By Cabrone D. Brewer
Since the beginning of the season over four weeks ago in Dallas, the LSU Tigers have been steadily on the prowl toward the top.
Saturday they finally reached the summit.
After spending the first three weeks of the season rotating with Alabama for the second and third position in the Associated Press college football poll, LSU finally decided that it was time to breakaway from the pack and leapfrogged Oklahoma for the nation’s top honors with a stunning 47-21 win over then-No.16 West Virginia in Morgantown.
West Virginia outgained then-No. 2 LSU 533-366 in total yards, but the Tigers’ smothering defense was just too powerful in the end, forcing four turnovers by the Mountaineers’ and converting two of those in to touchdowns. It was LSU’s third win over a ranked opponent this season, with all three wins coming away from home.
Oklahoma seemed a bit sluggish during the first half of their matchup against unranked Missouri, but eventually found a rhythm and sailed to 38-28 victory — avenging last year’s dream shattering loss to the Tigers’ in Columbia.
For the first time in 20 straight home games the Sooners found themselves trailing an opponent at Memorial Stadium, falling behind 14-3 in the first quarter. All-American wide receiver Ryan Broyles led the come-from-behind charge with 154 yards and three touchdowns allowing Oklahoma to extend their home winning streak — the longest in the nation — to 38 straight games.
It was one last conference go-around Saturday for No. 7 Oklahoma State and No. 8 Texas A&M before the Aggies say goodbye to the Big XII, and this one was an instant classic.
Trailing 20-3 at halftime, Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden threw for a school-record 438 yards and completed 10 or more passes to three different OSU wide receivers as the Cowboys’ took advantage of three costly Texas A&M turnovers and numerous Aggie penalties to leave Kyle Field with a glamorous 30-29 victory. Saturday’s amazing win for the Cowboys marked the first time ever that OSU has won consecutive games in College Station.
In SEC conference play, what was supposed to be a close match was anything but close. No. 3 Alabama’s defense completely overpowered then-No.14 Arkansas’ surefire offense in a 38-14 rout in Tuscaloosa. Alabama’s stingy defense posted 10 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, six pass breakups and four quarterback hurries — holding the Razorbacks’ running game to just 17 yards on 19 rushes.
Rounding out the top ten: No. 4 Boise State easily handled Tulsa 41-21; No. 6 Wisconsin continues its hot streak with a 59-10 win over South Dakota; No. 9 Nebraska tackled Wyoming 38-14; and No. 10 Oregon continues to improve with a 56-31 win at Arizona.
The action is just beginning to heat up. Check back later this week for a preview of this weekend’s top matches.
Also Read:
Conference Play Arrives as Schools Continue to Depart Ways
Top-Ranked Sooners Survive Tallahassee, Buckeyes Fall Apart in Miami
