Ellison leads Ga. Southern to 22-19 win over New Mexico St.

 Kevin Ellison threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns as Georgia Southern beat New Mexico State 22-19 on Saturday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

Younghoe Koo, who made three field goals, has a school-record 13 straight for the season.

Georgia Southern picked up its first win on the final leg of a four-game road swing.

Trailing 12-9, Ellison hit Matt Breida from the 9 on the first play in the fourth to give the Eagles (4-3, 3-1 Sun Belt Conference) a 15-12 lead. On their next possession Ellison, who had 117 rushing and 101 passing yards, threw a screen pass to Wesley Fields who raced to the end zone from the 42 to go ahead 22-12.

New Mexico State's (2-5, 1-3) Tyler Rogers, who threw for 250 yards, found Johnathan Boone in the end zone on a 32-yard pass play for the final score with 1:19 remaining. Georgia Southern recovered the ensuing onside kick.

Vanderbilt rallies to beat Tennessee State 35-17

 Vanderbilt went to its running game to make an impressive comeback against Tennessee State.

After falling behind by three points late in the first half, the Commodores rattled off three unanswered touchdowns en route to a 35-17 win over Tennessee State on Saturday.

"The biggest thing was being ahead of the chains, being good on first and second downs so you don't have to be in those bad situations," Commodores quarterback Kyle Shurmur said. "So if like we're in third and short it's so much better than third-and-8 or third-and-9."

Vanderbilt's Ralph Webb rushed for 125 yards and Khari Blasingame ran for 100 and three touchdowns.

"It felt good just to be out there making plays," Blasingame said. "Those offensive linemen, they really did a good job moving people. Those holes were huge. You could have put a truck through those things."

Shurmur completed 15 of 23 passes for 143 yards and one touchdown, giving Vanderbilt (4-4) its fifth homecoming win in the past six years. Vanderbilt fell behind 17-14 late in the first half before the rattling off three straight touchdowns.

Ronald Butler completed 19 of 30 passes for 285 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Tennessee State (5-2) in the second all-time meeting between the Nashville schools that are only three miles apart.

Patrick Smith caught seven passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers, ranked 25th in the FCS polls.

Butler got Tennessee State off to a great start by throwing two touchdown passes to Smith on the Tigers' first two possessions, including a 93-yarder on the game's opening possession. But Tennessee State was unable to make it stand as it gave up 350 rushing yards to the Commodores.

"I thought defensively we struggled in the first half," Commodores coach Derek Mason said. "It was a rough start, but offensively, I thought they came on and did a really good job of answering back."

Vanderbilt took its first lead at 21-17 with 1:46 left in the half after Darrius Sims had a 33-yard run to the 3 and Blasingame punched it in to cap a five-play, 78-yard drive.

Ralph Webb's 49-yard run up the middle to the Tigers 24 got Vanderbilt off to a good start on the first play from scrimmage of the second half.

Blasingame's third touchdown, this one from 4 yards, increased the Commodores' lead to 28-17 with 12:54 left in the third quarter.

The Commodores' Ryan White forced a fumble and Dare Odeyingbo recovered at the Vandy 30 early in the fourth quarter and Trent Sherfield's 14-yard run capped the scoring for Vanderbilt with 6:08 left.

"Their personnel out-bigged us; they play big boy football," Tigers coach Rod Reed said. "They brought three tight ends in at times and were able to run the power and lean on us a bit. (Vanderbilt) did what we thought they would do, we just missed some tackles."

The Tigers fell to 0-3 against FBS opponents.

THE TAKEAWAY

Tennessee State: The Tigers got off to a good start, leading for much of the first half, but the Commodores wore down Tennessee State with its running game. Tennessee State was able to move the ball with 410 yards of total offense but they gave up 501.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores enjoyed their best running game of the season, rushing for 358 yards as Ralph Webb and Khari Blasingame both broke the 100-yard mark. The Commodores won their second straight game to reach the .500 mark.

UP NEXT

Tennessee State: The Tigers visit Murray State next Saturday.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores have a bye next week before visiting Auburn on Nov. 5.

Maryland handles Michigan State 28-17

 Maryland first-year coach DJ Durkin looked into the eyes of his players and saw a confidence that had been missing over the past couple of weeks.

The Terrapins then took the field against Michigan State and had one of their most dominant performances.

Perry Hills threw a pair of touchdown passes in his return to the lineup and Maryland kept the Spartans winless in the Big Ten with a 28-17 victory Saturday night. It was the Terrapins first win over Michigan State since Oct. 7, 1950.

Maryland (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) also extended the Spartans' losing streak to five games, the longest skid under 10-year coach Mark Dantonio.

"That was a fun night for our guys," Maryland first-year coach DJ Durkin said. "The message for our guys all week long, in particular later in the week, yesterday and today, was to have fun, enjoy this. This is a great opportunity. A night game. National TV. A program with great tradition who has had great success in our conference coming to town. We knew it was going to be a great atmosphere and it was."

Ty Johnson led Maryland's dominant running attack with 115 yards on nine carries, while Lorenzo Harrisonfinished with 105 yards on 17 carries. The Terrapins amassed 447 total yards and bounced back from a pair of losses.

"Disappointing outcome," Dantonio said. "I thought we came into this football game prepared. The reality of this situation is too many missed opportunities on offense. Too many penalties on defense in the first half. It's tough to win a football game when two guys run for a hundred yards on you."

Michigan State redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke got his second consecutive start and went 11 for 24 with 156 yards with an interception. He also ran for 79 yards on 10 carries. LJ Scott had a big day on the ground for the Spartans finishing with 128 yards and a touchdown.

"I think it was average," Lewerke said about his performance. "I think I skipped the pocket a little too much. I just need to get better."

Michigan State (2-5, 0-4) took its first lead, 17-14 on a 34-yard field goal by Michael Geiger with 1:35 left in the third quarter. Johnson continued to find a holes and a 44-yard run put Maryland into Michigan State territory. Two plays later, the Terrapins were back on top with a 2-yard run by Kenneth Goins Jr.

Hills put the game away with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Levern Jacobs with 3:23 left in the game. Hills, who suffered a shoulder injury Oct. 8 against Penn State and missed the previous game against Minnesota, was 21 of 27 for 200 yards Saturday.

"You shouldn't look at this game as life or death, it's a game," Hills said. "Everyone just had fun today."

Michigan State linebacker Riley Bullough was ejected with 4:39 left in the first quarter for targeting. That penalty helped Maryland extend a season-long 96-yard scoring drive, capped by Harrison's 8-yard run.

The Spartans went up-tempo and pulled to within 8-7 on a 48-yard touchdown run by Scott with 9:42 left in the second quarter. Hills responded on the ensuing drive with a 36-yard pass to D.J. Moore but Adam Greenemissed the PAT.

That allowed Michigan State to tie the game, 14-14, on a 1-yard run Gerald Holmes in the final minute of the half.

LONG DISTANCE

Maryland had a 96-yard scoring drive in the first quarter and another 90-yard drive just before halftime. It was the first time the Terrapins had two, 90-plus drives in the same game since Nov. 20, 1999, against Virginia.

THE TAKEAWAY

Michigan State: The Spartans face an uphill battle for a 10th straight bowl appearance with the toughest part of the their schedule still ahead. Michigan State must still play No. 3 Michigan next week and No. 2 Ohio State (Nov. 19).

Maryland: After a 4-0 start, the Terrapins gained some much-needed momentum to avoid missing a bowl game for the second consecutive season. However, Maryland plays three ranked opponents (Michigan, Ohio State and No. 8 Nebraska) over its final five games.

UP NEXT

Michigan State hosts No. 3 Michigan (7-0, 4-0) next Saturday. The Spartans stunned Michigan 27-23 last season when safety Jalen Watts-Jackson picked up a flubbed punt and ran 38 yards for the go-ahead touchdown on the final play of the game.

Maryland travels to Indiana on Saturday. The Hoosiers (3-4, 1-3) beat the Terrapins 47-28 last season and lead the all-time series 3-1.

MacGinnis' 51-yard FG lifts Kentucky over Mississippi State

 Kentucky coach Mark Stoops was speechless after Austin MacGinnis kicked a season-long 51-yard field goal as time expired to lift Kentucky to a 40-38 win over Mississippi State on Saturday night and end a seven-game skid against the Bulldogs.

"We both just looked at each other and I don't even know what we said," Stoops said. "I gave him a hug and probably told him I loved him."

For MacGinnis, the game-winner was a relief. MacGinnis also made field goals of 46, 32 and 32 yards but missed a 28-yard attempt Kentucky's opening series.

"It feels so good to get over the hump," he said. "We haven't beaten Mississippi State since I've been here, so it felt really good to get the SEC win."

Despite the botched attempt on MacGinnis' first try, Stoops remained assured in his kicker's abilities, even until the final buzzer.

"I had a lot of confidence with him in that last kick," the Kentucky coach said. "I was good with it either way, because I felt like our team played their hearts out. I know our coaches coached their hearts out."

Mississippi State trailed 34-24 with 14:57 remaining, but used two late touchdowns to make things interesting down the stretch, setting the tone for the exciting finish.

Kentucky's Stephen Johnson was 17-of-33 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns but had two fumbles, both resulting in touchdowns for the Bulldogs, including one that led to an 81-yard touchdown run by Mark McLaurin that pulled the Bulldogs within 34-31 with 9:33 remaining.

The Wildcats (4-3, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) need two wins, with five games remaining in the regular season, to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010.

It was Kentucky's first win over Mississippi State (2-5, 1-3) since 2008 and marked the first time the Wildcats have won three or more conference games since the 2009 season.

The loss was the third straight for the Bulldogs, who have struggled without former standout Dak Prescott, now turning heads in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.

Jeff Badet hauled in seven passes for 139 yards including touchdowns of 44 and 40 yards for Kentucky. Benny Snell added 128 yards rushing and one touchdown.

Kentucky finished with 554 total yards and limited the Bulldogs to just 362 yards.

Kentucky pulled within 14-12 on a double reverse out of the Wildcat formation from Snell to Ryan Timmons, to Johnson, who capped the play with a 44-yard touchdown strike to Badet to open the second half.

The Wildcats took their first lead on Snell's 34-yard touchdown run on Kentucky's second series of the half. Johnson's two-point conversion pass to Tevin Richardson gave the Wildcats a 20-17 lead with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter.

Fitzgerald paced Mississippi State's offense with 107 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including a 7-yard strike to Fred Ross to give the Bulldogs a 38-37 lead with 1:09 remaining.

Stoops said the comeback ranks among his biggest wins in his four-year tenure as coach of the Wildcats.

"It's right up there," he said. "It seems like we have some of those (in the past) but it's right up there. It didn't go how we wanted it to all the time, but I really felt very well-prepared for this game."

For the Bulldogs, the ending was all too familiar.

"We just needed to make a play and credit them for making the play," Mullen said. "I feel bad for our guys. We've lost three games this season on the final play of the game with a really young team. But the opportunities are there for us to make plays. We just didn't make enough of them."

SCARY MOMENT

Mississippi State offensive guard Darryl Williams, a redshirt freshman, went down with a an injury during a field goal attempt in the second half and was carried off the field in a stretcher at the 9:37mark of the third quarter.

Williams was transported to nearby UK Chandler Medical Center for further evaluation. According to MSU spokesman Bill Martin, Williams had movement in all of his extremities.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kentucky: The Wildcats have won four of their past five games after opening the season with two straight losses. Kentucky took sole possession of second place in the SEC East with the win over the Bulldogs, a game ahead of No. 18 Tennessee, which was idle this week.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs' streak of six straight postseason appearances appears to be in jeopardy with five games remaining in the season. Mississippi State has yet to play SEC West foes Alabama, Texas A&M, Arkansas and Mississippi. Coach Dan Mullen suffered his first loss to the Wildcats.

UP NEXT

Kentucky is at Missouri Saturday.

Mississippi State hosts Samford.

SMU stuns No. 11 Houston 38-16 by shutting down QB Greg Ward

 A grim-faced Tom Herman could hear the whoops and hollers of SMU players as the Houston coached tried to explain a shocking 38-16 loss to the Mustangs on Saturday night.

Was it hard to listen to that celebration?

"More than you know," Herman said.

Ben Hicks threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score in SMU's first win over a ranked team in five years.

The Cougars (6-2, 3-2 American) lost for the second time after a 5-0 start that included a season-opening win over then-No. 3 Oklahoma that vaulted Houston into the Top 10.

The last time the Mustangs (3-4, 1-2) beat a team ranked 11th or higher, they were No. 4 and finishing off a near-perfect 1982 season (11-0-1) with a 7-3 victory over sixth-ranked Pittsburgh in the Cotton Bowl. SMU tied No. 7 Texas A&M in 1994.

It was SMU's fourth win in 20 tries against Houston since returning from the so-called death penalty in 1989. The first loss was 95-21.

"For us to come in and get a signature win like this is huge," SMU coach Chad Morris said. "And I shared with our players for the last two weeks, `It just takes one (win) to start a revolution. It just takes one win to put some wind in our sails.'"

Greg Ward Jr. couldn't shake a persistent SMU pass rush or find receivers for big plays, finishing with 241 yards passing - almost 100 below his average - and just 3 yards rushing on 17 carries thanks to seven sacks.

One of the sacks was for an 18-yard loss to the Houston 22 when coach Tom Herman went for it on fourth down trailing 28-14 early in the fourth quarter.

Herman got conservative moments later, choosing a 19-yard field goal attempt on fourth down from the SMU 2. Ty Cummings hit the right upright for his second miss.

"Immense introspection when you lose a game like that," Herman said. "We'll leave no stone unturned to figure out why that happened."

Hicks was 16 of 31 for 228 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown to a wide-open James Proche for a 28-7 lead in the final seconds of the first half. SMU appeared content to run out the clock before a 40-yard run byBraeden West, who had 115 yards rushing and a punctuating touchdown late.

THE TAKEAWAY

Houston: Herman figured to be the hottest name in coaching for the offseason searches of LSU and any other high-profile programs that might be looking. Perhaps that doesn't change, but this October isn't helping. Convincing wins over Florida State in the Peach Bowl and the Sooners in this year's opener have lost some luster.

SMU: Morris, the second-year coach who went 2-10 in his debut season, has a good chance to build on his biggest win, and one of the program's biggest since the crippling NCAA sanctions almost 30 years ago. The Mustangs faded in the second half after strong early efforts against two other high-scoring Texas teams, Baylor and TCU. They finished the job this time.

TONE-SETTING TURNOVERS

The Cougars lost two fumbles in the first quarter and never got their high-powered offense going. Houston was outgained 406-303. "When you play a team at their place that's fresh, that's hungry, motivated, to give them life like that," Herman said. "You're playing catch-up the whole game from that point on."

CAREER GAME

SMU defensive end Jarvis Pruitt recovered one of the fumbles and had three sacks in the Mustangs' first win over a ranked team since beating No. 20 TCU 40-33 in overtime in 2011.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Houston: The Cougars could tumble all the way out of the rankings after being at No. 6 for several weeks following the victory over the Sooners. The fall has been sudden for a program coming off its first New Year's bowl in 30 years and the second 13-win season in program history.

UP NEXT

Houston: The Cougars start a stretch of three straight home games against UCF next Saturday. That stretch ends against No. 7 Louisville. They also get a bye after nine straight weeks of playing.

"It's a one-game season to get to that bye week and put everything we've got into protecting our home stadium and preparing and executing better than we did tonight," Herman said.

SMU: The Mustangs visit Tulane next Saturday before a home game against Memphis, which just lost its first conference game against Navy.

White tosses 4 TDs, Western Kentucky tops Old Dominion 59-24

 Mike White threw for 378 yards and four touchdowns and Western Kentucky beat Old Dominion 59-24 on Saturday night.

Scoring came at will for Western Kentucky (5-3, 3-1 Conference USA), logging points on eight of its first nine possessions to lead 52-14 at halftime.

White completed 28 of 32 passes and tossed three of his four first-half touchdowns to Taywan Taylor for 6, 14 and 54 yards.

Taylor led the Hilltoppers receiving corps by hauling in 10 catches for 123 yards and three TDs.

Western Kentucky had 459 of its 624 yards of offense in the first half and averaged 9.2 yards per play to win its third straight over Old Dominion (4-3, 2-1).

Anthony Wales ran for 157 yards and the first of two touchdowns on a 44-yard run on Western Kentucky's opening drive.

David Washington threw for 236 yards and had both of his TD passes in the second quarter for the Monarchs - to Zach Pascal and Travis Fulgham - as the highlight of an otherwise dismal night. The Old Dominion run game sputtered for 67 yards.

Old Dominion defensive back Jamshyer McUmber was ejected after a brawl on the Monarchs sideline cleared both benches midway through the third quarter. Every player from both teams received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for the incident, which was the second of the night after a minor on-field scuffle in the first half.

THE TAKEAWAY

Old Dominion: The Monarchs' three-game win streak came to an end. On top of losing McUmber from an ejection, sophomore defensive end Daniel Appouh was taken off the field in an ambulance for an unknown injury.

Western Kentucky: The Hilltoppers defense responded well after giving up 55 points at Louisiana Tech and 43 to Middle Tennessee State.

UP NEXT

Old Dominion: The Monarchs are on the road for a second straight week at UTEP on Saturday.

Western Kentucky: One win from bowl eligibility for a sixth straight season, the Hilltoppers travel to Florida Atlantic on Saturday.

UTEP wins 5OT thriller over UTSA 52-49, ends 5-game skid

 Ryan Metz's 6-yard TD pass to Warren Redix in the fifth overtime lifted UTEP over Texas-San Antonio 52-49 on Saturday night and ended the Miners' five-game losing streak.

It was the first five overtime game in Conference USA's history.

Metz threw two of his three TDs after regulation, including a 25-yarder to Aaron Jones in the second OT.

In the fourth OT, UTEP (2-5, 1-3) fumbled the snap at the Roadrunners' 3-yard line and the ball was recovered by UTSA's Kevin Strong Jr. The Roadrunners' Victor Falconthen missed a 42 yarder to force overtime five.

Falcon made a 33 yarder in the fifth OT to put UTSA (3-4, 2-2) up 49-46.

UTEP twice rallied from 14-point deficits to tie the score at 14 in the second quarter and at 28 in the third.

Metz was 15 for 23 passing and 211 yards. UTSA's Dalton Sturm was 18 for 34 for 214 yards, 3 TDs and an interception.