Top 25 college football roundup
Published 11:37 pm Saturday, November 17, 2007
No. 1 LSU 41, Mississippi 24: At Oxford, Miss., Trindon Holliday returned a kickoff 98 yards for a TD and LSU forced two turnovers during goal-line stands to slip past Mississippi.
The Tigers (10-1, 6-1 SEC) didn’t play well on offense, but Craig Steltz and the nations’ top-ranked defense helped set a school record with three straight seasons of 10 wins or more.
It was LSU’s fourth straight win and the sixth straight against Ole Miss (3-8, 0-7), which is in danger of a winless conference season for the first time since 1982.
No. 4 Kansas 45, Iowa St. 7: At Lawrence, Kan., Todd Reesing passed for 253 yards and four TDs and the Jayhawks (11-0, 7-0 Big 12) remained undefeated, beating the Cyclones (3-9, 2-6) to set up a showdown with sixth-ranked Missouri for the Big 12 North title.
The Tigers and Jayhawks will meet in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday in a game that could launch the winner into the national championship game.
Reesing hit 19 of his first 20 passes as the Jayhawks romped to their first 11-0 mark in school history. The Jayhawks, picked fourth in the Big 12 North, scored on four straight possessions to take a 28-7 halftime lead.
No. 5 West Virginia 28, No. 21 Cincinnati 23: At Cincinnati, Pat White ran for a pair of second-quarter TDs Saturday night, leading the Mountaineers (9-1, 4-1) over the Bearcats (8-3, 3-3), a victory that left only two teams in the Big East title chase. The Mountaineers can win their second conference championship in three years by closing with victories over No. 25 Connecticut and Pittsburgh. Their game against UConn (9-2, 5-1) in Morgantown, W.Va., next weekend will likely decide it.
No 6. Missouri 49, Kansas St. 32: At Manhattan, Kan., Jeremy Maclin scored three TDs for the Tigers (10-1, 6-1 Big 12), and had 252 total yards in all against the Wildcats (5-6, 3-5) to set the NCAA single-season freshman record for all-purpose yards.
He returned a kickoff 99 yards for a TD and caught two scoring passes, giving him 2,201 all-purpose yards for the season, 175 more than Terrell Willis of Rutgers had in 1993. Maclin finished with nine catches for 143 yards.
Chase Daniel threw for 284 yards and four TDs, including two to tight end Martin Rucker, helping Missouri to its first win in Manhattan since 1989.
No. 8 Georgia 24, No. 22 Kentucky 13: At Athens, Ga., Knowshon Moreno ran for 124 yards, Matthew Stafford added a 10-yard TD run as the Bulldogs (9-2, 6-2 SEC) overcame four turnovers to beat the Wildcats (7-4, 3-4) and keep alive their chances of playing for an SEC championship.
Georgia clinched at least a tie for first in the Eastern Division and will face top-ranked LSU in the Dec. 1 title game if Tennessee loses one of its last two games.
No. 10 Virginia Tech 44, Miami 14: At Blacksburg, Va., Branden Ore ran for two TDs and the Hokies (9-2, 6-1 ACC) dominated the Hurricanes (5-6, 2-5) in their final tuneup for a huge game against rival Virginia next weekend. Virginia Tech moved into a share of first place in the Coastal Division with the Cavaliers. The teams will play on Saturday in Charlottesville with the winner moving on the conference championship game Dec. 1.
No. 18 Boston College 20, No. 15 Clemson 17: At Clemson, S.C., Matt Ryan threw a 43-yard TD pass to Rich Gunnell with 1:46 to go, lifting the Eagles (9-2, 5-2) over the Tigers (8-3, 5-3) and into spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game. Ryan passed for 315 yards, his seventh game with 300 yards or better this season.
No. 17 Boise St. 58, Idaho 14: At Boise, Idaho, Taylor Tharp and the Broncos broke open a close game with 41 unanswered points, helping Boise St. (10-1, 7-0) beat the Vandals (1-10, 0-7) for the ninth straight time. The victory also set up a showdown for the WAC championship next week. The Broncos have a chance to win their sixth consecutive title when they play at No. 13 Hawaii.
No. 19 Tennessee 25, Vanderbilt 24: At Knoxville, Tenn., Daniel Lincoln kicked a 33-yard field goal with 2:46 remaining to cap the Volunteers’ (8-3, 5-2 SEC) 16-point fourth-quarter comeback over the Commodores (5-6, 2-6), keeping them in control of the SEC East.
No. 20 Illinois 41, Northwestern 22: At Champaign, Ill., Juice Williams ran for 136 yards and two TDs and passed for 220 yards and another score, helping the Illini (9-3, 6-2 Big Ten) beat the Wildcats (6-6, 3-5) and move closer to a New Year’s Day bowl game.
No. 24 Wisconsin 41, Minnesota 34: At Minneapolis, David Gilreath racked up 226 return yards, and Zach Brown rushed for 250 yards and two TDs in place of the injured P.J. Hill as the Badgers (9-3, 5-3 Big Ten) beat the Golden Gophers (1-11, 0-8). Wisconsin notched its ninth win for the fourth year in a row, the first time that’s happened in the program’s history.
No. 25 Connecticut 30, Syracuse 7: At East Hartford, Conn., Tyler Lorenzen threw for 213 yards and a TD, helping the Huskies (9-2, 5-1 Big East) beat the Orange (2-9, 1-5) and stay in sole possession of first place in the Big East. Connecticut can win its first conference title with a victory at West Virginia next week.
