Top 25 roundup: Aggies outkick Cornhuskers
Cyrus Gray ran for 137 yards and Randy Bullock kicked the go-ahead field goal with about 3 minutes left as No. 18 Texas A&M knocked off ninth-ranked Nebraska 9-6 Saturday night in College Station, Texas.
The win was Texas A&M’s fifth straight and keeps Nebraska (9-2, 5-2 Big 12) from clinching the Big 12 North title. The Cornhuskers will have another chance to do it in their regular-season finale next week against Colorado.
The game was tied at 6 when the Aggies (8-3, 5-2) took the lead on Bullock’s 19-yard field goal. The drive was kept alive by a roughing the passer penalty on Nebraska on third-and-11 at the Cornhuskers’ 49.
Taylor Martinez missed the last 5 minutes of the first quarter and the entire second quarter after injuring his right ankle. He returned for the third quarter and played the rest of the game despite looking hobbled.
(5) LSU 43, Mississippi 36: Jordan Jefferson passed for a career-high 254 yards, threw for one TD and ran for another, and the Tigers (10-1, 6-1 SEC) survived a thrilling upset bid by the Rebels (4-7, 1-6) in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU trailed 36-35 with 4:57 left when Patrick Peterson returned a kickoff 34 yards to midfield, setting up a game-winning drive that ended with Stevan Ridley’s third rushing TD.
(6) Wisconsin 48, Michigan 28: Montee Ball and James White combined for 354 yards rushing and six TDs, leading the Badgers (10-1, 6-1) one step closer to their first Big Ten championship since 1999 with a win over the Wolverines (7-4, 3-4) in Ann Arbor, Mich.
If the Badgers beat Northwestern next week at home, they’ll will win at least a share of the title and likely earn a trip to a BCS bowl.
(11) Michigan State 35, Purdue 31: Kirk Cousins lunged into the end zone from 3 yards out with 4:32 remaining, and the Spartans (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) kept their Rose Bowl hopes alive with a dramatic victory over the Boilermakers (4-7, 2-5) in East Lansing, Mich.
The Spartans trailed 28-13 after three quarters and 31-20 midway through the fourth, but Cousins threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Mark Dell with 6:54 remaining, and a 2-point conversion made it 31-28.
(12) Oklahoma State 48, Kansas 14: Brandon Weeden passed for 389 yards and three TDs to lead the Cowboys (10-1, 6-1) to a share of the Big 12 South title with a win over the Jayhawks (3-8, 1-6) in Lawrence, Kan.
The Cowboys can win the title outright if they beat Oklahoma Saturday.
(13) Arkansas 38, (22) Mississippi State 31 (2OT): Ryan Mallett threw for 306 yards and three TDs, including the game-winner to Knile Davis in double overtime, and the Razorbacks (9-2, 5-2 SEC) outlasted the Bulldogs (7-4, 3-4) in Starkville, Miss.
On top of his touchdown reception, Davis rushed for 191 yards and two scores for Arkansas.
(14) Virginia Tech 31, (24) Miami 17: Ryan Williams ran for 142 yards and two TDs, including a career-long 84-yarder in the fourth quarter, and the Hokies (9-2, 7-0) beat the Hurricanes (7-4, 5-3) in Miami to win the ACC’s Coastal Division title.
Virginia Tech will play for the ACC title Dec. 4, with a spot in the Orange Bowl at stake.
(15) Missouri 14 Iowa State 0: Blaine Gabbert threw a TD pass and the Tigers (9-2, 5-2 Big 12) turned a fake punt into another score in a victory over the Cyclones (5-7, 3-5) in Ames, Iowa.
This is just the sixth time Missouri has won nine games in a season.
(16) Oklahoma 53, Baylor 24: DeMarco Murray turned a short pass into a long TD and ran for another score in the opening minutes to get the Sooners (9-2, 5-2 Big 12) off to a fast start en route to a win over the Bears (7-5, 4-4) in Waco, Texas, that kept the Sooners’ Big 12 title hopes alive.
Landry Jones threw for 325 yards and three TDs with a 5-yard score to Ryan Broyles, who became the first Oklahoma receiver with a 100-catch season.
(17) South Carolina 69, Troy 24: Marcus Lattimore had three TDs and 102 yards rushing by halftime and the Gamecocks (8-3) scored their most points under coach Steve Spurrier, routing the Trojans (5-5) in Columbia, S.C.
Lattimore’s 19 TDs surpassed Harold Green’s 16 for South Carolina’s single-season mark.
(25) Utah 38, San Diego State 34: Matt Asiata and Eddie Wide each bulled in for 1-yard TDs early in the fourth quarter and the Utes (9-2, 6-1 Mountain West) rallied for a victory over the Aztecs (7-4, 4-3) in San Diego.
Ryan Lindley passed for 528 yards and four TDs – with three interceptions – for SDSU which took a 34-24 lead into the fourth quarter.
Jordan Wynn completed 21 of 33 passes for 360 yards and two TDs for Utah.