All fired up, Georgia rolls past Florida
The Georgia Bulldogs celebrated in the end zone early and on the sideline late.
They probably should have hoisted Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford on their shoulders for both.
Moreno ran for a career-high 188 yards and three scores, Stafford threw three touchdown passes, and No. 20 Georgia upset ninth-ranked Florida, 42-30, yesterday in Jacksonville, Fla., in a game filled with big plays and momentum shifts.
The Bulldogs (6-2, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) sacked Tim Tebow six times and contained the Gators' high-scoring offense most of the game. The result was a rare Bulldogs victory in one of the South's most heated rivalries.
Florida (5-3, 3-3) had dominated the series since 1990, winning 15 of the last 17 meetings and eight of nine. Georgia turned it around yesterday, taking advantage of Tebow's bruised non-throwing shoulder and Florida's porous defense.
Bulldogs coach Mark Richt set the tone before the game. Richt, who had been 1-5 against the Gators, uncharacteristically orchestrated an on-field celebration following his team's first touchdown.
"I told them if they didn't get a penalty for celebrating after the first score I would be mad at them," Richt told CBS Sports at halftime. The Bulldogs came through for their coach when the entire team ran on the field and into the end zone to celebrate Moreno's first TD run. The Bulldogs bounced around and drew two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Georgia was forced to kickoff from the 8-yard line and the brazen show of emotion drew the ire of the Gators.
"I think it was real disrespectful," linebacker Brandon Spikes said. "It got the crowd into it and we were kind of shocked to see the whole team rush on the field. I just feel like it was a big disrespect. No class. It was fake juice and they kind of fed off it and it got them going. But it was disrespectful."
Stafford was 11 of 18 for 217 yards with an interception that was returned for a TD early.
Moreno did most of the damage on 33 carries, picking up yards inside and out, breaking tackles and outrunning defenders all over the field. Stafford took advantage, using play-action passes to make Florida's secondary look silly.
The Bulldogs sealed the victory when Tebow fumbled a snap with 2:23 remaining.
Ohio St. 37, Penn St. 17 - Maybe now the No. 1 Buckeyes will get the respect they're looking for.
Todd Boeckman threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns and Chris Wells ran for 133 yards, leading Ohio State to another easy victory, this one over the No. 24 Nittany Lions in State College, Pa.
Several Buckeyes (9-0, 5-0, Big Ten) last week complained they weren't getting enough respect despite their No. 1 ranking in the polls and Bowl Championship Series standings. Penn State (6-3, 3-3) was only the second ranked team Ohio State has faced, so the strength of the Buckeyes' schedule had been questioned.
Ohio State has won 19 straight Big Ten games, tying the mark set by Michigan in 1990-92. The Buckeyes' last Big Ten loss came Oct. 8, 2005, 17-10 at Penn State.
West Virginia 31, Rutgers 3 - In Piscataway, N.J., the sixth-ranked Mountaineers kept their BCS hopes alive by routing the No. 25 Scarlet Knights.
Steve Slaton ran for three touchdowns and quarterback Pat White rushed for 156 yards and a score as West Virginia beat host Rutgers, its 13th straight victory in the series.
Slaton went from sideline to sideline on a spectacular 38-yard run that gave West Virginia (7-1, 2-1 Big East) the early lead, and scored on short second-half runs to bury Rutgers (5-3, 2-2).
Kansas 19, Texas A&M 11 - Brandon McAnderson rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns and the No. 12 Jayhawks (8-0, 4-0 Big 12) snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Aggies and won in Texas for the first time since 2001.
Missouri 42, Iowa St. 28 - Lorenzo Williams recovered a fumble in the end zone at the start of the second half, helping the No. 13 Tigers (7-1, 3-1 Big 12) turn back the visiting Cyclones (1-8, 0-5).
Mississippi St. 31, Kentucky 14 - Wesley Carroll threw for two touchdowns and the Bulldogs (5-4, 2-3 SEC) forced a season-high six turnovers in an upset of the host No. 14 Wildcats (6-3, 2-3), who lost their second in a row since knocking off then-No.1 LSU in triple overtime.
Tennessee 27, S. Carolina 24 - Daniel Lincoln kicked a game-tying 48-yard field goal with 5 second left, then provided the only points in overtime, and the host Volunteers (5-3, 3-2 SEC) knocked off the 15th-ranked Gamecocks (6-3, 3-3) to move into a tie with Florida atop the conference's Eastern Division.
Texas 28, Nebraska 25 - Jamaal Charles ran for 290 yards, including fourth-quarter touchdowns of 25, 86, and 40 yards, and the No. 17 Longhorns (7-2, 3-2 Big 12) handed the visiting Cornhuskers their fourth straight loss, the first time Nebraska has lost four in a row since 1961.
Michigan 34, Minnesota 10 - Mario Manningham had five receptions for a career-high 162 yards and a victory-sealing touchdown in the fourth quarter, helping the No. 19 Wolverines (7-2, 5-0 Big Ten), who played without star seniors Mike Hart and Chad Henne, pull away from the visiting Golden Gophers (1-8, 0-5).
Auburn 17, Mississippi 3 - Brandon Cox threw a 34-yard scoring pass to Rod Smith in the final minutes, helping the No. 23 Tigers (6-3, 4-2 SEC) hold off the visiting Rebels (2-7, 0-6).
