SPOTLIGHT : SATURDAY’S GAMES AT A GLANCE : BACK TO THE FUTURE

Oklahoma began the season with quarterback Cale Gundy at the helm, a passing attack as its game plan and its option offense in mothballs. The Sooners had some success early, routing Texas Tech and Arkansas State, but since a 20-10 loss to USC, their revamped offense had produced a 2-2-1 record.

Saturday against Missouri, Coach Gary Gibbs had had enough. He brought back the option. Steve Collins, making his second consecutive start in place of the injured Gundy, ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns, Earnest Williams ran for a personal-best 157 yards and Dewell Brewer ran for 118 as the Sooners compiled 435 rushing yards, easily their biggest rushing total this season. The Sooners won, 51-17.

DOING IT ALL

Florida State’s Charlie Ward, whose knack for big plays and interceptions has kept Coach Bobby Bowden from sleeping easy much of the season, focused exclusively on big plays during the Seminoles’ 69-21 dismantling of Maryland. Ward, operating out of a shotgun formation, amassed 478 yards of total offense (passing and rushing) before leaving the game early in the third quarter. He passed for 395 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 83 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown. He also caught a pass for 28 yards as the Seminoles racked up 858 yards and 40 first downs, both Atlantic Coast Conference records.

“Charlie Ward may be the best athlete in college football right now,” Maryland linebacker Mike Jarmolowich said. “He does everything.”

HIS KICKING IS ENOUGH

Arizona punter Josh Miller had nearly as much impact in the Wildcats’ 16-3 victory over No. 1 Washington as Ward did in the Seminoles’ victory. Miller, a senior, was in a battle with Adam Grand for the No. 1 punting job at the start of the season, but it was clear that the Wildcats had made the right choice. He punted eight times against the Huskies, repeatedly pinning them deep in their territory, and averaged 47.4 yards per try. The Wildcats are third in the country in net punting yardage.

PRICE OF VICTORY

Texas Christian secondary coach Paul Jette, a former Texas player under Darrell Royal, won’t need to worry about combing his hair for a while. He lost it in the locker room after TCU’s 23-14 upset of Texas.

“Paul said they could shave his head if we won,” TCU Coach Pat Sullivan said. “I almost went along. Thank goodness I didn’t.”

STREAKS

Washington had won 22 in a row before the loss to Arizona. . . . Alabama beat Louisiana State, 31-11, for its 19th consecutive victory. LSU has lost seven in a row and eight this the season, both school records. . . . Florida, which beat Southern Mississippi, 24-20, has won 17 in a row at home. . . . Michigan extended its Big Ten-record conference winning streak to 19 games with a 40-7 victory over Northwestern. The Wolverines have also won 17 conference games in a row on the road. . . . Syracuse, which beat Virginia Tech, 28-9, has won 10 Big East games in a row. . . . Missouri has lost 10 consecutive games on the road and nine consecutive games to Oklahoma. . . . Texas A&M;, which beat Louisville, 40-18, has won 18 consecutive regular-season games.

DOG DAYS

Boston College had the sixth-ranked offense and seventh-ranked defense nationally and entertained faint hopes of a national championship. But Notre Dame brought the Eagles to earth in a hurry. BC was held to 11 yards in the first half and gave up 347, falling behind, 37-0, on the way to a 54-7 loss. Adding to the air of unreality for Boston College, the crowd of 59,075 became movie extras at halftime as a crew shot scenes for a feature film about Rudy Ruettiger, a Notre Dame walk-on whose perseverance finally won him playing time in a 1975 game.

Indiana managed only 24 yards against Iowa in a 14-0 loss. . . . Oklahoma State’s Gary Porter completed five of 23 passes and was intercepted five times in a 28-0 loss to Colorado. . . . Kentucky’s Pookie Jones completed only seven of 27 passes for 75 yards and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 20-7 loss to Vanderbilt. . . . Mississippi State quarterback Greg Plump threw more interceptions than completions--he was two for 11 for 43 yards with three interceptions--but the running game and defense led the Bulldogs to a 10-3 victory over Arkansas.

Minnesota drove into Ohio State territory on six of its first seven possessions but didn’t score; the Buckeyes crossed midfield the first eight times they had the ball and didn’t score. Ohio State won, 17-0.

SEASON GONE BAD

Not even the return of running back Terry Kirby could reverse the fortunes of Virginia, which opened the season 5-0 and, after Saturday’s 31-7 loss to North Carolina State, is now 6-4. Kirby had rushed for more than 550 yards in the three games before suffering a broken shoulder in Virginia’s first loss, Oct. 10 against Clemson. Kirby, who ran for 61 yards, needs 66 yards Nov. 21 atVirginia Tech to become the school’s all-time rushing leader. With team hopes for an Atlantic Coast Conference championship long since dashed, at least there is a chance for individual acclaim.

SMALL VICTORIES

For Columbia, the poor boy of the Ivy League, the victories are few and far between. The Lions, who won one league game last season and have lost all five this year, take their successes where they can. In Saturday’s 38-19 loss to Dartmouth, their flickering spotlight focused on Des Werthman. Werthman, the team captain and a two-way player, scored three touchdowns on short-yardage plays, recovered a fumble and was in on 23 tackles, 17 solo. On the team front, the big game on the schedule is Nov. 21, when the Lions play host to Brown, also winless in the league this season. Chances are, last place in the Ivies will hang in the balance.

NOTEWORTHY

Texas Christian’s 23-14 upset of Texas was the Horned Frogs’ first victory over the Longhorns in 25 years and first at Ft. Worth since 1958. TCU sacked Peter Gardere seven times and intercepted three of his passes. . . . Rice’s 34-3 victory over Texas Tech was its largest victory margin since a 31-0 victory over TCU in 1964. . . . Wake Forest Coach Bill Dooley, who will retire after the season, won his 96th Atlantic Coast Conference game in a 28-14 victory over Duke. He is tied with former Clemson coaches Frank Howard and Danny Ford for all-time victories. . . . Danan Hughes set Iowa’s all-time record for touchdown catches in a 14-0 victory over Indiana. He has 21. . . . Dennis Durkin set a Dartmouth record with his 84th conversion kick and a season record of 67 points in a 38-19 victory over Columbia. . . . Get your tickets now: Air Force is headed to the Liberty Bowl after its 7-3 victory over Army. . . . Victor Bailey set three Missouri receiving records against Oklahoma. His 58 catches breaks the record of 56 set by Linzy Collins in 1990, 111 career catches break Collins’ mark of 102, and 1,844 career yards top Collins’ 1,760. . . . Arizona limited Washington to its lowest point total since a 31-3 loss to Brigham Young in 1985. . . . Bowling Green beat Kent, 28-22, to win its second consecutive Mid-American Conference title and a trip to the first Las Vegas Bowl.

IN QUOTES

Boston College Coach Tom Coghlin, after a 54-7 loss to Notre Dame: “I’m not astounded because I’m probably punch-drunk. That’s an awful lot of points against a defense that was rated as highly as we were.”

Florida State wide receiver Shannon Baker, after a 69-21 trouncing of Maryland: “Coach Bowden told us to stop doing all those heroic comebacks . He said, ‘I’m kind of stressed out and really don’t need all that heroic stuff at the end no more.”’

Michigan Coach Gary Moeller, after a 40-7 victory over Northwestern: “I was looking for big plays, which these guys came up with, and that was important. I didn’t like winning a game last week and dropping in the polls. It’s unfair.” North Carolina Coach Mack Brown, after a 40-7 loss to Clemson: “They totally dominated the game in every phase. They didn’t do anything wrong. Clemson whipped us in every way possible.”

San Jose State nose guard Kevin O’Connell, who returned an interception for a touchdown in a 39-35 victory over Nevada: “That’s a dream for every defensive lineman . I just kind of froze and the thing came right at me. I’ve got the worst hands in the world, and I never would have made that catch. I guess it just stuck to my chest.”