By The Associated Press
East Lansing, Mich. – Mike Hart’s return and Garrett Rivas’ redemption gave Michigan a win it desperately needed.
Hart ran for 218 yards and a touchdown in his first game back from an injury, and Rivas made up for missing a field goal in the final minute of regulation by kicking a 35-yarder in overtime to give the Wolverines a 34-31 win over No. 11 Michigan State on Saturday.
“All I wanted was another chance,” Rivas said. “Luckily, overtime went our way and we were able to get another shot.”
John Goss narrowly missed a 37-yard field goal in overtime and didn’t connect on a 23-yard attempt early in the fourth quarter that would have given the Spartans their only lead.
“I have no excuses for how I did,” Goss said with watery eyes. “I feel bad for letting my teammates down.”
Hart’s return from a hamstring injury after missing two-plus games allowed the Wolverines (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) to avoid their worst start since 1967.
Drew Stanton was 20-of-30 for 282 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception for the Spartans (4-1, 1-1), who lost their fourth straight game in the rivalry.
The Wolverines were ranked as high as third but losses to Notre Dame and Wisconsin dropped them out of the poll for the first time since 1998, snapping the nation’s longest streak of 114 straight poll appearances.
The Spartans were in the top 25 and Michigan was not – and Michigan State was the favorite – in the annual matchup for the first time since 1968, the year before Bo Schembechler began coaching the Wolverines.
“When Michigan State is ranked ahead of you and you’re Michigan, it’s not good. That’s pressure in itself,” Hart said. “We were 2-2. That’s pressure within itself.”
After a flawless first half in which Michigan’s Chad Henne threw three touchdown passes without a turnover, his interception led to a game-tying field goal early in the third quarter and his fumble midway through the fourth quarter was returned 74 yards by defensive tackle Domata Peko for a touchdown, knotting the game at 31.
Henne was 26-of-35 for 256 yards. Jason Avant caught 10 passes for 96 yards and a TD.
No. 3 Virginia Tech 34,
West Virginia 17
Morgantown, W.Va. – Marcus Vick threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Hokies (5-0) converted two Mountaineers turnovers into scores to win in the finale of a 33-year series between the former Big East rivals.
Vick, facing the Mountaineers (4-1) for the first time, ran for a season-high 74 yards and was 15-of-17 passing for 177 yards.
“It might have been my best game ever,” Vick said. “I wanted to establish myself a bit as a runner.”
No. 4 LSU 37,
Mississippi State 7
Starkville, Miss. – An efficient JaMarcus Russell threw two touchdown passes to Dwayne Bowe, and the Tigers bounced back from a bitter defeat.
Russell finished 20-of-23 for 197 yards for the Tigers, who were eager to make up for an overtime home loss to No. 10 Tennessee five days earlier in which they blew a three-touchdown lead.
LSU (2-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) scored on three consecutive first-half possessions and rolled to its 13th victory over Mississippi State (2-3, 0-3) in 14 meetings. LSU has outscored the Bulldogs 202-26 the past five games.
No. 6 Florida State 38,
Syracuse 14
Tallahassee, Fla. – Drew Weatherford passed for 234 yards and three touchdowns and the Seminoles registered seven sacks in a victory over the Orange.
Syracuse (1-3) was virtually helpless on offense through most of the game, managing only 57 yards and two first downs by halftime.
“The pass rush is relentless,” Syracuse quarterback Perry Patterson said. “It’s hard to comprehend.”
No. 9 Miami 27,
South Florida 7
Miami – Tyrone Moss matched a career high with three touchdowns and the Hurricanes (3-1) ended the Cardinals’ hopes of springing a second straight upset.
Moss ran for 89 yards and had scoring runs of 1 and 19 yards in the first quarter, when Miami took advantage of three South Florida (3-2) turnovers to build an early 17-0 lead.
The teams combined for nine turnovers, with South Florida, 45-14 winners over then-No. 9 Louisville the previous Saturday, having all five of its giveaways before halftime.
No. 10 Tennessee 27,
Mississippi 10
Knoxville, Tenn. – Gerald Riggs ran for a touchdown and Jonathan Wade returned an interception for another score in the first quarter, as the Volunteers (3-1, 2-1 SEC) defeated the Rebels (1-3, 0-2) for the 12th straight time.
Before the game, Tennessee retired the number of Reggie White. The star defensive lineman died in December.
No. 12 California 28,
Arizona 0
Berkeley, Calif. – Marshawn Lynch ran for 107 yards and a touchdown in his first game back from an injury and the Bears (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10), off to their best start since 1996, shut out the Wildcats (1-3, 0-2) for the second straight year.
No. 13 Notre Dame 49,
No. 22 Purdue 28
West Lafayette, Ind. – Brady Quinn passed for 440 yards and three touchdowns, two to Jeff Samardzija, to lead the Fighting Irish.
Quinn was 20-for-23 for 283 yards in the first half, leading Notre Dame (4-1) to a 28-0 intermission lead. He finished the game 29-of-36 – a career-high 80.5 percent completion rate – and threw a TD pass for a 10th straight game, tying a school record set by Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte in 1964.
Purdue’s Dorien Bryant had a career-high 14 catches, two for touchdowns, for 127 yards. Quarterback Brandon Kirsch completed 29-of-44 passes for 274 yards with one interception.
No. 17 Wisconsin 41,
Indiana 24
Madison, Wis. – Brandon Williams caught two touchdown passes and returned a punt 63 yards for a score as the Badgers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) denied the Hoosiers (3-1, 0-1) their bid to go 4-0 for the first time in 15 years.
Penn State 44,
No. 18 Minnesota 14
State College, Pa. – Derrick Williams and Tony Hunt each rushed for two touchdowns for the Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who got their first win over a ranked team since 2002. Laurence Maroney was held to a season-low 48 yards rushing for the Gophers (4-1, 1-1).
Maryland 45,
No. 19 Virginia 33
College Park, Md. – Lance Ball ran for 163 yards and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, and Maryland amassed 570 yards in offense to hand No. 19 Virginia its first defeat.
Sam Hollenbach went 25-for-33 for 320 yards and two touchdowns, and Danny Melendez had nine catches for 125 yards to lead the Terrapins (3-2, 2-1 ACC) to their third straight home win over Virginia (3-1, 1-1).
No. 21 Boston College 38,
Ball State 0
Boston – Backup quarterback Matthew Ryan ran for two first-half scores and passed for 209 yards and a touchdown, leading the Eagles (4-1) over Ball State (0-4), which had 15 out after being suspended for violating an NCAA extra-benefits rule involving the use of textbooks.
No. 24 Louisville 61,
Florida Atlantic 10
Louisville, Ky. – Michael Bush ran for a career-high 204 yards and No. 24 Louisville (3-1) spoiled Howard Schnellenberger’s homecoming with a rout of Florida Atlantic (0-5), the worst loss in its five-year history.
