Ga. Tech slams Hokies

Josh Nesbitt rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns - the last of them a 39-yarder tiptoeing down the sideline with 3 minutes left - as No. 19 Georgia Tech ran to a 28-23 win over fourth-ranked Virgina Tech that threw the Atlantic Coast Conference race up for grabs while perhaps finishing off the league's top contender in the national-title race.

The Yellow Jackets (6-1, 4-1 ACC) completed just one pass but ran for 309 yards out of its spread option offense - all but 37 of those yards coming in the second half.

Excuse Virginia Tech (5-2, 3-1) if it passes on any more trips to Atlanta for a while. The Hokies opened the season with a 34-24 loss to Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game, about a mile away at the Georgia Dome.

Five straight wins pushed Virginia Tech right back into the thick of the national championship race, hot on the heels of Florida, Alabama and Texas. Then, another huge defeat on the return trip south.

Nesbitt made up for a fumble that gave Virginia Tech life by finishing off the clinching drive with his best run of the night.

On third and 7 from the Hokies' 39, the quarterback ran to his left, saw two defenders peel away to shadow potential pitch targets, turned up through a huge hole, and managed to stay in bounds along the sideline, even when Dorian Porch gave him one last shove around the 5.

After Nesbitt's third TD, the Hokies had one more chance after Taylor flicked an 8-yard TD pass to Williams. But Jerrard Tarrant corralled the onside kick. Williams ran for 100 yards, while Taylor had 159 passing and 63 on the ground.

Purdue 26, Ohio State 18 - Joey Elliott threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and the Boilermakers (2-5, 1-2 Big Ten) snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the No. 7 Buckeyes (5-2, 3-1) in West Lafayette, Ind., to effectively end what national-title chances remained for Ohio State.

Purdue dominated the first three quarters, then held on as Ohio State tried to mount a comeback behind Terrelle Pryor, who threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles.

It was Purdue's first win over a ranked team since 2003 and its first win over the Buckeyes since 2004.

Texas Tech 31, Nebraska 10 - Steven Sheffield passed for a touchdown and ran for another in his first road start, and the Red Raiders (5-2, 2-1 Big 12) jumped out fast to upset the No. 15 Cornhuskers (4-2, 1-1) in Lincoln, Neb.

Sheffield was nearly perfect early, completing 14 of his first 16 passes against the Cornhuskers. Playing for the injured Taylor Potts, Sheffield went 9-for-16 in the second half and finished with 234 yards.

Colorado 34, Kansas 30 - Coach Dan Hawkins removed the red shirt from Tyler Hansen and the sophomore sure showed that he deserves to be the Buffaloes' main man from here on out.

Hansen, replacing starter Cody Hawkins - the coach's son - ran for a touchdown and threw a TD pass to lead Colorado to a 34-30 upset of the No. 17 Jayhawks.

Providing a spark both through the air and on the ground, Hansen threw for 175 yards and ran for 34 yards. Colorado (2-4, 1-1 Big 12) handed Todd Reesing and the Jayhawks (5-1, 1-1) their first loss.

Florida 23, Arkansas 20 - Tim Tebow directed a 69-yard drive in the final minutes, setting up Caleb Sturgis' 27-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining to give the top-ranked Gators (6-0, 4-0 SEC) the win over the Razorbacks (3-3, 1-3) in Gainesville, Fla.

Tebow threw for 255 yards and a touchdown and ran for 69 more.

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 and consecutive runs that gained 16 yards and got Sturgis well within his comfort zone.

Alabama 20, South Carolina 6 - Mark Ingram rushed for a career-high 246 yards and a game-clinching touchdown, powering the second-ranked Crimson Tide to victory over the No. 22 Gamecocks in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Ingram's tackle-breaking, defender-dragging runs and a punishing defense helped Alabama (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) overcome four turnovers - doubling their season total.

Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks (5-2, 2-2) had never beaten a team ranked higher than No. 3 and were hoping for their second win over a top-five team this season.

Ingram took the direct snap for five consecutive runs - including a 24-yarder and 22-yarder - and then took a pitch in from 4 yards out with 4:54 left.

Miami (Fla.) 27, Central Florida 7 - Jacory Harris completed 20 of 26 passes for 293 yards and a touchdown, Javarris James rushed for another score on the way to topping the 2,000-yard mark for his career, and the No. 9 Hurricanes (5-1) pulled away to beat the Knights (3-3) in Orlando.

Damien Berry added a fourth-quarter touchdown run for the Hurricanes, who matched their best start since 2005.

Brett Hodges threw for 163 yards for Central Florida, but the team's top rusher - Brynn Harvey, who was coming off a 219-yard effort against Memphis - was held to 25 yards on 12 carries.

Iowa 20, Wisconsin 10 - The No. 11 Hawkeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) needed a second-half road rally to keep its perfect season alive with a win over the Badgers (5-2, 2-2) in Madison, Wis.

Iowa took the lead on a 10-yard touchdown run by Adam Robinson early in the fourth quarter, and the Hawkeyes' defense kept the Badgers scoreless in the second half.

Texas Christian 44, Colorado State 6 - Jeremy Kerley threaded along the sideline, then came to a near stop before finding an open lane to the end zone for his second punt return for a touchdown in three games as the No. 12 Horned Frogs (6-0, 2-0 Mountain West) remained undefeated with a victory over the Rams (3-4, 0-3) in Fort Worth, Texas.

BYU 38, San Diego St. 28 - Max Hall threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the No. 18 Cougars (6-1, 3-0 Mountain West Conference) to the 500th victory in school history, beating the Aztecs (2-4, 0-2) in San Diego.

Houston 44, Tulane 16 - Case Keenum went 30 of 43 for 334 yards and two touchdowns to help the No. 23 Cougars (5-1, 1-1 Conference USA) win their first conference game of the season, beating the Green Wave (2-4, 0-3) in New Orleans.