Top 25: Wisconsin ruins Nebraska’s Big Ten debut

Russell Wilson gave Nebraska a harsh welcome to the Big Ten, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another in No. 7 Wisconsin’s 48-17 rout of the eighth-ranked Cornhuskers on Saturday night in Madison, Wis.

Montee Ball ran for 151 yards and four touchdowns for the Badgers (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten). But Wilson was the main attraction for a prime-time television audience as Wisconsin overcame a slow start to solidify its status as the class of the conference.

“If there’s a better player in college football right now, I’d like to see it,” Badgers coach Bret Bielema said of Wilson.

Taylor Martinez threw three interceptions for the Huskers (4-1, 0-1), who showed they weren’t quite ready for the best of the Big Ten.

It was the sixth meeting between the teams and the first since 1974.

Wisconsin is in the Leaders division of the Big Ten and Nebraska is in the Legends division, meaning the two teams could play in the conference championship game.

It was another big step for Wilson, the former North Carolina State quarterback who gave up minor league baseball to return to college football.

(1) LSU 35, Kentucky 7: Quarterback Jordan Jefferson scored on his first play back from suspension, cornerback Tyrann Mathieu scored after setting an LSU record for career forced fumbles, and the Tigers (5-0, 2-0 SEC) cruised past the Wildcats (2-3, 0-2) in Baton Rouge, La.

Jefferson was reinstated this week after a grand jury reduced his charges in connection with a bar fight to a misdemeanor. Jarrett Lee remained the starter.

(2) Oklahoma 62, Ball State 6: Landry Jones threw for 425 yards and five TDs, Tony Jefferson fueled a second-quarter scoring surge with three interceptions and the Sooners (4-0) crushed the Cardinals (3-2) in Norman, Okla.

Jones had TD passes of 64 yards to Ryan Broyles and 56 yards to Jaz Reynolds a minute apart in the third quarter.

Auburn 16, (10) South Carolina 13: Barrett Trotter’s 9-yard TD pass to Phillip Lutzenkirchen with 1:38 left lifted the Tigers (4-1, 2-0 SEC) over the Gamecocks (4-1, 2-1) in Columbia, S.C.

Down 13-9, Barrett led Auburn on a 12-play, 57-yard drive that ended with a pass to wide open Lutzenkirchen.

(13) Clemson 23, (11) Virginia Tech 3: Tajh Boyd and the Tigers (5-0, 2-0) became the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to beat ranked teams three weeks in a row, and did it resoundingly with a victory over the Hokies (4-1, 0-1) in Blacksburg, Va.

Boyd, a Virginia native recruited by the Hokies, threw for a TD and dissected a top-10 defense for the second week in a row in snapping the Hokies’ 12-game ACC winning streak.

(18) Arkansas 42, (14) Texas A&M 38: Tyler Wilson and Jarius Wright shattered school records for passing and receiving, and Broderick Green ran 3 yards for the go-ahead TD with 1:41 left as the Razorbacks (5-1) gave the Aggies (2-2) a rude preview in Arlington, Texas, of what they can expect from the SEC next season.

The Razorbacks trailed by 18 at halftime. Wilson was 30 of 51 for a school-record 510 yards and three TDs, while Wright caught 13 passes for school-record 281 yards and two TDs.

Kansas State 36, (15) Baylor 35: Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown picked off Baylor star quarterback Robert Griffin III in the closing minutes, setting up Anthony Cantele’s 31-yard field goal that sent the Wildcats (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) to a stunning win over the Bears (3-1, 0-1) in Manhattan, Kan.

(17) Texas 37, Iowa State 14: Freshman David Ash threw for 145 yards and his first two career TD passes and the Longhorns (4-0, 1-0) drilled the Cyclones (3-1, 0-1) in Ames, Iowa, in a Big 12 Conference opener for both teams.

(19) Michigan 58, Minnesota 0: Denard Robinson threw two TD passes and ran for a score to lead the Wolverines (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) to a romp over the Golden Gophers (1-4, 0-1) in Ann Arbor, Mich.

SMU 40, (20) TCU 33, (OT): J.J. McDermott threw a 19-yard TD pass to Jeremy Johnson in overtime and the Mustangs (4-1) recovered from a fourth-quarter comeback for an upset over the Horned Frogs (3-2) in Fort Worth, Texas.

The loss ended a school-record 22-game home winning streak for TCU.

(21) Georgia Tech 45, North Carolina State 35: Orwin Smith rushed for three TDs and the Yellow Jackets (5-0, 2-0 ACC) beat the Wolfpack (2-3, 0-2) in Raleigh, N.C., to extend their best start in more than 20 years.

(22) West Virginia 55, Bowling Green 10: Freshman Dustin Garrison rushed for 291 yards and two TDs to lead the Mountaineers (4-1) over the Falcons (3-2) in Morgantown, W.Va.

(24) Illinois 38, Northwestern 35: Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase scored a 1-yard plunge with 13 seconds left to lift the Fighting Illini (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) over the Wildcats (2-2, 0-1) in Champaign, Ill.

Scheelhaase, a sophomore, threw for a career-high 391 yards and three TDs – all to A.J. Jenkins, who had 12 catches for a school-record 268 yards.