College Football Top 25 Review

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Sep 16, 2012

College Football Top 25 Review

No. 1 Alabama 52, Arkansas 0

Things keep getting worse for Arkansas. After last week's shocking upset loss to Louisiana-Monroe, the Hogs suffered a humiliating home defeat at the hands of SEC West foe Alabama. With starting quarterback Tyler Wilson sidelined with a concussion, Arkansas managed to generate just 171 net yards of offense. The Razorbacks' defense, meanwhile, let Eddie Lacy (pictured) and the Crimson Tide walk all over it to the tune of 441 yards and seven touchdowns.

No. 21 Stanford 21, No. 2 USC 14

Even without Andrew Luck, Stanford still had every answer for Matt Barkley and Southern California. Josh Nunes threw a go-ahead 37-yard touchdown to Zach Ertz, Stepfan Taylor (No. 33) ran for 153 yards and scored two touchdowns, and Stanford upset USC its fourth straight win in this series. Heisman Trophy hopeful Matt Barkley threw for 254 yards and two interceptions while completing only 20 of 41 passes. He was sacked twice on the final drive for the Trojans and threw out of bounds on a final, desperate heave on fourth-and-39 from USC's 25-yard line. Coming out of a two-year bowl ban, USC had national title hopes this season. Now the Trojans will have to climb out of another hole to get there.

No. 3 LSU 63, Idaho 14

LSU defenders had their hands in the air even before they started celebrating interception returns for touchdowns. Tigers safety Ronald Martin (No. 26) and defensive end Lavar Edwards each snagged deflected passes and returned them for scores, helping LSU pull away for an easy victory over winless Idaho.

No. 4 Oregon 63, Tennessee Tech 14

Matt Barkley continues to occupy the role of Heisman favorite, but conference mate De'Anthony Thomas (pictured) is posting eye-popping numbers of his own for the Ducks. Thomas delivered 222 all-purpose yards on a mere 10 touches against Tennessee Tech, rushing for a 59-yard touchdown and catching a 16-yard score. Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota had a big day as well, throwing for 308 yards and four scores.

No. 5 Florida State 52, Wake Forest 0

Florida State started early and never let up against Wake Forest, rolling to a 52-0 victory in Week 3. Chris Thompson inflicted the majority of the damage. The 5-8, 187-pound senior gashed the Demon Deacons for a whopping 197 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback E.J. Manuel (pictured) accounted for 224 all-purpose yards and three scores. The Seminoles avenged their loss to Wake Forest in 2011.

No. 7 Georgia 56, Fla. Atlantic 20

For Aaron Murray, the individual records are just a bonus. The Georgia quarterback has his sights on a title. Murray passed for a career-best 342 yards and accounted for four touchdowns -- two passing, two rushing -- to lead the Bulldogs back from another slow start for a whipping of Florida Atlantic.

No. 8 South Carolina 49, UAB 6

Quarterback Connor Shaw was forced to leave the game with a shoulder injury, but for the second straight week, South Carolina rolled in his absence. Backup Dylan Thompson threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns, Marcus Lattimore rushed for 85 yards and a score and wideout Ace Sanders (pictured) tallied 55 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Gamecocks' bettered their record to 3-0.

No. 9 West Virginia 42, James Madison 12

West Virginia continued its early-season roll against James Madison, torching the Dukes en route to a 42-12 win. Geno Smith completed 34-of-49 passes for 411 yards and five touchdowns, and two Mountaineer wideouts surpassed the 100-yard mark on the day. Stedman Bailey (pictured) made 13 catches for 173 yards and three scores, while Tavon Austins made 11 grabs for 113 yards and one touchdown.

No. 20 Notre Dame 20, No. 10 Michigan State 3

Everett Golson made plays with his arms and legs, and an inspired Manti Te'o helped Notre Dame's defense smother Michigan State. The Fighting Irish are off to their best start in 10 years, with the type of marquee victory that's eluded them for almost as long. Golson (left) threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score in the first half to help the Fighting Irish dominate the Spartans. The Irish (3-0) snapped a six-game losing streak against ranked teams and beat a top-10 opponent for the first time in seven years. "It's a signature win," third-year Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said.

No. 11 Clemson 41, Furman 7

Sophomore Sammy Watkins (pictured) returned from a two-game suspension, and the dynamic wideout didn't disappoint. Watkins totaled 110-all purpose yards, including a 58-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. Clemson's other standouts also shined against Furman. Tajh Boyd threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns, and DeAndre Hopkins made seven catches for 92 receiving yards.

No. 12 Ohio State 35, Cal 28

It was much tighter than expected, but for the third consecutive week, quarterback Braxton Miller (pictured) led the Buckeyes to victory. Miller accounted for 336 yards (249 passing, 75 rushing) and five touchdowns, wide receiver Devin Smith registered 145 receiving yards and two scores and Ohio State edged Cal, 35-28. Bears sophomore Brendan Bigelow played valiantly in defeat. He carried the ball four times for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

Pittsburgh 35, No. 13 Virginia Tech 17

Though Pitt lost its first two games in underwhelming fashion, the Panthers pummeled the No. 13 Hokies to record their first win of the season. Quarterback Tino Sunseri completed 19-of-28 attempts for 283 yards and three scores, and the running back tandem of Ray Graham (pictured) and Rushel Shell combined for 251 yards and two scores. Virginia Tech signal-caller Logan Thomas struggled mightily, completing less than half of his passes (14-of-31) and tossing three costly interceptions.

No. 14 Texas 66, Ole Miss 31

Texas started its night by running over Mississippi's defense. When that got boring, the Longhorns ran around it. Finally, they let quarterback David Ash (left) get in on the fun, lobbing long touchdowns as Texas clobbered Mississippi. By the end of the evening, the statistics were impressive. Ash threw for a career-high 326 yards and four touchdowns, receiver Marquise Goodwin accounted for 182 yards and two touchdowns and the Longhorns gained 676 yards. It was the most points Ole Miss has given up in a game since 1917.

No. 15 Kansas State 35, North Texas 21

Coming off a dominant performance against Miami, Kansas State overcame a slow start to defeat North Texas in Week 3. Quarterback Collin Klein (pictured) passed for 237 yards, rushed for 85 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Wildcats' win, and wide receiver Tramaine Thompson added 102 yards and two scores. After improving to 3-0, Kansas State will visit Oklahoma in its Big 12 opener next Saturday.

No. 16 TCU 20, Kansas 6

TCU made its Big 12 debut in style, taking down Kansas to improve to 2-0. Junior Waymon James (pictured) led the rushing attack with 12 carries for 99 yards, and wideout Brandon Carter made eight catches for 141 yards and two scores. Quarterback Casey Pachall wasn't bad, either. He completed 24-of-30 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, Pachall has now completed 33-of-39 attempts, an 84.6 percent mark.

No. 17 Michigan 63, UMass 13

Michigan's first easy victory of the season came thanks to a big day from quarterback Denard Robinson, who delivered 397 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. Robinson's three passing touchdowns found three different receivers, including tight end Devin Funchess (pictured).

No. 19 Louisville 39, North Carolina 34

Louisville let a 36-7 lead melt away, but ultimately held on to beat UNC 39-34. Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had another huge day, completing 23-of-28 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, including one to Eli Rogers (pictured). Bridgewater has now completed 72 of his 88 attempts on the season for an astounding 82-percent completion mark.

No. 22 UCLA 37, Houston 6

No. 22 UCLA showed what it can do on offense in its first two games of the season, rolling up 85 points and 1,299 yards. Redshirt freshman Brett Hundley (right) passed for 320 yards and two touchdowns, and the hard-hitting Bruins held high-scoring Houston in check. "We played outstanding defense tonight except for one play," said first-year coach Jim Mora, referring to an 86-yard run by Houston's David Piland with 4:54 remaining that kept the Cougars from being shut out for the first time in nearly 12 years.

No. 18 Florida 37, No. 23 Tennessee 20

Tennessee carried a 14-10 lead into halftime, but Florida pulled away in the second half to emerge with a pivotal SEC victory. Quarterback Jeff Driskel (pictured) led the way for the Gators, accumulating 300 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and a variety of playmakers rose to the occasion. Trey Burton and Frankie Hammond each scored touchdowns of 75 yards or longer in the win.

No. 24 Arizona 56, S. Carolina St. 0

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez was concerned about his team taking South Carolina State lightly. He had no reason to be concerned. Matt Scott (center) threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns on 30-of-36 passing, and added a 10-yard scoring run in another stellar performance to start his senior season as the Wildcats breezed through their final nonconference game. Arizona knocked off No. 18 Oklahoma State last week and opens the Pac-12 next weekend at No. 4 Oregon.

Utah 24, No. 25 BYU 21

Two years ago, BYU saw its hopes of winning in Salt Lake City dashed by a last-second blocked field goal. Saturday night, the 25th-ranked Cougars had two late chances only to have the same result, this time a loss to Utah. The Utes' Star Lotulelei blocked Justin Sorensen's 51-yard attempt with 1 second remaining after the officials put time back on the clock following a third-down incompletion. The Cougars would get another shot, from 15 yards closer after the frenzied crowd prematurely rushed the field, and Utah was assessed a penalty. Riley Stephenson's 36-yard attempt with no time left clanked off the left upright, sending the crowd back on the field for good to celebrate the upset. Jake Murphy (left) and 2-1 Utah travel to Arizona State to face the Sun Devils.

College Football Top 25 Review