Top 25: Longhorns’ defense too much for No. 5 Cornhuskers
Texas left no doubt this time. The Longhorns beat Nebraska fair and square.
Garrett Gilbert ran for two touchdowns and Texas’ defense shut down Taylor Martinez to lead the Longhorns to a 20-13 upset of No. 5 Nebraska on Saturday in Lincoln, Neb., a crushing first defeat for a Cornhuskers team that was out to avenge last year’s loss in the Big 12 championship game.
Texas (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) came in as a 9 1/2-point underdog but surprised Nebraska (5-1, 1-1) by turning Gilbert loose in the run game for the first time this season. The quarterback ran for 71 yards on 11 carries, scoring from 3 yards and 1 yard, and Cody Johnson had 58 of his 73 yards in the second half.
Martinez, who came in averaging 147 yards a game and almost 11 yards a carry, was held to a season-low 21 yards on 13 carries before being pulled for Zac Lee in the third quarter.
The Huskers and their fans had been pointing to this game for 10 months, since the controversial finish to last year’s conference title game ended with one second put back on the clock, enough time for the Longhorns to kick the winning field goal in a 13-12 win.
(4) TCU 31, BYU 3: Andy Dalton threw four TD passes, including two barely a minute apart late in the first half, and the Horned Frogs (7-0, 3-0 Mountain West) crushed the Cougars (2-5, 1-2) in Fort Worth, Texas.
BYU had just 14 total yards in the first half but ended TCU’s shutout streak at 10 quarters with a short field goal late in the third.
(6) Oklahoma 52, Iowa State 0: DeMarco Murray scored three times to set Oklahoma’s career record for touchdowns with 58, Ryan Broyles broke his mark for receptions in a game with 15 and the Sooners (6-0, 2-0 Big 12) rolled to a victory over the Cyclones (3-4, 1-2) in Norman, Okla.
Murray broke the record of 1969 Heisman Trophy winner Steve Owens.
(8) Alabama 23, Mississippi 10: Trent Richardson took a screen pass 85 yards for a TD in the third quarter and the Crimson Tide (6-1, 3-1 SEC) defeated the Rebels (3-3, 1-2) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
(9) LSU 32, McNeese State 10: Stevan Ridley rushed for two TDs, Michael Ford added the first two scoring runs of his career, and the Tigers (7-0) eventually wore down the feisty Cowboys (2-4) in Baton Rouge, La.
(11) Utah 30, Wyoming 6: Jordan Wynn passed for 230 yards and two TDs and Matt Asiata ran for 109 yards as the Utes (6-0, 3-0 Mountain West) ran over the Cowboys (2-5, 0-3) in Laramie, Wyo.
The Utes were held under their 49-point scoring average mostly because of three interceptions by Wynn, including two in the end zone.
(13) Michigan State 26, Illinois 6: Kirk Cousins threw a 48-yard TD pass to B.J. Cunningham in the third quarter, helping the Spartans (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) to their best start in more than four decades with a win over the Illini (3-3, 1-2) in East Lansing, Mich.
The Spartans are 7-0 for the first time since 1966, when they won their first nine games before famously tying Notre Dame 10-10.
(15) Iowa 38, Michigan 28: Ricky Stanzi threw his third touchdown pass to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos early in the fourth quarter and Michael Meyer kicked a 30-yard field goal with 2:53 left, helping the Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-0 Big en) hold off the Wolverines (5-2, 1-2) in Ann Arbor, Mich.
(16) Florida State 24, Boston College 19: Bert Reed’s fourth-quarter 42-yard TD run on a reverse lifted the Seminoles (6-1, 4-0 ACC) over the Eagles (2-4, 0-3) in Tallahassee, Fla.
FSU overcame four turnovers by quarterback Christian Ponder.
(20) Oklahoma State 34, Texas Tech 17: Justin Blackmon had a career-high 207 yards receiving, including a 62-yard TD catch in the third quarter to lead the Cowboys (6-0, 2-0 Big 12) over the Red Raiders (3-3, 1-3) in Lubbock, Texas.
It was Oklahoma State’s first win in Lubbock since 1944.
(21) Missouri 30, Texas A&M 9: Blaine Gabbert threw for a 361 yards and three touchdowns and the Tigers (6-0, 2-0 Big 12) rolled past the Aggies (3-3, 0-2) in College Station, Texas.
Mississippi State 10, (22) Florida 7: Vick Ballard ran for 98 yards, Chris Relf added 82 yards and a TD and the Bulldogs (5-2, 2-2 SEC) upset the Gators (4-3, 2-3) in Gainesville, Fla.
The Gators lost consecutive home games for the first time since 2003 and dropped three in a row for the first time since the Steve Spurrier era.
San Diego State 27, (23) Air Force 25: Freshman Ronnie Hillman rushed for 191 yards and two TDs to lead the Aztecs (4-2, 1-1 Mountain West) to an upset victory over the Falcons (5-2, 3-1) in San Diego.
The Aztecs beat a ranked team for the first time in 26 tries.