Sporting News? coverage of Week 12 rolls on with a look at three games kicking off at 3:30 p.m. ET.
HALFTIME UPDATES
No. 21 Penn State at Ohio State
Ohio State learned its fate before kickoff.
No matter what happens here today against Penn State, the Buckeyes are eliminated from the Big Ten race. Penn State, meanwhile, is right in the mix, even if it fails to hang on to its 20-14 halftime lead.
The winner of next week?s Nittany Lions-Wisconsin game will determine the Leaders Division winner.
Still, PSU wants to go into that game with momentum.
Stephfon Green?s 39-yard touchdown run at the start of the first quarter gave Penn State a 7-0 lead. Anthony Fera booted a 43-yard field goal to give the Lions a 10-0 lead after the first 15 minutes.
Ohio State scored twice in the second quarter?a 24-yard TD scamper by freshman QB Braxton Miller and a 7-yard TD catch by Jake Stoneburner from Miller. But Fera?s 46-yard field goal as time expired in the half gave the Lions a 20-14 advantage at the break.
No. 7 Clemson at NC State
Any team is different without its best player.
Clemson is no exception. Receiver Sammy Watkins did not start Saturday against NC State and is hampered by a shoulder injury. How much that has to do with what the Wolfpack are doing to Clemson can?t be easily determined. At any rate, No. 7 Clemson?the ACC Atlantic Division champion?trails NC State 27-3 in a half the Wolfpack have thoroughly dominated.
Clemson?s lone score came midway through the first quarter when Chandler Catanzaro made a 24-yard field goal.
Since then, it has been all NC State.
Quarterback Mike Glennon found George Bryan for an 11-yard scoring strike and Jay Smith for another from seven yards out that made it 14-3.
Niklas Sade?s 21-yard field goal followed at the 4:58 mark of the second quarter by a 4-yard touchdown run by Tony Creecy. And to punctuate the half, Sade pushed another through the uprights to make it 27-3.
Meanwhile, Clemson?s offense hasn?t crossed midfield.
PREGAME COVERAGE
No. 21 Penn State at Ohio State
A year ago, no one would have expected a Senior Day like this one in Columbus. Terrelle Pryor is long gone. Jim Tressel, out. The whole thing at Ohio State, a big unpredictable mess.
For senior receiver DeVier Posey, today marks his first home game of the season?and his last. Posey was suspended by the NCAA?twice?for a total of 10 games. Senior running back Daniel ?Boom? Herron is trying to make the most of his NCAA-shortened campaign as well.
Alas, this is where the Buckyes are as they face Penn State today.
And Penn State is just as dazed going into this game. Just Friday, it was announced that former coach Joe Paterno has a treatable form of lung cancer. That news has come in on the heels of Paterno?s dismissal and too much ugly to spell out once again in this space.
On the field at least, there is this: Penn State can clinch at least a tie for the Big Ten Leaders Division with a win over the Buckeyes. Ohio State, meanwhile, saw its best chance for staying alive go flop when Wisconsin defeated Illinois earlier today.
Penn State QB Matt McGloin has been named the starter for the Nittany Lions this game, but Penn State will still rely heavily on Silas Redd. For OSU freshman quarterback Braxton Miller, Posey is another capable option he?ll have to choose from today.
SMU at No. 11 Houston
If there is a comeback player of the year award, top consideration should go to Houston?s Case Keenum. He has returned from a serious knee injury to become the most prolific passer in NCAA history. In this, his sixth season of eligibility, Keenum is making history for the Cougars, too.
Going into today?s game against SMU, Houston is aiming for the third 11-win season in the school?s history. Ranked 11th in the nation, the unbeaten Cougars are climbing the polls with hopes of somehow getting into a BCS game.
SMU would have had a tough job on its hands no matter the circumstances, but things have become even more complicated with the loss of the team?s leading rusher?the team?s only rusher, really?Zach Line, for the rest of the season with a foot/toe injury.
Keenum has 23 touchdown passes in the last five games and more impressive, he is completing 74 percent of his pass attempts this season.
Mississippi State at No. 6 Arkansas
Arkansas has perhaps been the most uneven team ranked in the top 10. But all that matters is that the Razorbacks have continued to win, six in row now.
They?ve won 10 of their last 11 games against today?s opponent, Mississippi State, but a win today would mean a lot. It would set up a critical game next week against No. 1 LSU. The winner will take the SEC West crown, and an Arkansas win, specifically, would spell a tremendous upset for a team that has looked unbeatable all season long.
Arkansas, with a win over the Bulldogs, would post its first undefeated home season since 1999. A loss, however, would secure the West for LSU.
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