Around the country: Ruffer helps Irish boot Pitt

Dayne Crist ran for a TD and passed for another and David Ruffer stayed perfect on field goals by kicking three more Saturday as Notre Dame (3-3) held on to beat Pittsburgh 23-17 on Saturday in South Bend, Ind.

Ruffer’s three field goals, one from 50 yards after Pitt failed to convert on a fake punt in the third quarter, made him 16 for 16 over two years, breaking the previous school record of 14 straight set by Nick Tausch a year ago.

Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri completed 27 of 39 for 272 yards, hitting Jon Baldwin on a 56-yard TD to bring the Panthers (2-3) within 23-17 with 7:23 left.

Crist completed 12 straight during one stretch of the first half as Notre Dame took a 17-3 lead and he finished 24 of 39 for 242 yards.

North Carolina 21, Clemson 16: Johnny White rushed for two TDs and gained 179 total yards, and the Tar Heels (3-2, 1-1 ACC) held on to beat the Tigers (2-3, 0-2) in Chapel Hill, N.C., for their third straight victory.

Georgia 41, Tennessee 14: Aaron Murray ran for two TDs and threw for two more scores as the Bulldogs (2-4, 1-3 SEC) snapped a four-game losing streak by routing the Volunteers (2-4, 0-3) in Athens, Ga. It was Georgia’s longest skid since 1990.

Illinois 33, Penn State 13: Mikel Leshoure ran for 119 yards, Nate Bussey had a 16-yard interception return for a score and the Illini (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) spoiled homecoming for the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-2) in State College, Pa.

Army 41, Tulane 23: Jared Hassin rushed for 144 yards and two TDs to help the Black Knights (4-2) cruise past the Green Wave (2-3) in New Orleans.

West Virginia 49, UNLV 10: Geno Smith threw three TD passes to Brad Starks, Noel Devine rushed for two scores and the Mountaineers (4-1) rolled past the Rebels (1-5) in Morgantown, W.Va.

Texas Tech 45, Baylor 38: Taylor Potts threw for 462 yards and four TDs, and the Red Raiders (3-2, 1-2) avoided their first 0-3 start in the Big 12 with a win over the Bears (4-2, 1-1) in Dallas.

Navy 28, Wake Forest 27: Ricky Dobbs led a brilliant TD drive capped by a 6-yard pass to Greg Jones with 26 seconds left to give the Midshipmen (3-2) a win over the Demon Deacons (2-4) in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Syracuse 13, South Florida 9: Delone Carter rushed for 105 yards and Ryan Nassib finished a 98-yard scoring drive with a touchdown pass to Marcus Sales, helping the Orange (4-1, 1-0) win their Big East opener with a victory over the Bulls (3-2, 0-1) in Tampa, Fla.

North Carolina State 44, Boston College 17: Russell Wilson threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns to help the Wolfpack (5-1, 2-1) beat the Eagles (2-3, 0-2) in Raleigh, N.C., giving Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien his first win against his former program.

Brigham Young 24, San Diego State 21: JJ Di Luigi rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown and Bryan Kariya ran for another 85 yards and two TDs as the Cougars (2-4, 1-1 Mountain West) edged the Aztecs (3-2, 0-1) in Provo, Utah.