College Football Notes: Week 8

I guess Touchdown Jesus really can work miracles.

Notre Dame was out-played for 59:30 by the UCLA Bruins only to score the game-winner with 27 seconds left on a 45-yard pass from Brady Quinn to Jeff Samardzija, giving the Irish the 20-17 victory and improving their record to 6-1.

And while Notre Dame may move up or stay at its 10 spot in the rankings, UCLA showed that Charlie Weis and company have a decent team, but not a national championship caliber one.

No. 1 Ohio State continued its domination of the Big Ten with a 44-3 thrashing of Indiana. Buckeye QB Troy Smith threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns and separated himself even further from the Heisman Trophy pack.

Michigan finally ended the number two jinx by defeating a tough Iowa squad, 20-10. RB Mike Hart ran for 124 yards and two TDs to lead the Wolverine attack.

The fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns needed a 22-yard field goal with 23 seconds left to defeat No. 17 Nebraska, 22-20. The Longhorn defense forced three turnovers on a much-improved Cornhuskers squad and that was the difference in the game.

No. 7 Tennessee improved to 6-1 on the year with a hard-fought 16-13 SEC win over Alabama. Vols QB Erick Ainge threw for 302 yards. Tennessee RB Arian Foster scored with 3:23 left to give the Volunteers the win.

No. 11 California fought off a pesky Washington club, playing without injured QB Isaiah Stanback, to come away with a 31-24 victory in overtime. Golden Bears RB Marshawn Lynch rushed for 150 yards and two TDs, including the game-winner in OT.

Clemson, ranked 12th in the nation, proved it is the class of the ACC with a 31-7 pounding of No. 13 Georgia Tech. Tigers tailback James Davis ran for 216 yards and two touchdowns, while C.J. Spiller rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown. Yellowjackets star receiver Calvin Johnson was held without a reception for the first time in his career.

No. 19 Rutgers improved to 7-0 on the season with a 20-10 victory over Pittsburgh in a Big East contest. Scarlet Knights RB Ray Rice ran for 229 yards and a touchdown, his third 200-yard game this season, to lead the Rutgers offensive charge.

Boston College QB Matt Ryan, playing on a gimpy ankle, threw for 262 yards to lead the No. 22 Eagles to the 24-19 victory over Florida State in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are now an uncharacteristic 4-3 this season.

The upset of the week occurred in Pullman where Washington State knocked off 16th ranked Oregon, 34-23. The Cougars (5-3) jumped out to a 27-3 lead and never looked back as RB Dwight Tardy wasn't late at all as the junior rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown. The Ducks, now 5-2 on the season, got only 28 yards rushing from star tailback Jonathan Stewart.

Michigan State rallied from a 38-3 deficit in the third quarter to defeat Northwestern 41-38 for the biggest comeback victory in the history of college football. The 35-point deficit surpasses the 31-point comeback by Maryland over Miami, Fla. in 1984 and Ohio State over Minnesota in 1989. The Terps won that game 42-40 and the Buckeyes captured 41-37 victory.

Other scores from the top 25: No. 4 West Virginia 37, Connecticut 11; No. 6 Louisville 28, Syracuse 13; No. 8 Auburn 38, Tulane 13; No. 14 LSU 38, Fresno State 6; No. 15 Arkansas 38, Mississippi 3; No. 18 Boise State 42, Idaho 26; No. 20 Oklahoma 24, Colorado 3; No. 21 Wisconsin 24, Purdue 3; No. 23 Texas A&M 34, Oklahoma State 33 (OT); and No. 24 Missouri 41, Kansas State 21.

Highlight games for week nine include: Clemson (7-1) at Virginia Tech (5-2); Notre Dame (6-1) at Navy (5-2); Miami, Fla. (5-2) at Georgia Tech (5-2); Oklahoma (5-2) at Missouri (7-1); Florida State (4-3) at Maryland (5-2); Penn State (5-3) at Purdue (5-3); Georgia (6-2) at Florida (6-1); and Washington State (5-3) at UCLA (4-3).

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