SPOTLIGHT / FACTS, FIGURES, COMMENTS FROM SATURDAY’S GAMES : NOTEWORTHY

Stacey Robinson broke an NCAA quarterback rushing record with 308 yards, and scored five touchdowns, in Northern Illinois’ 73-18 rout of No. 24 Fresno State. Robinson broke the record of 294 set by Nolan Cromwell of Kansas against Oregon State in 1975.

Chris Gardocki kicked a school record-tying four field goals, from 47, 25, 30 and 25 yards, in Clemson’s 34-3 victory over Georgia. It was the largest margin of victory by Clemson over Georgia since 1905, when the Tigers won, 35-0. Clemson’s Doug Brewster set up a field goal in the second quarter when he blocked Scot Armstrong’s punt, the first block against the Bulldogs since 1984.

John Langeloh kicked an extra point in Michigan State’s 12-7 loss to Iowa, tying him with Morten Andersen as the Spartans’ career scoring leader with 261 points. Langeloh missed field-goal attempts of 19 and 42 yards.

David Klingler, the nation’s total offense leader, completed 35 of 68 passes for 405 yards in Houston’s 31-15 Southwest Conference victory over Baylor. Klingler was one short of Andre Ware’s school and conference record for pass attempts.

Mississippi defeated Kentucky, 35-29, for its third consecutive victory and improved its record to 4-1, the best start for the Rebels since quarterback Archie Manning led the 1970 team to a 4-1 record after five games. The victory was Billy Brewer’s 100th as a college coach.

The Colorado State defense made the difference in a 22-13 victory over Utah. The Rams sacked Utah quarterback Jason Woods seven times, intercepted three of his passes and recovered two fumbles.

Illinois’ 31-20 victory over Ohio State was its third in a row, the first time the Illini have beaten the Buckeyes three games in a row since 1927-29.

Phillip Doyle’s six field goals tied a Southeastern Conference record in Alabama’s 25-6 victory over Southwestern Louisiana.

Bill Musgrave became Oregon’s all-time offense leader in the No. 22 Ducks’ 52-7 victory over Utah State. Musgrave completed 15 of 23 passes for 187 yards and increased his career offense total to 6,878 yards. He surpassed the previous school record of 6,841 set from 1983-86 by quarterback Chris Miller.

STREAKS

Penn State’s 48-10 victory over Temple was the Nittany Lions’ 16th consecutive win over its intrastate rival since the teams played a tie in 1950.

Colgate’s Dave Goodwin, who passed for three touchdowns in a 30-7 victory over Yale, has thrown touchdown passes in nine consecutive games, breaking the school record of Steve Calabria set in 1983.

Michigan’s 41-3 victory over Wisconsin was the Wolverines’ ninth in a row over the Badgers since 1981.

HOW THE TOP 25 FARED

Rank: 1

Team: Notre Dame

Record: 3-1

Synopsis: Lost to Stanford, 36-31; Irish tight end Derek Brown failed to catch a 23-yard pass in the end zone on the game’s final play.

Next Game: Air Force (Oct. 13)

Rank: 2

Team: Florida State

Record: 4-1

Synopsis: Lost to No. 9 Miami, 31-22; The Seminoles, outplayed by Miami’s offensive line, gave up 334 yards on the ground.

Next Game: At Auburn (Oct. 20)

Rank: 3

Team: Michigan

Record: 3-1

Synopsis: Beat Wisconsin, 41-3; Elvis Grbac threw three touchdown passes and the Wolverines outgained the Badgers, 534 yards to 189.

Next Game: Michigan State (Oct. 13)

Rank: 4

Team: Virginia

Record: 4-0

Synopsis: Did not play.

Next Game: North Carolina St. (Oct. 13)

Rank: 5

Team: Auburn

Record: 3-0-1

Synopsis: Beat Louisiana Tech, 16-14; The Tigers needed a late 74-yard drive and a 30-yard field goal in the final seconds to win.

Next Game: Vanderbilt (Oct. 13)

Rank: 6

Team: Tennessee

Record: 3-0-2

Synopsis: Did not play.

Next Game: Florida (Oct. 13)

Rank: 7

Team: Oklahoma

Record: 5-0

Synopsis: Beat Oklahoma State, 31-17; Freshman Cale Gundy got the Sooners going with a 52-yard touchdown pass play at the end of the first half.

Next Game: Texas (Oct. 13)

Rank: 8

Team: Nebraska

Record: 5-0

Synopsis: Beat Kansas State, 45-8; Mickey Joseph and Leodis Flowers broke open a tight game with third-quarter touchdowns.

Next Game: Missouri (Oct. 13)

Rank: 9

Team: Miami (Fla.)

Record: 3-1

Synopsis: Beat No. 2 Florida State, 31-22; Stephen McGuire gained 176 yards and Leonard Conley 144 to lead the Hurricanes.

Next Game: Kansas (Oct. 13)

Rank: 10

Team: Florida

Record: 5-0

Synopsis: Beat LSU, 34-8; The Gators recovered two fumbles and blocked a punt to set up three first-half touchdowns.

Next Game: At Tennessee (Oct. 13)

Rank: 11

Team: BYU

Record: 4-1

Synopsis: Did not play.

Next Game: Colorado St. (Oct. 13)

Rank: 12

Team: Colorado

Record: 4-1-1

Synopsis: Beat Missouri, 33-31; The Buffaloes, getting a fifth down, scored from the one on the final play of the game.

Next Game: Iowa State (Oct. 13)

Rank: 13

Team: Houston

Record: 4-0

Synopsis: Beat Baylor, 31-15; Dave Klingler completed 35 of 68 passes for 405 yards to lead the Cougars.

Next Game: Texas A&M; (Oct. 13)

Rank: 13

Team: (tie) Illinois

Record: 3-1

Synopsis: Beat No. 20 Ohio State, 31-20; A blocked field-goal attempt and disputed lateral enabled the Illini to take the lead for good.

Next Game: Purdue (Oct. 13)

Rank: 15

Team: USC

Record: 4-1

Synopsis: Beat Washington State, 30-17; Mazio Royster, filling in for injured Ricky Ervins, scored three touchdowns and ran for more than 200 yards.

Next Game: At Stanford (Oct. 13)

Rank: 16

Team: Clemson

Record: 5-1

Synopsis: Beat Georgia, 34-3; The Tigers held the Bulldogs to 131 yards in recording their most lopsided win over Georgia since 1905.

Next Game: At Georgia Tech (Oct. 13)

Rank: 17

Team: Washington

Record: 4-1

Synopsis: Beat Arizona State, 42-14; Greg Lewis rushed for 159 yards in 27 carries and scored three touchdowns for the Huskies.

Next Game: Oregon (Oct. 13)

Rank: 18

Team: Michigan State

Record: 1-2-1

Synopsis: Lost to Iowa, 12-7; The Hawkeyes, known for their offense, won with a defense led by linebacker Melvin Foster.

Next Game: At Michigan (Oct. 13)

Rank: 19

Team: Texas A&M;

Record: 4-1

Synopsis: Beat Texas Tech, 28-24; Backup quarterback Bucky Richardson scored the winning touchdown and Darren Lewis rushed for 232 yards.

Next Game: At Houston (Oct. 13)

Rank: 20

Team: Ohio State

Record: 2-2

Synopsis: Lost to No. 13 Illinois, 31-20; Besides having a blocked field-goal try returned for a touchdown, Greg Frey threw four interceptions.

Next Game: At Indiana (Oct. 13)

Rank: 21

Team: Arkansas

Record: 2-2

Synopsis: Lost to Texas Christian, 54-26; The Horned Frogs struck quickly, taking only 13 plays to build a 28-10 lead.

Next Game: Texas Tech (Oct. 13)

Rank: 22

Team: Oregon

Record: 4-1

Synopsis: Beat Utah State, 52-7; Bill Musgrave passed for three touchdowns and became the Ducks’ all-time offense leader.

Next Game: At Washington (Oct. 13)

Rank: 23

Team: Georgia Tech

Record: 4-0

Synopsis: Beat Maryland, 31-3; The Yellow Jackets had 11 sacks, and linebacker Marco Coleman had 4 1/2 of them. Shawn Jones led the offense.

Next Game: Clemson (Oct. 13)

Rank: 24

Team: Fresno State

Record: 5-1

Synopsis: Lost to Northern Illinois, 73-18; Quarterback Stacy Robinson led the Huskies’ amazing offensive attack, running for 308 yards in 22 carries.

Next Game: Utah State (Oct. 13)

Rank: 25

Team: Arizona

Record: 4-1

Synopsis: Beat UCLA, 28-21; Cornerback Darryl Lewis’ 70-yard touchdown interception return with 50 seconds left turned things around.

Next Game: Oregon State (Oct. 13)

* Rankings according to the Associated Press poll.

RAMBLING AND WRECKING

No. 23 Georgia Tech (4-0) has played aggressive defense all season, but the Yellow Jackets outdid even themselves against Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Maryland in a 31-3 victory. The Georgia Tech defense, which has not allowed a touchdown this season, sacked quarterback Scott Zolak seven times in the first half and 11 times in the game, bringing the four-game total to 23 sacks and 12 interceptions. Zolak, sacked for losses totaling 65 yards, passed for 192 yards, almost 100 yards below his average, was intercepted once and was removed in the fourth quarter. Georgia Tech has won 11 of 12 and eight in a row.

BIG PLAYS

Tommy Vardell’s fourth one-yard touchdown run, with 36 seconds left, gave Stanford a 36-31 victory over No. 1 Notre Dame. Quarterback Jason Palumbis kept the Cardinal’s game-winning drive alive when he ran for two yards and a first down on a fourth-down play. The victory was Stanford’s first over Notre Dame since a 24-14 win at Palo Alto, Calif., in 1963.

Jim Von Wyl’s third field goal, a 30-yarder with three seconds remaining, gave No. 5 Auburn a 16-14 victory over Louisiana Tech.

Jeff Shudak’s 53-yard field goal with 18 seconds left gave Iowa State a 34-34 tie with Kansas. Shudak became Iowa State’s career kick-scoring leader with 222 points, breaking the mark of 214 points set by Alex Giffords from 1979-82. Iowa State’s all-time scoring leader is Dexter Green with 228 points.

Oklahoma’s freshman quarterback, Cale Gundy, came off the bench and completed a 52-yard pass play to Adrian Cooper as time ran out in the first half to bring the Sooners into a 14-14 tie. Oklahoma went on to win, 31-17.

Iowa linebacker Melvin Foster had 20 tackles, an interception that the Hawkeyes turned into a touchdown and made a key fourth-down stop in the fourth quarter in a 12-7 victory over Michigan State.

IN QUOTES

Stanford Coach Dennis Green, on running back Tommy Vardell, who scored on four one-yard touchdown runs in the Cardinal’s 36-31 upset of No. 1 Notre Dame: “We call number 44 Touchdown Tommy. We know he’s going to get the ball, you know he’s going to get the ball, and we want to see you try to stop him.”

Said Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz: “I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a loss this difficult.”

Maryland Coach Joe Krivak, on the 31-3 loss to Georgia Tech: “That is as probably as good a licking as we have taken all season. I think it was in every phase of the game. They ran the ball, they threw when they wanted to and we couldn’t handle their pass rush.”

Houston’s David Klingler, after completing 35 of 68 passes in a 31-15 victory over Baylor: “I throw 300 balls a day and this was a good warmup for me. Still I was dragging there late. I was hoping I’d get hooked.”

Louisiana Tech linebacker Myron Baker, after a 16-14 loss to Auburn: “It’s hard to tell how good Auburn is, but if they’re a top-five team then we should be right behind them.”

Georgia Coach Ray Goff, after a 34-3 loss to Clemson: “I don’t think I could tell you all my feelings right now. Obviously, I am disappointed. We just got whipped. You can write all the ifs, ands or buts you want, but the bottom line is that Clemson lined up and whipped us.”

BY THE NUMBERS

A look at some of the day’s top performers.

PASSING

Player Comp. Att. Yds. TD Klingler, Houston 35 68 405 2 Goodwin, Colgate 19 39 385 3 Mayhew, Columbia 20 33 327 4 Kiefer, Missouri 19 34 326 3 Clay, TCU 19 28 322 4 Woods, Utah 13 30 313 2 Leach, New Mexico 21 32 284 3 White, Auburn 24 37 272 0 Jones, Georgia Tech 15 25 271 1 Maddox, UCLA 14 33 269 3 Pederson, Iowa State 19 32 257 1 Palumbis, Stanford 26 34 256 0 Burnett, North Carolina 17 23 254 1

RUSHING

Player Carries Yards TD Robinson, Northern Illinois 22 308 5 Segreti, Holy Cross 35 239 0 Lewis, Texas A&M; 34 232 0 Bieniemy, Colorado 29 217 1 Royster, USC 34 203 3 Davis, North Texas 34 203 2 McNiff, Cornell 22 189 2 McGuire, Miami 31 176 1 Sands, Kansas 22 169 1 White, California 18 162 2 McMillian, Army 33 160 1 Lewis, Washington 27 159 3

RECEIVING

Player Rec. Yards TD Rowe, San Diego State 10 174 1 Arey, San Diego State 8 171 3 Russell, Arkansas 8 166 2 Wiggins, Wyoming 8 166 1 Anglesey, Utah 5 162 1 Dawsey, Florida State 13 160 1 Wax, Illinois 8 159 0 Cooper, Houston 8 154 2 Mays, Missouri 5 153 2 S. Miller, UCLA 4 152 3 Henderson, New Mexico 8 126 2 Blackwell, TCU 8 120 1

GIVE ‘EM FIVE

From the “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try, try again department: Colorado, ranked No. 12, avoided an upset by Missouri, 33-31, scoring on the last play of the game. And on fifth down.

The final sequence, according to the official play by play, was an incomplete pass on first down, a short run on second, no gain on a run on third and another incomplete pass on fourth. Fourth down, Part II: Charles Johnson runs into the end zone. Seems everyone forgot about the first incomplete pass. By the time everyone realized that Missouri had been Buffaloed, it was too late. Officials said they could not reverse the decision once the play had taken place.

WHAT I MEANT WAS...

Terrell Buckley, a sophomore cornerback for previously undefeated Florida State, dismissed the talents of Miami quarterback Craig Erickson when interviewed before the CBS telecast of Miami’s 31-22 victory. Buckley said he hadn’t seen anything in Erickson’s performance that would qualify him as a Heisman Trophy candidate and said he considered the Miami quarterback only an “average” player. Good thing for Buckley Erickson’s an only average quarterback. Erickson passed to Buckley’s side with effectiveness, including a 10-yard scorig pass to Lamar Thomas in the second quarter on which Buckley was beaten by at least a couple of steps.

INJURIES

Army running back Willie McMillian left the game against Duke in the fourth quarter with a pulled right hamstring.