College Football Top 25 Review

SI Staff | Oct 28, 2012

College Football Top 25 Review /

College Football Top 25 Review

Two teams entered 7-0, but only one emerged unscathed: Alabama crushed visiting Mississippi State to back up its No. 1 ranking. Quarterback AJ McCarron threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns, while T.J. Yeldon (pictured) paced the rushing attack with 84 yards and a score. The 'Bama defense stifled the Bulldogs. Dan Mullen's team didn't score until backup Dak Prescott connected with Robert Johnson in the closing moments of the fourth quarter.

This one was over as soon as it began. De'Anthony Thomas (pictured) and the Ducks ran all over the Buffs, amassing 418 rushing and 622 total yards. Oregon didn't throw a pick or allow a sack. Colorado managed just 12 first downs.

Florida's undefeated season is no more. Georgia seized control of the SEC East race by outlasting the Gators in Jacksonville. Todd Gurley rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown, and Aaron Murray connected with Malcolm Mitchell (pictured) for a 45-yard score in the fourth quarter. But real story was the Bulldogs' defense. Georgia manufactured six turnovers -- including Jarvis Jones' forced fumble of Jordan Reed to clinch the victory.

Kansas State took the next step toward Big 12 supremacy with a resounding victory over Texas Tech. Despite falling behind 10-3 in the second quarter, the Wildcats outscored the Red Raiders 52-14 the rest of the way to cruise to a Week 9 rout. Heisman candidate Collin Klein accounted for 316 total yards and four touchdowns, and running back John Hubert rushed for 64 yards and two scores. The K-State defense also forced three turnovers in the win.

If there was any remaining doubt, the Irish proved that they're finally back with a statement victory over Oklahoma in Norman. Quarterback Everett Golson came into his own by amassing 241 total yards and a touchdown, and running backs Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood (pictured) both rushed for 74 yards and a score. The Notre Dame defense also lived up to its billing. Manti Te'o and Co. surrendered just 15 rushing yards and limited the Sooners to 4-of-14 third-down conversions.

Down goes another top-10 team. On a Saturday in which Florida, Oklahoma and USC had already lost, Oregon State added to the Week 9 BCS shakeup by falling on the road to Washington. Huskies running back Bishop Sankey (pictured) collected 92 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Beavers quarterback Sean Mannion tossed four interceptions. Washington's Travis Coons kicked the game-winning 30-yard field goal with 1:20 remaining.

Braxton Miller (pictured) certainly looked healthy in Ohio State's showdown at Penn State. The sophomore quarterback rebounded from last week's injury to pass for 143 yards, rush for 134 yards and score three total touchdowns as the Buckeyes improved to 9-0 in the Urban Meyer era. Jake Stoneburner made a 72-yard touchdown reception and Ryan Shazier added a 17-yard pick-six.

USC's BCS dreams appear to be dashed. Despite dazzling performances from Matt Barkley (493 passing yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions) and Marqise Lee (16 catches, 345 yards, two touchdowns), the Trojans fell to Arizona in a Pac-12 shootout. Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott threw for 369 yards and three scores, and wideout Austin Hill (pictured) made 10 grabs for 259 yards and two touchdowns. The road doesn't get any easier for USC: It hosts Oregon next Saturday.

One week after beating UNC to end its bowl drought, Duke came back to earth with a lopsided loss to Florida State. Devonta Freeman (pictured) rushed 12 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns, while the Seminoles' defense held the Blue Devils to 234 net yards.

It was a record night for Clemson. Tajh Boyd threw for a school-record 428 yards with five touchdowns, while Sammy Watkins (pictured) delivered a school-record 202 receiving yards. Boyd and Watkins connected on three plays of 50 or more yards to bury the Demon Deacons and help the Tigers improve to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the ACC.

Louisville remained perfect, but it needed overtime to do so. The Cardinals intercepted Munchie Legaux in the extra frame, then survived a botched icing-the-kicker attempt to nail a 30-yard field goal and win the game. Teddy Bridgewater threw two touchdowns to DeVante Parker (pictured) to help force overtime after falling behind 24-14 in the third quarter.

South Carolina hung on to beat Tennessee Saturday, but it lost something more important: Star running back Marcus Lattimore (pictured) suffered a gruesome knee injury in the second quarter and was carted off the field and taken to the hospital. Backup running back Kenny Miles and quarterback Connor Shaw each rushed for 34 yards after Lattimore went down.

Louisville is now the Big East's lone undefeated team. Rutgers' quest for a perfect season ended in surprising fashion, as Kent State forced five turnovers to beat a ranked team for the first time. Trayion Durham (pictured) rushed 22 times for 131 yards and a score.

The Cardinal's offense sputtered in stints, but Stanford held off Washington State to better its record to 4-1 in Pac-12 play. Feature back Stepfan Taylor carried 21 times for 58 yards, while wideout Jamal-Rashad Patterson (pictured) made a 70-yard touchdown reception. Stanford's front seven were particularly stout. The Cougars finished with -16 rushing yards in the game.

One week after staging a fourth-quarter comeback at Northwestern, Nebraska continued its Big Ten surge with a convincing win against Michigan. Taylor Martinez went 14-of-24 for 166 yards and a touchdown, Ameer Abdullah (pictured) carried 24 times for 101 yards and a score and Kenny Bell opened the scoring with a 32-yard touchdown catch. The Huskers now sit atop the Legends Division with a 3-1 conference record.

The Broncos have now won seven straight since losing their opener to Michigan State. Boise earned win No. 7 thanks a dominant ground game, which produced touchdowns from Jay Ajayi (pictured), D.J. Harper, Shane Williams-Rhodes and Grant Hedrick. The Broncos also managed to convert an astonishing 12-of-14 third downs.

Texas A&M didn't take any time to dwell on last week's loss to LSU. The Aggies thumped a reeling Auburn squad behind another standout performance from redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel (pictured). Johnny Football amassed 330 total yards and five touchdowns, and true freshman running back Trey Williams carried 19 times for 109 yards and a score. A&M improved to 6-2 with the result, while the Tigers dropped to 1-7 and 0-6 in SEC play.

Ohio's dream of an undefeated season culminating in a BCS berth is officially over. After tempting fate with close games in recent weeks, Beau Blankenship (pictured) and the Bobcats finally came up too short. After Ohio elected to skip a field-goal try in favor of one more play, Tyler Tettleton was sacked as time ran out.

The Bulldogs may not have scored 50 points this week, but Louisiana Tech rolled to another comfortable victory against New Mexico State. Colby Cameron passed for 292 yards and a touchdown, and running back Ray Holley racked up 130 rushing yards and a score. While star receiver Quinton Patton was held in a check, another wideout stepped up for Sonny Dykes' squad: Myles White (pictured) made seven catches for 125 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter.

Published Oct 28, 2012

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