SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010
College football Top 25 1
OHIO ST. LOST TO WISC., 31-18 The Buckeyes cutWisconsin’s lead to 21-18 in the fourth quarter after
being down 21-3 at halftime, but became the second straight No. 1 team to fall. Next: Saturday vs. Purdue.
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OREGONWAS IDLE The last time the Ducks started 6-0, in 2002, they finished 7-6. In
2007, Oregon started 8-1 and was No. 2 nationally but finished 9-4. Next: Thursday vs. UCLA.
BOISE ST. AT SAN JOSE ST., LATE Heading into Saturday night’s game, the Spartans had played
four teams ranked in the top 20: Alabama, Utah,Wisconsin and Nevada. Next: Oct. 26 vs. Louisiana Tech.
TCU DEF. BYU, 31-3 Andy Dalton threw four touchdown passes for the Horned
Frogs, who have allowed three points in their last three games combined. Next: Saturday vs. Air Force.
NEBRASKA LOST TO TEX., 20-13 Longhorns quarterback Garrett Gilbert rushed for two touchdowns,
and Texas held a Cornhuskers offense that had been averaging 494 yards to just 202. Next: Saturday at Oklahoma State.
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KLMNO
OKLAHOMAVS. IOWA ST., LATE Sooners running back DeMarco Murray (10 touchdowns this
season) needs just two touchdowns to tie Steve Owens’s program record of 69. Next: Saturday at Missouri.
AUBURN DEF. ARKANSAS, 65-43 Tigers quarterback Cam Newton ran for 188 yards and passed for 140 as the two teams set the SEC
record for points in a non-overtime game. Next: Saturday vs. LSU.
ALABAMAVS. MISSISSIPPI, LATE After three consecutive games against ranked teams, the
Crimson Tide took on the Rebels, who have a division I-AA loss under their belt. Next: Saturday at Tennessee.
LSU VS. MCNEESE STATE, LATE Take away blowouts of Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, and the
Tigers’ other four wins have come by a combined 18 points. Next: Saturday at Auburn.
10 Tar Heels expose
Cavaliers’ pass defense, cruise to victory
BY STEVE YANDA
charlottesville — Program overhauls rarely go smoothly, a reality theVirginia football team has confirmed on a frequent basis over the past three weeks. Whether it’s the parts or the design, the Cavaliers have not functioned with consistent co- hesion on either side of the ball in nearly amonth. In fact, as Virginia made ap-
parent in a 44-10 loss Saturday night to North Carolina, the problems are multiplying with each contest for the Cavaliers (2-4, 0-3 ACC). Against the Tar Heels (4-2, 2-1), a Virginia pass defense that largely had been ignored in recent weeks because of the porous nature of the unit’s run-stopping ability was shred- ded fromthe outset. And an offense that had strug-
gled to build —much lessmain- tain — momentum during the first halves of games found a rhythm that was disrupted by head-shaking turnovers. Fifth- year senior quarterback Marc Verica threwtwo first-half inter- ceptions that stalled drives in which the Cavaliers were mov- ing efficiently downfield. Verica was pulled in favor of
redshirt freshman Ross Methe- ny after throwing a third inter- ception less than six minutes into the third quarter. Freshman quarterback Michael Rocco saw playing time, aswell.He entered the game to start the fourth quarter. But it was Virginia’s incapaci-
ty to keep track of North Caroli- na’s receivers that allowed the TarHeels to command a 17-point lead byhalftime.Entering Satur- day night, North Carolina wide- out Dwight Jones had amassed 12 receptions for 104 yards and one touchdown this season. By the end of the first half, Jones had tallied six receptions for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Two weeks ago in a 20-point
loss to Florida State, Virginia’s coaches pointed to an abun- dance of missed tackles as a prime reason for the 428 total yards the Cavaliers defense al- lowed. When Virginia fell by 12 and gave up 536 total yards last weekend at Georgia Tech,
S. CAR. LOST TOKY., 31-28 One week after shocking then-No. 1 Alabama, the
Gamecocks went scoreless in the second half. They led by 18 points at halftime. Next: Saturday at Vanderbilt.
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UTAH DEF.WYOMING, 30-6 Utes quarterback JordanWynn threw three interceptions (two
in the end zone) but also two touchdown passes, and Utah remained unbeaten. Next: Saturday vs. Colorado State.
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ARK. LOST TO AUB., 65-43 Replacing the injured Ryan Mallett, backup quarterback
TylerWilson threw for 332 yards and four touchdowns for the Razorbacks. Next: Saturday vs. Mississippi.
MICH. ST . DEF. ILL., 26-6 Down 6-3 at halftime, the Spartans scored 23
unanswered points to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 1966. Next: Saturday at Northwestern.
STANFORDWAS IDLE Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck ranks 10th
nationally in passing efficiency and 16th nationally in total offense. Next: Saturday vs.Washington State.
IOWA DEF. MICH., 38-28 Leading 35-14 early in the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes
allowed theWolverines to score two touchdowns before holding on for the win. Next: Saturday vs.Wisconsin.
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FLORIDA ST. DEF.BC, 24-19 Seminoles quarterback Christian Ponder had four
turnovers, but Bert Reed’s 42-yard touchdown run gave FSU the victory. Next: Oct. 28 at North Carolina State.
AZ. ATWASH. ST., LATE TheWildcats had 541 yards in last weekend’s loss to Oregon State. The Cougars
rank last nationally in total defense. Next: Saturday vs.Washington.
WISC. DEF. OHIO ST., 31-18 John Clay rushed for two touchdowns for the Badgers,
who defeated a No. 1 team for the first time since a win over Michigan in 1981. Next: Saturday at Iowa.
NEVADA AT HAWAII, LATE Entering Saturday, theWolf Pack had not won in Hawaii
since 1948, which was 11 years before it became the 50th state. Next: Oct. 30 vs. Utah State.
20
OSUDEF. TEX. TECH,34-17 Justin Blackmon had 201 receiving yards and a
score as the Cowboys won in Lubbock, Tex., for the first time since 1944. Next: Saturday vs. Nebraska.
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MISSOURIDEF. TAMU,30-9 Blaine Gabbert threw for 361 yards and three
touchdowns for the Tigers, who improved to 6-0 for the fifth time in program history. Next: Saturday vs. Oklahoma.
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Virginia encounters new growing pains UNC VIRGINIA 44 10
yards for a touchdown. With senior cornerback Ras-I
Dowling out of the lineup, Yates continually picked on the Vir- ginia secondary. The teamlisted Dowling (knee) as probable on its injury report, and although Dowling appeared to participate at full speed during pregame warmups, he never entered the game. Prior to Saturday’s game, Vir-
ginia had not allowed a pass completion longer than 40 yards this season. AgainstNorth Caro- lina, Virginia gave up three com- pletions of at least 46 yards in the first half. Yates completed 17 of 22 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns on the night. His Virginia counterpart was
not so proficient. Verica’s first interception came as he was attempting to avoid a pass rush from North Carolina defensive tackle Quinton Coples. Verica lofted the ball in the direction of fifth-year tailback Keith Payne, but the ballwas picked off by Tar Heels defensive end Tim Jack- son nearmidfield. On the Cavaliers’ next offen-
sive series, Virginia drove 71 yards in 16 plays. On the 17th play of the drive, Verica attempt- ed a pass to junior wideout Kris Burd across themiddle that was intercepted by North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown and re- turned 70 yards to the Virginia 25-yard line. Following Verica’s third inter-
ception — which was returned 22 yards for a touchdown with just more than nine minutes remaining in the third quarter — Metheny and Rocco began throwing warmup passes to each other behind Virginia’s bench. Metheny got the call, though
STEVE HELBER/ASSOCIATED PRESS Virginia’s RossMetheny (15) got in the game after quarterbackMarcVerica threwthree interceptions.
missed assignments were deemed themain culprit. On Saturday, the Cavaliers
combined the two flaws into a concoction of hapless play that yielded 479 total yards, 339 of which came through the air. Virginia entered the contest
ranked No. 10 in the country in pass defense, though thatmight have been more a reflection of a rundefense thatwas thenation’s No. 109 unit.With rushing lanes left gapingly open, opponents saw little need to throw the ball. But on the first play from
Kentucky stunsNo. 10 South Carolina 31 28
Wildcats beat a ranked opponent for first time since 2007
BYWILL GRAVES
lexington, ky. — Kentucky’s Randall Cobb caught a 24-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute 15 seconds remaining then added the two-point conversion to cap a furious second-half rally and give Wildcats a 31-28 win over South Carolina on Saturday night. Mike Hartline threw for a ca-
reer-high 349 yards and four touchdowns for Kentucky (4-3, 1-3 SEC), which overcame an 18- point halftime deficit to stun the Gamecocks (4-2, 2-2). South Carolina drove to the Kentucky 20 in the final minute
but quarterback Stephen Garcia’s heave into theendzonewasinter- cepted by Kentucky’s Anthony Mosley with four seconds remain- ing.Hartline took a knee to set off a raucous celebration and end two decades of torture at the hands of Coach Steve Spurrier. Spurrier was a perfect 17-0
against the Wildcats before Ken- tucky finally found away to beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 2007. South Carolina running back
Marcus Lattimore had 212 yards of total offense and three touch- downs but spent most of the second half on the sideline with an ankle injury. The Gamecocks struggled
without their freshman star and lost a chance to stampthemselves as the favorite in the SEC East. Kentucky shut down the Gamecocks during the final 30
KENTUCKY S. CAROLINA
minutes, while slowly chipping away at the lead. Hartline hit LaRod King for a
5-yard touchdown pass to bring Kentucky within 28-17. Then he found Chris Matthews for a 38- yard score to get within 28-23. Given one last chance with 7:31 remaining, Hartline guided Ken- tucky to the South Carolina 24. Facing fourth down, he pumped the ball once and lofted the ball to a wide open Cobb in the end zone. Cobb bulled over left tackle for the 2-point conversion to put the Wildcats up three. Garcia, who finished with 382
yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, quickly moved the ball to the Kentucky 20 with 11
scrimmage, North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates found Jones on a short crossing route. As Jones raced toward the side- line, junior cornerback Chase Minnifield lunged in his direc- tion and missed. Jones turned up the sideline and raced 81
he fumbled the snap on his first play in the game and threw a goal-line interception five plays later. Mostly, Metheny handed the ball off to Payne, who fin- ished with 107 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. But even Payne’s success had
its limits. After he was stopped on fourth and goal with one second remaining in the third quarter,many of the orange-clad fans in attendance began their march toward the exits.
yandas@washpost.com
FLA. LOST TO MSU, 10-7 After falling to the Bulldogs, the Gators have
now lost three straight regular season games for the first time since 1988. Next: Oct. 30 vs. Georgia.
AIR FORCE AT SDSU, LATE The Falcons, the nation’s top rushing team, face an
Aztecs team that gave up 271 rushing yards to Brigham Young last weekend. Next: Saturday at TCU.
ORE. ST. ATWASH., LATE The Beavers lost wide receiver/kick returner
James Rodgers to a season-ending knee injury last weekend. Next: Oct. 30 vs. California.
W.VA. DEF. USF, 20-6 The Mountaineers scored off a hook-and-lateral on
Thursday night and held the Bulls without a TD for the second straight game. Next: Saturday vs. Syracuse.
Nebraska undone by defense of Texas
Cornhuskers held to nearly 300 yards less than their average
BY ERIC OLSON
lincoln, neb. — Garrett Gilbert ran for two touchdowns and Tex- as’s defense shut down Taylor Martinez to leadtheLonghorns to a 20-13 upset ofNo. 5Nebraska on Saturday, a crushing first defeat for a Cornhusker team that was out to avenge last year’s loss inthe Big 12 championshipgame.
TEXAS NEBRASKA 20 13 Texas (4-2, 2-1Big 12) came inas
a nearly 10-point underdog, but surprised Nebraska (5-1, 1-1) by turning Gilbert loose in the run game for the first time this season. The quarterback ranfor a 71 yards on 11 carries, scoring from three yards and one yard, and Cody Johnson had 58 of his 73 yards in the secondhalf. The Longhorns also stymied a
Nebraska offense that had been averaging 494 yards a game, hold- ing theHuskers to just 202 yards. Still, the Huskers were within a touchdown late in the game thanks to Eric Hagg’s school-re- cord95-yardpunt return. Martinez, who came in averag-
ing 147 yards a game andalmost 11 yardsacarry,washeldtoaseason- low 21 yards on 13 carries before being pulled for Zac Lee in the thirdquarter. Texas wasn’t prolific offensive-
ly, gaining 271 yards. But with the Longhorn’s defense holding the Huskers’ ground game in a check, Nebraska receivers then dropped what would have been three touchdownpasses. TheHuskers and their fans had
been pointing to this game for 10 months, since the controversial finishtolastyear’sconferencetitle game. The stakes became even higher afterNebraska announced in the summer that itwasmoving to theBigTennext year. —AssociatedPress
JOHN SOMMERS II/REUTERS South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier, center, suffers his first loss toKentucky.
seconds remaining. The Gamecocks used a timeout
and opted to take a shot at win- ning in regulation. Garcia threw it up to 6-foot-3 receiver Lamar
Scruggs. The ball was tipped and Mosley clutched it to snap Ken- tucky’s 10-game losing streak to the Gamecocks. The giddy celebration hardly
seemed possible after a first half in which the Gamecocks did whatever they wanted behind the precocious Lattimore. —Associated Press
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