Tide rolls over Arkansas while UCLA stuns Texas in Austin on busy day in college football

Bama rallies to beat Arkansas, UCLA bounces Texas

The two teams that played for the national championship last season trailed by 10 at halftime Saturday.

No. 1 Alabama rallied from its deficit on the road and earned a tough 24-20 victory against No. 10 Arkansas, behind the hard running of Mark Ingram.

For No. 7 Texas, that 10-point hole only got worse as UCLA rolled to a 34-12 victory in Austin.

In the biggest game in Fayettville, Ark., Ingram ran for 157 yards and scored the decisive touchdown on a 1-yard run with 3:18 to play for the defending national champions.

Robert Lester set up the score with his second interception of the day against Ryan Mallett. He returned it to the Arkansas 11, and Nick Saban gave the ball to his Heisman Trophy-winning running back on three straight plays to get the eventual winning score.

The Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 SEC) was able to run out the clock after Mallett threw his third interception, this time to Dre Kirkpatrick. Alabama faced fourth-and-inches in its own territory, but Greg McElroy picked up the first down with a sneak with less than a minute left.

That sent Arkansas (3-1, 1-1) and its record home crowd of 76,808 away disappointed.

Mallett threw for 357 yards on 25 of 38 passing against Alabama’s inexperienced secondary, but the two interceptions he tossed in the fourth quarter will overshadow all those other gaudy numbers and pretty throws.

Alabama is all but assured of going into next week’s big game, at home against No. 9 Florida, still No. 1.

Texas will drop in the rankings before it plays No. 8 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry and doesn’t look anything like the team that played Alabama in the BCS title game last season.

Johnathan Franklin rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown to lead UCLA to another stunning win in Austin, 13 years after the Bruins walloped the Longhorns 66-3 in the same stadium.

UCLA sent Texas fans heading to the exits early by forcing four first-half turnovers, then letting its grinding ground game chew up the second half.

The Bruins (2-2) ran for 264 of their 291 total yards. Quarterback Kevin Prince’s 38-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put the game away against a Texas offense that misfired all afternoon.

After starting 0-2, including a 35-0 loss to Pac-10 rival Stanford, the Bruins have consecutive wins over Top 25 opponents.

Texas (3-1) lost its first home game since 2007 against Kansas State and scored its fewest points at home since a 12-7 loss to Texas A&M in 2006.

No. 2 Ohio State 73, Eastern Michigan 20

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Dane Sanzenbacher tied two school records by catching four touchdown passes from Terrelle Pryor, and the Buckeyes scored their most points in 60 years.

The biggest cheers throughout the day came when it was announced that Arkansas was leading top-ranked Alabama. The Crimson Tide came from behind to win, the only damper on an otherwise glittering afternoon for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State (4-0) scored on its first six possessions against the 44½-point underdogs, who lost their 16th game in a row. Pryor completed 20 of 26 passes for 224 yards and the four scores, rushed seven times for 104 yards and a touchdown and also caught a 20-yard scoring pass from his former high school teammate, Jordan Hall, late in the third quarter.

Sanzenbacher had nine catches for 108 yards against Eastern Michigan (0-4).

No. 6 Nebraska 17, South Dakota St. 6

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Rex Burkhead and Kyler Reed scored on consecutive series in the first half, but Nebraska turned in an uninspired performance in a win over South Dakota State.

The Cornhuskers (4-0) are off to their best start since 2005, but backups who figured to get lots of playing time against the Jackrabbits of the FCS watched while most of Nebraska’s starters went the distance.

Redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez, coming off three straight 100-yard rushing games, fumbled his first snap, threw two interceptions, was wildly off the mark with other passes and was flagged for taunting. He finished with 75 yards on 13 carries but was just 6 of 14 passing for 140 yards.

Kyle Minett hurt the Huskers for 113 yards on 28 carries for the Jackrabbits (0-3).

Nebraska got a huge performance from linebacker Lavonte David, who was credited with 19 tackles and two pass breakups.

No. 8 Oklahoma 31, Cincinnati 29

CINCINNATI (AP) — Landry Jones ran an Oklahoma offense moving so fast that Cincinnati couldn’t even line up at times, throwing for 370 yards and two touchdowns, and the eighth-ranked Sooners withstood a late Bearcats rally to stay unbeaten.

Oklahoma (4-0) did a little of everything behind its sophomore quarterback, who completed a career-high 36 passes in 51 attempts with one interception. Ryan Broyles had his seventh straight 100-yard receiving game, looking good on the NFL field where favorite Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco — who wears the same No. 85 — struts his stuff.

Jones’ only interception helped Cincinnati (1-3) make a late charge. Zach Collaros followed with a 36-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Woods that cut it to 24-22 with 9:45 left.

Woods then fumbled a punt at the Cincinnati 7, setting up Jones’ clinching touchdown pass.

No. 11 Wisconsin 70, Austin Peay 3

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Freshman James White rushed for four touchdowns and Scott Tolzien threw for three more scores for Wisconsin.

The Badgers (4-0) rolled in their final warmup for conference play, scoring touchdowns on all seven of their first-half possessions to take a 49-3 lead. It was a modern-era record for the Badgers, whose previous high was 69 points in a victory over New Mexico State in 1962.

John Clay rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown and fullback Bradie Ewing also had touchdowns rushing and receiving.

Stephen Stansell’s 51-yard field goal was about the only highlight for the Governors (2-2), a Football Championship Subdivision team playing its first game against a Big Ten team.

Wisconsin opens Big Ten play at Michigan State next Saturday.

No. 16 Stanford 37, Notre Dame 14

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Owen Marecic scored on a run and interception return 13 seconds apart and Nate Whitaker kicked a career-high five field goals, making the Cardinal 4-0 for the first time since 1986.

It was just the third victory in South Bend for Stanford, and its first since 1992. The Cardinal have now won two in a row against Notre Dame (1-3), a first in the series that dates to the 1925 Rose Bowl.

Notre Dame got only a field goal off three turnovers — including Andrew Luck’s first two interceptions of the year — as it dropped its seventh in eight games. The loss also was Notre Dame’s 11th straight against Top 25 teams, with five of those losses coming at home.

Whitaker kicked field goals of 24, 41, 36, 33 and 29 yards. Luck finished 19 of 32 for 238 yards and a score.

No. 18 Iowa 45, Ball State 0

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Ricky Stanzi threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns as the Hawkeyes bounced back from last week’s loss at Arizona.

Adam Robinson added 115 yards rushing and a pair of TDs for the Hawkeyes (3-1), who quickly overwhelmed the Cardinals on a soggy afternoon at Kinnick Stadium. Stanzi threw touchdown passes of 8 and 22 yards in the second quarter to put Iowa ahead 21-0 at halftime.

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos had two touchdown receptions for Iowa.

The Hawkeyes had 562 yards of offense to just 112 for Ball State (1-3), which was shut out for the first time since 2005.

No. 20 Southern California 50, Washington State 16

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Matt Barkley completed 16 of 25 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns as the Trojans looked like their old powerhouse selves.

Stanley Havili ran for 80 yards and caught five passes for 107 for USC (4-0, 1-0 Pac-10), which had been up and down in wins over Hawaii, Virginia and Minnesota. Allen Bradford rushed for 84 yards for the Trojans.

Lane Kiffin became the first USC coach since Jess Hill in 1951 to start 4-0.

The Trojans beat Washington State for the eighth straight time and have a 58-8-4 lead in the series. Washington State (1-3, 0-1) has lost 12 straight games to FBS teams.

The Trojans piled up 285 yards on the ground and 613 yards of total offense without punting.

No. 21 Michigan 65, Bowling Green 21

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The only scare Michigan got on Saturday came from an injury to star quarterback Denard Robinson.

Robinson, who led Michigan to wins in his first three starts, twisted his left knee in the first quarter and didn’t return, though he is expected to play next week. He ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns on five carries and was 4 for 4 for 60 yards on two drives plus one play.

Tate Forcier, who started last season ahead of Robinson, left the game in the fourth quarter after also appearing to hurt his left knee. Forcier helped the Wolverines turn the game into a rout, setting a school record by completing all 12 of his passes, for 110 yards and a TD.

Bowling Green (1-3) gave up the first 21 points of the game in the first quarter, then got to within a touchdown with 5:07 left in the first half.

No. 23 Penn State 22, Temple 13

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Collin Wagner tied a school record with five field goals, Evan Royster ran for 187 yards and Penn State’s defense dominated in the second half.

The Nittany Lions (3-1) had little trouble moving the ball until they got inside the 40, but Wagner’s right leg bailed them out. His 21-yarder with 1:38 left in the third quarter finally gave Penn State a 15-13 lead.

Temple (3-1) had been outscored 154-9 in its previous four games with Penn State, but took a 13-6 lead in the first quarter on Bernard Pierce’s two touchdown runs. He later left the game with an apparent right ankle injury, and the Owls offense stalled after halftime.

Rob Bolden finished 18 of 28 for 223 yards for Penn State.

No. 25 Michigan State 45, Northern Colorado 7

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Kirk Cousins threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, and Michigan State had no trouble winning without coach Mark Dantonio.

Dantonio had a mild heart attack shortly after last weekend’s win over Notre Dame. He was released from the hospital Tuesday and even visited practice Friday, but offensive coordinator Don Treadwell took over his coaching duties for this game.

Michigan State (4-0) wore the letter D on its helmets and gave its recovering coach little to worry about against the Bears (2-2) of the Football Championship Subdivision.

Dantonio’s return is still uncertain, but his program is entering Big Ten play with high hopes. Michigan State hosts Wisconsin next Saturday and plays at Michigan the following weekend. The Spartans haven’t started 5-0 since 1999 under Nick Saban.