Top-25 College Football Game Capsules
Posted: 3:39 am CST November 23, 2008
Norman, OK -- (Sports Network) - Sam Bradford threw four touchdown passes, and fifth-ranked Oklahoma rose to the occasion to keep its national championship hopes alive, while dashing Texas Tech's title aspirations with a 65-21 blowout of the No. 2 Red Raiders. Chris Brown ran for 108 yards and three scores, and DeMarco Murray had 125 yards and a pair of touchdown runs as the Sooners (10-1, 6-1 Big 12) moved into a three-way tie with Texas Tech and Texas atop the Big 12 South standings. Bradford, who completed 14-of-19 passes for 304 yards, continues to be one of the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy, but the bigger issue is where Oklahoma will be placed when the new Bowl Championship Series standings are released Sunday. The Sooners went into the game fifth in the BCS, behind Alabama, the Red Raiders, Texas and Florida. Oklahoma's lone loss this season came to Texas, 45-35, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. The Red Raiders (10-1, 6-1) came into the game ranked third in scoring offense in the nation at 47.9 points a contest, but Oklahoma's defense bottled up Graham Harrell early on while building a 42-7 halftime cushion. Not only that, but Texas Tech's defense had plenty of holes as denoted by a 299-45 advantage in rushing yards for the Sooners. Harrell connected on 33-of-55 passes for 361 yards and three scores but the Red Raiders, who came in riding the nation's longest winning streak at 12 games, were no match for the high-powered Sooners. Standout wide receiver Michael Crabtree was limited to six catches for 62 yards.Final Score: (3) Florida 70, Citadel 19 Gainesville, FL (Sports Network) - Tim Tebow threw three touchdown passes in limited action, as third-ranked Florida steamrolled The Citadel, 70-19, at the Swamp. Tebow completed 9-of-11 passes for 201 yards and ran for 34 yards on two carries for the Gators (10-1), who still have next week's traditional contest against Florida State to navigate before the SEC Championship Game against Alabama on December 6. Redshirt freshman Chris Rainey ran for 142 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries, while Emmanuel Moody added 116 rushing yards with a score on 13 attempts. Senior Kestahn Moore ran for two scores and Percy Harvin found the end zone on one of his three carries that totaled 49 yards. Harvin also caught two passes for 76 yards. Florida racked up 705 yards offensively, including 394 on the ground, and scored on its first seven possessions. The Gators became the first SEC team, since the inception of the league, to score 42 points or more in six straight games. Cam Turner, after taking over for injured starting quarterback Bart Blanchard, completed 15-of-30 passes for 169 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for The Citadel (4-8), which closed the season with seven losses in its last eight games. Final Score: (7) Penn State 49, (17) Michigan State 18 University Park, PA (Sports Network) - Daryll Clark threw for a career-high 341 yards and four touchdowns, while running for another score, leading seventh-ranked Penn State to a 49-18 thrashing of 17th-ranked Michigan State, giving the Nittany Lions the Land Grant Trophy and at least a spot in the Rose Bowl. With the victory on a snowy senior day, Penn State (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten) clinched a share of the conference title with Ohio State, but barring a situation where the Lions are ranked either one or two in the BCS standings, they will advance to the Rose Bowl due to a 13-6 victory over the Buckeyes earlier in the season. Evan Royster ran for 79 yards on 12 attempts, and Deon Butler caught three passes for 133 yards and three scores for Penn State, which will appear in a BCS Bowl for the first time since 2005, when the team finished No.3 nationally with a 26-23 victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Jordan Norwood caught five passes for a career-high 127 yards, and Graham Zug had a touchdown reception in the win. Clark completed 16 of his 26 passes, and Derrick Williams had four receptions for 51 yards and a score. The team totaled 419 passing yards, which is a new school record. Javon Ringer was held to a season-low 42 yards on the ground and a score for Michigan State (9-3, 6-2), which will appear in a bowl game in back-to-back seasons for the first time since going to three in a row from 1995-1997. It is also the school's first nine-win season since 1999 and marks the first time the Spartans have had back-to-back winning seasons since 1989-1990. Brian Hoyer went 25-of-40 passing for 206 yards and two interception, while Blair White caught eight passes for 71 yards. Michigan State struggled against Penn State's defense, managing only 322 total yards on the day, including only 35 yards on the ground. Final Score: (8) Utah 48, (16) BYU 24 Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) - Brian Johnson completed 30 of 36 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns as the eighth-ranked Utah Utes beat No.16 BYU. 48-24, to win the Mountain West Conference championship and secure a spot in a BCS game. Freddie Brown had eight catches for 97 yards and Brent Casteel scored twice on six catches for 60 yards for the Utes (12-0, 8-0 MWC), who scored three unanswered touchdowns in the final quarter. B-Y-U's Max Hall was intercepted five times while completing 21 of 41 passes for 205 yards, but the Cougars (10-2, 6-2) were denied their third straight conference title. Final Score: (9) Boise State 41, Nevada 34 Reno, NV (Sports Network) - Kellen Moore threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns but had three costly interceptions, as ninth-ranked Boise State survived several furious comebacks to top Nevada, 41-34. Moore connected on 29-of-48 throws for the Broncos (11-0, 7-0 WAC), who gave up a season high in points but managed to come away with the victory. They can complete their undefeated regular season next Friday at home against Fresno State. Ian Johnson ran for 71 yards and a score on seven carries for Boise State, while Austin Pettis caught nine passes for 126 yards and two TDs. Vinny Perretta added five catches for 126 yards in the win. Colin Kaepernick threw for 241 yards and one TD on just 19-of-50 passing but was not intercepted. He also ran for 70 yards for Nevada (6-5, 4-3), which closes out its regular season next Saturday at Louisiana Tech. Jerome Johnson and Joshua Mauga each had an interception return for a touchdown for the Wolf Pack, while Vai Taua ran for 75 yards and a score. Final Score: (10) Ohio State 42, Michigan 7 Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Chris "Beanie" Wells ran for 134 yards with a touchdown and Dan Herron added 80 yards on the ground with a pair of scores, as 10th-ranked Ohio State dominated the second half in a 42-7 victory over Michigan and claimed a share of the Big Ten title. Terrelle Pryor threw for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Buckeyes (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten), who outscored Michigan 28-0 in the final 30 minutes and earned a share of the conference title for the fourth straight year. Ohio State tied Penn State atop the Big Ten standings, but the Nittany Lions will earn a Rose Bowl bid -- unless they somehow finish in the top two of the BCS standings -- based on the 13-6 win at the Horseshoe in October. The Buckeyes rolled up 416 total yards to 198 for Michigan and beat the Wolverines for the fifth straight year. It's the longest winning streak for Ohio State over Michigan in the history of the storied rivalry. Michigan (3-9, 2-6) suffered its biggest loss to Ohio State since a 50-14 setback in 1968 -- the year before Bo Schembechler's arrival in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines ended a disastrous first season under Rich Rodriguez with seven losses in their last eight games. Brandon Minor ran for 67 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for Michigan, while Nick Sheridan threw for just 87 yards while completing only 8-of-24 passes. The Wolverines were unable to sustain drives throughout the game, converting on third down just once in 17 opportunities. Final Score: (15) TCU 44, Air Force 10 Fort Worth, TX (Sports Network) - Andy Dalton threw for 321 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21-of-27 completions while running for two more scores as TCU routed Air Force, 44-10, at Carter Stadium. Walter Bryant and Bart Johnson added TD receptions for the 15th-ranked Horned Frogs (10-2, 7-1 MWC), who finished the year with wins in six of their last seven games. Justin Watts picked up a rushing score. Quarterbacks Tim Jefferson and Shea Smith combined to complete just 3-of-10 passes for 11 yards for the Falcons (8-4, 5-3), who finished their regular-season slate with two consecutive defeats. Jared Tew rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown and Asher Clark also gained 63 yards on the ground. Final Score: Ole Miss 31, (18) LSU 13 Baton Rouge, LA (Sports Network) - Jevan Snead threw for a career-high 274 yards as Ole Miss crushed 18th-ranked LSU, 31-13, in an SEC battle at Tiger Stadium. Snead went 16-for-25 with two touchdowns while Mike Wallace caught five balls for 99 yards and two scores for the Rebels (7-4, 4-3 SEC), who have won four straight. Jordan Jefferson took the place of Jarrett Lee, who was injured in the second quarter, under center and went 10-for-20 with 129 yards with an interception and a touchdown for the Tigers (7-4, 3-4), who have dropped two of their last three games. Lee went 4-for-12 with 49 yards and an interception. Final Score: (19) Cincinnati 28, (20) Pittsburgh 21 Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - Tony Pike picked apart the Panthers secondary for 309 yards and three touchdowns, as the 19th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats recorded a 28-21 victory over No. 20 Pittsburgh in a spirited Big East Conference battle. The victory was Cincinnati's first in eight all- time contests against the Panthers and fourth straight overall for the up- and-coming program. Mardy Gilyard and Dominick Goodman each caught a touchdown while logging 110 and 101 receiving yards, respectively, for Cincinnati (9-2, 5-1 Big East), which, with a win over Syracuse next weekend, will wrap up its first-ever Big East title. LeSean McCoy toted the ball 17 times for 82 yards and two touchdowns and logged a team-high six catches for 45 yards for Pittsburgh (7-3, 3-2), which was outgained 396-264 in losing its first road game of the season. Bill Stull connected on 18-of-28 passes for 229 yards with a touchdown and an interception in defeat. Final Score: (21) Oregon State 19, Arizona 17 Tucson, AZ (Sports Network) - Justin Kahut kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired just minutes after botching a potential game-tying extra point and the 21st-ranked Oregon State Beavers kept their Pac-10 tile and Rose Bowl hopes alive with a 19-17 victory over the Arizona Wildcats. Sean Canfield connected on 20-of-32 pass attempts for 224 yards and a score while Sammie Stroughter had five receptions for 116 yards and a TD in the Beavers (8-3, 7-1 Pac-10) sixth straight victory and seventh in a row against league foes. James Rodgers rushed for 102 yards and a score on just 10 carries while brother and vital teammate Jacquizz Rodgers was sidelined early in the contest with a shoulder injury and did not return. Keola Antolin racked up 114 yards rushing and a TD on 25 carries for the Wildcats (6-5, 4-4) who are still aiming for their first seven-win campaign in a decade. Arizona had alternated wins and losses over their previous six games, which included a wild 55-45 setback at Oregon last weekend. Willie Tuitama completed 16-of-22 passes for 158 yards and a TD to Rob Gronkowski, who finished with three grabs for 50 yards. Mike Thomas led the receiving corps with six catches for 50 yards. Final Score: Florida State 37, (22) Maryland 3 College Park, MD (Sports Network) - Florida State's Chris Ponder ran 14 times for 81 yards and a score, and passed for 143 yards and a touchdown to lead the Seminoles to a 37-3 road win over No. 22 Maryland at CCB Field at Byrd Stadium. Ponder completed 19 of 24 passes for Florida State (8-3, 5-3 ACC) and Antone Smith rushed 13 times for 45 yards and a touchdown. The Seminoles will close out the regular season next weekend with a non-conference clash against national powerhouse Florida Maryland (7-4, 4-3) quarterback Chris Turner completed 16 of 30 passes for 149 yards and two interceptions. Running back Da'Rel Scott had 82 yards on 12 carries and Dan Gronkowski led the Terrapins with four receptions and 46 yards. Final Score: North Carolina State 41, (25) North Carolina 10 Chapel Hill, NC (Sports Network) - Russell Wilson threw for a career-high 279 yards and two touchdowns, as North Carolina State rolled over 25th-ranked North Carolina, 41-10. Wilson completed 17-of-28 passes and gained 50 yards on the ground for the Wolfpack (5-6, 3-4 ACC), who have won three games in a row and close out the regular-season on November 29 at home against Miami- Florida, needing a victory to be bowl eligible. Andre Brown ran for 81 yards and a score, while Jamelle Eugene added two rushing touchdowns. Back in the starting lineup for the first time since breaking his left ankle in September, T.J. Yates struggled for the Tar Heels (7-4, 3-4), who have lost two straight games to effectively end any chance of capturing the Coastal Division. Yates finished 10-of-22 for 116 yards with one interception before he was replaced by Cameron Sexton midway through the fourth quarter. North Carolina finished with six turnovers.
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