Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa ó Penn State is perfect no more, its hopes for giving coach Joe Paterno another national title given a sharp and surprising kick by Iowa.
Daniel Murray hit a 31-yard field goal with a second left and Iowa rallied to stun the Nittany Lions, likely dashing Penn State’s hopes for a spot in the BCS national title game.
Shonn Green rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, and Ricky Stanzi bounced back from an interception and a fumble to lead the Hawkeyes (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) on their winning drive, which came after Daryll Clark threw an interception.
The Nittany Lions (9-1, 5-1) were third behind Alabama and Texas Tech in the most recent Bowl Championship Series standings, in danger of being squeezed out of the national title game even if they stayed unbeaten.
No. 5 Texas 45, Baylor 21
AUSTIN, Texas ó Colt McCoy passed for 300 yards and five touchdowns, Ryan Palmer returned an interception 22 yards for a tiebreaking score and the Longhorns beat Baylor for a much-needed rebound victory a week after their last-second loss at Texas Tech.
Texas (9-1, 5-1 Big 12) swent ahead to stay when Palmer picked off a deflected pass, pulling it off his shoulder pads, then spinning and running to the end zone.
No. 6 Oklahoma 66, Texas A&M 28
COLLEGE STATION, Texas ó Sam Bradford threw touchdown passes to four different receivers, Chris Brown ran for three scores and the Sooners started fast again and routed the Aggies.
DeMarco Murray, Matt Clapp, Ryan Broyles and Juaquin Iglesias had TD catches and Bradford had a touchdown run for the Sooners (9-1, 5-1 Big 12). The Sooners have scored 231 points in four games since a 45-35 loss to Texas.
No. 7 USC 17, No. 21 California 3
LOS ANGELES ó Mark Sanchez threw two touchdown passes, and USC’s defense battered No. 21 California, keeping the Trojans’ national championship hopes alive.
The win was the sixth straight for the Trojans (8-1, 6-1 Pac-10). The Trojans came in averaging 40.25 points and the Bears (6-3, 5-1) were averaging 36.4, with a single-game low of 24.
No. 9 Boise State 49, Utah State 14
BOISE, Idaho ó Kellen Moore threw for 362 yards and two scores, and two Boise State receivers threw touchdown passes and the Broncos stayed unbeaten.
The Broncos (9-0, 5-0 Western Athletic Conference) rolled up 563 total yards and held the Aggies to 44 yards rushing and forced six turnovers.
No. 12 Ohio State 45, Northwestern 10
EVANSTON, Ill. ó Terrelle Pryor threw for three scores and Chris “Beanie” Wells ran for two more, leading Ohio State over Northwestern that showed the Buckeyes are definitely over their loss to Penn State two weeks ago.
Pryor was 9-of-14 for 197 yards. Wells finished with 140 yards on 28 carries.
It was Ohio State’s fourth victory in a row over Northwestern (7-3, 3-3).
More importantly, the win keeps the Buckeyes’ chances for a fourth straight Big Ten title alive. Ohio State (8-2, 5-1) needs to win out and get some help from Penn State and Michigan State, who play each other in the season finale.
No. 13 Missouri 41, Kansas State 24
COLUMBIA, Mo. ó Jeremy Maclin scored three touchdowns and totaled 278 all-purpose yards, helping Missouri shake off a slow start in its home finale and whip Kansas State to grab first place in the Big 12 North.
Missouri is 8-2, 4-2 Big 12.
No. 14 Georgia 42, Kentucky 38
LEXINGTON, Ky. ó Matthew Stafford threw for 376 yards and the go-ahead touchdown to A.J. Green with 1:54 remaining to lift Georgia over Kentucky.
Knowshon Moreno ran for 123 yards and three scores and wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi atoned for two fumbles by hauling in a career-high eight receptions for 191 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs (8-2, 5-2 SEC) survived a major scare from the Wildcats (6-4, 2-4).
No. 17 BYU 41, San Diego St. 12
PROVO, Utah ó Max Hall threw three touchdown passes and Austin Collie had his eighth straight 100-yard receiving game for BYU (9-1, 5-1) , which set a school record with its 18th straight home win. The Cougars went unbeaten at home for the third straight season.
No. 18 Michigan St. 21, Purdue 7
EAST LANSING, Mich. ó Javon Ringer scored two touchdowns and Michigan State used a dominating defense to stay alive in the Big Ten title chase.
The Spartans (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten), who are off next week, will rest up for a Nov. 22 showdown at No. 3 Penn State, with at least a share of the conference title on the line.
The Spartans last won a share of the Big Ten crown in 1990.
Purdue (3-7, 1-5) was officially eliminated from bowl contention in coach Joe Tiller’s final season.
Cincinnati 26, No. 20 West Virginia 23
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. ó Tony Pike threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kazeem Alli in overtime to lift Cincinnati to a win over West Virginia, creating a three-way tie atop the Big East.
West Virginia (6-3, 3-1) scored 13 points in the final 1:11 to force overtime, including Pat McAfee’s 52-yard field goal as time ran out. McAfee added a 27-yard field goal on West Virginia’s overtime possession.
Cincinnati (7-2, 3-1) managed just two first downs after halftime after leading 20-7.
No. 25 Pittsburgh 41, Louisville 7
PITTSBURGH ó Pittsburgh wide receiver Aundre Wright ran 7 yards for his first college touchdown.
The Panthers (7-2, 3-1 Big East) assured themselves of their first bowl bid and winning season in coach Dave Wannstedt’s four seasons.