Sports

LSU keeps BCS bowl hope alive

Jarvis Landry made a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch and No. 8 LSU kept its hopes for a BCS bowl game alive with a 20-13 win over Arkansas yesterday in Fayetteville, Ark.

Zach Mettenberger passed for 217 yards and hooked up with Landry for the play of the day with 1:12 left in the first half to put LSU up 10-0. The Tigers (10-2, 6-2 SEC) reached double-digit wins for the sixth time in eight seasons under coach Les Miles.

LSU must now hope for an Alabama loss to Auburn and Texas A&M victory today in order to reach next weekend’s SEC championship game. Even without a division crown, the Tigers still could get an at-large bid to the BCS.

Tyler Wilson was 31 of 52 passing for the Razorbacks (4-8, 2-6), whose fall from preseason top 10 is now complete. The senior set the school record for career passing yards in the loss.

Arkansas’ Cobi Hamilton set the school record for receptions in a career with 175.

Syracuse 38, Temple 20

In Philadelphia, Ryan Nassib threw for 215 yards and a touchdown, and Adonis Aimeen-Moore rushed for a pair of scores to lead Syracuse (7-5, 5-2 Big East) over Temple (4-7, 2-5) in the Orange’s final Big East game.

The Orange have won five of six games to finish the season, and now await their bowl destination. Syracuse is moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.

Temple took a 20-17 lead midway through the third quarter on quarterback Clinton Granger’s 10-yard touchdown run. The Orange took over from there, reeling off 21 unanswered points before clinching the victory on Keon Lyn’s 31-yard interception return of Granger’s errant pass with 2:37 remaining in the game.

Temple’s Montel Harris, who ran for 351 yards and seven touchdowns in last week’s record-setting, 63-32 win over Army, ran for 106 yards on 21 carries.

Nebraska 13, Iowa 7

In Iowa City, Rex Burkhead scored the go-ahead touchdown in his return from a knee injury and No. 17 Nebraska (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten) beat Iowa (4-8, 2-6) to secure a spot in the conference title game.

The Huskers will face Wisconsin next Saturday in Indianapolis.

Kent St. 28, Ohio 6

In Kent, Ohio, C.J. Malauulu returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown — 12 seconds after another Kent State TD — and the No. 23 Golden Flashes (11-1, 8-0 MAC) completed a perfect season in the Mid-American Conference with their 10th straight win, beating Ohio (8-4, 4-4).

The regular-season finale was a tuneup for Kent State, which will meet No. 24 Northern Illinois in next week’s MAC championship.

No. Illinois 49, E. Michigan 7

In Ypsilanti, Mich., Jordan Lynch ran for 107 yards and Akeem Daniels scored a career-best four touchdowns as No. 24 Northern Illinois (11-1, 8-0 MAC) won its 11th straight game, beating Eastern Michigan (2-10, 1-7) on a cold and snowy day.

West Virginia 31, Iowa St. 24

In Ames, Iowa, Tavon Austin turned a touch pass from Geno Smith into a 75-yard touchdown with 6:31 left and West Virginia (6-5, 3-5 Big 12) held on to beat Iowa State (6-6, 4-5), breaking a five-game losing streak.

Cincinnati 27, So. Florida 10

In Cincinnati, Brendon Kay threw for a touchdown and ran for another, getting the offense moving again after its worst showing of the season, and the Bearcats (8-3, 4-2 Big East) pulled away to beat South Florida (3-8, 1-5).