Florida wins renewed rivalry

Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow was good early and even better late, enough to help No. 5 Florida snap a six-game losing streak against rival Miami at Gainesville, Fla.

Tebow threw two touchdown passes, speedster Percy Harvin ran for a score and the Gators used a swarming defensive effort to beat the Hurricanes 26-3 Saturday night at The Swamp.

It was Florida’s first victory since 1985 in the on-again, off-again series that used to be one of the best and most heated in the nation.

The rebuilding Hurricanes (1-1), three-touchdown underdogs, hung close for three quarters with the Gators (2-0), who had averaged more than 40 points at Florida Field with Tebow as the starting quarterback.

Florida struggled against Miami’s defense most of the night. The Hurricanes pressured Tebow after every snap, forcing him to scramble and make early, sometimes off-balance throws.

Florida, whose two scores in the first half came off Miami miscues on special teams, led 9-3 to start the fourth quarter. But Tebow, Harvin & Co. finally found their rhythm, putting together consecutive drives of 86 and 95 yards to put the game away.

They used to play every year, but the Gators dropped Miami in 1988 because they wanted to play a “more national schedule.” They promptly replaced the Hurricanes with Montana State. Miami fans accused the Gators of pulling out because the Hurricanes were dominating them – on field and on the national scene.

(2) Georgia 56, Central Michigan 17: At Athens, Ga., Knowshon Moreno rushed for 168 yards and tied his career high with three touchdowns as the Bulldogs (2-0) got the victory over the Chippewas (1-1).

Matthew Stafford completed 18 of 28 for 213 yards, hooking up with Mohamed Massaquoi on a pair of touchdown passes for Georgia.

(4) Oklahoma 52, Cincinnati 26: At Norman, Okla., Sam Bradford overcame two interceptions and threw for a career-best 395 yards and five touchdowns and the Sooners (2-0) overpowered the Bearcats (1-1).

Freshman Ryan Broyles had a breakout game with 141 receiving yards, Jermaine Gresham caught two touchdown passes and Oklahoma extended the nation’s longest home winning streak to 20 games.

(6) Missouri 52, Southeast Missouri 3: At Columbia, Mo., Chase Daniel threw three touchdown passes in the first half and Derrick Washington scored three times, helping the Tigers (2-0) run up a quick 42-point lead in a win over the Redhawks (1-1).

Missouri scored on its first five possessions, Sean Weatherspoon returned an interception for a score and the Tigers ended up three points shy of the school record for first-half scoring against Kansas in 1969.

(9) Auburn 27, Southern Mississippi 13: At Auburn, Ala., Chris Todd completed 21 of 31 passes for 248 yards in his first start and gave to lift the Tigers (2-0) past the Golden Eagles (1-1).

Ben Tate ran for 71 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 51 yards for Auburn.

(10) Texas 42, UTEP 13: At El Paso, Texas, Colt McCoy passed for 282 yards and four touchdowns and the Longhorns (2-0) spoiled the biggest sports party in years in this city with a win over the Miners (0-2).

(11) Wisconsin 51, Marshall 14: At Madison, Wis., Allan Evridge threw for 308 yards and a touchdown as Badgers (2-0) reeled off 51 straight points to turn a potential upset into a win over the Thundering Herd (1-1).

(13) Alabama 20, Tulane 6: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Javier Arenas returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown and the Crimson Tide (2-0) held on to beat the Green Wave (0-1).

Coach Nick Saban got his 100th collegiate career victory.

(17) South Florida 31, Central Florida 24 (OT): At Orlando, Fla., Matt Grothe threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, including a 25-yarder to Taurus Johnson in overtime, and the Bulls (2-0) beat the Knights (1-1) in the final scheduled meeting between the rivals whose campuses are barely 100 miles apart.

The game went into overtime after South Florida’s Delbert Alvarado hooked a 42-yard field goal attempt to the left in the closing seconds.

(20) Wake Forest 30, Mississippi 28: At Winston-Salem, N.C., Sam Swank kicked a 41-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to cap a dramatic final minute and give the Demon Deacons (2-0) a win over the Rebels (1-1).

(22) Utah 42, UNLV 21: At Salt Lake City, Brian Johnson threw for two touchdowns and scored on a 56-yard run as the Utes (2-0) celebrated their return to the national rankings with a win over the Rebels (1-1). The Utes scored three touchdowns in the third quarter and pulled away after a shaky first half.

(24) Illinois 47, Eastern Illinois 21: At Champaign, Ill., Juice Williams ran for 174 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Illini (1-1) to a victory over the Panthers (0-2).

Williams broke the Illinois quarterback record of 145 yards he set in 2006.