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MADISON, Wis. -- This is not the right time for No. 9 Wisconsin to have questions at quarterback, not with Big Ten play starting next week.But backup Alex Hornibrook may have put himself back into a competition with starter Bart Houston behind center after sparking the Badgers sluggish offense on Saturday.Hornibrook led three second-half scoring drives, helping Wisconsin avert an embarrassing upset with a 23-17 win on Saturday over Georgia State.Hornibrook took over late in the third quarter with Wisconsin stuck in an offensive malaise. The freshman finished 8 of 12 for 122 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Penniston with 7:25 left to give the Badgers the lead for good, 20-17.Houston, a senior making his third career start, was 10 of 18 for 91 yards.We were just off a little bit on some things, coach Paul Chryst said.Wisconsin was also missing two of its top running backs for most the game, and pass-catching tight end Troy Fumagalli got hurt in the first quarter.Whatever the reasons, the Badgers (3-0) head into the conference opener next week at No. 12 Michigan State with fresh questions about the offense.Houston beat out Hornibrook for the job in training camp.We just got done with the game. Like I said, Barts our starter for right now, Chyrst said. Im proud of what Alex did when he came in. Im not planning anything right now other than appreciating this win.THE TAKEAWAYGEORGIA STATE: The Panthers can build on a respectable effort against a Big Ten power after losing to Ball State and Air Force in their first two games. With Wisconsin shorthanded in the backfield, a defense that was allowing an FBS-worst 394.5 yards rushing per game gave up just 187 on Saturday. On offense, coach Miles team softened up Wisconsins rough-and-tumble defense with quick and short passes over the middle.In a situation where youve got a chance to shock the world and come that close and have it slip out of your hands when you have a lead in the fourth quarter ... that adds a little bit more pain to it, receiver Robert Davis said.WISCONSIN: Dont put the blame for Wisconsins early offensive problems solely on Houston.I feel for Bart in a sense that so much focus will go on that, Chryst said. I thought there were some things today well look at and Im sure we can clean up and correct.The Badgers need to work on their offense inside the 30 after having to settle for two field goals on two first-quarter drives. They came away scoreless on two other drives after losing a fumble near the goal line and missing a 30-yard field goal at the end of the first half.We just werent in rhythm. Thats it, Houston said.INJURY REPORTFumagalli and running back Taiwan Deal both left with right leg injuries after Wisconsins first drive, and the team was already without top running back Corey Clement, who sat after rolling his left ankle in the 54-10 win over Akron on Sept. 10.PANTHER PRIDEGeorgia State (0-3) played well after losing its first two games by a combined 79-35.Conner Manning threw for a career-high 269 yards and a score on 20-of-29 passing. Kyler Neals 9-yard touchdown run with 11:36 left gave the Panthers a brief lead before the Badgers defense reasserted itself.Our kids fought every down. There are no moral victories for Georgia State. Im very disappointed, coach Trent Miles said.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe closer-than-expected win might knock Wisconsin down a spot or two when the next poll is released on Sunday. Even without Clement, the Badgers were expected to roll against a team predicted to finish in the middle of the Sun Belt Conference standings.UP NEXTGEORGIA STATE: After a bye next week, the Panthers wrap up a three-game road swing with a trip to Sun Belt favorite Appalachian State on Oct. 1.WISCONSIN: The two-week honeymoon period is over in an otherwise brutal schedule . The trip to play the Spartans starts a four-game stretch against AP Top 25 opponents.---AP College Football: http://collegefootball.ap.org/---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP Khari Willis Jersey . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Bobby Okereke Jersey . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. http://www.officialindianapoliscoltspro.com/Ben-banogu-colts-jersey/ . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Darius Leonard Jersey . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Indianapolis Colts Jerseys . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger did everything perfectly. The fake spike that momentarily fooled the Dallas Cowboys. The perfect lob to Antonio Brown that gave the Pittsburgh Steelers the lead and appeared to be the perfect jolt they needed to jumpstart a sagging season.Only one problem: There was too much time. Far too much. The sense of joy lasted all of 31 seconds, or the time it took the Cowboys to go 75 yards, the final 32 on Ezekiel Elliotts dash to the end zone that gave Dallas a 35-30 victory and sent Pittsburgh to its fourth straight loss.Soaring in October, the Steelers (4-5) are sinking as Thanksgiving approaches. Not even 408 yards and three touchdowns from Roethlisberger, 154 yards receiving by Brown and 134 total yards and two scores by LeVeon Bell could prevent another baffling breakdown.We are undisciplined and not accountable, Roethlisberger said. Thats why they are one of the best in the business and we are not right now.Certainly not the way theyre playing, particularly on defense. Twice in the fourth quarter Pittsburgh was one stop away from ending the Cowboys seven-game winning streak. And twice the Steelers offered little resistance as Dallas rookies Dak Prescott and Elliott did whatever they wanted, hardly bothered by the largest crowd to watch a Steelers home game in club history.Two drives. Both 75 yards. Both ending with Elliott racing across the goal line and a series of black-and-gold clad defenders futilely giving chase.It sucks losing regardless, but especially in critical moments of the game when theyre getting big plays and youre trying to do everything you can to stop them, linebacker Ryan Shazier said. This one really stings a lot.Expected to be in the thick of the AFC race thanks to one of the most talented offenses in the league, the Steelers arent even in first in an underwhelming AFC North. They will head to winless Cleveland next week hoping to end their longest losing streak since dropping the first four games of the 2013 season.Its just unacceptable, defensive end Cam Heyward said.Roethlisberger played poorly last week in his return from left knee surgery, a dismal loss in Baltimore, but told his teammates to follow me with a chance to prove themselves against the NFLs hottest team. While there were moments of brilliance, each one appeared to be met with an equally boneheaded step backward.Afteer Roethlisberger hit Eli Rogers for a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter to give the Steelers an early 12-3 lead, a pair of Cowboy penalties put Dallas into a first-and-25 hole.dddddddddddd No matter. Two plays later Elliott took a screen pass, picked up a couple of blocks and ran 83 yards to put Dallas right back in it.Bell stretched the ball into the end zone from 1 yard out with 7:51 left to give the Steelers a 24-23 advantage. Dallas went 75 yards in 10 plays, ending with Elliotts 14-yard dash with 1:55 left.Roethlisberger calmly took the Steelers right back down the field and channeled his inner Dan Marino with the clock running and the ball at the Dallas 15. The quarterback took the snap and pretended to ground the ball. Instead he held on to it and hit a streaking Brown for a touchdown that again gave Pittsburgh a one-point advantage.You take a lead so it feels pretty good, Roethlisberger said.Fleeting too. Prescott moved the Cowboys into field goal range helped by a 15-yard facemask penalty on Steelers rookie safety Sean Davis.It was a critical time, Davis said. When seconds go by I was just trying to get him down, poke the ball, grab something and he just ducked. Once I felt my fingers in his facemask I let go.Control of the game followed suit. Instead of settling for a long field goal attempt, the Cowboys instead kept plowing ahead with Elliott going 32 yards right up the middle for the deciding score.We can sit here and say its a great learning example, but learning doesnt get you wins, Heyward said. Were no longer allowed to keep doing that.Not if they want to salvage what once looked like a promising year.TWO MUCH?The Steelers set an NFL record last year by converting eight 2-point conversions, some of them in nontraditional situations early in the game. They went 0 for 4 on Sunday, chasing points all afternoon after they botched a pair of attempts in the first quarter.We want to be aggressive, Roethlisberger said. We practice it every day. We need to be better at it.INJURIESBackup linebacker Steven Johnson left in the first quarter with a broken ankle. Backup safety Shamarko Thomas exited with a groin injury.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '