JaMarcus Russell threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns and No. 9 LSU held off No. 5 Arkansas 31-26 on Friday, derailing the Razorbacks' slim national title hopes.
Arkansas was No. 6 in the BCS standings, but the Razorbacks hoped to jump with a win over the Tigers (10-2, 6-2) and another next week against Florida in the Southeastern Conference title game.
Arkansas pulled within five at 31-26 on Felix Jones' 5-yard touchdown run with 4:53 remaining and the Razorbacks (10-2, 7-1) got the ball back at their own 27 with 2:04 to play. But Casey Dick threw four straight incompletions, completing a miserable 3-for-17 day in which he passed for only 29 yards.
PHOTO: AP
Darren McFadden rushed for 182 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. That made it 24-19, but LSU's Trindon Holliday returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown with 10:14 remaining.
The Tigers are hoping to earn an at-large spot in the Bowl Championship Series after entering the game 10th in the standings. Arkansas' chances of an at-large bid took a hit, but the Razorbacks can go to the Sugar Bowl if they win the SEC title.
LSU has won the Golden Boot -- a trophy shaped like a map of Louisiana and Arkansas -- four straight seasons.
Jones ran for 137 yards and he and McFadden became the first players to rush for 100 yards against LSU this year. He now has 1,485 yards rushing on the season, breaking the school record.
Texas A&M 12, Texas 7
Stephen McGee scored on an 8-yard run with 2 1/2 minutes to play and the Aggies snapped a six-game losing streak in the bitter rivalry.
The Aggies (9-3, 5-3 Big 12) rushed for 244 yards against the nation's top run defense and intercepted Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy three times, the last with just over a minute to play.
McCoy finished 17-for-28 for 160 yards and was carted off the field after taking a hit on a pass attempt with 20 seconds left.
Team officials said McCoy had use of all his extremities and was hospitalized for observation.
The Aggies drove 88 yards for the winning score, chewing up nearly nine minutes in the fourth quarter. Mike Goodson scored the first touchdown on a 41-yard scamper in the first quarter.
McGee, who was 7 out of 13 passing for 58 yards, ran for 95 yards on 18 carries.
The Longhorns (9-3, 6-2) could have won the Big 12 South Division title with a win. The loss meant the Longhorns need Oklahoma to lose to Oklahoma State yesterday or the Sooners will win the division and play Nebraska on Dec. 2 for the league crown.
No. 23 Nebraska 37, Colorado 14
Zac Taylor threw two touchdown passes on a record-setting day and Nebraska pulled out all its tricks against Colorado.
Taylor threw touchdown passes to Terrence Nunn and Brandon Jackson to tie Tommie Frazier's school career record of 43. Taylor finished 19-of-28 passes for 249 yards to run his season total to a school-record 2,789. He set the record of 2,653 last year.
The Cornhuskers (9-3, 6-2 Big 12) entertained the homes fans with a hearty dose of trickery.
Barry Turner, normally a defensive end, caught a touchdown pass on a fake field goal. Tailback Marlon Lucky attempted two passes and Nebraska converted a fourth-and-one on a direct snap to safety-turned-running back Tierre Green.
The Huskers posted their 35th nine-win season in 38 years -- and first since 2003 -- and ended a streak of four straight wins by the road team in the Nebraska-Colorado series.
Colorado (2-10, 2-6) lost its 14th straight game against a ranked opponent and ended up with the third 10-loss season in its program's 117-year history. The Buffaloes were 1-10 in both 1980 and 1984.
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