Sooners, Buckeyes roll

Ohio State and Oklahoma won their BCS championship game rematches and showed that a couple of former powerhouses from the Sunshine State are not quite ready to return to elite status.

Behind the running of Terrelle Pryor and a ball-hawking defense, the second-ranked Buckeyes beat No. 12 Miami, 36-24, yesterday at the Horseshoe in Columbus.

The last time the teams met was in the 2002 national championship game at the Fiesta Bowl, with the Buckeyes taking a dramatic and controversial 31-24 victory in double-overtime.

In Norman, Okla., Landry Jones bounced back from a sluggish opener and led the 10th-ranked Sooners to an easy 47-17 victory over No. 17 Florida State.

That was a rematch of the 2001 Orange Bowl that brought home the Sooners' most recent national championship, but it quickly turned into a blowout as Oklahoma (2-0) scored touchdowns on its first four possessions.

Jones finished 30-for-40 for 380 yards without an interception. He had 321 yards by halftime, the second-most in a half in Oklahoma history. Ryan Broyles caught 12 passes for 125 yards and a score.

Christian Ponder was just 11 for 28 for 113 yards with interceptions on back-to-back throws in the third quarter for Florida State (1-1).

At Ohio Stadium, Pryor ran for 113 yards and a touchdown and passed for another score and the Buckeyes (2-0) intercepted four of Jacory Harris's passes.

But this one was no work of art, with numerous sloppy plays and bad tackling. Miami returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns.

In what was billed as a Heisman showcase, Pryor completed just 12 of 27 passes for 233 yards but added 20 carries, scoring on a 13-yard run. Harris was 22 of 39 passing for 232 yards and a touchdown but had the four interceptions.

No. 1 Alabama 24, No. 18 Penn State 3

Trent Richardson ran for 144 yards in place of injured Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, leading No. 1 Alabama over Penn State.

The Crimson Tide (2-0) hardly slowed down without Ingram, and a young defense forced Rob Bolden and the Nittany Lions (1-1) into several turnovers to end promising drives.

No. 4 TCU 62, Tennessee Tech 7

Matthew Tucker ran for two touchdowns, Andy Dalton threw for a score while setting another TCU record and the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs stretched their home winning streak to 15 games.

Dalton tied Max Knake's school record of 622 career completions with his second against the Golden Eagles, a 24-yard pass to Josh Boyce less than five minutes into the game to put TCU (2-0) ahead to stay.

No. 5 Texas 34, Wyoming 7

Garrett Gilbert passed for 222 yards and a touchdown and No. 5 Texas shook off another slow start.

After spending most of the first game against Rice running the ball, Texas opened up its passing playbook against the Cowboys. The result was similar: A methodical win with a few big plays sprinkled for in an offense still trying to find its rhythm.

No. 6 Nebraska 38, Idaho 17

Taylor Martinez ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns and Nebraska's defense intercepted five of Nathan Enderle's passes and had seven sacks.

DeJon Gomes and Rickey Thenarse each ran back interceptions for touchdowns as the defense carried the Huskers (2-0), whose offense was productive but mistake-prone against the overmatched Vandals (1-1).

No. 8 Florida 38, South Florida 14

Jeff Demps ran for a career-high 139 yards and a touchdown, Justin Trattou returned an interception for a score and Florida pulled away from South Florida in the second half.

The Gators (2-0) overcame a sluggish start for the second consecutive week, took advantage of five turnovers and extended their home winning streak to 13 games. (next page »)