Baylor’s national title hopes came crashing down while Stanford’s Rose Bowl dreams got a big boost. Those were just some of the highlights from an exciting week in college football.

Oklahoma State’s Defense Buries Baylor’s National Title Hopes

The anticipated offensive shootout never materialized as the No. 10 Oklahoma State defense completely dominated the once-unstoppable Baylor offense in a 49-17 rout. The No. 4 Bears, who came into the game with nation’s top-ranked offense, were held over 230 yards and 44 points below their season average. The Cowboys, who came into the game leading the nation in interceptions, forced three more turnovers—two inside their own ten-yard line—and returned a fumble 78 yards for a touchdown. While Baylor’s offense was stymied much of the night, the Cowboys did their part to provide some fireworks in front of the first sellout crowd in Boone Pickens Stadium history. OSU’s 49 points was its most ever against a BCS-ranked opponent.  Cowboy quarterback Clint Chelf threw for a career-high 370 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns in the big win. The Bears have not won in Stillwater since 1939.

LSU is Johnny Manziel’s Kryptonite

During his Heisman campaign last year, Johnny Manziel’s worst game (and only scoreless one) came against LSU. And this year looks to be a repeat after Johnny Football had one of the worst days of his college career in a 34-10 loss in Baton Rouge, going just 16/41 for 224 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The No. 12 Aggies were shut out in the first quarter for the first time since September of last year and saw their streak of 40+ point games snapped at 13. LSU’s defense held A&M to just 299 total yards and less than 20 minutes of possession. In Manziel’s two games against the Tigers, he has completed just 46.3% of his passes for 500 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.

Arizona Upset Puts Stanford Back in Rose Bowl Contention

No. 9 Stanford rolled up 603 yards in a 63-13 blowout of California. But the biggest win for the Cardinal came 800 miles away in Tucson where Arizona pulled off one of the Pac-12’s biggest upsets this year in a 42-16 rout of No. 5 Oregon. Star running back Ka’Deem Carey became the Wildcats’ all-time leading rusher with a 206 yard, four touchdown performance. Arizona was coming off of back-to-back home losses and was a three-touchdown underdog coming into the game. But the Wildcats apparently missed that memo and controlled the game from the beginning, jumping out to a 21-3 lead and never looking back. Oregon’s high-powered offense rolled up 506 yards, but turned the ball over three times and turned it over twice more on downs. Stanford has now secured a spot in its second consecutive Pac-12 title game against No. 17 Arizona State.

Derek Carr Continues Fresno State’s Magical Season

The No. 15 Fresno State Bulldogs could be this year’s team of destiny, finding themselves just two wins away from a BCS bid. In his final home game, Bulldog quarterback Derek Carr threw for 527 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns in a 69-28 blowout of New Mexico that secured a spot in the Mountain West championship game. The Bulldogs finished with an eye-popping 820 total yards in the win, a new school record. If Fresno wins out, barring a major shakeup in the BCS standings, the Bulldogs would be guaranteed a spot in the BCS, likely the Fiesta Bowl.

Some Big Numbers from Today

  • With a 41-31 win over Kansas State, Bob Stoops secured his 158th career win at Oklahoma, moving him past the legendary Barry Switzer as the winningest coach in school history.
  • Georgia Southern rushed for 429 yards—and passed for zero—in handing Florida its first-ever loss to an FCS team.
  • Oregon’s 26-point loss was its worst defeat since a 2006 Las Vegas Bowl loss to BYU.
  • Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota’s first quarter interception ended a Pac-12 record streak of 353 pass attempts without an interception.
  • Illinois’ 20-16 win over Purdue snapped a 20-game Big Ten losing streak.
  • Boston College running back Andre Williams has rushed for 250+ yards in three consecutive games.
  • Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds rushed for 240 yards and an NCAA-record seven touchdowns in a triple-overtime win over San Jose State.

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