Lions ride Matt Prater"s leg to win vs. Vikings

DETROIT — It was the type of kick that always seems to go through the uprights against the Detroit Lions.

Nobody has ever made a field goal from 68 yards in an NFL game, but when Minnesota’s Blair Walsh lined up at that distance on the final play Sunday, there were some nervous folks at Ford Field.

"Stranger things have happened to us," Detroit offensive lineman Rob Sims said. "But maybe this is our time. Maybe things are changing."

Walsh’s kick came up short and wide to the left, and Detroit held on for a 16-14 victory over Minnesota.

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Lions ride Matt Prater"s leg to win vs. Vikings

Nebraska"s Ameer Abdullah establishes school all-purpose yards record

Nebraska senior tailback Ameer Abdullah establish a school record for single-game all-purpose yardage Saturday — and burnished his Heisman qualifications in the procedure — in leading the Huskers to a 42-24 victory over Rutgers.

Abdullah rolled up 341 all-purpose yards — 225 yards (and three touchdowns) to the floor, 26 receiving yards and 90 yards in kickoff returns. Additionally, Saturday’s trip was his fourth 200-yard game of the season, which ties Mike Rozier’s single-season school record set in 1983. Rozier won the Heisman that season, when he rushed for 2,148 yards.

» Can Not-miss Minutes: Top plays of Week 9 in CFB

Abdullah had been third in the country in rushing at 146.3 yards per game.

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Nebraska"s Ameer Abdullah establishes school all-purpose yards record

Jameis Winston rallies Florida State past Notre Dame

A masterful second-half performance by Jameis Winston led Florida State to a 31-27 victory Saturday night over Notre Dame and moved the Seminoles a giant step closer to a playoff bid.

» Things you need to know from CFB Week 8

The Seminoles held on for the victory after an Irish TD on fourth down with 13 seconds left was waved off for offensive interference.

The recent distractions for Winston, including a school investigation into whether he received money for autographs, seemed to bother him in the first half. But not in the second, when he torched the Irish secondary.

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Jameis Winston rallies Florida State past Notre Dame

Eighteen things you need to know from Week 6 in CFB

A doormat no more.

The state of Mississippi, where SEC powers have traditionally gone to score wins as a matter of routine, sent top-10 powers Alabama and Texas A&M home with their first losses of the season Saturday as Mississippi State thrashed the Aggies 48-31, and Ole Miss upended the Crimson Tide, 23-17.

And now, the two Magnolia State schools are both 5-0, both 2-0 in SEC play, and sharing the view from the top of the standings in the tough-as-ever SEC West.

The Bulldogs got it done with offense (see below), while the Rebels used defense to beat Alabama for the first time in Tide coach Nick Saban’s eight seasons at UA. Alabama scored just three points after halftime, and Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golson intercepted a pass in the back of the end zone in the final minute to seal the victory.

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Eighteen things you need to know from Week 6 in CFB

Nine things you need to know from Week 6 of college football

A doormat no more.

The state of Mississippi, where SEC powers have traditionally gone to score wins as a matter of routine, sent top-10 powers Alabama and Texas A&M home with their first losses of the season Saturday as Mississippi State thrashed the Aggies 48-31, and Ole Miss upended the Crimson Tide, 23-17.

And now, the two Magnolia State schools are both 5-0, both 2-0 in SEC play, and sharing the view from the top of the standings in the tough-as-ever SEC West.

The Bulldogs got it done with offense (see below), while the Rebels used defense to beat Alabama for the first time in Tide coach Nick Saban’s eight seasons at UA. Alabama scored just three points after halftime, and Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golson intercepted a pass in the back of the end zone in the final minute to seal the victory.

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Nine things you need to know from Week 6 of college football

Minnesota"s David Cobb has had 2 200-yard games this season

Two tailbacks have had multiple 200-yard games this season. One is Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah, who is receiving all sorts of acclaim (and deservedly so). The other also plays in the Big Ten and isn’t receiving much (any?) attention: Minnesota’s David Cobb.

Cobb (5-foot-11, 220 pounds), a senior from Killeen, Texas, ran for 220 yards in a win over Middle Tennessee State and for 207 yards in a victory over San Jose State. He rushed for 183 yards in last week’s rout of Michigan and is eighth nationally at 144.4 rushing yards per game.

Cobb’s per-game average has him on a pace to rush for 1,732 yards, which would break the school single-season record by almost 300 yards; first-round pick Laurence Maroney rushed for 1,464 yards in 2005. Maroney had three 200-yard games that season, also a school single-season record, so Cobb could tie or break that mark, too.

Cobb lacks elite speed; he has been clocked in the 4.55 range in the 40. He is a downhill runner, though, and does a nice job picking and choosing his holes.

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Minnesota"s David Cobb has had 2 200-yard games this season

College Football 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings: Week 5

Aside from Mississippi State, which had an impressive success at LSU, there was not lots of upward motion in the latest CFB 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings. Nevertheless, things are beginning to get very interesting in the top 10 as merely nine points separate first and fourth position, and only 32 between first and seventh.

Points: 169 (5 first place votes) W-L: 3-0 Previous rank: 1

The lanky: No Jameis Winston, no issue? Well, not actually. FSU needed to work overtime, but the Seminoles got the win over Clemson. The remaining ACC looks like easy pickings the remaining way.

Staying schedule: Saturday, Sept. 27 — at N.C. State; Saturday, Oct. 4 — vs. Wake Forest; Saturday, Oct. 11 — at Syracuse; Saturday, Oct. 18 — vs. Notre Dame; Thursday, Oct. 30 — at Louisville; Saturday, Nov. 8 — vs. Virginia; Saturday, Nov. 15 — at Miami (Fla.); Saturday, Nov. 22 — vs. Boston College; Saturday, Nov. 29 — vs. Florida

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College Football 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings: Week 5

Amari Cooper similar to Jordy Nelson, but more volatile

On a typical Saturday, I am bouncing around from channel to channel, getting a look at NFL possibilities in a number of different college football matches. This Saturday was distinct, though.

I focused only about the Florida-Alabama match since I was so intrigued by the matchup between Tide WR Amari Cooper and Gators CB Vernon Hargreaves III.

There Is nothing a scout loves more than to see two players which might be the very best at their various positions go head to head. It is the closest thing to repeating what they will find at another degree, and we had the opportunity to watch only that when Cooper and Hargreaves met on Saturday. One player was the clear winner because matchup. Here are my observations on this conflict and other interesting possibilities in the sport.

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Amari Cooper similar to Jordy Nelson, but more volatile

Everett Golson remains popular in Notre Dame win over Purdue

Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson’s hot start to the season continued Saturday as he accounted for three touchdowns in the Irish’s 30-14 victory over Purdue.

Golson threw for 259 yards and two TDs and also scored a rushing touchdown; in addition, he led Notre Dame with 56 rushing yards, the third-highest total of his career.

His rushing TD came on a 15-yarder that gave the Irish the lead for good at 17-14 late in the very first half. The run capped off an eight-play, 70-yard drive.

His first TD passes capped off Notre Dame’s first possession, as well as the second one came with 4:05 left in the third quarter for a 24-14 lead.

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Everett Golson remains popular in Notre Dame win over Purdue

Kentucky RB guarantees win over Florida, Mark Stoops furious

Guaranteeing a win is one sure way for a player to draw attention, in the locker room and in the press.

This week it’s Kentucky running back Jojo Kemp, who pledged that the Wildcats would be coming home with a victory after playing Florida on Saturday.

"A couple of my (high school) teammates actually went to Florida, so I’m familiar with a lot of those guys," Kemp said after Tuesday’s practice, according to The Courier-Journal of Louisville. "It’s going to be fun walking out with a victory and rubbing it in their faces."

If Kentucky were to do just that, it would be quite shocking even if Florida is not exactly top-25 material right now. The Gators, after all, have beaten the Wildcats 27 straight times.

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Kentucky RB guarantees win over Florida, Mark Stoops furious