Top 25 roundup: Oklahoma State rallies to win

Oklahoma State didn’t panic when it was down by 17 points to eighth-ranked Texas A&M at halftime on Saturday in College Station, Texas.

It wasn’t anything new to the seventh-ranked Cowboys, after they bounced back from a big first-half deficit last year to beat the Aggies.

Brandon Weeden threw for a school-record 438 yards and two scores and Justin Blackmon and Josh Cooper combined for 244 yards receiving as Oklahoma State rallied for a 30-29 win over Texas A&M.

“We came out confident in the second half,” Blackmon said. “We knew we could come back if we played our game and executed the game plan (and) that’s what we did.”

The Aggies built a 20-3 halftime lead before the Cowboys (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) took advantage of three Texas A&M turnovers and numerous penalties to reel off 27 straight points to take a 30-20 lead.

“The way they handled that situation was beautiful,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said of his team’s second half. “And the win makes it’s special. The way they fought back as a group shows a lot about their character and who they are.”

Jeff Fuller caught a 4-yard touchdown pass with 2:20 remaining for A&M’s first score since the second quarter to get A&M within 30-27.

A&M’s defense forced a punt and the Aggies (2-1, 0-1) got the ball back with almost 2 minutes remaining, but Ryan Tannehill threw his third interception to seal the Cowboys’ win.

Blackmon ran 39 yards into A&M’s end zone for a safety as time expired to finish off the victory.

Oklahoma State won its fourth straight in the series and its seventh overall on the road in the first top-10 matchup at Kyle Field since 1975. It marks the first time the Cowboys have won consecutive games in College Station.

(1) Oklahoma 38, Missouri 28: Landry Jones threw for 448 yards and three TDs to Ryan Broyles, leading the top-ranked Sooners (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) to a come-from-behind victory over the Tigers (2-2, 0-1) in Norman, Okla.

The Tigers pounced early to take a 14-3 first-quarter lead, breaking a streak of 20 straight home games in which Oklahoma never trailed. It didn’t last long.

(2) LSU 47, (16) West Virginia 21: Jarrett Lee threw three TD passes, Michael Ford ran for two scores and the Tigers romped past the Mountaineers (3-1) in Morgantown, W.Va.

LSU converted two turnovers into scores, built a big early lead and withstood West Virginia’s strong comeback for its third win over a ranked opponent this season, with all of three coming away from home. Every win so far has been by double digits.

(3) Alabama 38, (14) Arkansas 14: Trent Richardson rushed for 120 yards and caught a 61-yard TD pass and the Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 SEC) overwhelmed the Razorbacks (3-1, 0-1) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Alabama scored TDs on special teams and defense.

(6) Wisconsin 59, South Dakota 10: Nick Toon had a career-high 155 yards receiving and two TDs, helping the Badgers (4-0) rout the Division II Coyotes (2-2) in Madison, Wis.

Over a 6-minute span to close out the second quarter, James White had a 49-yard TD run, Toon scored on a 59-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Russell Wilson and Toon added another score with 12 seconds left to send Wisconsin into halftime with a 31-3 lead.

(9) Nebraska 38, Wyoming 14: Rex Burkhead rushed for two TDs and a career-high 170 yards and Taylor Martinez threw for 157 yards and a score to lead the Cornhuskers (4-0) past the Cowboys (3-1) in Laramie, Wyo.

Nebraska rolled up 490 yards total offense, including 333 on the ground.

(21) Clemson 35, (11) Florida State 30: Tajh Boyd threw for three TDs and ran for another and the Tigers (4-0, 1-0) opened Atlantic Coast Conference play with a win over the Seminoles (2-2, 0-1) in Clemson, S.C.

Boyd threw for 344 yards and the Tigers reached 4-0 for the first time since 2007. Clemson beat Florida State for the fifth straight time in Death Valley.

(12) South Carolina 21, Vanderbilt 3: Marcus Lattimore scored two TDs and had 150 total yards from scrimmage to lead the Gamecocks (4-0, 2-0 SEC) over the Commodores (3-1, 1-1) in Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina held Vanderbilt to 77 yards of total offense for the game.

(13) Virginia Tech 30, Marshall 10: David Wilson rushed for 132 yards, Josh Oglesby scored two TDs and the Hokies (4-0) beat the Thundering Herd (1-3) in Huntington, W.Va.

It is Virginia Tech’s first 4-0 start since 2006.

(15) Florida 48, Kentucky 10: Jeff Demps ran 10 times for 157 yards and two TDs to lead the Gators (4-0, 2-0) to a romp over the Wildcats (2-2, 0-1) in Lexington, Ky.

Florida scored three TDs in a 4:31 span of the first quarter on the way to its 25th straight win over Kentucky.

(17) Baylor 56, Rice 31: Robert Griffin III continued his incredible feat of throwing more TD passes than incompletions, tossing for five scores and running for another to lead the Bears (3-0) to a victory over the Owls (1-2) in Waco, Texas.

Griffin was 29 of 33 for 338 yards, upping his season totals to 13 touchdowns and 12 incompletions. He came into the game leading the nation in passing efficiency and third in total yards.

(18) South Florida 52, UTEP 24: B.J. Daniels threw for 202 yards and two TDs and ran for 130 yards and a score to lead the Bulls (4-0) past the Miners (2-2) in Tampa, Fla.

Daniels scored on a 71-yard run on the Bulls’ second offensive play and threw TD passes of 54 and 18 yards to Lindsey Lamar in the second half.

(22) Michigan 28, San Diego State 7: Quarterback Denard Robinson ran for three scores in the first half and finished with 200 yards rushing on 21 carries to lead the Wolverines (4-0) to a win over the Aztecs (3-1) in Ann Arbor, Mich.

San Diego State had won its first three games for the first time since 1981.

(24) Illinois 23, Western Michigan 20: Troy Pollard rushed for a career-high 133 yards and Derek Dimke kicked three field goals as the Fighting Illini (4-0) escaped with a win over the Broncos (2-2) in Champaign, Ill.

Illinois is off to its best start since 1951.

(25) Georgia Tech 35, North Carolina 28: Tevin Washington threw a long TD pass and ran for two scores to guide the Yellow Jackets (4-0, 1-0 ACC) to a win over the Tar Heels (3-1, 1-1) in Atlanta.

Stephen Hill had a big game for Georgia Tech with six receptions for 151 yards and a TD.