Sooners shock Cowboys
DeMarco Murray ran for two touchdowns, Ryan Broyles returned a punt 88 yards for a score, and Oklahoma (7-5, 5-3 Big 12) knocked No. 11 Oklahoma State (9-3, 6-2) out of contention for its first appearance in the Bowl Championship Series with a 27-0 thumping yesterday in Norman.
The Cowboys' loss greatly increases the chances of either Penn State or Iowa landing a berth in a BCS bowl game.
With representatives of the Fiesta and Orange bowls watching, Oklahoma State fell completely flat.
Zac Robinson threw for only 44 yards on 9-for-21 passing after missing last week's game with injuries to his head and shoulder. He was pulled in the fourth quarter.
Broyles, who originally committed to Oklahoma State but instead chose to play for the Sooners, had 103 yards receiving to go with his 209 yards on punt returns. The crowd started chanting "Overrated!" after he let Quinn Sharp's punt sail over his head in the fourth quarter - then saw Broyles field the bouncing ball, turn around, and race 88 yards to make it 27-0.
Patrick O'Hara, a walk-on who had never played football before taking over as Oklahoma's kicker two weeks ago, hit field goals from 24 and 19 yards.
The shutout was preserved when tight end Trent Ratterree tracked down Justin Gent from behind on a fumble return in the final minute, stripped the ball and recovered it.
Oklahoma State didn't have a single first down in the second half and finished with only 109 yards of total offense.
Georgia 30, Georgia Tech 24 - The Bulldogs (7-5) took a page out of Georgia Tech's playbook, rushing for 339 yards to upset the seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets (10-2) in Atlanta and put a real damper on the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
Washaun Ealey rushed for 183 yards, while Caleb King rambled for 166 yards and two touchdowns as the Bulldogs reclaimed state bragging rights in a disappointing year and handed the Yellow Jackets a huge setback in what has been their best season in nearly two decades.
Georgia Tech's loss completed a dismal day for the two teams that will meet next week in Tampa, Fla., for the ACC title. Earlier, Clemson was blown out by South Carolina.
Texas Christian 51, New Mexico 10 - Andy Dalton matched a career high with four TD passes - two to Antoine Hicks in a 12-second span - as the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs (12-0, 8-0 Mountain West) wrapped up their first undefeated regular season in 71 years with a rout of the Lobos (1-11, 1-7) in Fort Worth, Texas.
That should finally make the Horned Frogs a BCS buster, though they will have to wait another week to find out for sure whether they will go to one of the big-money games. Representatives from the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls were in attendance. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, fans chanted "B-C-S! B-C-S!"
Texas Christian is higher in the Bowl Championship Series standings than any team from a conference without an automatic bid has ever been this late in the season.
North Carolina State 28, North Carolina 27 - Russell Wilson threw four TD passes and Alan-Michael Cash blocked a field goal attempt with about 5 minutes left to help the Wolfpack (5-7, 2-6 ACC) rally past the No. 23 Tar Heels (8-4, 4-4) in Raleigh.
That should offer some solace to a program that expected it could contend for an ACC division title only to see everything go wrong. Much of those troubles stem from 12 players going down with season-ending injuries.
"Thank God, it's over," coach Tom O'Brien said. "I mean, I don't think we could go play in a bowl game if we had to."
Florida 37, Florida State 10 - Tim Tebow threw for three TDs, ran for two more and the No. 1 Gators (12-0) beat the Seminoles (6-6) in Gainesville.
Tebow may have secured a third consecutive trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 221 yards and ran 15 times for 90 yards. He had two TD passes to Aaron Hernandez and another to Cooper. He scored on an 18-yard run in the second, then added the 56th rushing TD of his career early in the fourth, then left the game to a standing ovation after the first play of Florida's next possession.
South Carolina 34, Clemson 17 - Stephen Garcia threw three TD passes and the Gamecocks (7-5) slowed down C.J. Spiller for an upset of the No. 15 Tigers (8-4) in Columbia, S.C.
Spiller opened the game with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, an NCAA record-setting seventh of his career. But South Carolina bottled up both Spiller and Clemson's high-scoring offense after that to end the Tigers' six-game win streak.
Clemson had just 260 yards of offense and Spiller finished with 18 yards rushing and 19 receiving.
Mississippi State 41, Mississippi 27 - Little-used backup quarterback Chris Relf accounted for three touchdowns, Anthony Dixon set a school single-season rushing record, and the Bulldogs (5-7, 3-5) knocked off the No. 20 Rebels (8-4, 4-4 SEC) in Starkville, Miss.
Ole Miss couldn't stop the one-two combination of Relf and Dixon, who finished with 133 yards and a touchdown. Dixon has 1,390 yards in 11 games, breaking James Johnson's school record by seven yards.
Virginia Tech 42, Virginia 13 - Ryan Williams ran for 182 yards and four touchdowns and the No. 14 Hokies (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat the Cavaliers (3-9, 2-6) in Charlottesville, Va.
Louisiana State 33, Arkansas 30 - Josh Jasper hit a 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds to go to force overtime, then made a 36-yarder in overtime to lift the Tigers (9-3, 5-3 SEC) to victory over the Razorbacks (7-5, 3-5) in Baton Rouge, La.
Brigham Young 26, Utah 23 - Max Hall threw a 25-yard touchdown pass in overtime to Andrew George as the No. 18 Cougars (10-2, 7-1 Mountain West) survived the No. 22 Utes (9-3, 6-2) in Provo, Utah.
Miami 31, South Florida 10 - Javarris James rushed for two TDS, Jacory Harris threw for two more, and the No. 19 Hurricanes (9-3) took a big early lead on the way to beating the Bulls (7-4) in Tampa, Fla.
Houston 73, Rice 14 - Tyron Carrier returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a TD, Case Keenum threw for 323 yards and two TDs and ran for another in a 59-point first half and the No. 25 Cougars (10-2, 6-2 Conference USA) crushed the Owls (2-10, 2-6) in Houston.





