STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State flexed its offensive muscle on Saturday night and took one more step toward a second-straight bowl berth.
The Bulldogs racked up 570 yards and beat Tennessee-Martin 55-17 behind a two-touchdown night from senior running back Vick Ballard.
Ballard rushed only 11 times for 102 yards and averaged 9.2 yards a carry. The game was Ballard's fourth 100-yard outing of the season, and his first multi-touchdown performance since the Bulldogs' season opener against Memphis.
"It was like a breath of fresh air," Ballard said. "It doesn't matter what kind of game it is, I just want to win. But it felt good to be back in the end zone."
The win puts Mississippi State (5-4) only one win away from bowl eligibility with three games remaining.
"We're into November and we have a winning record," head coach Dan Mullen said. "That's where we want our program to be."
The road to bowl eligibility is not easy, though. Two of those games are against nationally-ranked SEC West teams Alabama and Arkansas, and the season finale is against in-state rival Mississippi.
Mississippi State averaged 8.3 yards per play and never trailed in the contest, but also allowed 454 yards against an inferior opponent.
"I didn't like any of it," Mullen said. "We were giving up yard after yard on defense. I mean, we didn't adjust. We didn't do anything. We didn't make plays."
Tennessee-Martin (5-4) moved the ball all night, but struggled on third down against the Bulldogs' stiff scoring defense.
"I mean, we were outmanned," head coach Jason Simpson said.
Mullen again used both starter Tyler Russell and senior Chris Relf at quarterback, and both had some success.
Russell completed 9 of 18 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
"I don't think I played up to the par of this game at all," Russell said. "We've got a lot of stuff to work on."
Relf finished 5 of 6 for 61 yards and threw two touchdowns.
"Chris, I thought, was excellent," Mullen said.
Arceto Clark caught 5 passes for 96 yards and a career-high two touchdowns, while Chad Bumphis caught four passes for 89 yards and touchdown.
Tennessee-Martin running back Kenny Jones scored both Skyhawks touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
Mississippi native Justin McNair had a game-high 122 yards rushing on 27 carries for the Skyhawks, and quarterback Derek Carr completed 19 of 31 passes for 167 yards and one score.
"Mississippi State has the quickest defense we've played against, so we had to hit holes faster," McNair said.
The Skyhawks opened the game with a deep drive into Bulldogs territory, but kicker Cody Sandlin missed a 33-yard field goal attempt.
Then Mississippi State marched 80 yards in 13 plays and Ballard scampered in for a 5-yard touchdown, the Bulldogs' first on an opening drive this season, and from there it was all Bulldogs.
Jonathan Banks returned a Tennessee-Martin punt 65 yards for a touchdown on the next possession. Then Russell threw a 78-yard strike to Bumphis to end the first quarter.
Relf hit Clark for a 27-yard score with 4:11 remaining in the first half, and the Bulldogs led 28-3 at the break.
In the second half, Ballard broke a 54-yard run for a touchdown early in the third quarter, and Nick Griffin and Dylan Favre both added rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Zach Maynard's teammates rallied around him, and so did his coaches. For all of those bad decisions and errant passes over the past few weeks, Maynard blocked out the criticism and focused on what he had to do: get California a step closer to a bowl berth.
The embattled quarterback threw for 118 yards and a touchdown before leaving after a blow to his head that wasn't considered serious, Isi Sofele ran for 138 yards and a TD and Cal routed Washington State 30-7 on Saturday to move within one victory of becoming bowl eligible.
"Everybody has an opinion," Maynard said. "Criticism is all talk. I don't let it get to me. I try not to let it burden me."
Maynard, who had thrown seven interceptions in his previous three games, hit Anthony Miller for a 19-yard touchdown pass on the first series of the game by the Golden Bears (5-4, 2-4 Pac-12), who made a statement on a drizzly day in their next-to-last game at temporary home AT&T Park.
Maynard was hurt recovering a fumble by Sofele with 4:52 remaining in the third, and Allan Bridgford replaced him.
Quarterback Marshall Lobbestael and the Cougars (3-6, 1-5) faced constant pressure from the smothering Cal defense and managed only a 5-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter by Rickey Galvin, who attended Berkeley High School but wound up on the Palouse.
Will Kapp, the son of former Cal coach and Bears 1959 Rose Bowl quarterback Joe Kapp, ran 43 yards for his first career touchdown on fourth-and-1 early in the third quarter for the Bears' lone points of the second half.
"To be honest, I thought he was going to get caught," Sofele said. "Everybody was stoked."
Trailing 30-0 after Kapp's TD, Washington State had more yards in penalties (61) than total offense (55) on the way to losing its fifth straight game since opening Pac-12 play with a 31-27 victory at Colorado on Oct. 1.
The Bears have won the last seven meetings against Washington State — outscoring the Cougars 248-98 — and four in a row at home. Cal won 20-13 last season in Pullman.
Cal defensive end Trevor Guyton used this game as a chance to pay tribute to an old friend, Cory Mackay, the former Washington State defensive lineman paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident in May 2009. Guyton switched his uniform number from 92 to 6 for this game to honor Mackay, who fell asleep at the wheel driving home to the Seattle area after finals week. Cougars running back Logwone Mitz, Guyton's high school teammate, wore No. 6 in the season opener and is trying to make the jersey switch for the rest of the season.
"He was one of my best friends," said Guyton, who went to junior high with Mackay before they attended rival high schools. "He's been going through some tough times."
Guyton and the Bears still have a tough task ahead to win one more in their final three games. After next Saturday's home finale against Oregon State, Cal plays the Big Game at rival and No. 4 Stanford on Nov. 19 and then travels to Arizona State the following week.
"Last week there, there was a lot of criticism and a lot of people doubted us, but we didn't let that bother us," center Dominic Galas said. "We know those guys in the locker room, those are the guys we care about. All that outside stuff didn't really matter."
Last season, the Bears went 5-7 and missed out on a bowl game for the first time since now-10th-year coach Jeff Tedford's initial season in 2002.
Cal is 3-1 in the San Francisco Giants' waterfront ballpark while Memorial Stadium is undergoing a renovation and retrofit across the bay in Berkeley. Most of Saturday's announced crowd of 35,506 left early to get out of a steady rain.
Sofele carried 23 times on the way to his third 100-yard game of the season, and C.J. Anderson added a 5-yard touchdown run as Cal outgained the Cougars 411-224. Washington State managed only 22 yards in the first quarter, including four yards passing.
Maynard made solid decisions and completed 10 of 17 passes. He was sacked once but didn't throw an interception.
"I felt more calm this week, more prepared," Maynard said.
Tedford has defended his junior transfer quarterback in recent weeks — even after Maynard threw four picks in last week's 31-14 loss at UCLA.
"It meant a lot," Maynard said. "I love my team. We all believe in each other. They rallied around me and I rallied around them, too."
Keenan Allen's 29-yard catch set up Sofele's touchdown late in the first quarter and put him over 1,000 yards receiving, the sixth player in Cal history to do so in a season. He finished with eight receptions for 85 yards.
Giorgio Tavecchio kicked a 43-yard field goal but had an extra-point try blocked. It marked his fifth failed PAT this season compared to three missed field goals in 15 attempts.
Washington State had its own problems in the kicking game and on special teams.
The Cougars set up for a 52-yard field goal attempt by Andrew Furney, but Zach Koepp's snap went high and through the hands of holder Dan Wagner for a 28-yard loss. Coach Paul Wulff shook his head in disappointment.
"We do immature, dumb things still," Wulff said. "When we kicked off, we just weren't there. I don't have an answer."
Furney got a good snap in the third quarter and missed a 27-yard attempt wide left.
Cal's attacking defense made things difficult all day for a Washington State passing game that came in ranked second in the conference, averaging 316.1 yards per game.
Lobbestael finished 15 for 37 for 155 yards.
Cal freshman linebacker Chris McCain was helped off the field midway through the third quarter and taken to the hospital for a head injury. The Bears also lost linebacker David Wilkerson in the first quarter to a knee injury. He is scheduled for an MRI exam.
World Series-winning manager Tony La Russa, who announced his retirement after the St. Louis Cardinals' title, received a donation to his Animal Rescue Foundation.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Utah mixed up its coverages to confuse Nick Foles and got in his face a couple of times, too.
Using its strength to take away Arizona's, in addition to another solid game from quarterback Jon Hays, the Utes put themselves on the verge of a ninth straight bowl.
Utah's defense hounded Foles into a pair of big mistakes, while Hays threw for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lift the Utes to a 34-21 win over the Wildcats on Saturday.
"This is how Utah plays," said Utes running back John White, who had 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. "This is how we should play, this is how it should be done."
Utah (5-4, 2-4 Pac-12) has been good defensively all season and did it again against one of the nation's best passing teams. The Utes got in Foles' face early and mixed up their coverages throughout the game, setting up a pair of interceptions.
Utah has one of the nation's best defenses, so that wasn't too much of a surprise, even against the high-flying Wildcats.
The nice part was the continuing evolution of Hays and the offense.
The Utes struggled offensively even before starting quarterback Jordan Wynn was injured and seemed to take a step back the first few games under Hays.
The junior threw seven interceptions in four games after replacing Wynn before finally putting together a solid game last week against Oregon State.
Hays may not have been spectacular against Arizona, but he was solid, hitting 12 of 21 passes while calmly directing Utah's offense for a second straight turnover-less game.
"He's more confident, he's making better decisions, he's not forcing the ball into coverage, just all those things you hope would happen in a maturation of a quarterback," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
Maturation has never been a problem for Foles.
A projected first-round NFL draft pick, he's been one of the nation's most prolific passers over the past two seasons.
The past two games haven't gone quite the way he had hoped.
A week after throwing three interceptions in a loss to Washington, Foles made some shaky throws and decisions against Utah. He hit 25 of 43 passes for 326 yards and had a pair of touchdown tosses to David Douglas, but also had two key interceptions, including one in the end zone with Arizona (2-7, 1-6) at Utah's 2-yard line in the fourth quarter.
"You've got to play a full game," Foles said. "I've got to know everything. That's what I expect of myself, but sometimes it doesn't work out. It hasn't really worked out the past two weeks."
The game figured to be a clash of strengths. Arizona has one of the nation's best passing offenses behind Foles, the nation's leader with over 32 completions per game.
Utah, despite its struggles in the Pac-12, has the nation's 22nd-ranked defense, allowing just over 325 yards per game, and is second in the conference in defensive scoring.
The advantage went to the Utes.
Utah sacked Foles twice in the first half and used pressure to generate its first interception. Matt Martinez got it with a diving grab at Arizona's 30-yard line, setting up White's 18-yard touchdown run that put Utah up 17-0.
Utah's special teams were good, sniffing out Arizona's fake field goal attempt in the first quarter, blocking two punts in the first half and getting good returns throughout the game.
Coleman Petersen hit a 32-yard field goal after Greg Bird got to Kyle Dugandzic's first punt of the game, but missed from 42 yards after another partially-blocked punt in the second quarter.
Utah's offense wasn't bad, either.
Arizona stacked the box to stop the run early in the game and Utah made them pay for it, using play-action to spring DeVonte Christopher for a 65-yard touchdown pass from Hays that put the Utes up 10-0 on the second play of the second quarter.
Hays also opened the second half with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Dunn after Arizona cornerback Lyle Brown slipped, putting the Utes up 27-7.
"Our receivers were burning off the line tonight; they are all playmakers and they created easy touchdowns," Hays said. "We needed to take advantage of one-on-one matchups tonight and we did."
Arizona's offense struggled before finally showing some life late in the second quarter, moving 73 yards in seven plays to set up Douglas' acrobatic 23-yard touchdown catch from Foles. Douglas made the catch over his shoulder while diving and barely got his foot in for the highlight-worthy score.
Foles hit Douglas again late in the third quarter, throwing on the run for a 42-yard touchdown that cut Utah's lead to 27-14. Douglas finished with 10 catches for a career-high 156 yards.
Foles again had the Wildcats driving midway through the fourth quarter, but a short fade pass in the end zone from the 2-yard line was picked off by Utah's Conroy Black, who returned it across midfield. White followed with an 11-yard score to put the game out of reach.
"They fought to the last (second) and that is not reason to hang their head," Arizona interim coach Tim Kish said. "They do have a reason to be disappointed because there is no way we can make the critical mistakes we made and get a good outcome against a team like Utah."
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) — Army's Scott Williams was twisting his way toward the goal line when Air Force defensive back Josh Hall punched the ball out of his arms and out of the back of the end zone for a touchback in the waning seconds of the first half.
"That was a huge play, goodness. Gigantic play," Falcons coach Troy Calhoun said.
It was the kindling for the Falcons' rally from a two-touchdown halftime deficit and a 24-14 win over the Black Knights on Saturday. With the win, Air Force retained the coveted Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
"That was a gigantic play because he was inches away from going into the end zone and Josh got the ball out and they also had another guy going to get the ball in the back of the end zone and he was just two steps short from getting it," fellow Falcons defensive back Jon Davis said. "That play was huge."
Hall said it sent the Falcons into the locker room with determination instead of dejection.
"I think it was the start of the turnaround," Hall said, "because as a defense we played amazingly the second half. We were having a horrible first half. I felt like it could have been 35-0 easily."
Conversely, the Black Knights headed into halftime kicking themselves.
"We could have gone into the half 28-0, and if we'd have done that, the second half probably would have gone a different way," Army fullback Jared Hassin said. "We need to find that fire in the second half."
After being outgained on the ground by 230 yards in the first half, the Falcons (5-4) outscored the Black Knights 21-0 in a third-quarter blitz that included two field goals, two touchdowns, a two-point conversion and two takeaways.
Parker Herrington kicked a career-high three field goals for the Falcons, who recovered fumbles that allowed them to start drives at the Army 29, 19 and 14 in the second half.
"It was all about penalties, turnovers and missed opportunities," Army coach Rich Ellerson lamented.
Until its meltdown, Army (3-6) looked primed to end its 11-game skid against the service academies and win a share of its first Commander trophy since 1996.
The Falcons were fortunate to only be trailing 14-0 at halftime. Air Force stopped Army on fourth down twice in the red zone. Along with Williams' fumble through the back of the end zone, the Black Knights were denied once at the 1.
Air Force started the second half with a drive that ended in Herrington's 37-yard field goal. After a punt, Jefferson's 2-yard TD run and Asher Clark's 2-point conversion run pulled Air Force to 14-11.
Army quarterback Max Jenkins fumbled the snap on the ensuing drive and that led to Herrington's 39-yard field goal that tied the score at 14.
The Black Knights then bungled a fake punt, and linebacker Stephan Atrice scooped up the ball at the Army 14. Four plays later, Jefferson's 1-yard TD run gave Air Force a 21-14 lead.
"I love the guts they had to fake that punt," Calhoun said.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jon Davis stripped Hassin and returned the fumble to the Army 19. Herrington followed with a 39-yarder that gave the Falcons a 24-14 lead.
Davis, who tied his career high with a dozen tackles, sealed the win with an interception deep in Air Force territory with four minutes left.
"We had little tweaks here and there but I think the biggest change was just our mentality," Falcons linebacker Jordan Waiwaiole said.
The Black Knights have now lost five consecutive road games and their last six games against the Falcons.
Air Force beat Navy 35-34 in overtime last month and won its second straight Commander-in-Chief's Trophy after ending its eight-year drought.
Last season, Jefferson — who finished his career 6-1 against Army and Navy — was disappointed to learn only the seniors got to go to the White House to meet President Obama and receive the trophy that signifies superiority among the service academies.
"Me and a couple other guys, we were devastated just because we knew we were such a big factor for the team," Jefferson said. "And I was talking to a couple of people and they told me, 'You have to go out there and earn it again. If you want it that bad, you'll get the job done and you'll punch your own ticket.'"
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — After sitting out last Saturday's blowout loss to Notre Dame, there was no way Navy quarterback Kriss Proctor was going to miss the Senior Day game against Troy on Saturday, even if he did have a dislocated left elbow.
Proctor ran for two touchdowns and passed for another, leading Navy to a 42-14 rout of Troy. Navy (3-6) played its best game of the season, led 35-0 at halftime and snapped a six-game losing streak.
"I knew after Notre Dame (a 56-14 loss), I didn't care how it felt, I was coming back," said Proctor, who had been injured in the team's loss to East Carolina on Oct. 22. "It feels good now, it felt good before the game ... but it still doesn't feel normal. It's a dislocation and there is always a chance it could slide out like it did in the ECU game."
Proctor scored on rushes of 1 yard and 5 yards and threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Gee Gee Greene before being replaced at halftime by backup Trey Miller. He also completed 4 of 6 passes for 127 yards.
"I didn't know if he (Proctor) would play two hours before the game," Navy coach said Ken Niumatalolo. "I saw Kriss on the training table before the game and he just smiled. I didn't have to ask him if he was going to play. I knew he would."
Seniors Aaron Santiago, returning after missing six games with a broken left forearm, and Alexander Teich, led the Mids on the ground. Santiago had 80 yards and Teich added 71 yards and a 5-yard scoring run as Navy gained 390 of its 517 yards offense on the ground.
Greene also scored on a 10-yard run and Mike Stukel added Navy's lone second-half score on a 1-yard run.
Navy had 385 yards offense in the first half in building its biggest halftime margin since leading Temple 35-0 on Nov. 18, 2006.
Santiago's return to the lineup was earlier than expected and his presence in the backfield with Proctor, Teich and Greene added an extra element that had been missing during the losing streak.
"It meant a lot to me to be able to play with everyone again, especially here at Memorial Stadium," Santiago said.
Navy broke its longest skid since 2002 when it lost 10 in a row, and kept alive its hopes of playing in a bowl game for a ninth straight season.
"It feels great. Sometimes you forget what it feels like to get a win," Teich said. "I was so proud of how everyone showed up today. We kept fighting. I hope the same team that showed up today shows up again next week."
Navy hadn't won since September 10. Now, the Mids must win their final three games to qualify for the Military Bowl.
"We have a case of amnesia when it comes to September and October," Niumatalolo said. "We don't remember those losses. We're just looking ahead to SMU (its next foe) and the rest of the season."
Troy (2-6) lost its fourth straight game for the first time since 2006 and is now assured of finishing with its first non-winning season since 2005 (4-7).
The Trojans had 330 total offense, getting just 109 and six first downs in the first half. They scored on a 1-yard run by D.J. Taylor on their first possession of the second half and on a 22-yard pass from Corey Robinson to Chandler Worthy on their final possession.
Troy starter Corey Robinson completed 19 of 26 passes for 152 yards and backup Jamie Hampton was 8 for 11 for 60 yards. Shawn Southward led Troy with 68 rushing yards and Eric Thomas had seven catches for 60 yards.
"We didn't have it today on either side of the ball," Troy coach Larry Blakeney said. "We started with two good drives and then had two turnovers. Any team will beat you if that happens."
Navy's Jared Marks and Collin Sturdivant recovered Troy fumbles for the Mids, setting up the first two scores of the game — a 2-yard run by Proctor and the pass from Proctor to Greene.
STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Southern blocked two extra points, which proved to be the difference as the Eagles beat The Citadel 14-12 Saturday in a Southern Conference game.
The game was not decided until the Bulldogs' Ryan Sellers missed a 37-yard field goal wide right with 13 seconds left.
"I thought it was good," Georgia Southern cornerback Laron Scott said. "When we didn't get the block I turned and looked, and then I turned away because it looked like it was right down the middle. Then I heard everyone hollering and I knew he had missed."
The victory, coupled with Furman's 20-10 win over Appalachian State, means the Eagles (8-1, 6-1) and Wofford will play for the conference championship next Saturday at Wofford.
Appalachian State, which beat Georgia Southern 24-17 last week, had a run of six straight conference championships snapped by the Paladins. The Eagles last won a SoCon title outright in 2002 and shared it with Furman in 2004.
Georgia Southern played without All-America nose tackle Brent Russell, who was suspended prior to the game by coach Jeff Monken for violating team rules.
"It was a one-game suspension," Monken said. "If he does what he's supposed to do this coming week he'll be back in the lineup."
The teams combined for two touchdowns on the first three plays of the game, but spent the rest of the day battling inopportune penalties and turnovers.
The Bulldogs (4-5, 2-5) returned the game's opening kickoff to the Georgia Southern 31-yard line, then scored on their second play, a 26-yard touchdown run up the middle by Darien Robinson. Hudson Presume blocked the extra point.
Following the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles had the ball at their own 37. Quarterback Jaybo Shaw immediately found Darrieon Robinson wide open at the 50 and he ran untouched down the right sideline for the 63-yard touchdown. Adrian Mora kicked the extra point and it was 7-6 after 67 seconds of play.
The Citadel scored on a 2-yard run by quarterback Aaron Miller with 8:08 left in the second quarter, but Scott came through to get the block.
Georgia Southern followed the Bulldogs' touchdown with a 52-yard drive that saw Nico Hickey score on a 14-yard run. Mora added the extra point, his 137th consecutive successful extra point attempt.
"We did not play at a championship level today," Monken said. "We feel fortunate that we will be able to play for a conference championship, which was one of our goals. We're going to have to play smarter and take better care of the football."
Robert Brown had 90 yards rushing to lead Georgia Southern, which was held to 191 yards rushing by the Bulldogs. Shaw completed 4 of 7 passes for 129 yards with one interception.
The Citadel got 92 yards from Darien Robinson and Miller added 80 as the Bulldogs riddled the Eagle defense for 239 yards on the ground.
Georgia Southern lost two of five fumbles to go along with a Shaw interception, while The Citadel fumbled three times, losing none. Miller was picked off by Presume at the Georgia Southern 9 with 9:05 left in the game.
Second-half rally lifts Utah State over Hawaii 35-31
HONOLULU (AP) — Robert Turbin scored on a 1-yard run with 14 seconds left to complete a second-half rally that gave Utah State a 35-31 win over Hawaii on Saturday night.
The Aggies (3-5, 1-2 WAC) trailed by 21 points at halftime, but scored the final 21 points to turn back the Warriors (5-4, 3-2).
Utah State totaled 433 yards of offense, with 280 coming in the second half. Turbin, who has scored at least one rushing touchdown in his last 13 games, finished with 96 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns.
"It's huge for us being able to play in the fourth quarter and being able to finish," Aggies coach Gary Andersen said. "I'm sure there's going to be some people who stayed up till halftime and closed their eyes and went to sleep. There will some surprised people at home when they open up the newspaper and see what happens."
The Aggies rallied behind reserve quarterback Adam Kennedy in the second half after starter Chuckie Keeton went down with a neck injury late in the second quarter.
"It's been hard for Adam Kennedy. He walks in here as the JC quarterback and was beat out by a true freshman," Andersen said. "He handled it unbelievably. He stuck with it and he was prepared to make some plays for us."
Hawaii held a 31-14 lead in the third quarter, but Utah State cut the deficit to 10 points with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Kennedy to Chuck Jacobs. Kennedy's 71-yard scoring strike to Stanley Morrison early in the fourth quarter brought the Aggies within a field goal.
After Utah State took an early 7-0 lead, Hawaii tied it on a Bryant Moniz touchdown pass to Justin Clapp on the first play on the second quarter. Moniz ran for scores of 1 and 8 yards before connecting with Jeremiah Ostrowski for his second passing touchdown to give the Warriors a three-touchdown lead at halftime.
Turbin's first touchdown, a 46-yard run early in the third quarter, made the score 28-14 before Hawaii's Tyler Hadden converted on a 24-yard field goal with 5:28 left in the third.
"We knew the fight we're in for when you come to Hawaii," Andersen said. "It wasn't going so well at halftime. Tremendous effort by the kids coming back, bow up and keep fighting."
Moniz finished with 227 yards through the air on 27-of-43 passing. In the second quarter, he became the third player in school history to surpass the 10,000 passing yard mark (Timmy Chang, Colt Brennan).
Kennedy completed eight of his 12 passes for 163 yards and Morrison recorded two receptions for 105 yards. Utah State's McKade Brady led all players with 11 tackles.
Corey Paredes led the Warriors' defense with 10 tackles and Aaron Brown notched six as well as recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass.
"I don't have a lot to say, I really don't. I'm just really sick to my stomach," Hawaii coach Greg McMackin said. "They made plays. We didn't make plays. We broke down and they did a heck of a job coming back. I'm really at a loss for words."
It was the first win in Honolulu for the Aggies since 1966.
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A quick strike by East Carolina resulted in an overwhelming response by Southern Mississippi, which raced to a 48-28 victory over the Pirates on Saturday.
East Carolina scored on the second play of the game — a career-long 72-yard pass from quarterback Dominique Davis to Reese Wiggins — and was on the verge of scoring again when Southern Miss snapped into action with the first of four first-half returns for touchdowns.
"Our special teams made some really nice plays and some game-changing plays," Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora said. "The defense scored as much as we did on offense, basically. We got the pick and then blocked a punt."
Southern Miss's Jamie Collins scored on a school-record 97-yard interception return after he picked off an errant throw by Davis that bounced off the intended receiver and a defender. His touchdown made the score 7-7 with 9:19 left in the first quarter.
A pair of defensive stands by Southern Miss set up the next two touchdowns off East Carolina punt attempts. First, Tracy Lampley raced 60 yards up the right sideline for a touchdown after fielding a punt at the Golden Eagles' 40. Another stop resulted in a blocked punt by Southern Miss' Reggie Hunt that Emmanuel Johnson scooped up and returned 15 yards for a 21-7 lead.
"They jumped out on us on a quick pass play," Southern Miss defensive end Cordarro Law said. "But Jamie's interception bounced us back and we got the momentum. For the defense to get a turnover and go down and score, it pumped us up."
After Southern Miss scored its only offensive touchdown of the first half on an 8-yard pass from quarterback Austin Davis to running back Jamal Woodyard, the Golden Eagles added a 79-yard interception return by Deron Wilson with 3:27 left in the second quarter to make it 38-14. The 38 first-half points were a season high.
"The two special teams touchdowns and the two interceptions they returned for touchdowns really hurt us," East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill said. "We felt we could move the ball on them and we did. We had the momentum but the interception really hurt us."
East Carolina outgained Southern Miss 402 yards to 299 and had 24 first downs to 17 for the Golden Eagles. The Pirates also held a 35:45 to 24:14 advantage in time of possession. Those numbers just didn't result in enough points for the Pirates.
Fedora said he was proud of the way his defense played because of the amount of time it spent on the field.
"The defense was hurting in the first half," Fedora said. "You can't play that many snaps and not expect them not to hurt. Our defense had their backs against the wall and we had guys set up and make plays."
Southern Miss (8-1, 4-1 Conference USA), which is off to its best start since 1996, seized control of C-USA's East Division with its seventh straight win, while East Carolina (4-5, 3-2) had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Golden Eagles have dominated the series against the Pirates with wins in 16 of their last 19 visits to East Carolina.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Walter Kazee ran for a career-high three touchdowns as San Diego State cruised to a 35-7 win over New Mexico on Saturday night.
Ronnie Hillman, the FBS's leading rusher, ran for 141 yards and a touchdown for the Aztecs (5-3, 2-2 Mountain West).
The Lobos (0-9, 0-4), one of only two winless FBS teams, stretched their losing streak to 12 games. New Mexico's last win came Nov. 6, 2010 against Wyoming.
Kazee, who entered with five career rushing TDs, had never scored more than one in a game. Hillman, who came in averaging 151 yards per game, scored on a 1-yard run.
Chad Young added a 3-yard scoring run for the Aztecs. San Diego State's five rushing touchdowns were its most in more than 15 years.
Ryan Lindley completed 16 of 24 passes for 271 yards as the Aztecs gained 486 yards. The Lobos had just 162 yards of offense.
Crusoe Gongbay scored on a 6-yard run just before halftime for New Mexico.
It was the first time in eight games New Mexico has held an opponent to less than 42 points.
Kazee's first TD capped a 66-yard drive in late in the first quarter and San Diego State took a 14-0 lead with 4:26 before halftime on Kazee's 3-yard run.
New Mexico, which had been shut out in its last two games, had its only sustained drive of the game on its next possession. The Lobos went 80 yards on nine plays with Crusoe Gongbay scoring on a 6-yard run just before halftime to cut the San Diego State lead to 14-7.
But the Aztecs used short fields on their first two possessions of the third quarter to set up Kazee's last touchdown and Hillman's 13th rushing TD of the season.
The win was just San Diego State's second in its last eight home games against the Lobos.
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Colby Cameron passed for a career-high 358 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to Quinton Patton, as Louisiana Tech throttled Fresno State 41-21 on Saturday night.
Lennon Creer added 113 rushing yards and a touchdown as Louisiana Tech (5-4, 4-1) stayed alive in the Western Athletic Conference title hunt with its fourth straight victory.
Myles White had 130 receiving yards on just two catches, including a 75-yard down touchdown that gave Louisiana Tech a 24-point lead in the second quarter.
It was Louisiana Tech's fifth straight road win in conference play.
Robbie Rouse had 96 rushing yards for Fresno State (3-6, 2-2) against the team he torched for 286 yards on 42 carries a year ago. Devon Wylie caught 13 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown.
In his second start this season, Cameron took advantage of a porous Fresno State secondary to complete 18 of 32 passes, including eight for 20 yards or longer.
Louisiana Tech stormed to a 34-7 halftime lead by racking up 400 yards of total offense, including 301 through the air.
Cameron threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Patton on the opening drive, and the duo teamed up for a 22-yard scoring strike to make the score 14-0 with 4:40 left in the first quarter.
Fresno State got its only points of the half on Derek Carr's 12-yard touchdown pass to Victor Dean, which made the score 17-7.
It was a frustrating night for Carr, who nonetheless finished 39 of 49 for 290 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore threw two interceptions and was sacked three times.
Louisiana Tech extended its lead with two long touchdowns: a 53-yard run up the middle by Creer and a 75-yard bomb to White, who got several yards behind the secondary. Matt Nelson added two field goals.
With Fresno State moving to the Mountain West Conference next season, this could be the final meeting between the two schools that share the Bulldogs mascot.
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