Defense Spurs No. 1 Lsu To Win

OXFORD, Miss. — Trindon Holliday returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and LSU forced two turnovers during goal-line stands Saturday as the top-ranked Tigers slipped past Mississippi 41-24.
The Tigers (10-1, 6-1) didn’t play especially well on offense, but Craig Steltz and the nations’ top-ranked defense helped them earn their first outright Southeastern Conference Western Division title and set a school record with three consecutive seasons of 10 wins or more.
It was LSU’s fourth straight win and the sixth straight against Ole Miss (3-8, 0-7), which is in danger of a winless conference season for the first time since 1982. The Rebels are now 0-6 against top-ranked teams.
Steltz had rally ending interceptions late in each half, and Jacob Hester and Charles Scott each rushed for touchdowns after failed Ole Miss onside kicks in the fourth quarter to ensure the win. Colt David added second-half field goals of 48 and 43 yards as well.
Ole Miss coaches pulled starting quarterback Seth Adams in the first quarter after several incompletions. His backup, Brent Schaeffer, added some juice to the offense, hitting several long passes and cutting LSU’s lead to 10 with a serpentine 38-yard scoring run midway through the fourth.
No. 4 Kansas 45, Iowa St 7
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Todd Reesing passed for 253 yards and four touchdowns and No. 4 Kansas remained unbeaten with a rout of Iowa State, setting up a grand showdown with sixth-ranked Missouri for the Big 12 North title and possibly much more.
No. 5 West Virginia 28, No. 21 Cincinnati 23
CINCINNATI — West Virginia’s Pat White ran for a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, leading the fifth-ranked Mountaineers to a victory that left only two teams in the conference title chase.
No 6. Missouri 49, Kansas State 32
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Jeremy Maclin scored three touchdowns for Missouri, and had 252 total yards to set the NCAA single-season freshman record for all-purpose yards.
He returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and caught two scoring passes, giving him 2,201 all-purpose yards for the season — 175 more than Terrell Willis of Rutgers had in 1993. Maclin finished with nine catches for 143 yards.
No. 8 Georgia 24, No. 22 Kentucky 13
ATHENS, Ga. — Knowshon Moreno ran for 124 yards, Matthew Stafford added a 10-yard TD run and No. 8 Georgia overcame four turnovers to keep alive its chances of playing for an SEC championship.
No. 10 Virginia Tech 44, Miami 14
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Branden Ore ran for two touchdowns in his best performance of the season and No. 10 Virginia Tech beat Miami in the Hokies’ final tuneup for a huge game with rival Virginia next weekend.
Virginia Tech (9-2, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) moved into a share of first place in the Coastal Division with the Cavaliers. The teams will play on Saturday in Charlottesville with the winner moving on the conference championship game Dec. 1.
No. 14 Florida 59, Florida Atlantic 20
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tim Tebow became the first player in NCAA history with at least 20 touchdowns passing and rushing in the same season, and Andre Caldwell broke the Florida school record for career receptions in a rout of Florida Atlantic.
No. 17 Boise State 58, Idaho 14
BOISE, Idaho — Taylor Tharp and the Broncos broke open a close game with 41 unanswered points, helping Boise State beat the Vandals for the ninth straight time.
No. 18 Boston College 20, No. 15 Clemson 17
CLEMSON, S.C. — Matt Ryan pulled out another game for Boston College and put the Eagles in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
No. 19 Tennessee 25, Vanderbilt 24
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Daniel Lincoln kicked a 33-yard field goal with 2:46 left to cap a 16-point fourth-quarter comeback, the Volunteers’ second largest in history, to keep them in control of the SEC East.
No. 20 Illinois 41, Northwestern 22
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Juice Williams ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 220 yards and another score, helping the Illini move closer to a New Year’s Day bowl game.
No. 24 Wisconsin 41, Minnesota 34
MINNEAPOLIS — David Gilreath made an electrifying return to his home state, racking up 226 return yards to help No. 24 Wisconsin to a victory over Minnesota.
No. 25 Connecticut 30, Syracuse 7
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Tyler Lorenzen threw for 213 yards and a touchdown, helping the Huskies stay in sole possession of first place in the Big East.