USA TODAY International Edition
USC back in Top 25
Southern California’s turnaround under interim coach Ed Orgeron continued Saturday with an upset of Stanford,
The Iron Bowl needs no added drama. No. 9 Auburn’s 43- 38 win against Georgia — thanks to a fourth- quarter miracle, with quarterback Nick Marshall’s desperation heave tipped, batted and then caught by wide receiver Ricardo Louis for a 73- yard touchdown — packed enough drama into 60 minutes to last a season.
Yet by beating the Bulldogs, Auburn has created a scenario where this year’s Iron Bowl incarnation — No. 1 Alabama at the Tigers on Nov. 30 — will carry as much importance as any in the series in nearly 20 years.
Auburn is 10- 1, 6- 1 in the Southeastern Conference, meaning both teams will have one or fewer loss heading into the regular- season finale for the first time since 1994. The stakes are high: Alabama or Auburn will win to take the SEC West and earn a spot in the SEC title game.
There are two ways to look at this year’s Iron Bowl. On one hand, Auburn has yet to face a defense of Alabama’s caliber. On the other, Alabama has yet to face an offense quite like Gus Malzahn’s wide- open, run- based attack. When it comes to the Iron Bowl, the story lines will be endless.
More winners and losers Saturday:
WINNERS
Duke:
As evidence of how quickly things can change: With two games left in the regular season, Duke sits in control of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division. Better yet, the Blue Devils’ 48- 30 win against Miami ( Fla.) — losers of three in a row — was not even a total surprise, even if the Hurricanes are substantially more talented. Already bowl- eligible for the second year in a row, Duke can consider the possibility of playing Florida State in early December to decide the ACC championship.
Southern California:
If Ed Orgeron wasn’t a serious candidate to become the permanent head coach at USC, he might very well be now.
After a white- knuckle 20- 17 upset of No. 5 Stanford before a sellout crowd of 93,607, both Orgeron, who replaced fired Lane Kiffin on an interim basis five games into the season, and his players were calling it one of the most memorable Trojan Saturdays they could remember.
And it was Orgeron, as much as any of his players, who made it happen.
With just over three minutes to go in a 17- 17, defense- dominated game, Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan threw an interception, his second of the game, to Trojans safety Su’a Cravens at the USC 44- yard line.
The Trojans ran three plays and were faced with a fourth- and- 2 at the Stanford 48 with 1: 23 left. The usual decision: Punt. Play defense. Get it to overtime. But the entire Trojan team gathered around Orgeron during a timeout, and there was an electric feeling in the stadium like something unusual was about to happen.
Then the Trojans offense came out, lined up and quarterback Cody Kessler hit wide receiver Marqise Lee over the middle for a 13- yard gain.
Four plays later, Andre Heidari nailed a 47- yard field goal — USC’s only points of the second half — and the stunning upset was complete.
It was the kind of decision Pete Carroll would have made back in the USC dynasty days.
Cincinnati:
The Bearcats started 7- 2 without playing — let alone beating — a team with a winning record.
That changed Saturday, when Cincinnati dismantled Rutgers on the road 52- 17 to keep some pace in the American Athletic Conference race.
The win might be even more important to the Bearcats’ self- confidence: Cincinnati closes with games at Houston and against Louisville, so beating a winning team should give the Bearcats a boost heading into the final stages of the regular season.
Kansas:
It had been three years since the Jayhawks had last won a Big 12 game, and four years since KU had won a Big 12 game against an opponent currently in the conference. ( Colorado, the last Big 12 team to lose to the Jayhawks before Saturday, joined the Pac- 12 in 2011.) Saturday’s 31- 19 win against West Virginia ended with coach Charlie Weis getting an ice bath and a good portion of the fan base storming the field.
Such things happen when a 27game conference losing streak ends.
Cartel Brooks:
Octavias McKoy of Division III Western Connecticut State lasted three weeks as the NCAA’s all- division record holder for rushing yards in a game. Junior Cartel Brooks of Division III Heidelberg ( Ohio) rolled up 465 yards and three scores on 38 carries in a 42- 14 win Saturday against Baldwin- Wallace ( Ohio) to top by 10 yards the mark McKoy set Oct. 26. The record McKoy broke had stood for 17 years. Brooks has a school- record 1,704 yards in 10 games this season. He had totaled 2,058 in his first two seasons with the Student Princes.
LOSERS
Texas:
After starting 1- 2 during non- conference play, the Longhorns salvaged their season by winning their first six games against Big 12 competition. By losing 38- 13 to No. 10 Oklahoma State, however, Texas is a long shot to claim the league’s automatic Bowl Championship Series bid. Perhaps the most distressing aspect of Saturday’s setback was Texas’ sloppiness, with turnovers, penalties and poor decisions dooming it to a painful home loss.
Virginia Tech:
The Hokies’ roller- coaster- like season continues. They opened with a loss to Alabama, followed by a six- game winning streak. Then came back- to- back losses to Duke and Boston College, followed by what seemed like a year- salvaging victory against Miami. Saturday, the Hokies fell out of the ACC race with a 27- 24 overtime loss to Maryland. After winning at least 10 games in every year from 2004 to 2011, Virginia Tech might end up with seven wins for the second season in a row.
Arizona:
The Wildcats have gone from neck deep in the Rose Bowl hunt to fourth place in the Pac- 12 South Division. First came UCLA, which pulled away late to beat the Wildcats 31- 26. Saturday’s 24- 17 loss at home to Washington State drops Arizona to 3- 4 in league play, three games behind in the loss column to division leader Arizona State.