Top 25 Roundup: Northwestern knocks off No. 8 Iowa

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The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa - No. 8 Iowa finally ran out of magic.

Northwestern's Dan Persa threw a touchdown pass and Marshall Thomas recovered a fumble for another score to help the Wildcats snap the Hawkeyes' 13-game winning streak with a 17-10 victory Saturday.

It was the first win over a top-10 opponent for the Wildcats (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) since knocking off then-No. 6 Ohio State 33-27 in overtime in 2004. It also ended the nation's second-longest winning streak.

Iowa played without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi after he sustained an apparent ankle injury early in the second quarter. Freshman James Vandenberg was just 9 of 27 for 82 yards and couldn't lead the Hawkeyes (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) to any points after Stanzi left the game.

Northwestern scored twice off turnovers in the second quarter. Thomas recovered a fumble in the end zone after the hit that knocked Stanzi out of the game, and Drake Dunsmore caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Persa after another Iowa miscue.

No. 1 Florida 27, Vanderbilt 3: At Gainesville, Fla., No. 1 Florida didn't do much to erase all the negative vibes from rough week for the defending champions.

Tim Tebow accounted for two touchdowns, Caleb Sturgis kicked two field goals and the Gators beat Vanderbilt in a lackluster effort at The Swamp.

Florida fans looking for something positive following linebacker Brandon Spikes' one-game suspension for dirty play and coach Urban Meyer's hefty fine for criticizing officials may have been disappointed.

The Gators (9-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) extended their winning streak to 19 games overall - and their streak against Vandy (2-8, 0-6) to 19 games, too - but struggled on offense for the fifth time in seven league games.

No. 2 Texas 35, Central Florida 3: At Austin, Texas, Jordan Shipley set a Texas record with 273 yards receiving, including an 88-yard touchdown, and the No. 2 Longhorns shook off a slow start for a win over Central Florida.

The sixth-year senior broke the previous best of 242 yards set in 1987 by Tony Jones. The touchdown came early in the fourth quarter on a drive that started at the 1.

Colt McCoy passed for 470 yards with two touchdowns. He was just shy of current Texas running backs coach Major Applewhite's school-record 473 yards in the 2001 Holiday Bowl.

Texas (9-0) led 14-3 at halftime on two touchdown runs by Cody Johnson. McCoy hit James Kirkendoll with a 14-yard TD pass in the third before the big strike to Shipley, who also shattered the previous regular-season mark of 198 set in 1979 by Johnny "Lam" Jones.

Central Florida (5-4) managed just 151 total yards.

No. 3 Alabama 24, No. 9 LSU 15: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., No. 3 Alabama picked up another dramatic win and a second straight trip to the SEC championship game.

Julio Jones caught a 73-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and Leigh Tiffin booted a 40-yard field goal with 3:04 left to seal it.

The Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) earned a rematch with No. 1 Florida for the league championship in a physical game that left the Tigers (7-2, 4-2) without quarterback Jordan Jefferson and running back Charles Scott for most of the second half.

The win touched off another big celebration for Alabama, which survived a 12-10 win over Tennessee two weeks ago with Terrence Cody's two blocked field goal attempts in the fourth quarter. Tiffin came up big in that one, too, with four field goals.

No. 4 Cincinnati 47, Connecticut 45: At Cincinnati, Zach Collaros, starting his third game in place of the injured Tony Pike, threw for 480 yards and a touchdown, ran for two more scores and led a clinching touchdown drive in the closing minutes of a wild victory.

Cincinnati (9-0, 5-0 Big East) is off to its best start since 1951, when it won the Mid-American Conference title.

Collaros went 4-for-4 for 33 yards on the final drive, completed by Isaiah Pead's 14-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 with 1:52 left that made it 47-38. Cincinnati finished with a school-record 711 yards on offense.

Zach Frazer threw a 9-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds left that cut it to 47-45 and Cincinnati recovered the onside kick to finish it off. Frazer was 19 of 32 for 261 yards.

Stanford 51, No. 7 Oregon 42: At Stanford, Calif., Toby Gerhart bowled over the Oregon defense to make the Cardinal bowl eligible for the first time in eight years.

Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and three scores, Andrew Luck threw for two touchdowns and Stanford held on for sixth win of the season.

The loss by Oregon (7-2, 5-1 Pac-10) just a week after beating Southern California 47-20 opened up the conference race and cost the Ducks a shot at a berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

Oregon rallied with two late touchdowns to cut a 20-point lead down to six, but Stanford (6-3, 5-2) recovered an onside kick with 2:38 to go and tacked on Nate Whitaker's third field goal with 11 seconds left. The students rushed the field as the game ended.

No. 10 Georgia Tech 30, Wake Forest 27, OT: At Atlanta, Josh Nesbitt scored on a 3-yard run in overtime after Georgia Tech pulled off a gutsy play on fourth down, leading the No. 10 Yellow Jackets another step closer to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Jonathan Dwyer rushed for a career-best 189 yards and went over 1,000 yards for the season, but it was Nesbitt and the guys on the defensive side who bailed out the Yellow Jackets (8-1, 6-1) at the end.

After the defense stifled Wake Forest (4-6, 2-4) on the first possession of OT, forcing a field goal, Georgia Tech drove to the 5 where it faced fourth-and-less-than-a-yard. The Yellow Jackets (8-1, 6-1 ACC) initially tried to draw Wake offsides, but was forced to burn a timeout when that didn't work.

Instead of sending on Scott Blair for a chip-shot field goal to extend the game, coach Paul Johnson decided to go for the win right there. Nesbitt powered up the middle for a 2-yard gain and scored on the very next play.

No. 12 USC 14, Arizona State 9: At Tempe, Ariz., Will Harris returned an interception 55 yards for a score, Matt Barkley threw a 75-yard pass to Damian Williams and USC held on for its 10th straight victory over Arizona State.

Coming off the worst loss in the Pete Carroll era, the Trojans (7-2, 4-2 Pac-10) barely survived on a night they produced little on offense. The victory kept the Trojans in the hunt for an eighth straight Bowl Championship Series berth.

USC's defense was the reason the Trojans beat ASU (4-5, 2-4) for the 10th straight time.

Sun Devils freshman Brock Osweiler came off the bench and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Chris McGaha. But Harris ended ASU's upset bid by picking off Osweiler's last-gasp pass in the end zone as time expired.

No. 13 Houston 46, Tulsa 45: At Tulsa, Okla., Matt Hogan kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired, finishing off another thrilling Houston comeback led by quarterback Case Keenum.

After getting sacked on a potential tying 2-point conversion with 21 seconds left, Keenum added to his Heisman Trophy resume by getting the Cougars (8-1, 4-1 Conference USA) into field goal range after they recovered an onside kick.

Hogan hadn't made a field goal of longer than 34 yards before his game-winner.

Keenum finished with 522 yards on 40 for 60 passing with three touchdown passes. It was the second straight game with more than 500 yards passing for the nation's most prolific passer.

Charles Clay ran for two scores and also caught two touchdown passes, and G.J. Kinne threw for a career-best 334 yards and three touchdowns for Tulsa (4-5, 2-3).

∫ No. 14 Pittsburgh 37, Syracuse 10: At Pittsburgh, Greg Williams' 51-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first half got slow-starting Pittsburgh going, and the No. 14 Panthers extended their best start to a season since 1982.

Dion Lewis ran for 110 yards and a touchdown for the freshman's sixth 100-yard game, tight end Dorin Dickerson caught his 10th touchdown pass this season and the Panthers (8-1, 5-0 in Big East) won their fifth in a row heading into next Saturday's game against No. 19 Notre Dame.

Bill Stull was 16-of-23 for 225 yards and no interceptions as the Panthers, who last were 8-1 during Dan Marino's senior season 27 years ago, set themselves up for a possible Big East title-deciding game against No. 4 Cincinnati on Dec. 5.

If the Bearcats defeat West Virginia on Friday, the Cincinnati-Pitt game will determine the conference's BCS bowl participant regardless of what happens in the Pitt-West Virginia game on Nov. 27.

No. 15 Ohio State 24, No. 11 Penn State 7: At State College, Pa., the Ohio State Buckeyes are back in control of the Big Ten title race.

Terrelle Pryor threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in his return to his home state, Ray Small burned No. 11 Penn State (8-2, 4-2) with two long punt returns and No. 15 Ohio State won a duel of the league's top two defenses in a Buckeye victory.

Ohio State (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) got an added bonus, too: a tie for the conference lead with Iowa after Northwestern handed the Hawkeyes its first loss of the season earlier in the day.

No. 16 Miami 52, Virginia 17: At Miami, Graig Cooper rushed for a career-best 152 yards and a touchdown, Damien Berry ran for a pair of second-half scores.

Thearon Collier had a 60-yard punt return for the go-ahead touchdown, and Jacory Harris finished 18 of 31 for 232 yards with two TDs for the Hurricanes (7-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). The 35-point margin of victory was Miami's biggest in an ACC game since beating Duke 52-7 in 2005.

Rashawn Jackson had a 34-yard rushing touchdown for Virginia (3-6, 2-3), which has lost 10 of 13 starting with an overtime defeat to Miami last season, a slide that's placed coach Al Groh's future at his alma mater in doubt. The Cavaliers were outgained 515-149 and played without starting quarterback Jameel Sewell, who warmed up but was eventually ruled out with a shoulder injury.

No. 18 Oklahoma State 34, Iowa State 8: At Ames, Iowa, Keith Toston ran for a career-high 206 yards and three touchdowns, Zac Robinson threw a touchdown pass and the Cowboys bounced back from their drubbing by Texas.

Oklahoma State (7-2, 4-1 Big 12) controlled the game with a solid performance on both sides of the ball and reached seven victories for the fourth straight season, the first time in school history that has happened.

After throwing four interceptions in the 41-14 loss to Texas, Robinson was on the mark in this one and replaced his coach, Mike Gundy, as Oklahoma State's career passing leader.

Iowa State (5-5, 2-4) was outgained 334-145 through three quarters and didn't score until 11:50 remained in the game.

Navy 23, No. 19 Notre Dame 21: At South Bend, Ind., Navy did it to Notre Dame again - and this loss to the Midshipmen is even more costly.

Craig Schaefer sacked Jimmy Clausen in the end zone with 60 seconds left and Navy held on for a victory, its second straight at Notre Dame Stadium.

No. 19 Notre Dame (6-3) scored with 24 seconds left on a 31-yard pass from Jimmy Clausen to Golden Tate to cut the lead to two, but the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds.

The win sends Navy into the Texas Bowl and effectively ends any hope Notre Dame (6-3) had for a Bowl Championship Series berth.

Nebraska 10, No. 20 Oklahoma 3: At Lincoln, Neb., Matt O'Hanlon had three of Nebraska's five interceptions against Oklahoma's Landry Jones.

The Sooners (5-4, 3-2 Big 12) failed to score a touchdown for the first time since a 29-0 loss to Texas A&M in 1998.

The Cornhuskers (6-3, 3-2) won despite getting just seven first downs and 180 total yards. Zac Lee threw a 1-yard TD pass to Ryan Hill for Nebraska's fourth offensive TD in four games.

Oklahoma's last two possessions ended on interceptions, including O'Hanlon's third, which he grabbed at the Nebraska 7 with 27 seconds left.

Nebraska beat Oklahoma for the first time in five meetings.

Jones finished 26-of-58 for 245 yards.

∫ No. 21 Arizona 48, Washington State 7: At Tucson, Ariz., Travis Cobb returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to set the tone for No. 21 Arizona.

The Wildcats scored the first seven times they had the ball.

Arizona led 34-0 at the half, then William "Bug" Wright returned a punt 86 yards for a score the first time the Wildcats touched it in the third quarter.

Arizona (6-2, 4-1 Pac-10), the only Pac-10 team never to go to the Rose Bowl, pulled within a half-game of first-place Oregon after the Ducks lost at Stanford. Arizona and Oregon both have one conference loss. Everyone else has at least two.

Washington State (1-8, 0-6) lost its starting quarterback, freshman Jeff Tuel, when he sprained his right knee in the second quarter.

Oregon State 31, No. 23 California 14: At Berkeley, Calif., Sean Canfield threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score, while No. 23 California lost star tailback Jahvid Best to a concussion after he took a scary fall.

Cal (6-3, 3-3 Pac-10) couldn't recover from seeing Best land on his head in the end zone after a leaping touchdown over a defender in the second quarter. The Golden Bears, who had won three straight to get back in the Top 25 for the first time following a four-week absence, lost their fifth straight at home to the Beavers - and this one made Oregon State (6-3, 4-2) bowl eligible.

Canfield completed 29 of 39 passes with nine to Jacquizz Rodgers and six each to James Rodgers and Joe Halahuni. It was the third straight game Cal gave up more than 300 yards in the air. Damola Adeniji had five catches for Oregon State, which leads the Pac-10 in passing.

No. 24 Wisconsin 31, Indiana 28: At Bloomington, Ind., No. 24 Wisconsin followed the same old script to grind down Indiana.

John Clay ran for 134 yards and a touchdown, Montee Ball scored two TDs and the Badgers held off the Hoosiers' fourth-quarter rally.

The Badgers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) have now won two straight and still have not lost to an unranked team this season.

Indiana's fading bowl hopes took another hit. The Hoosiers (4-6, 1-5) must now win their final two games - at No. 11 Penn State and home against rival Purdue - to become eligible. They have lost three straight and six of seven.

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