the Tar Heels drove to the Wake Forest 3 with 41 seconds left.

The Demon Deacons (7-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won seven of eight to start the season for the first time since 1979 and third time in school history.

Wake Forest trailed 17-14 before Sam Swank tied it with a 41-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter.

North Carolina (1-7, 0-5) was playing its first game since the firing of coach John Bunting, effective at the end of the season, and the Tar Heels fell to 0-7 against I-A opponents.

B>No. 25 Oregon 55, Portland State 12P>

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Reserve Jeremiah Johnson ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns to lead Oregon past Division I-AA Portland State.

Johnson, filling in for injured starter Jonathan Stewart, had scoring runs of 1, 6 and 1 yards in the first half to help the Ducks (6-2) overcome an early surge from the Vikings (5-4).

Portland State’s Mu’Ammar Ali kept it close, rushing for 127 yards in the first half, including a 57-yard TD run. He finished with 139 yards.

Oregon’s Jaison Williams had eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.


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