College Football Week 9: LSU stuns Ole Miss, Utah rallies past USC

Every Saturday, theScore brings you the biggest and most interesting stories as they happen. Check back throughout the day for important updates on everything you need to know.

The schedule for Week 9 in college football wasn't loaded with marquee matchups, with just two games between teams ranked in the AP Poll top 25. However, that presented a lot of opportunities for unranked teams to make some noise, while the bevy of one-loss teams tried to stay in the picture for the College Football Playoff.  

Here are some of the day's most important takeaways:

LSU hands Ole Miss its first loss

There are only three undefeated teams left in the FBS with LSU squeaking out a 10-7 upset victory over Ole Miss. The Rebels loss leaves Mississippi State, Florida State and Marshall as the only FBS teams without a loss on their record.

Ole Miss actually had a chance to tie the game at 10 with a 42-yard field goal in the game's final seconds, but a false start penalty pushed the Rebels back five yards. After the penalty, Ole Miss opted to try and pass, but Bo Wallace's heave was intercepted by Ronald Martin.

It was a defensive battle for sure, but LSU has figured out a way to prevail in these kind of tight matchups.

Last-second touchdown spurs Utah past USC

Utah quarterback Travis Wilson wasn't perfect in his return to the starting role, but he was at his best when it mattered most, helping the Utes claim a 24-21 victory over USC.

Trailing 21-17 with just over two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Wilson led Utah on an 11-play, 73-yard drive culminating with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kaelin Clay with eight seconds left on the clock.

Mississippi State survives a scare from Kentucky

In its first game as the No. 1 ranked team, Mississippi State had a difficult time putting Kentucky away. The Bulldogs never trailed, but the Wildcats hung tough all game long and were within a touchdown heading to the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Dak Prescott continued his solid play, going 18-of-33 for 216 yards with a touchdown and a pick, while adding in 88 yards and two more scores on the ground.

The real star, however, was Bulldogs running back Josh Robinson, who rushed for a career-high 198 yards and chipped in two touchdowns of his own. This play gives a good idea of the kind of problems he created for the Kentucky defense throughout the day (it also features music from the Mario Bros. which makes it pretty much perfect).

Kansas State shuts out Texas 

Coming off of a victory over Oklahoma and with games against Oklahoma State, TCU and West Virginia on the horizon, Kansas State could have been guilty of taking Texas a little easy on Saturday. The Wildcats offense got off to a slow start, but the defense was up to the task in a 23-0 victory.

With the win, Kansas State has now defeated both Texas and Oklahoma this season. It's only the second time in the last 87 years that the Wildcats have accomplished that feat.

Fat guy touchdown pass in Arkansas

One of the great traditions in college football is the fat guy touchdown, that rare occasion when a non-skill position player finds his way into the end zone. Usually, it happens when an offensive or defensive lineman picks up a loose ball and rumbles for a score, but things went a little differently in Arkansas.

The Razorbacks lined up for a field goal in the second quarter against UAB before audibling into a rather unusual formation. That formation ended up with 6-foot-5, 350-pound offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola under center, and the big man made no mistake with his chance to play quarterback.

The 6-yard touchdown pass went to long-snapper Alan D'Appollonio and gave Arkansas a 28-0 lead. It also impressed former Kentucky and New York Giants quarterback Jared Lorrenzen, better known as the Hefty Left.

 The Razorbacks went on to the dominating 45-17 win. 

TCU dominates on record-setting day

TCU had the kind of game that usually only happens in video games. The Horned Frogs offense was unstoppable in an 82-27 victory over Texas Tech, piling up a ridiculous 785 yards. The 82 points set a school record, were the most points scored in the FBS this season, and came just two points short of the Big 12 single-game record.

Not surprisingly, the 82 points were also the most the Red Raiders have ever allowed.

The day belonged to TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, who finished 22-of-39 for 433 yards and seven touchdowns. That is not a typo, seven touchdowns.

Ameer Abdullah can't be stopped

Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah looked like a man among boys against Rutgers. The senior running back had 19 carries for 225 yards and three touchdowns, including two scores during the first two quarters.

Abdullah's touchdowns gave him multiple scores in five straight games, and they certainly weren't freebies.

His first touchdown (as seen above) was a 53-yard gallop, while his second came the very next time he touched the ball, on a 48-yard scoring run. Abdullah rounded out his day with a 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, leading the Huskers to a 42-24 victory. He also set a school record with 341 all-purpose yards on the day.

Amari Cooper breaks Julio Jones' receiving record in Alabama win

Alabama picked up a 34-20 win over Tennessee, but the Crimson Tide would have been lost without Amari Cooper. The talented wideout was a pass magnet for quarterback Blake Sims, hauling in nine receptions for a school-record 224 yards and a pair of TDs.

Cooper broke Julio Jones' team record for receiving yards in a game which, coincidentally, was also set against Tennessee. Cooper also became the first player in Alabama history to have two 200-yard receiving games in the same season.

When you can turn a small dump off pass into an 80-yard touchdown (like Cooper does below) you're going to be hard for any defense to contain.

Melvin Gordon first-half hat trick

Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon may not have had the same kind of gaudy rushing numbers as Abdullah, but the Badgers running back had quite the first half Saturday. While only putting up 45 yards on the ground, Gordon reached pay dirt three different times, giving him seven touchdowns in the last two games and his third game this season with at least three rushing scores.

Gordon finished the day with 122 yards and the three touchdowns, as Wisconsin cruised to the 52-7 victory over Maryalnd.

Pittsburgh ties dubious record

To say Pittsburgh had a rough afternoon against Georgia Tech would be a massive understatement. The Panthers were soundly defeated by a score of 56-28, but that doesn't tell the whole story. 

The five fumbles lost in the first quarter for Pittsburgh tied an FBS record and had the Panthers trailing 28-0 after one quarter. Pittsburgh had a little better grip on the ball the rest of the way, only fumbling (and losing the fumble) one more time.