BIG EIGHT ROUNDUP : Oklahoma Ends Skid Quickly, 55-10

Oklahoma did not waste any time getting to work on ending a three-game losing streak.

Freshman Earnest Williams rushed for three touchdowns in just more than 10 minutes of the first half Saturday as the Sooners routed Missouri, 55-10, in a Big Eight game at Columbia, Mo.

Oklahoma, 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big Eight, beat Missouri (3-6, 1-4) for the seventh consecutive time and 19th time in 21 games.

The Sooners scored on five of their first six possessions and rolled up 590 yards in total offense.

Williams scored on touchdown runs of five, 11 and 29 yards.

Dewell Brewer, who gained 112 yards in 12 carries, and Kenyon Rasheed rushed for Oklahoma touchdowns and Cale Gundy connected with Corey Warren on a 49-yard touchdown pass play.

Missouri quarterback Kent Kiefer completed only three of 10 passes for 52 yards before suffering a sprained right shoulder. Two of his passes were intercepted by Oklahoma linebacker Greg DeQuasie, who returned the second interception 23 yards for a touchdown.

J.D. Lashar’s missed field-goal attempt from Missouri’s 35 represented Oklahoma’s only failure in the first half.

Oklahoma built a 10-0 lead at the quarter and packed three touchdowns--two by Williams--into a 24-point second quarter.

Building on a 31-7 lead, Oklahoma widened the margin to 48-10 in the third quarter and coasted the final 15 minutes with backup quarterback Steve Collins running its offense.

Kansas 31, Oklahoma State 30--Chip Hilleary connected with Rob Licursi on a fourth-down, three-yard touchdown pass play with 1:20 left, then completed a conversion pass to Kenny Drayton to give the Jayhawks the victory in a Big Eight game at Stillwater, Okla.

It was Kansas’ first victory over Oklahoma State since 1972.

Hilleary, a sophomore, drove the Jayhawks (3-5-1, 2-2-1) 74 yards in about four minutes before hooking up with Licursi for the touchdown. After three timeouts, he found Drayton for the game-winning conversion.

Oklahoma State (3-6, 1-4) drove to the Kansas 34 with its final possession, but Cary Blanchard’s 51-yard field-goal attempt went wide to the right with nine seconds left.

Gerald Hudson, who finished with 178 yards in 25 carries, gave Oklahoma State a 30-23 lead with a 21-yard touchdown run with 5:25 left. Earlier in the fourth quarter, he scored on a 15-yard run to tie the score, 23-23.

Hilleary completed 18 of 30 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Licursi had nine receptions for 102 yards.

Drayton had five catches for 111 yards.

Kansas State 28, Iowa State 14--Carl Straw connected with Al Jones on a 47-yard touchdown pass play to cap a 21-point third quarter as the Wildcats (5-4, 2-3) beat the Cyclones (3-5-1, 1-3-1) for the first time since 1982 in a Big Eight game at Manhattan, Kan.

The victory assured Kansas State of only its second five-victory season in 17 years. Aside from a 6-5 record in 1982, it’s the first time since 1973 that the Wildcats managed as many as five victories.

Iowa State took a 14-7 halftime lead behind Blaise Bryant, who rushed for 149 yards in 40 carries.

But the Wildcats capitalized in the third quarter on an interception, a fumble and a fake punt on fourth down that failed.

On the second play of the third quarter, Rogerick Green intercepted a pass by Chris Pedersen at the Iowa State 30-yard line.

Straw’s four-yard gain on third and four from the 10 kept Kansas State’s drive going and Pat Jackson capped it with a one-yard touchdown run.