College Football Saturday: LSU Conquers Bama, Oklahoma State Outlasts K-State

I ask because here was the scene at one corner of the otherwise courtly Alabama-LSU tailgate in Tuscaloosa before Saturday night’s game:

Mizzou, are culinary matters so important to you that they can only be settled via pushing and/or shoving? Are your tailgate tents so well-arranged that their toppling is a greater concern than is the lone pack of drunks actually fighting each other?

LSU hasn’t won anything yet. Saturday night’s “Game of the Century” lived up to its billing, at least defensively. The Bayou Bengals made enough big plays and rode their superior kicking game to a classic 9-6 win in overtime.

(Or as I tweeted: LSU 2, Alabama 2, LSU wins on PK, 1-0)

For a moment, it looked like the top of this week’s college football rankings would experience a major shake-up, beyond the loser of the matchup between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama falling. Moments after LSU nailed a field goal in overtime to win what was billed as the “Game of the Century,” the attention turned to Stillwater, where Oklahoma State was locked in a battle with Kansas State. And boy did the Cowboys make things interesting.

In the end, Oklahoma State survived, keeping Kansas State, who had driven to the five, out of the end zone as time expired. The Cowboys defense may be non-existent for the most part, but the offense is simply spectacular to watch.

There were other highlights, but for the most part, a game hyped beyond belief turned on routine plays. Does it make any sense that Les Miles’ team is better than Nick Saban’s at the boring stuff?

It’s been HILARIOUS for years that some other young man affiliated with some other SEC program was spotted crying late in a loss, so this one is probably just as funny, I guess. Can’t seem to recall the original cryer’s name at the moment. Sort of feel like he was seen weeping while his team was losing to Bama, actually. He might have even been a player. Definitely wasn’t wearing a tie, which in SEC country almost certainly means he actually played in the game. Yeah, kind of think he played in a game, then was seen crying on the sidelines while losing.

Just saying. And if anybody can recall which fan base it was that enjoyed seeing their team cause that guy’s tears a few years ago, I’d be happy to know.

The Oregon Ducks did their part on Saturday night, downing the Washington Huskies in the final game at Husky Stadium before its renovation. With the win, the Ducks setup a huge Pac-12 matchup next week, pitting the undefeated Stanford Cardinal against one-loss Oregon. The winner takes control of the Pac-12 North and has the inside track to the Rose Bowl.

Oregon was tested by the Huskies, but the Ducks hit the gas in the second half and powered to a 34-17 win. Oregon came firing right out of the gate, scoring on its first two possessions in the second half to stretch a 17-10 lead into a 31-17 advantage. From there, the defense locked down and the offense added another score to close out the victory.

Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit were still in the booth on Saturday night following Oklahoma State’s thrilling win over Kansas State. After a barrage of scores late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys came out on the other side still alive, and still in the BCS race. It all came down to a pass that fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired, giving Oklahoma State a 52-45 win.

But the drama was far from over. Shortly after the game, the area felt the force of a 5.2 earthquake, centered some 45 miles from Oklahoma City. The magnitude was large enough that it was felt in the stadium, and certainly was felt in the booth. In fact, the following photo of Herbstreit captures the moment perfectly.

Boise State is in an unexpected battle with UNLV on Saturday night, and running back Doug Martin is on the sidelines. Martin, the leader of the Broncos’ rushing attack, left the game in the second quarter and has not been seen since. As it stands now, Boise State and UNLV are tied at 14 apiece in a game most expected the Broncos to have in hand by now.

According to Brian Murphy, the injury is to Martin’s leg.

Oklahoma State trailed at 38-37 late in the fourth, but immediately responded with a touchdown and two-point conversion; from there, the two teams each scored another touchdown, and Klein led K-State down the field on an improbable potential game-tying drive.

But Klein, not the most refined passer, misfired on three throws with goal to go, allowing the Cowboys to escape another Big 12 shootout with a spotless record.

via 30fps.mocksession.com

Kirkpatrick was ruled out for the rest of the game with both a shoulder injury and dizziness.

The Kansas State Wildcats are six minutes away from blowing up the best-laid plans. You see, Bedlam has been circled on the calendars of many, even with the Oklahoma Sooners’ loss to Texas Tech a few weeks back. All the Oklahoma State Cowboys needed to do was keep on winning.

And yet here we are, with Kansas State leading Oklahoma State late in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats just scored the go-ahead touchdown on a four-yard Colin Klein run, capping a 14-play, 70-yard drive that took almost eight and a half minutes off the clock. For a team trying to come back in the fourth quarter in a close game the drive was just what the doctor ordered.

UCLA is now tied for the lead in the Pac-12 South, even after stumbling all over the place to open the season. The low-point was the blowout loss to Arizona, in which the Bruins were able to muster absolutely nothing and were involved in a brawl before the half. But now, just a few weeks later, UCLA has come all the way back, downing Arizona State to take the lead in the South.

Derrick Coleman scored from a yard out with just under a minute to go, giving UCLA a 29-28 lead over the Sun Devils at the Rose Bowl. The touchdown plunge capped a five-minute drive that saw UCLA go 79 yards for the go-ahead score.

To make matters worse for the Gamecocks, Shaw was injured on that sack and did not return. That bodes ill for the Gamecocks’ chances over the rest of their schedule, but tonight’s loss means that they have already ceded control of the SEC East to Georgia.

Meanwhile, Arkansas’ big win might give them control of its own destiny in the SEC West, should LSU pull an upset in Tuscaloosa tonight.

Shaw stayed down for a few minutes, walked off the field under his own power, and appeared dazed on the South Carolina sideline.

For more on the Razorbacks, be sure to check out the SB Nation blog Arkansas Expats. For more on the Gamecocks, head over to Garnet and Black Attack. And stay tuned to our Week 10 StoryStream for college football scores from around the country throughout the day.

Case Keenum is now the NCAA’s all-time leading passer after breaking Timmy Chang’s record in a 56-13 win over UAB on Saturday night. The Houston Cougars remained perfect on the season and Keenum continued to roll, throwing for 402 yards and two touchdowns. It was another efficient night, with Keenum only missing on five of his throws in a 39-of-44 performance.

11 different receivers caught passes, led by Tyron Carrier’s 12 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. Daniel Spencer and Justin Johnson each caught touchdown passes, as well.

Oklahoma State and Kansas State may be playing just the third-billed game of a jam-packed Saturday night, but the Cowboys and Wildcats are putting on a show in Stillwater. Oklahoma State leads, 27-24, at the half, but only after conceding 24 straight points and coming back.

For more on the Cowboys, be sure to check out the SB Nation blog Cowboys Ride For Free. For more on the Wildcats, head over to Bring On the Cats. And stay tuned to our Week 10 StoryStream for college football scores from around the country throughout the day.

The head coaching matchup between Alabama and LSU is almost as fascinating as the matchup on the field. It’s not necessarily because it’s a chess match -- though it is; it’s the personalities at play. On one side, there’s aloof and lovable Les Miles, the man who eats grass and took a nose-dive heading onto the field on Saturday night. On the other ... well, there’s Nick Saban.

Saban is wound a bit tighter than Miles. Where one coach wanders around looking like a little kid, the other holds a scowl and appears ready to explode at any moment. And in the first half, Saban sure did explode.