Tallahasse, Fla. ? Florida coach Urban Meyer gathered his offensive linemen and gave a simple message: protect the quarterback.

He was counting on Chris Leak to do the rest – and keep the fourth-ranked Gators in the national championship hunt.

The often-criticized senior quarterback came through, directing one of the best drives of his career when Florida needed it most and delivering a 21-14 victory over rival Florida State on Saturday.

“I told coach to just open it up and let me go pick them apart,” Leak said.

Leak was 7-of-8 for 79 yards on the game-winning drive early in the fourth quarter. He called an audible on third down, recognizing a blitz and checking to a skinny post, and hooked up with Dallas Baker for a 25-yard gain. He connected with Baker again two plays later for a 25-yard score.

South Florida 24, No. 7 West Virginia 19

Morgantown, W.Va. – Matt Grothe ran for a touchdown and passed for another and the Bulls slowed down the Mountaineers’ dominant running game for a surprising win that could end the Mountaineers’ chances for a BCS bid.

No. 8 Louisville 47, Pittsburgh 24

Pittsburgh – Brian Brohm threw for 337 yards and four touchdown passes, and the Cardinals took another step toward a Big East title.

No. 12 Boise State 38, Nevada 7

Reno, Nev. – Ian Johnson ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns, and Jared Zabransky passed for 299 yards as the Broncos likely wrapped up a spot in the Bowl Championship Series.

No. 15 Rutgers 38, Syracuse 7

Piscataway, N.J. – Brian Leonard became the Scarlet Knights’ career scoring leader as they moved within a victory of earning their first Big East championship.

Georgia 15, No. 16 Georgia Tech 12

Athens, Ga. – Matthew Stafford threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Massaquoi with 1:45 remaining.

No. 17 Virginia Tech 17, Virginia 0

Blacksburg, Va. – Sean Glennon threw a touchdown pass and the Hokies’ defense made it stand.

No. 19 Tennessee 17, Kentucky 12

Knoxville, Tenn. – LaMarcus Coker plunged one yard for a touchdown and the Vols held on to beat the Wildcats.

No. 20 Wake Forest 38, Maryland 24

College Park, Md. – Kenneth Moore ran for 165 yards and a touchdown for the Demon Deacons, who became the first ACC team in history to go 6-0 on the road.

No. 21 BYU 33, Utah 31

Salt Lake City – John Beck scrambled away from trouble and threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jonny Harline with no time remaining, and the Cougars ended a four-game losing streak to the Utes.

South Carolina 31, No. 24 Clemson 28

Clemson, S.C. – Ryan Succop hit a go-ahead 35-yard field goal as the Gamecocks snapped a four-game losing streak to their in-state rivals.