No. 1 LSU, No. 2 California knocked off
Andre Woodson threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Steve Johnson in the third overtime, and No. 17 Kentucky (6-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) stunned No. 1 LSU 43-37 Saturday in Lexington, Ky.
Johnson was all alone in the end zone because defender Jonathan Zenon tripped and fell. Woodson double-pumped before firing a strike. The required 2-point conversion failed, but it didn't matter.
"It proved we're a team that obviously earns a lot more respect now," Woodson said of the victory. "We've come a long way from being a doormat in the SEC to competing with the best teams in the SEC and getting some wins."
LSU (6-1, 3-1) had a chance to win but couldn't get a first down on four straight running plays. Charles Scott was stopped a yard short on fourth-and-2 run, and Kentucky had it's first victory over a No. 1 team since 1964, when it beat Mississippi.
It was the first time in nearly four years the No. 1 team was beaten during the regular season. On Dec. 6, 2003, Kansas State beat top-ranked Oklahoma 35-7 for the Big 12 title.
Oregon St. 31, California 28: Playing with its No. 2 quarterback, California squandered a chance to grab the No. 1 ranking. Yvenson Bernard leaped into the end zone on fourth down from the 1 with 8:30 remaining, and Oregon State (4-3, 2-2 Pac-10) beating the host No. 2 Golden Bears (5-1, 2-1) and backup quarterback Kevin Riley.
The win wasn't sealed until Riley inexplicably tried to scramble from the 12 with 14 seconds remaining and no timeouts. He was tackled after a 2-yard gain, and the clock ran out before the field-goal unit could get on the field. Riley had orchestrated a near-perfect drive up to that point from his own 5 with 1:27 remaining. But his inexperience showed at the end.
South Florida 64, UCF 12: Host No. 5 South Florida (6-0) got its school record-tying eighth straight victory dating to last season in a romp over Central Florida (3-3). George Selvie, the nation's sack leader, led a swarming defense, and Matt Grothe threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for 2 more for the Bulls.
Oklahoma 41, Missouri 31: Chris Brown ran for 3 second-half touchdowns, Curtis Lofton returned a fumble for a touchdown, and host No. 6 Oklahoma (6-1, 2-1 Big 12) beat No. 11 Missouri (5-1, 1-1). Brown put the Sooners ahead to stay with his 1-yard touchdown run with 12:26 remaining, and Lofton scooped up a botched handoff and returned it 15 yards for a score 46 seconds later.
S. Carolina 21, N. Carolina 15: Chris Smelley threw a career-high 3 touchdown passes in the first half, and No. 7 South Carolina (6-1) withstood a late rally to beat host North Carolina (2-5). The redshirt freshman improved to 4-0 as a starter, helping South Carolina build a 21-3 lead through three quarters and successfully defend its first top-10 ranking since 2001.
Oregon 53, Washington St. 7: Dennis Dixon threw for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns, and host No. 9 Oregon (5-1, 2-1 Pacific-10) handed Washington State (2-5, 0-4) its fourth straight loss. Dixon also ran for a touchdown for the Ducks, who had 551 yards in total offense.
USC 20, Arizona 13: Highly touted freshman Joe McKnight gave Southern California the big plays it desperately needed, Mark Sanchez threw his first career touchdown pass, and the host No. 10 Trojans (5-1, 3-1 Pac-10) rallied past Arizona (2-5, 1-3).