Top-25 College Football Game Capsules

3:23 AM, Sep 16, 2012   |    comments
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Fayetteville, AR (Sports Network) - Eddie Lacy scored three rushing touchdowns, AJ McCarron added another score through the air and the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide opened SEC play with a 52-0 road win over the reeling Arkansas Razorbacks. The game was supposed to be one of college football's early marquee matchups this season, but the defending national champions faced a Razorbacks team coming off a stunning upset and without its starting quarterback. McCarron completed 11-of-16 passes and finished with 188 yards for Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC), while Lacy carried the ball 11 times for 55 yards. With signal-caller Tyler Wilson out with a head injury, Arkansas (1-2, 0-1) turned to redshirt freshman Brandon Allen as his replacement. Wilson was hurt in last week's 34-31 overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe, a defeat that dropped the Razorbacks from No. 8 in the country to unranked in the AP poll. Allen finished with only 67 yards on 10-of-18 passing and threw two interceptions, both of which resulted in touchdowns for Alabama.

Final Score: (21) Stanford 21, (2) Southern California 14

Stanford, CA (Sports Network) - Josh Nunes had big shoes to fill in place of No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck. The senior delivered in a big way Saturday by hitting Zach Ertz with the go- ahead 37-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, lifting 21st-ranked Stanford to a 21-14 victory over No. 2 Southern California. Nunes threw for a pair of scores and Stanford's defense put constant pressure on Matt Barkley, sacking him twice in the final minute. Ranked No. 1 to begin the season with national title hopes, the Trojans (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) were unable to hold onto a halftime lead and were shut out in the second half. It's the first time Stanford (3-0, 1-0) has beaten the Trojans four straight times. That includes a triple-overtime thriller last year and on the final play in 2010. Stepfan Taylor rushed 27 times for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Cardinal, but it was Stanford's defense that stepped up big time by holding to Trojans to 1-of-13 on third down conversions. Nunes connected on 15-of-32 throws for 215 yards and was intercepted two times. Barkley completed 20-of-41 passes for 254 yards and was picked off twice.

Final Score: (3) LSU 63, Idaho 14

Baton Rouge, LA (Sports Network) - Ronald Martin had two interceptions and ran one in for a touchdown, while Kenny Hilliard ran for a pair of scores in No. 3 LSU's 63-14 rout of Idaho. Hilliard carried to ball 11 times for 114 yards, Jeremy Hill added 60 yards on the ground with two touchdowns and Alfred Blue tallied 45 yards rushing and a score for the Tigers (3-0), who routed Washington last Saturday, 41-3. Zach Mettenberger completed 17-of-22 passes for 223 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the win. Old Dominion transfer Dominique Blackman was 23-of-36 for 174 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions for Idaho (0-3).

Final Score: (4) Oregon 63, Tennessee Tech 14

Eugene, OR (Sports Network) - Marcus Mariota threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns, as No. 4 Oregon trounced Tennessee Tech, 63-14, in the Ducks' final warmup before their Pac-12 opener. Mariota completed 21-of-28 passes with an interception, while De'Anthony Thomas gained 135 yards from scrimmage and scored twice for the Ducks (3-0), who once again built a big lead and rested their regulars after halftime. Oregon gets its first true test next Saturday when nationally-ranked Arizona visits Autzen Stadium. The overmatched Golden Eagles (2-1) were ranked seventh nationally in the FCS in total offense coming in, but netted just 177 yards to Oregon's 652.

Final Score: (5) Florida State 52, Wake Forest 0

Tallahassee, FL (Sports Network) - Chris Thompson racked up 197 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on just nine carries, as the No. 5 Florida State Seminoles rolled over Wake Forest, 52-0, at Doak Campbell Stadium. EJ Manuel threw for 176 yards and two scores on 15-of-24 efficiency, also contributing 48 yards and a rushing score for the Seminoles (3-0, 1-0 ACC), who had beaten Murray State and Savannah state handily to begin the year. Kenny Shaw and Rodney Smith posted TD receptions as Florida State accumulated 612 yards of total offense. Tanner Price was limited to 82 passing yards on just 8-of-22 completions for the Demon Deacons (2-1, 1-1 ACC), who posted narrow wins over Liberty and North Carolina to kick off the season. Wake Forest suffered the worst defeat against its conference foe since a 72-13 setback on Oct. 14, 1995.

Final Score: (7) Georgia 56, Florida Atlantic 20

Athens, GA (Sports Network) - Aaron Murray threw for a career-high 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns on Saturday and No. 7 Georgia routed Florida Atlantic, 56-20, at Sanford Stadium. Murray completed 14-of-19 passes with an interception and added two rushing touchdowns as the Bulldogs (3-0) stretched their regular-season win streak to 13 games. Todd Gurley ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in the victory while Keith Marshall had 104 yards and a score on 10 rushes for Georgia, which outscored Florida Atlantic 28-6 in the second half. Michael Bennett contributed to the blowout with 110 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches and Arthur Lynch added three catches for 73 yards and a score. Graham Wilbert completed 18-of-33 passes for 183 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Owls (1-2), who were coming off a setback to Middle Tennessee. Damian Fortner had 14 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's loss, while William Dukes caught five passes for 98 yards.

Final Score: (8) South Carolina 49, UAB 6

Columbia, SC (Sports Network) - Dylan Thompson completed 5-of-10 passes for 177 yards and threw for two touchdowns to lead eighth-ranked South Carolina to a 49-6 win over Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday. Connor Shaw started at quarterback for the Gamecocks (3-0), but was knocked out of the game late in the first half after re-injuring a shoulder that sidelined him last week. He went 8-for-14 through the air for 107 yards with a touchdown and interception. Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier notched his 200th career win as a coach. Marcus Lattimore rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries and Mike Davis ran for 84 yards and a score for South Carolina, which has won seven straight dating back to last season. Jonathan Perry was 17-of-34 passing for 219 yards and Patrick Hearn caught four passes for 66 yards for the Blazers (0-2), who have dropped three straight to the Gamecocks.

Final Score: (9) West Virginia 42, James Madison 12

Landover, MD (Sports Network) - Geno Smith threw for 411 yards and five touchdowns on 34-of-39 passing and Stedman Bailey caught 13 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns as ninth-ranked West Virginia dismantled James Madison, 42-12, on Saturday. Tavon Austin hauled in 11 balls for 113 yards and a touchdown and Shawne Alston rushed for 62 yards and a score for the Mountaineers (2-0), who have won 13 straight agaisnt FCS programs. Juan Latney rushed for 24 yards and a touchdown, Jordan Anderson picked up 75 yards on the ground and Brian Barlow caught two passes for 46 yards for the Dukes (2-1), who will take on Rhode Island in their CAA opener Sept. 22.

Final Score: (20) Notre Dame 20, (10) Michigan State 3

East Lansing, MI (Sports Network) - Everett Golson passed for a touchdown and ran one in as 20th-ranked Notre Dame took a 20-3 win over No. 10 Michigan State. Golson went 14-of-32 for 178 yards, while Cierre Wood added 10 carries for 56 yards for the Fighting Irish (3-0), who lost their first two games last season before beating Michigan State in the third week. Andrew Maxwell was 23- of-45 for 187 yards and Le'Veon Bell carried the ball 19 times for 77 yards for the Spartans (2-1), who were coming off a 41-7 blowout of Central Michigan last Saturday.

Final Score: (11) Clemson 41, Furman 7

Clemson, SC (Sports Network) - Tajh Boyd threw for two touchdowns and Andre Ellington added two more scores on the ground, as the 11th-ranked Clemson Tigers dispatched Furman, 41-7, at Memorial Stadium. Boyd ended 20-of-29 for 310 yards, while Ellington totaled 59 yards on 15 rushes for the Tigers (3-0), who open up ACC action next Saturday against Florida State. DeAndre Hopkins led all receivers with 95 yards on seven receptions and Sammy Watkins posted a 58-yard run for a touchdown. Reese Hannon was 19-of-29 for 235 yards, one TD and an interception for the Paladins (0-3), who travel to Presbyterian seven days from now. Jerodis Williams totaled 87 yards on 19 carries, and Jordan Snellings accounted Furman's lone score thanks to a 37-yard jaunt on his lone catch of the contest.

Final Score: (12) Ohio State 35, California 28

Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Braxton Miller threw a 72-yard touchdown pass to Devin Smith late in the fourth quarter to lift 12th-ranked Ohio State to a 35-28 victory over California. Miller led the Buckeyes to their first two victories primarily with his legs, rushing for 161 yards in the opener against Miami-Ohio and 141 yards last week against UCF. On Saturday, he managed only 75 yards on the ground but threw for 249 yards with four scores. His final pass gave Ohio State (3-0) the lead for good. Smith, who finished with 145 yards on five receptions, was 15 yards behind the California defense on a 3rd- and-7 play. Miller bought a little time with his legs before spotting the wide open Smith, who cruised down the right sideline into the end zone for the go- ahead score with 3:26 remaining. Maynard threw for 280 yards with a touchdown for the Bears (1-2), who were their own worst enemy on Saturday. A holding call negated a touchdown and Vincenzo D'Amato missed a trio of field goals. Brendan Bigelow rushed for 160 yards on just four carries for Cal, scoring on an 81-yard run in the third quarter and a 60-yard jaunt in the fourth.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 35, (13) Virginia Tech 17

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Tino Sunseri threw three touchdown passes, Ray Graham scored three times and the Pittsburgh Panthers earned their first win with a 35-17 victory over the 13th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies at Heinz Field. The Panthers (1-2), coming off losses to FCS foe Youngstown State and Cincinnati to start the season, jumped out to a 21-0 lead Saturday and pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter to avoid their first 0-3 start since 2005. Sunseri threw for 283 yards with an interception on 19-of-28 efficiency, as the Panthers ended Virginia Tech's true road winning streak at 13 games. Rushel Shell and Graham ran for 157 and 94 yards, respectively, for a Pitt ground game that outrushed the Hokies, 254-59. Graham ran for two scores and caught another. Logan Thomas threw three interceptions and completed just 14-of-31 attempts for Virginia Tech (2-1), which had just 14 first downs to Pitt's 27. Thomas ended with 265 passing yards -- 85 coming on a TD pass to Marcus Davis -- and led an anemic running attack with 28 yards on seven carries.

Final Score: (14) Texas 66, Ole Miss 31

Oxford, MS (Sports Network) - David Ash threw for 326 yards and four touchdowns without an interception on Saturday as No. 14 Texas overwhelmed Ole Miss, 66-31, in Oxford. Ash completed 19-of-23 passes while Malcolm Brown tallied 128 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries for the Longhorns (3-0), who were coming off a 45-0 rout of New Mexico. Mike Davis caught five passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's win, while Marquise Goodwin had 102 yards and a score on two catches. Bo Wallace completed 13-of-24 passes for 178 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions -- two by Quandre Diggs -- for the Rebels (2-1). Donte Moncrief caught seven passes for 144 yards and one touchdown in the loss and Jeff Scott had 95 yards and a score on eight carries.

Final Score: (15) Kansas State 35, North Texas 21

Manhattan, KS (Sports Network) - Collin Klein threw for 230 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and added 85 yards and a score on the ground as No. 15 Kansas State downed North Texas, 35-21, on Saturday. Klein completed 15-of-20 passes, five of which went to Tramaine Thompson for 102 yards and two scores, for the Wildcats (3-0), who was coming off a 52-13 drubbing of Miami- Florida last Saturday. Chris Harper added five receptions for 78 yards in the win. Derek Thompson was an efficient 25-of-28 for 208 yards and a score for North Texas (1-2), which defeated Texas Southern last Saturday. Antoinne Jimmerson carried the ball eight times for 68 yards and a touchdown, while Brandin Byrd tallied 61 yards on 19 rushes in the loss.

Final Score: (16) TCU 20, Kansas 6

Lawrence, KS (Sports Network) - Brandon Carter caught a pair of touchdown passes from Casey Pachall, as the 16th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs claimed a 20-6 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks. The Horned Frogs overcame four turnovers to win their Big 12 Conference debut. Pachall completed 24-of-30 passes for 335 yards for TCU (2-0, 1-0 Big 12), which has won 10 consecutive games dating back to last season -- currently the longest active streak in the country. Waymon James carried the ball 12 times for 99 yards for the Horned Frogs, who play Virginia next Saturday. Matthew Tucker rushed for 65 yards on 12 carries. Dayne Crist connected on 19-of-39 passes for 303 yards and an interception for the Jayhawks (1-2, 0-1), who have lost two in a row since opening the season with a win over South Dakota State. Andrew Turzilli hauled in three passes for 100 yards. Tony Pierson caught six passes for 99 yards and carried the ball nine times for 35 yards.

Final Score: (17) Michigan 63, Massachusetts 13

Ann Arbor, MI (Sports Network) - Denard Robinson scored three of Michigan's six first-half touchdowns, as the 17th-ranked Wolverines crushed the Massachusetts Minutemen, 63-13, at Michigan Stadium. Robinson completed 16- of-24 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns, adding another on the ground as part of a 106-yard, 10-carry effort. Michigan (2-1) continued its dominance over the Mid-American Conference, improving to 31-1 against current MAC teams. Making the third start of his career, quarterback Mike Wegzyn finished 14-of-29 for 141 yards for Massachusetts (0-3), which has endured a rough ride in its initial FBS campaign.

Final Score: (18) Florida 37, (23) Tennessee 20

Knoxville, TN (Sports Network) - Jeff Driskel threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for 81 yards, leading the 18th-ranked Florida Gators past No. 23 Tennessee, 37-20. In back-to-back weeks, the Gators (3-0, 2-0 SEC) won on the road against a conference opponent, beating Texas A&M last Saturday. Trey Burton added two scores on 91 yards for Florida on just three carries. Mike Gillislee ran for 115 yards, as the Gators beat the Volunteers for the eighth straight time. Tennessee (2-1, 0-1) led the Gators at halftime 14-10, but after missing an extra point off a one-yard touchdown score to give them a 20-13 lead, the Volunteers gave up 24 unanswered points. Tyler Bray struggled in the second half after throwing two touchdowns through the first two quarters. He finished 22-of-44 for 257 yards and threw two interceptions that Florida converted touchdowns. Jordan Reed caught a team-high five passes for 60 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown grab that gave Florida the go-ahead score. With just under 10 minutes to play in the game, Driskel connected with Frankie Hammond Jr. on a 75-yard catch and run touchdown to give Florida a 14- point advantage. Caleb Sturgis was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts for the Gators, connecting on kicks of 20, 25 and 49 yards.

Final Score: (19) Louisville 39, North Carolina 34

Louisville, KY (Sports Network) - For a while it looked like another Louisville blowout victory, but the Cardinals had to hold off a furious fourth-quarter charge from North Carolina to notch their first 3-0 start since 2006. Teddy Bridgewater tossed three first-half touchdowns and No. 19 Louisville took a 39-34 win over the Tar Heels on Saturday. Trailing 39-14 early in the fourth quarter, North Carolina quarterback Bryn Renner fired three touchdown passes over the final 13:38. But his potential go- ahead score to Erik Highsmith in the back of the end zone on 4th-and-goal from the 4-yard line with 1:49 remaining was broken up by Cardinals cornerback Andrew Johnson, which sealed the outcome for the hosts. Bridgewater threw for 279 yards on 23-of-28 efficiency for the Cardinals (3-0), who defeated in-state rival Kentucky, 32-14, in their opener before blowing out Missouri State, 35-7, last Saturday. Jeremy Wright carried the ball 20 times for 114 yards and a score, Senorice Perry added 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground and Charles Gaines caught five passes for 78 yards and a score in the win. Renner completed 26-of-41 passes for 357 yards with five touchdowns and one interception for North Carolina (1-2), which has lost two straight since downing Elon in its opener. Romar Morris added 149 yards receiving and two touchdowns on five receptions in defeat.

Final Score: (22) UCLA 37, Houston 6

Pasadena, CA (Sports Network) - Brett Hundley threw two touchdown passes as 22nd-ranked UCLA routed Houston, 37-6. Hundley went 27-for-42 with 320 yards and two interceptions while Jonathan Franklin ran for 110 yards on 25 carries for the Bruins (3-0), who have scored 115 points in their first three games. David Piland was picked off five times and finished the game 28-for-60 with 249 yards and had a rushing touchdown for the Cougars (0-3), who are struggling in 2012 after going 13-1 last season.

Final Score: (24) Arizona 56, South Carolina State 0

Tucson, AZ (Sports Network) - Matt Scott tossed three touchdown passes on Saturday and No. 24 Arizona pasted South Carolina State, 56-0. Scott completed 30-of-36 passes for 288 yards without an interception and added a rushing touchdown, as the Wildcats (3-0) wrapped up a perfect, season- opening homestand. They were coming off an upset of nationally-ranked Oklahoma State. Daniel Jenkins, Ka'Deem Carey and Jared Baker each rushed for a score in Saturday's rout, while Dan Buckner caught six passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Richard Cue completed 12-of-25 passes for 89 yards and an interception for the Bulldogs (1-2). The Football Championship Subdivision competitors managed just 154 total yards.

Final Score: Utah 24, (25) BYU 21

Salt Lake City, UT (Sports Network) - Overly-excited fans nearly cost Utah, but the Utes held off 25th-ranked BYU, 24-21, Saturday night. The Cougars (2-1) were backed up to their own 8 to start a drive with just over a minute left. On 4th-and-12, Cody Hoffman got behind the defense and caught a 47-yard pass down the right sideline to the Utah (2-1) 34. Quarterback Riley Nelson killed the clock and then threw incomplete to the left side. Fans rushed the field, but Nelson held up his finger pleading that one second remained. After a video review, BYU got its wish, and Justin Sorensen was called upon to attempt a 51-yard field goal, which was blocked. But fans again stormed the field before the play was over. Officials huddled and penalized Utah 15 yards for a live ball foul, resulting in one untimed play. Riley Stephenson's 36- yard field goal attempt then clanked off the left upright. Moe Lee returned a fumble 47 yards for a score during a big third quarter for the Utes, who also received a pair of passing touchdowns from Jon Hays. Nelson had a pair of scoring tosses for the Cougars.

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