Fight Back In Irish

Top 25

At long last, coach Bob Davie recognized the team he was coaching. It looked like Notre Dame once again.

Looking like the Fighting Irish team Davie expected to have all season, Notre Dame clobbered No. 11 LSU 24-6 on Saturday at Baton Rouge, La.

‘It was an opportunity just to show people across the country the kind of improvement we have made,” Davie said.

Clement Stokes, a senior backup tailback who was academically ineligible last season, ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns as the Irish (5-5) outrushed LSU 279-153.

“Stokes is a tough, physical football player,” Davie said. “He is another guy that has paid the price to play. He has been on the scout squad for a long time. He earned the right to play.”

The Irish so dominated that they only punted once, with 1:22 left in the third quarter. LSU (7-3) didn’t get beyond the Irish 20 until the final eight minutes, when a 26-yard pass from Herb Tyler set up Kevin Faulk’s 2-yard TD run.

“Their first-down offense was, I guess, about 75 percent efficient,” LSU coach Gerry DiNardo said. “I thought that was the worst thing our defense did. We never got them into situational football.”

Next for LSU: vs. Arkansas, Nov. 28.

(1) Michigan 26, (23) Wisconsin 16

The Wolverines (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) struggled against the Badgers (8-3, 5-2), weakened by the absence of injured Ron Dayne, before pulling out a snowy victory at Madison, Wis.

Chris Howard, who rushed 26 times for 90 yards, had TD runs of 1 and 4 yards for Michigan.

Michigan, successfully defending a No. 1 ranking for the first time in seven seasons, outgained the Badgers 309 yards to 80 in the first half and led 16-3 at halftime.

Next for Michigan: vs. Ohio State.

Next for Wisconsin:at Penn State.

(2) Florida St. 58, Wake Forest 7

Thad Busby passed for 390 yards and four touchdowns and Sebastian Janikowski kicked three field goals - one from 56 yards - as the Seminoles (10-0, 8-0 ACC) overwhelmed the Demon Deacons (5-6, 3-5) at Tallahassee, Fla.

Next for Florida State: at Florida.

(3) Nebraska 77, Iowa State 14

Ahman Green rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns and Scott Frost accounted for three TDs as the Cornhuskers (10-0, 7-0 Big 12) buried the Cyclones (1-9, 1-6) at Lincoln, Neb.

Nebraska scored 35 points in the first quarter and 63 in the first half.

Next for Nebraska: at Colorado, Nov. 28.

(4) Ohio St. 41, Illinois 6

Pepe Pearson ran for two TDs and Ahmed Plummer returned an interception 83 yards for a score as the Buckeyes (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) set the stage for their showdown with No. 1 Michigan by beating the Illini (0-10, 0-7) at Columbus, Ohio.

Next for Ohio State: at Michigan.

(5) Tennessee 30, Arkansas 22

Peyton Manning’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Nash put Tennessee ahead to stay and Eric Brown blocked a punt to set up a TD in the final minutes as the Volunteers (8-1, 5-1 SEC) defeated the Razorbacks (3-6, 1-5) at Little Rock, Ark.

Next for Tennessee: at Kentucky.

(6) Penn St. 42, (19) Purdue 17

At West Lafayette, Ind., Curtis Enis rushed for 186 yards and three TDs and caught a 67-yard pass from Mike McQueary for a fourth score as the Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1) eliminated the Boilermakers (7-3, 5-2) from the Rose Bowl race.

Next for Penn State: vs. Wisconsin.

Next for Purdue: at Indiana.

(16) Auburn 45, (7) Georgia 34

Dameyune Craig ran for two touchdowns and threw a 76-yard scoring pass to lead the Tigers (8-2, 5-2 SEC) over the Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2) at Athens, Ga.

Craig, Auburn’s senior quarterback, scored on runs of 1 and 6 yards and sealed the victory with his long TD pass to Karsten Bailey in the third quarter, giving the Tigers a 31-14 lead.

Next for Georgia: at Mississippi.

Next for Auburn: vs. Alabama.

(8) North Carolina 17, Clemson 10

At Clemson, S.C., quarterback Chris Keldorf hit L.C. Stevens on three long plays to set up North Carolina’s three scores, as the Tar Heels (9-1, 6-1 ACC) overcame four turnovers and two blocked kicks to defeat the Tigers (6-4, 4-4).

Next for North Carolina: vs. Duke.

(10) Kansas State 37, Colorado 20

At Manhattan, Kan., Michael Bishop threw for 156 yards and one touchdown and the Wildcats (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) vanquished a longtime nemesis, rolling past mistake-prone Colorado for their first victory over the Buffaloes (5-5, 3-4) since 1984.

Next for Kansas State: at Iowa State.

(12) Florida 48, South Carolina 21

Fred Taylor ran for three second-half scores and Mike Moten returned a fumble 23 yards for a score, leading the Gators (8-2, 6-2 SEC) past the Gamecocks (5-5, 3-5) at Columbia, S.C.

Next for Florida: vs. Florida State.

(17) Mississippi St. 32, Alabama 20

At Tuscaloosa, Ala., James Johnson ran for 198 yards and two TDs to lead the Bulldogs (7-2, 4-2 SEC) over Alabama, leaving the Crimson Tide (4-6, 2-5) winless at Bryant-Denny Stadium (0-4) for the first time in the stadium’s 69 years.

Next for Mississippi State: at Arkansas.

(18) Texas A&M 51, Oklahoma 7

At Norman, Okla., the Aggies (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) clinched a spot in the Big 12 title game, getting 139 yards and three touchdowns from Dante Hall in routing the Sooners (3-8, 1-6).

The Sooners, who had five turnovers turned into 24 Aggies points, must beat Texas Tech next week to avoid the first nine-loss season in school history.

Next for Texas A&M: vs. Texas.

(21) Syracuse 32, Pittsburgh 27

Donovan McNabb threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Quint Spotwood with 28 seconds remaining as the Orangemen (8-3, 5-1 Big East) blew a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter before rallying past the Panthers (4-5, 2-3) at Pittsburgh.

Next for Syracuse: at Miami.

Northwestern 15, (22) Iowa 14

At snowy Evanston, Ill., Brian Musso made a one-handed catch and turned it into a go-ahead 40-yard touchdown play as the Wildcats (5-7, 3-5) defeated the Hawkeyes (6-4, 3-4), thanks to stopping two Iowa drives inside the 30 in the final quarter and four missed field goals by the Hawkeyes.

Next for Iowa: vs. Minnesota.

Texas Tech 27, (24) Oklahoma State 3

Ricky Williams rushed for 91 yards to lead the Red Raiders (6-4, 5-2 Big 12) over the Cowboys (7-3, 4-3) at Stillwater, Okla.

Next for Oklahoma State: at Baylor.

(25) Missouri 42, Baylor 24

At Columbia, Mo., Corby Jones ran for 126 yards on 15 carries and accounted for two touchdowns as the Tigers (7-4, 5-3 Big 12) defeated the Bears (2-8, 1-6) to clinch their first bowl bid in 14 years.

Next for Missouri: Bowl game to be determined.