Tim Tebow directed a 69-yard drive in the final minutes, setting up Caleb Sturgis’s 27-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining that gave top-ranked Florida a 23-20 win over Arkansas yesterday in Gainesville, Fla.
The kick kept Florida unbeaten and likely No. 1 in the country - and maybe even saved the Gators’ chances to repeat as national champions.
On a day when little went right for the Gators (6-0, 4-0 SEC), Tebow took over down the stretch. He threw for 255 yards and a touchdown, ran for 69 more yards, and saved his best plays for when Florida needed him most.
He threw for 30 yards and ran for 22 on the final drive. Three plays stood out: His 12-yard pass to Riley Cooper on third down (Cooper fell down, then caught the ball on one knee) and consecutive runs that gained 16 yards and got Sturgis well within his comfort zone.
“I always knew we had a shot,’’ Tebow said. “We were just going to keep believing until the last second.’’
Sturgis overcame an early miss and finished with three field goals, including a 51-yarder in the third quarter.
Just about everything that could go wrong for the Gators did, and Arkansas (3-3, 1-3) showed that it is making fast progress in its second season under Bobby Petrino.
Florida had four turnovers, three dropped passes, and was sacked six times, but after struggling to move the ball, Tebow led the Gators to scores on three of their final four possessions.
He hooked up with Deonte Thompson on a 77-yard TD pass that gave Florida its first lead, 13-10, with 2:59 to play in the third. Another deep pass to Thompson drew a pass-interference penalty and set up Jeff Demps’s 10-yard TD run that tied the game, 20-20, midway through the fourth.
And Tebow put Florida in position for Sturgis’s winner with a 14-play drive that took just about all the time off the clock.
Ryan Mallett threw for 224 yards for Arkansas, but he also missed wide-open fullback Van Stumon in the end zone and the Razorbacks had to settle for a field goal that evened the score at 13. Alex Tejada yanked a 38-yard field goal with 3:08 remaining that would’ve given Arkansas the lead.
Texas 16, Oklahoma 13 - The annual Red River Shootout in Dallas was more of a grind-it-out affair, with the third-ranked Longhorns (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) doing just enough to hold off the No. 20 Sooners (3-3, 1-1), who lost star quarterback Sam Bradford in the first quarter after he aggravated his shoulder injury.
Aaron Williams delivered the hit that took out Bradford, and he later intercepted backup Landry Jones in the fourth quarter, as did Earl Thomas. The teams combined for eight turnovers overall and just one touchdown.
Texas’s Colt McCoy came in needing a big game to boost his Heisman chances, but he was only 21 of 39 for 127 yards. He threw an interception inside the 10-yard line midway through the fourth quarter and also fumbled inside the 10 late in the first half.
But all that mattered for the Longhorns was their fourth win over Oklahoma in five years. McCoy killed the final 3:31 to keep the ball from the Sooners, who finished with minus-16 yards on 22 running plays.
Alabama 20, South Carolina 6 - Mark Ingram rushed for 246 yards (third most in program history) and a clinching TD to help the second-ranked Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0 SEC) overcome four turnovers and beat the No. 22 Gamecocks (5-2, 2-2) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Ingram was a one-man show on the decisive drive. He took the direct snap for five consecutive runs - including a 24-yarder and 22-yarder - and then took a pitch in from 4 yards with 4:54 left. His previous career high was 172 yards set last week against Mississippi.
Purdue 26, Ohio State 18 - Joey Elliott led the Boilermakers to their biggest upset in years, throwing for 281 yards and two scores as the hosts protected their second-half lead and stunned the seventh-ranked Buckeyes.
Ohio State (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) got another inconsistent effort from its offense, mainly quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who threw two interceptions and fumbled twice. The Buckeyes failed to tie the Big Ten record of 17 straight conference road wins and fell behind Iowa in the conference standings.
Purdue (2-5, 1-2), which had lost five straight, took a 9-7 lead at the halftime gun on a 55-yard field goal by Carson Wiggs. The Boilermakers finished with a 361-287 edge in total yards and controlled the ball for 36:08.
Iowa 20, Wisconsin 10 - The No. 11 Hawkeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) needed a second-half road rally to keep their perfect season alive, getting a go-ahead 10-yard TD run by Adam Robinson in the fourth quarter and holding the Badgers scoreless after halftime.
TCU 44, Colorado St. 6 - Jeremy Kerley had his second punt return for a TD in three games, a 69-yarder just before halftime that gave the No. 12 Horned Frogs (6-0, 2-0 Mountain West) a 17-6 lead in Fort Worth.
Penn St. 20, Minnesota 0 - Playing in their coldest homecoming game (37 degrees at kickoff), the No. 14 Nittany Lions (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) held their seventh straight opponent without a first-half TD and got 137 yards rushing and a score from Evan Royster.
Texas Tech 31, Nebraska 10 - Steven Sheffield passed for a TD and ran for two in his first road start, and the Red Raiders (5-2, 2-1 Big 12) held the No. 15 Cornhuskers (4-2, 2-1) to 259 total yards, half their season average.
Oklahoma St. 33, Missouri 17 - Hubert Anyiam had 10 receptions, including the go-ahead TD pass, and the No. 16 Cowboys (5-1, 2-0 Big 12) snapped a four-game skid on their home field against the Tigers (4-2, 0-2).
Colorado 34, Kansas 30 - Tyler Hansen’s first start for the host Buffaloes (2-4, 1-1 Big 12) was memorable, throwing for a TD, running for another, and leading the upset of the No. 17 Jayhawks (5-1, 1-1).
BYU 38, San Diego St. 28 - Max Hall threw for 346 yards and three TDs and ran for another score to pace the No. 18 Cougars (6-1, 3-0 Mountain West) in San Diego. It was BYU’s 500 win all time.
Houston 44, Tulane 16 - Case Keenum was held to a season-low 334 yards passing, but he also had two TD throws to help the No. 23 Cougars (5-1, 1-1 Conference USA) cruise in New Orleans.
Utah 35, UNLV 15 - Terrance Cain threw for two scores and ran for one, carrying the No. 24 Utes (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West) in Las Vegas.
