JaMarcus Russell kept No. 5 LSU's national title hopes alive by hitting Dwayne Bowe for a touchdown in overtime for a 16-13 victory over previously unbeaten No. 3 Alabama on Saturday.
Russell hit Justin Vincent on a swing pass for 10 yards to open the possession after Alabama (9-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) had to settle for a field goal. Then the LSU quarterback was stopped for no gain when he couldn't find an open receiver against the nation's top scoring defense.
A reverse to Xavier Carter went for 4 yards, forcing a third-and-6. Russell rolled right and threw a strike over the middle to Bowe to punctuate an up-and-down day mostly dominated by the defenses.
The LSU players swarmed to the end zone while the Crimson Tide fans mostly remained in their seats, stunned by the sudden end to their surprising run at perfection.
LSU (8-1, 5-1) won it without having to turn to placekicker Chris Jackson, who had already missed three of his four long field goal attempts.
No. 1 USC 35, California 10
At Berkeley, California, Matt Leinart passed for 246 yards and ran for two touchdowns, and LenDale White ran for three more scores in USC's 32nd straight win, a rout of slumping California.
Reggie Bush ran for 82 yards for the Trojans (10-0, 7-0 Pac-10), while USC defense intercepted Joe Ayoob four times and kept Cal out of the end zone until 1:34 remained.
The Trojans haven't lost since their 34-31 triple-overtime defeat at Memorial Stadium in 2003, when Leinart and Bush couldn't overcome an early deficit and a slew of mistakes.
USC is even better now -- and mistake-prone Cal (6-4, 3-4) is plummeting, with four losses in its last five games. The Bears took their largest loss in coach Jeff Tedford's four seasons.
No. 2 Texas 66, Kansas 14
At Austin, Texas, Vince Young became Texas' career total offense leader with 281 yards passing and a career-high four touchdown tosses as Texas clinched the Big 12 South Division title.
Young had scoring passes of 45 yards and 64 yards to Limas Sweed and Quan Cosby, and Aaron Ross returned a punt 71 yards for a TD as Texas built a 52-0 lead by halftime, tying the school record for most points in a half.
Texas (10-0, 7-0) ran its winning streak to 17 games and earned its first berth in the Big 12 championship game since 2001, although Longhorns fans are thinking well beyond what could be their first conference title since 1996.
Young passed for 264 yards and all four TDs in the first half. He left the game in the third quarter against Kansas (5-5, 2-5).
No. 3 Miami 47, Wake Forest 17
At Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Kyle Wright tied a school record with five touchdown passes, Charlie Jones ran for two more scores and Miami stayed on track for a spot in the first Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
A week after a surprisingly easy victory at Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes (8-1, 5-1 ACC) used a quick-strike offense to avoid a letdown in their first visit to Groves Stadium since 1971. Injured tailback Tyrone Moss (torn ACL) and return star Devin Hester (hamstring strain) hardly were missed as Miami piled up 515 yards of offense.
Wright finished 17-for-27 for 319 yards and Jones rushed for 90 more, but it wasn't quite as easy as the final margin indicated. The Demon Deacons (4-7, 3-5) completed their third straight losing season with an inspired effort, taking a 17-14 lead late in the second quarter on a 7-yard run by Chris Barclay.
RSS