Jonathan Williams had two short touchdown runs, quarterback Patrick Pinkney was nearly perfect, and the Pirates routed No. 8 West Virginia, 24-3, yesterday in Greenville, N.C. for their third straight win over a ranked team.

Pinkney was 22 of 28 for 236 yards with a touchdown for East Carolina (2-0), which opened the season with a last-minute upset of then-No. 17 Virginia Tech.

This game was decided much earlier. The Pirates never trailed, kept Pat White in check, outgained West Virginia, 386-251, and were in control from start to finish.

Ohio State 26, Ohio 14 - Beanie Wells didn't play. The Bobcats sure did.

Lightly regarded even in the Mid-American Conference, Ohio put a scare into No. 3 Ohio State before the Buckeyes righted things in the fourth quarter.

With star tailback Chris Wells sidelined by a foot injury, the Buckeyes (2-0) struggled to move the ball until Brandon Saine's short plunge on the third play of the final quarter put them on top.

This was not the tune-up the Buckeyes needed before traveling cross-country next week to meet No. 1 USC.

Georgia 56, Central Michigan 17 - Knowshon Moreno rushed for 168 yards and tied a career high with three touchdowns to lead the No. 2 Bulldogs (2-0) past the Chippewas (1-1) in Athens, Ga.

Matthew Stafford hooked up with Mohamed Massaquoi on a pair of TD passes, and Georgia got an unlikely score from 282-pound defensive end Demarcus Dobbs. The sophomore picked off a deflected pass and rumbled 78 yards for his first career TD.

Auburn 27, Southern Miss 13 - Chris Todd threw for 248 yards in his first start and gave the No. 9 Tigers' passing game a needed lift in a win over the Golden Eagles in Auburn, Ala.

The junior-college transfer might have ended the Tigers' QB question by completing an array of short and mid-range passes and effectively running the new spread offense.

Wisconsin 51, Marshall 14 - The No. 11 Badgers had to rally from an early two-touchdown deficit to Marshall, reeling off 51 straight points to turn a potential upset into a walkover in Madison, Wis.

A loss would have snapped the second-longest home winning streak in major college football and cost Wisconsin (2-0) momentum heading into a tough test at Fresno State.

Florida 26, Miami 3 - Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow was good early and even better late, enough to help the No. 5 Gators snap a six-game losing streak against the rival Hurricanes in Gainesville.

Missouri 52, SE Missouri 3 - Chase Daniel threw three touchdown passes in the first half and Derrick Washington scored three times, helping the No. 6 Tigers (2-0) run up a quick 42-point lead before calling in the reserves in a romp over the Redhawks (1-1) in Columbia.

Alabama 20, Tulane 6 - In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Javier Arenas returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown and the No. 13 Tide held on for a shaky win over Tulane, forced out of New Orleans a week ago by the threat of Hurricane Gustav.

Just one game after looking like world beaters against then-No. 9 Clemson, a listless Alabama (2-0) allowed four sacks of John Parker Wilson, fumbled once, missed two kicks, and gained 172 yards - just 38 in the first half.

Oklahoma 52, Cincinnati 26 - Sam Bradford overcame only the second multiple-interception game of his young career, completing 29 of 38 passes for a career-best 395 yards and five touchdowns as the No. 4 Sooners (2-0) overpowered Cincinnati (1-1) in Norman, Okla.

Wake Forest 30, Mississippi 28 - Sam Swank kicked a 41-yard field goal with three seconds left to cap a dramatic final minute and give the No. 20 Demon Deacons a win over Mississippi in Winston-Salem, N.C.

After Jevan Snead's 5-yard TD pass to Cordera Eason on fourth down with 1 minute, 1 second left gave Ole Miss the lead, Riley Skinner led Wake Forest on a 56-yard drive. Swank, the nation's active career leader with 65 field goals, calmly drilled the game-winning field goal for the sixth lead change of the game.

South Florida 31, Central Florida 24 - Matt Grothe threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, including a 25-yarder to Taurus Johnson in overtime, as the No. 17 Bulls beat Golden Knights in Orlando in the final scheduled meeting between the rivals whose campuses are barely 100 miles apart.

Texas Tech 35, Nevada 19 - Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree hooked up for an 82-yard TD pass and Eric Morris returned a punt 86 yards for a score to lead the No. 12 Red Raiders (2-0) over the Wolfpack in Reno, Nev.

Utah 42, UNLV 21 - In Salt Lake City, Brian Johnson threw for two TDs and scored on a 56-yard run as the No. 22 Utes celebrated their return to the national rankings with a win over the Rebels.

Kansas 29, Louisiana Tech 0 - Dezmon Briscoe broke six tackles to turn a short pass into a 48-yard touchdown play, and Todd Reesing threw for career-high 412 yards and three scores in the No. 14 Jayhawks' victory over the Bulldogs in Lawrence, Kan.

Oregon 66, Utah State 24 - Justin Roper returned from a concussion and helped the No. 18 Ducks to a school-record 688 yards in a rout of the Aggies in Eugene, Ore.

Illinois 47, Eastern Illinois 21 - Juice Williams ran for a school-record 174 yards and two touchdowns to lead the No. 24 Illini to their first win of the season in Champaign.