College Football Scores 2014: Week 9 Results and Top Stars for Top 25 Teams
For the second straight week, Heisman Trophy candidate Dak Prescott got a ton of help from his teammates. The No. 1 Mississippi State Bulldogs turned back a game Kentucky Wildcats squad on the road for a 45-31 win. The Bulldogs improved their record to 7-0 this season.
Prescott had a decent game with 216 passing yards, 88 on the ground and three total touchdowns, but his feature back stole the show.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Junior running back Josh Robinson ran for 198 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns to pace the Bulldogs' attack. Kentucky kept it close throughout. Mississippi State held only a 31-24 lead through three quarters, but a 73-yard touchdown run from Robinson broke it open in the fourth quarter.
Kentucky answered with a score with less than two minutes remaining in the game, but Mississippi State's Christian Holmes returned a disastrous onside kick attempt 61 yards to put the game away with a minute remaining.
The Bulldogs will remain No. 1 heading into a Week 10 battle with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Ole Miss Falls
A stifling LSU Tigers defense shut down Bo Wallace and the Ole Miss offense. It wasn't pretty, but LSU pulled off the biggest upset of the day by defeating the No. 3 team in the nation 10-7.
Wallace was absolutely dreadful all night. He completed just 14 of 33 pass attempts for 176 yards, one touchdown and a very bad interception. With an opportunity to gain better field position for a potential game-tying field goal, Wallace fired an errant pass down the sidelines that was picked off.
From the reaction of head coach Hugh Freeze, it seemed obvious Wallace was supposed to throw the ball away or to a place where only his receiver could catch it. To make matters worse, Wallace left the field before the game was over.
Ole Miss will still have an opportunity to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, but Saturday night was a tough evening. Here's a look at how all of the Top 25 teams did in the final game before the first official College Football Playoff rankings are revealed.
| 1 | Mississippi State (43) | Beat Kentucky 45-31 |
| 2 | Florida State (14) | Idle |
| 3 | Ole Miss (3) | Lost to LSU 10-7 |
| 4 | Alabama | Beat Tennessee 34-20 |
| 5 | Auburn | Beat South Carolina 42-35 |
| 6 | Oregon | Beat California 59-41 |
| 7 | Notre Dame | Idle |
| 8 | Michigan State | Beat Michigan 35-11 |
| 9 | Georgia | Idle |
| 10 | TCU | Beat Texas Tech 82-27 |
| 11 | Kansas State | Beat Texas 23-0 |
| 12 | Baylor | Idle |
| 13 | Ohio State | Beat Penn State 31-24 - 2 OT |
| 14 | Arizona State | Beat Washington State 59-37 |
| 15 | Arizona | Beat Washington 24-10 |
| 16 | Nebraska | Beat Rutgers 42-24 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | Idle |
| 18 | East Carolina | Beat Connecticut 31-21 |
| 19 | Utah | Beat USC 24-21 |
| 20 | USC | Lost to Utah 24-21 |
| 21 | Clemson | Beat Syracuse 16-6 |
| 22 | West Virginia | Beat Oklahoma State 34-10 |
| 23 | Marshall | Beat Florida Atlantic 35-16 |
| 24 | LSU | Beat Ole Miss 10-7 |
| 25 | UCLA | Beat Colorado 40-32 2 OT |
Top Stars
Marcus Mariota, Oregon Ducks: 326 passing yards, 5 TDs
A five-touchdown performance is sure to keep Marcus Mariota at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy conversation. A continued rise back up the rankings doesn't hurt either. On Friday, Oregon knocked off the California Golden Bears 59-41 to move to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Pac-12.
Without major upsets this week, it's unlikely the Ducks will move up from No. 6, but there's still time for Mariota and Oregon to rise to the top.
Friday night's torching of the California Bears defense wasn't Mariota's most efficient game of the year. He only completed 18 of 30 attempts, but he did eclipse the 300-yard mark to accompany his handful of touchdown strikes.
With a showdown looming against rival Stanford next week, Mariota looks ready to help his team make a statement.
Justin Hardy, East Carolina Pirates: 14 receptions, 186 yards, TD
Quarterback Shane Carden did throw for 445 yards and two scores on Thursday night against the Connecticut Huskies, but his primary target was the real star. Hardy's 14 receptions gave him 327 in his career. The senior is just 23 receptions away from becoming the NCAA's all-time leader in catches.
That's a big deal. The Pirates defeated the Huskies 31-21 and continue to solidify their position as a Top 25 team.
The team is getting some deserved respect, but its star wideout is turning heads as well. Look for Hardy to become a hot name as the NFL draft approaches.
Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska Cornhuskers: 19 rushes, 225 yards, 3 TD
The Cornhuskers star has already eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight season, and he just keeps chugging along. On Saturday, Abdullah lit up the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for his fourth 200-yard rushing game of the season and his third game with at least three touchdowns.
He's had just two games all year without at least 100 yards rushing and only one without at least 150 yards of total offense. He's also found the end zone in every contest.
To go along with his 225 yards rushing, Abdullah also had 26 yards receiving and 90 in the return game.
Heisman voters must take note of Abdullah's consistency and versatility.
Devon Johnson, Marshall Thundering Herd: 24 rushes, 272 yards, 4 TD
Usually quarterback Rakeem Cato gets the attention, but it was Johnson's dominant run performance on Sunday that helped Marshall push its record to 8-0.
Johnson's 272 yards set a single-game rushing record for the school, and it proved Marshall can lean on its rushing attack to beat teams.
Against a Florida Atlantic defense hell bent on slowing the Thundering Herd's potent passing game, Johnson stepped up and delivered a huge game.
Jeremy Langford, Michigan State Spartans: 35 rushes, 177 yards, 3 TD
Talk about a workhorse back...Langford was just that on Saturday against the rival Michigan Wolverines. The 177 yards on the ground were a career high for Langford as the Spartans pounded the reeling Wolverines.
On the strength of the offensive line and Langford's legs, Michigan State outrushed Michigan 219-65 in the 35-11 rout.
Trevone Boykin, TCU Horned Frogs: 433 passing yards and 7 TD
It's not every day a kid throws seven touchdown passes in a game. In fact, it had never happened in the history of TCU football before Saturday.
Boykin absolutely torched the Texas Tech Red Raiders defense in a record-breaking performance in the Horned Frogs' 82-27 win. Coming into the game, Boykin had only 14 touchdown passes on the season.
He grew that total by 50 percent in just one game.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
