After a 49-10 thrashing of in-state foe Louisiana Tech, LSU moved up to No. 4 in Sunday’s Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll thanks to a couple of upsets in the Top 10.
(All rankings are AP and as of Nov. 1)
No. 10 Va. Tech 31, No. 2 Miami 7
Just one week after Tech was embarrassed on the road at West Virginia, the Hokies came out running on all cylinders, taking it to the Hurricanes.
VT used its athletic defense to jump out to a 17-0 lead, returning a fumble 28 yards for a touchdown and an interception for 51 yards with a field goal sandwiched in between. By the time the fourth quarter started, the Hokies found themselves up 31-0.
Miami finally hit the scoreboard in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Derrick Crudup.
The Hurricanes were sacked four times and picked off three.
No. 23 Florida 16, No. 4 Georgia 13
The turnaround at the University of Florida continues as coach Ron Zook rode the playmaking ability of true freshman quarterback Chris Leak in beating rival Georgia in the famed “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.”
Leak was 13-of-23 for 235 yards including a tie-breaking 34-yard touchdown pass to Carlos Perez in the third quarter.
However, it was the golden foot of Gators’ kicker Matt Leach who booted a 33-yard field goal with just 33 seconds left in the contest as Florida continued its hot streak. The Gators have now beaten two Top 10 teams in the last three games. They also beat Arkansas two weeks ago when the Hogs were just out of the Top 10.
A Florida win means that the SEC Eastern Division could end up in a three-way tie at the end of the month. This could force a vote of the athletic directors from schools not involved in the tie and not from the SEC West champion to determine who represents the East in Atlanta.