Sooners hang on

Oklahoma barely escaped another season-spoiling upset by Oklahoma State.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 249 yards and Cowboys kicker Jason Ricks missed a 49-yard field goal with 11 seconds left, giving the second-ranked Sooners a 38-35 victory over their pesky instate rivals on Saturday in Stillwater, Okla.

Mark Bradley caught a career-high three TD passes for Oklahoma (8-0, 5-0, Big 12), which has won two straight over the Cowboys since losing two costly games in the Bedlam series in 2001 and 2002.

Peterson had an 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put Oklahoma up 28-21 and a 56-yarder on his next carry that broke the school freshman rushing record of 1,184 yards set by De’Mond Parker in 1996.

Peterson now has eight consecutive 100-yard games and 1,278 yards this year.

He won the running back battle over the Cowboys’ Vernand Morency, who had 96 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns, including a 4-yard rush that pulled No. 20 Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-2) within 38-35 with 10:34 left.

Next for Oklahoma: at Texas A&M

Next for Oklahoma State: at Texas

(3) Auburn 35, Mississippi 14

Jason Campbell rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another, and the Tigers (9-0, 6-0) clinched a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game with a win over the Rebels (3-5, 2-3) in Oxford, Miss.

The Tigers have won or shared four of the past five division crowns, but are 0-2 in league championship games since the SEC split into divisions in 1992.

Next for Auburn: bye

Maryland 20, (5) Florida State 17

Joel Statham threw for 333 yards and ran for a score, and the Terrapins (4-4, 2-3 ACC) held on to beat the Seminoles (6-2, 4-2) in College Park, Md.

Florida State came in with a six-game win streak and a 14-0 record against Maryland.

Next for Florida State: Duke

(8) Texas 31, Colorado 7

Vince Young got a couple bad throws out of his system early and the Longhorns (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) rolled from there, getting 141 yards rushing from Cedric Benson in a victory over the Buffaloes (4-4, 1-4) in Boulder, Colo.

Benson and Young each ran for a pair of touchdowns and the Longhorns stayed in the running for a BCS bowl.

Next for Texas: Oklahoma State

(9) Utah 51, San Diego St. 28

Alex Smith threw for 294 yards and a career-high five touchdown passes, and the Utes (8-0, 4-0 MWC) rolled to a victory over the Aztecs (2-6, 0-4) in San Diego.

The Utes are attempting to become the first team from a non-BCS conference to participate in the Bowl Championship Series.

Next for Utah: Colorado State

(10) Georgia 31, Florida 24

David Greene threw three touchdowns, including a big one in the fourth quarter, and the 10th-ranked Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 SEC) snapped a six-game losing streak against the rival Gators (4-4, 2-4) with a victory in Jacksonville, Fla.

Greene tied Eric Zeier’s school record with 67 touchdown passes and matched Peyton Manning for the most victories (39) by a starting quarterback in NCAA Division I-A history.

Next for Georgia: at Kentucky

(11) Tennessee 43, South Carolina 29

Erik Ainge threw three TD passes as the Volunteers (7-1, 5-1 SEC) overcame early offensive problems in Columbia, S.C., to win their 12th straight over the Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3).

Cedric Houston added a career-high 190 yards rushing and a TD as the Vols rolled past the Gamecocks, who were thought to be Tennessee’s last roadblock to the SEC title game.

Next for Tennessee: Notre Dame

(12) Michigan 45, Mich. St. 37 (3OT)

Braylon Edwards caught two TD passes to help Michigan erase a 17-point, fourth-quarter deficit in just 5:44 and grabbed a third TD in triple overtime to lift the Wolverines (8-1, 6-0 Big Ten) to a win over the Spartans (4-4, 3-2) in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Edwards caught 11 passes for 189 yards and three TDs. Teammate Michael Hart had 33 carries for 224 yards and a TD — his third straight 200-yard game. Michigan State’s DeAndra Cobb ran for 209 yards and two TDs in 22 carries.

Next for Michigan: bye

(15) West Virginia 35, Rutgers 30

Chris Henry caught a 39-yard scoring pass and set up another touchdown with a long catch before being kicked out of the game for a pair of unsportsmanlike penalties, leading the Mountaineers (7-1, 3-0 Big East) to a win over the Scarlet Knights (4-4, 1-3) in Piscataway, N.J.

Next for West Virginia: Temple

Baylor 35, (16) Texas A&M 34 (OT)

Shawn Bell threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Ziegler and then they connected again for the game-winning 2-point conversion, lifting the Bears (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) to an overtime upset of the Aggies (6-2, 4-1) in Waco, Texas.

Baylor also ended an 11-game Big 12 skid.

Next for Texas A&M: Oklahoma

Northwestern 13, (17) Purdue 10

Noah Herron ran 3 yards for a touchdown with 38 seconds left to lift the Wildcats (4-4, 3-2 Big Ten) to an upset victory over the Boilermakers (5-3, 2-3) in Evanston, Ill. Purdue has dropped three straight games after a 5-0 start.

Purdue had a final chance, but Taylor Stubblefield couldn’t hold on to a 40-yard pass into the end zone as time expired.

Next for Purdue: at Iowa

(19) LSU 24, Vanderbilt 7

Alley Broussard ran for 80 yards and a touchdown to lead the Tigers (6-2, 3-2 SEC) to a win over the Commodores (2-6, 1-4) in Baton Rouge, La.

LSU rushed for a season-high 273 yards, with Joseph Addai contributing 77 and quarterback Marcus Randall 68.

Next for Louisiana State: bye

(23) Iowa 23, Illinois 13

Drew Tate threw a pair of 19-yard touchdown passes to Ed Hinkel and added a 5-yard run for a score to lead the Hawkeyes (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) past the Fighting Illini (2-7, 0-6) in Champaign, Ill. It was Illinois’ 14th straight Big Ten loss.

Next for Iowa: Purdue

Indiana 30, (24) Minnesota 21

Indiana’s Will Lumpkin returned an interception 42 yards for a TD and Matt LoVecchio threw for two scores as the Hoosiers (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten) scored 23 straight points and upset the Golden Gophers (6-3, 3-3) in Bloomington, Ind.

Next for Minnesota: at Wisconsin