Even without Andrew Luck, Stanford still had 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 last night for its fourth straight win in this series.
Heisman Trophy hopeful Matt 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.
Coming out of a two-year bowl ban, USC had national title hopes. Now the Trojans will have to climb out of a hole to get there.
A sold-out crowd at Stanford Stadium rushed the field, tossing streamers and jumping in a wild celebration at midfield. Nunes, Luck’s successor, finished with 215 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 15-for-32 passing for the Cardinal (3-0, 1-0).
Alabama 52, Arkansas 0
In Fayetteville, Ark., Eddie Lacy ran for three touchdowns and No. 1 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC) forced five turnovers to roll over Arkansas (1-2, 0-1), which played without quarterback Tyler Wilson (head injury) and had 137 yards of total offense.
LSU 63, Idaho 14
In Baton Rouge, La., Ronald Martin and Lavar Edwards each returned interceptions for scores as No. 3 LSU (3-0) rolled.
Pittsburgh 35, Virginia Tech 17
In Pittsburgh, running back Ray Graham ran for 94 yards and two scores and added an 18-yard touchdown reception to lead the Panthers (1-2) to an upset of No. 13 Virginia Tech (2-1).
Florida 37, Tennessee 20
In Knoxville, Tenn., Jeff Driskel threw two touchdown passes and Trey Burton rushed for a pair of scores as No. 18 Florida (3-0, 2-0) scored the final 24 points to beat No. 23 Tennessee (2-1, 0-1), its SEC rival, for the eighth straight time.
Ohio St. 35, 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 the last chance for California (1-2) with an interception to power 12th-ranked Ohio State (3-0) to victory in the first game between the teams in 40 years.
Florida St. 52, Wake Forest 0
In Tallahassee, Fla., Chris Thompson scored on runs of 74 and 80 yards on successive first-half carries to lead No. 5 Florida State (3-0, 1-0 ACC) to a rout of Wake Forest (2-1, 1-1). The Seminoles have outscored their opponents 176-3.
Louisville 39, N. Carolina 34
In Louisville, Ky., the No. 19 Cardinals (3-0) scored on their first six possessions, then needed a late goal-line stand to come away with the victory. Bryn Renner rallied the Tar Heels (1-2) from a 36-7 deficit with four second-half TDs.
South Carolina 49, UAB 6
In Columbia, S.C., Connor Shaw went 8 of 14 for 107 yards for No. 8 South Carolina (3-0) before reinjuring his throwing shoulder on a brutal hit just late in the first half.
Texas 66, Mississippi 31
In Oxford, Miss., David Ash threw for a career-high 326 yards and four touchdowns and No. 14 Texas easily beat Mississippi.
Michigan 63, Massachusetts 17
In Ann Arbor, Mich., Denard Robinson put up 397 yards of total offense and accounted for four touchdowns as No. 17 Michigan (2-1) routed Massachusetts (0-3).
Clemson 41, Furman 7
In Clemson, S.C., Tajh Boyd threw for 310 yards and three touchdown passes and Sammy Watkins had a 58-yard touchdown run for the No. 11 Tigers (3-0).
TCU 20, Kansas 6
In Lawrence, Kan., Casey Pachall threw for 335 yards and two touchdowns and No. 16 TCU (2-0, 1-0) beat Kansas (1-2, 0-1) in its Big 12 debut.
Oregon 63, Tenn. Tech 14
In Eugene, Ore., Marcus Mariota threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns in No. 4 Oregon’s (3-0) blowout win.
Kansas St. 35, North Texas 21
In Manhattan, Kan., Collin Klein threw for 230 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and No. 15 Kansas State (3-0) eased past pesky North Texas.