SPOTLIGHT : SATURDAY’S GAMES AT A GLANCE : QUARTERBACK SHUFFLE

So far this season, keeping the No. 1 quarterback ready to play hasn’t been easy for several schools, including UCLA, Penn State, Michigan and Colorado, but they have had the system in place to win with backups.

--UCLA’s Wayne Cook went down against Cal State Fullerton, and Rob Walker got his first start Saturday against Brigham Young, at Provo, Utah, no less. Walker completed 14 of 16 passes in the first half, 18 of 26 overall for 198 yards, to help the Bruins to a 17-10 victory and a 2-0 record.

--The Nittany Lions have used a quarterback-by-committee to replace scheduled starter Kerry Collins, who suffered a broken finger playing volleyball at a family picnic. John Sacca, one of four quarterbacks used so far and the younger brother of Tony Sacca, got the start Saturday against Eastern Michigan and completed 10 of 17 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns in a 52-7 victory. Penn State Coach Joe Paterno isn’t saying who will start next Saturday.

--Elvis Grbac had led the Wolverines in their 17-17 tie against Notre Dame in the opener, but redshirt sophomore Todd Collins was forced into the role of starter Saturday against Oklahoma State because of injury. Collins set a school record for completions in his first start, a 35-3 victory. He completed 29 of 42 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns.

--At Colorado, a new pass-happy offense has focused on Kordell Stewart, who was second in the nation in passing (660 yards and seven touchdowns) after two games. But Stewart was sidelined for the second half of last Saturday’s 57-38 victory over Baylor because of a sprained left foot, and Duke Tobin replaced him, completing 10 of 15 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. Tobin started Saturday against Minnesota, but was so awful in the first half (two for 10 for 12 yards), the Buffaloes switched to Koy Detmer, a freshman whom Coach Bill McCartney had hoped to redshirt this season. Detmer brought Colorado back from a 17-0 deficit by completing 11 of 18 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-20 victory. And, yes, he is the younger brother of former Brigham Young star Ty Detmer.

PAC-10 2, BIG EIGHT 0

It wasn’t a great day for two of the top three teams in the Big Eight. Oklahoma, which has replaced its tradition of smashmouth football with a more pass-oriented finesse game, was hamstrung by USC. The Sooner offense, behind quarterback Cale Gundy, generated only 201 yards in a 20-10 defeat. And Nebraska, unable to keep up with Washington at Seattle, suffered its first loss, 29-14. That defeat made Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne 0-8 since 1989 in games against teams ranked in the top 10. Only Colorado, thanks to Detmer’s heroics in the come-from-behind victory over Minnesota, was able to avoid defeat among the Big Eight’s Big Three.

THE WARD FACTOR

He’s enough to make a coach pull his hair out. Charlie Ward, the all-or-nothing quarterback for Florida State, threw his ninth interception of the season at the start of Saturday’s game against North Carolina State and didn’t complete a pass until his sixth attempt. But as he has done in each of the Seminoles’ first two victories, he rebounded with the kind of performance that shows why Coach Bobby Bowden doesn’t lose faith in him. Ward finished with 16 completions in 30 attempts for 275 yards and three long touchdowns in a 34-13 victory.

Ward is one of the few two-sport athletes at the major college level. On the basketball team, he averaged 2.7 turnovers per game; as a quarterback, he is averaging three turnovers per game.

ANOTHER MAJORLESS WIN

Tennessee hasn’t missed a beat this season with Phillip Fulmer the interim head coach, filling in for Johnny Majors, who had emergency heart bypass surgery shortly before the season began. Under Fulmer, also the offensive coordinator, the Volunteers are 3-0, 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference. Their 31-14 upset of No. 4 Florida puts them in excellent position to reach the SEC championship game Dec. 5, though Fulmer wasn’t having anything of that. “This win doesn’t mean anything, except that we’re on top of our division at this time,” he said.

GO TO THEM LATE

--For the second time in three games, freshman Johnny Lomoro kicked a field goal to give Southern Mississippi a victory. His 46-yarder as time expired Saturday gave the Golden Eagles a 16-13 victory, ending Louisiana Tech’s 12-game unbeaten streak. Lomoro kicked a 52-yarder in the last minute to give Southern Mississippi a 23-21 victory over Memphis State two weeks ago.

--Scott Etheridge kicked five field goals, including a 42-yarder with eight seconds remaining, to help Auburn beat Louisiana State, 30-28. His kick spoiled a 21-point comeback by the Tigers, who trailed, 27-7, at the start of the fourth quarter.

MAC ATTACK

Maybe the schedule makers for Big Ten schools ought to reconsider their early-season matchups against Mid-American Conference opponents. Last Saturday, Central Michigan defeated Michigan State, 24-20, the second year in a row the Spartans opened with a loss to the Chippewas. Saturday, Toledo gave Purdue a wake-up call, beating the Boilermakers, 33-29. Kevin Meger passed for 305 yards and a touchdown and set school records with 33 completions and 52 attempts. Apparently, the Rockets didn’t arrive for their game at West Lafayette, Ind., wearing straw hats and chewing on pieces of straw.

STREAKS

Miami won its 20th consecutive game, 38-0, over Florida A&M.; . . . USC, which had not won since October of last year, got its first victory in eight games with its 20-10 upset of Oklahoma. . . . Tennessee ended Florida’s winning streak in the Southeastern Conference at 11 games with a 31-14 victory. . . . Missouri’s 26-13 loss to Texas A&M; was its seventh defeat in a row. . . . Holy Cross’ 26-game home winning streak was ended by Massachusetts, 7-3. . . . Jay Walker completed only 11 passes, but six were for touchdowns, as Howard beat Cheney, 75-6, extending Cheney’s Division II losing streak to 28 games.

NOTEWORTHY

Air Force, which missed three field-goal attempts in a 6-3 loss to Hawaii last week, made a school-record six interceptions and gained all of its 377 yards on the ground in a 42-28 victory over Wyoming. . . . Virginia’s Chris Slade became the all-time sack leader in the Atlantic Coast Conference in a 55-24 victory over Georgia Tech. His sack late in the second quarter was the 29th, moving him past Michael Dean Perry, who had 28 for Clemson from 1984-87.

Shane Matthews’ touchdown pass in a 31-14 loss to Tennessee gave him 56 for his career, tying the Florida school record set by Kerwin Bell. . . . Darrell Bevell, a 22-year-old freshman transfer from Northern Arizona, got his first start for Wisconsin and passed for three touchdowns in 39-18 victory over Bowling Green. . . . Stanford’s Steve Stenstrom had his second consecutive big game. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-24 victory over Northwestern. Last Saturday, he passed for 331 yards in a victory over Oregon. . . . Jeff Granger of Texas A&M; completed only two passes in the second half, but both went for touchdowns in a 26-13 victory over Missouri. . . . South Carolina’s Marty Simpson had a 36-yard field-goal attempt blocked with 15 seconds left, then missed on a 37-yard try with two seconds to play in a 20-18 loss to East Carolina.

IN QUOTES

Florida A&M; center Wally Williams, after the Division I-AA Rattlers lost to No. 1 Miami: “It was a real terror for us.”

Virginia Coach George Welsh, after the Cavaliers improved to 3-0 with a 55-24 victory over Georgia Tech: “We were sloppy, they were sloppy. They were just a little sloppier , “

THE MARSHALL PLAN

San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk has applied for a $1.8-million disability insurance policy through the NCAA. Faulk, who led the nation in rushing as a freshman, would be the first sophomore insured through the NCAA Exceptional Student-Athlete Disability Insurance Program. Faulk will not have to pay premiums until he turns professional or terminates the policy.

A NEW 107

New Mexico State, called the nation’s worst Division I-A football team (No. 107) by Sports Illustrated at the start of the season, has won its first three games. The new No. 107 has to be Arkansas State, where Ray Perkins has taken over a program making the jump from Division I-AA to I-A. The Indians (0-3) lost to Northern Illinois on Saturday, 31-0, and have been outscored, 141-0.