STATE COLLEGE, PA. ? Polishing off Joe Paterno’s greatest nemesis, No. 3 Penn State ended a dozen years of disappointment against Michigan.

Behind the running of Evan Royster and a few momentum-shifting plays by the defense and special teams, the Nittany Lions withstood the Wolverines’ early flurry and snapped a nine-game losing streak to their Big Ten rivals, 46-17, on Saturday.

Paterno wasn’t on the field to enjoy his team’s highest-scoring game against Michigan, relegated to working from the press box for a third consecutive week because of a sore hip and leg.

No. 2 Alabama 24, Mississippi 20

Tuscaloosa, Ala.- John Parker Wilson threw for a season-high 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Alabama made a late defensive stand.

The Crimson Tide stopped the Rebels on fourth-and-five from its 43-yard line in the final minute, when Jevan Snead’s pass to Dexter McCluster fell incomplete.

No. 6 USC 69, Washington State 0

Pullman, Wash. – Mark Sanchez became the first USC quarterback to throw five touchdown passes in a half. It was the largest shutout victory for USC since a 69-0 victory over Montana in 1931.

USC’s defense, ranked first in the nation with 9.4 points given up per game, ended the Cougars’ scoring streak at 280 games dating to Sept. 15, 1984.

No. 10 Georgia 24, No. 22 Vanderbilt 14

Athens, Ga. – Knowshon Moreno rushed for a season-high 172 yards, freshman A.J. Green had 132 yards receiving, and Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes for Georgia (6-1, 3-1 SEC).

No. 12 Ohio State 45, No. 20 Michigan State 7

East Lansing, Mich – Terrelle Pryor showed some of his potential during a spectacular start that gave Ohio State at least a share of first place in the Big Ten.

Pryor ran for a score and threw for another in the first half, helping the Buckeyes build a four-touchdown lead.

No. 13 LSU 24, South Carolina 17

Columbia, S.C. – Jarrett Lee went 16-of-26 for 189 yards, and LSU held South Carolina to minus-7 yards in the fourth quarter.

No. 14 Utah 49, Colorado St. 16

Salt Lake City – Backup quarterback Corbin Louks ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns, and starter Brian Johnson threw two touchdown passes as Utah (8-0) remained unbeaten.

Boston College 28, No. 17 Virginia Tech 23

Boston – Rich Gunnell returned a punt 65 yards for a TD for Boston College.

BC’s Chris Crane threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, but the Eagles stayed in the game with their defense, which limited the Hokies to a season-low 240 total yards.

Virginia 16, No. 18 UNC 13 (OT)

Charlottesville, Va. – Cedric Peerman scored from two yards in overtime to continue the Cavaliers’ home win streak to 14 games.

After North Carolina began overtime with a field goal, Virginia tight end John Phillips caught a 19-yard pass from Marc Verica to put the ball on the Tar Heels’ four. Peerman ran for two yards and then two more for the winning score.

No. 19 South Florida 45, Syracuse 13

Tampa, Fla. – Matt Grothe threw three TD passes and ran for another for South Florida (6-1, 1-1 Big East).

Grothe, who was also the team’s leading rusher with 72 yards, finished 19-for-26 for 255 yards.

Maryland 26, No. 21 Wake Forest 0

College Park, Md. – Chris Turner threw for 321 yards to back a strong defensive showing by Maryland in the Terrapins’ fifth straight victory against a Top-25 team.

No. 23 Pitt 42, Navy 21

Annapolis, Md. – LeSean McCoy rushed for three touchdowns and had 156 yards to help Pittsburgh rout Navy.

It was the fifth victory in a row for the Panthers, who have started the season at 5-1 for the fourth time since 2000. Navy (4-3) had entered the contest with a three-game winning streak, but couldn’t contain the Panthers’ offense, which rolled up 501 yards.