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.
“I’ll never forget this day,” Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said.
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 was returned 74 yards by defensive tackle Domata Peko for a TD, knotting the game at 31. Henne’s fumble stood after a replay.
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.”
The schools have met every year since 1973 but Tech’s move to the Atlantic Coast Conference last year and the subsequent addition of other teams to the Big East made it more difficult for the schools to schedule each other.
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 during the past five games.
No. 6 Florida State 38,
Syracuse 14
Tallahassee, Fla. – Drew Weatherford threw three touchdown passes and the Seminoles registered seven sacks in a victory over the Orange.
With the temperature approaching 90 on a humid afternoon, 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.”
Syracuse’s Damien Rhodes, who came into the game ranked 10th nationally with an average of 120.3 rushing yards, was held to 44 yards on 15 carries. He added 70 more with four catches.
The Seminoles, meanwhile, got 396 of their 512 yards through the air.
Weatherford, a redshirt freshman making his fourth collegiate start, passed for 234 yards, including a 71-yard swing pass to Lorenzo Booker – his first touchdown reception. Weatherford also ran for a score as the Seminoles jumped to a 24-0 lead.
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.
Rick Clausen played the entire game at quarterback for Tennessee and was 18-of-35 for 206 yards.
Before the game, Tennessee retired the number of Reggie White. The star defensive lineman died in December.
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.
Williams, who had all six of his receptions for 113 yards by halftime, became the fourth player in school history to top 2,000 career yards receiving and also the fourth to return two punts for touchdowns in a season. He had a 66-yarder against Temple last month.
Penn State 44,
No. 18 Minnesota 14
State College, Pa. – Derrick Williams and Tony Hunt each rushed for two touchdowns while the Nittany Lions’ stifling defense held Laurence Maroney to a season-low 48 yards rushing in an easy win.
The Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) beat the run-first Gophers (4-1, 1-1) at their own game, building a big lead by rushing over a porous Minnesota defense.
The Nittany Lions notched their first win over a ranked team since beating Wisconsin in 2002.
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 suspension-riddled Ball State (0-4).
The Cardinals had 15 players sidelined after being suspended last week 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 spoiled Howard Schnellenberger’s homecoming with a rout of Florida Atlantic, the worst loss in the Owls’ five-year history.
Elvis Dumervil had three sacks to push his total to 12 and Louisville (3-1) held the Owls (0-5) to 15 yards rushing.
