No. 5 Boise State 33, Air Force 26
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Kellen Moore threw three touchdowns, Doug Martin scored twice and the defense and special teams did just enough to help Boise State hold off Air Force.
Moore was precise as usual, going 23 of 29 for 281 yards. His three TDs give him 123 in his career, making him fourth best all-time. The victory gave him 45 career wins, putting him in a tie with Colt McCoy for most wins for college quarterbacks.
Martin rushed for 125 yards on 21 carries and the Broncos (7-0, 2-0 Mountain West Conference) rolled up 423 yards of offense.
But the Broncos’ defense struggled to stop Air Force and its potent option game. The Falcons (3-4, 0-3) pounded out 265 yards rushing, helping them control the clock and keep Boise State’s offense off the field.
No. 6 Oklahoma State 45,
Missouri 24
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Joseph Randle scored four touchdowns, two on runs that capitalized on big defensive plays by Shaun Lewis, and Oklahoma State ended Missouri’s 10-game home winning streak.
Randle had 138 yards on 14 carries and scored on runs of 16, 59 and 12 yards. He also caught a 13-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Brandon Weeden had three touchdown passes after the opening snap of the second quarter. Lewis’ interception and fumble recovery helped the Cowboys (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) pull away despite injuries to both starting wide receivers.
Henry Josey had 138 yards on 25 carries and T.J. Moe had six catches for 103 yards and a score for Missouri (3-4, 1-3), which has yet to win consecutive games.
No. 8 Clemson 59, North Carolina 38
CLEMSON, S.C. — Tajh Boyd tied a school record with five touchdown passes, defensive end Kourtnei Brown scored on interception and fumble returns and Clemson improved to 8-0 for the first time in 11 years.
The Tigers (5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) again put on an offensive display with 450 yards as Boyd matched Cullen Harper’s 2007 mark on the day the school celebrated the 30th anniversary of its 1981 national champions.
Brown became the first Clemson defensive lineman to score a pair of touchdowns in one game in 57 years.
North Carolina (5-3, 1-3) turned the ball over six times and tailback Giovani Bernard was held to 44 yards, ending his streak of five consecutive games with 100 yards rushing.
No. 9 Oregon 45, Colorado 2
BOULDER, Colo. — Playing without Darron Thomas and LaMichael James, Oregon bulldozed injury-riddled Colorado.
The Ducks lost none of their quick-strike scoring ability without their injured quarterback and running back. Thomas was out with a knee injury and James missed his second straight game while recovering from a dislocated elbow.
With Bryan Bennett under center and Kenjon Barner at tailback, the Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-10) used four drives that averaged just 1:36 each to build a 29-0 lead after one quarter.
Barner reeled off touchdown runs of 4 and 84 yards and Bennett found running back De’Anthony Thomas for a 14-yard touchdown and tight end David Paulson from 31 yards out.
No. 10 Arkansas 29, Mississippi 24
OXFORD, Miss. — Tyler Wilson threw for 232 yards and rushed for two touchdowns, and Arkansas rallied from an early 17-point deficit.
Arkansas (6-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) continues its best start under fourth-year coach Bobby Petrino, staying in the mix in the loaded Western Division that includes LSU and Alabama. Dennis Johnson rushed for 160 yards on 15 carries, including a 52-yard touchdown. Joe Adams caught four passes for 124 yards.
Eric Bennett’s late interception sealed the victory.
Ole Miss (2-5, 0-4) took a surprising 17-0 lead with 6:20 remaining in the second quarter after Randall Mackey’s 3-yard touchdown run, but the Razorbacks responded with 29 unanswered points.
The Rebels set a program record for SEC futility, losing 10 straight league games dating to last season.
No. 13 Nebraska 41, Minnesota 14
MINNEAPOLIS — Rex Burkhead rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown and No. 13 Nebraska racked up 346 yards on the ground.
The Huskers (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) took over TCF Bank Stadium in their first trip to the Twin Cities since 1989. More than two-thirds of the stadium was filled with red-clad Nebraska backers, and they had plenty to cheer about.
Taylor Martinez threw for 162 yards and a touchdown and Austin Cassidy returned a fumble for another score in the romp.
MarQueis Gray was 9 for 18 for 122 yards for the Golden Gophers (1-6, 0-3), but was just 2 for 8 for 9 yards in the first two quarters. Minnesota has been outscored 144-31 in three Big Ten games this season.
No. 16 Virginia Tech 30,
Boston College 14
BLACKSBURG, Va. — David Wilson got Virginia Tech’s offense untracked with a long touchdown run in the third quarter and Logan Thomas threw for a touchdown and ran for another as the Hokies won their third straight.
The Hokies (7-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 7-6 at halftime, but Wilson broke off a 42-yard touchdown run on their first possession of the third quarter, and Thomas then led consecutive scoring drives, waking up a Lane Stadium crowd that had had little to cheer about.
Chase Rettig led a short scoring drive that gave the Eagles (1-6, 0-4) a 7-0 lead after just 3 minutes, and hit Chris Pantale with a 7-yard TD throw in the fourth quarter. He had trouble getting inside the Hokies’ 40 otherwise, and threw a drive-killing interception.
No. 17 Texas A&M 33, Iowa State 17
AMES, Iowa — Ryan Tannehill threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns and Texas A&M held off Iowa State for its third straight Big 12 win.
Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray each rushed for more than 100 yards for the Aggies (5-2, 3-1 Big 12), who used Tannehill’s scoring passes late in the first half to jump ahead 20-7.
Michael’s 9-yard TD run early in the third quarter gave Texas A&M a 30-7 lead.
Michael had 142 yards on 18 carries, Gray added 125 yards and Jeff Fuller and Michael Lamothe each had TD receptions for Texas A&M.
Freshman Jared Barnett, who replaced a struggling Steele Jantz in the first quarter, was 16-of-36 passing for 180 yards for the Cyclones (3-4, 0-4), who have dropped four in a row.
Miami 24, No. 20 Georgia Tech 7
MIAMI — JoJo Nicholas recovered a fumbled punt for a touchdown plus added an interception, Lamar Miller ran for 93 yards and a score and Miami’s banged-up defense was dominant.
Mike James also had a touchdown run for Miami (4-3, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), which won consecutive games for the first time this season and has now beaten Georgia Tech three straight times.
Georgia Tech (6-2, 3-2) came into Saturday averaging 517 yards of offense this season. The Yellow Jackets got only 211 on Saturday, their lowest total since a loss to Iowa in the Orange Bowl after the 2009 season.
Purdue 21, No. 23 Illinois 14
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Caleb TerBush passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns to help Purdue upset Illinois.
Raheem Mostert ran for a touchdown and tackled the punter on a play that led to another score for the Boilermakers (4-3, 2-1 Big Ten). It was Purdue’s first victory over a ranked team since beating No. 7 Ohio State in 2009.
Illinois (6-2, 2-2) lost its second straight. The Fighting Illini scored on a 16-yard run by Jason Ford with 8:12 remaining, and a 2-yard run by quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase cut Purdue’s lead to 21-14 with 54 seconds to play. But Purdue’s Justin Siller recovered the onside kick, and the Boilermakers ran out the clock.
