STANFORD, Calif. — Even without Andrew Luck, Stanford still has every answer for Matt Barkley and Southern California.
Josh Nunes threw a go-ahead 37-yard touchdown to Zach Ertz, Stepfan Taylor ran for 153 yards and scored two touchdowns, and No. 21 Stanford upset second-ranked USC 21-14 on Saturday night for its fourth consecutive win in this series.
Barkley threw for 254 yards and two interceptions while completing only 20 of 41 passes. He was sacked twice on the final drive for the Trojans (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) and threw out of bounds on a final, desperate heave on fourth-and-39 from USC’s 25-yard line.
NO. 4 OREGON 63,
TENNESSEE TECH 14
In Eugene, Ore., Marcus Mariota threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns before Oregon pulled its starters in a victory over Tennessee Tech.
Multitalented De’Anthony Thomas had 222 all-purpose yards on 10 touches. He ran for a 59-yard touchdown and caught a 16-yard scoring pass from Mariota.
NO. 9 WEST VIRGINIA 42,
JAMES MADISON 12
In Landover, Md., Geno Smith completed 34 of 39 passes for 411 yards and five touchdowns, and West Virginia rolled to a win over James Madison.
Smith set the school’s career passing yardage record, topping Marc Bulger.
NO. 20 NOTRE DAME 20,
NO. 10 MICHIGAN STATE 3
In East Lansing, Mich.,Everett Golson threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score to help Notre Dame beat Michigan State.
The Fighting Irish (3-0) snapped a six-game losing streak against ranked teams and beat a top-10 opponent for the first time in seven years.
NO. 12 OHIO STATE 31,
CALIFORNIA 28
In Columbus, Ohio, Braxton Miller lofted a 72-yard touchdown pass to an all-alone Devin Smith with 3:26 left and Christian Bryant snuffed out California's last chance with an interception to power Ohio State to the win.
NO. 15 KANSAS STATE 35,
NORTH TEXAS 21
In Manhattan, Kan., Collin Klein threw for 230 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, Tyler Lockett returned a kickoff 96 yards for another score and Kansas State eased past pesky North Texas.
NO. 16 TEXAS CHRISTIAN 20,
KANSAS 6
In Lawrence, Kan., Casey Pachall threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns, both of them to Brandon Carter, and Texas Christian University beat Kansas in its Big 12 debut.
NO. 17 MICHIGAN 63,
MASSACHUSETTS 13
In Ann Arbor, Mich., Denard Robinson put up 397 yards of total offense and accounted for four touchdowns in Michigan’s rout of Massachusetts.
