Penn State playoff hopes alive after win over Rutgers; top 25 NCAA football roundup
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Tyler Davis kicked a career-high four field goals and Penn State stayed in the hunt for a berth in the Big Ten title game with a 39-0 drubbing of Rutgers.
Saquon Barkley and Andre Robinson scored on short third-quarter runs and the Nittany Lions (9-2, 7-1) limited Rutgers (2-9, 0-8) to 87 yards in total offense in winning their seventh straight game, their longest streak since 2011.
The win kept Penn State tied for first place in the Big Ten East with Ohio State and Michigan, who face each other in Columbus, Ohio. If the Buckeyes win and the Nittany Lions take their home finale against Michigan State, Penn State goes to the title game, having beaten the Buckeyes.
Trace McSorley added a 27-yard scoring pass to Mark Allen, and backup quarterback Tommy Stevens scored on a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter.
NO. 2 OHIO STATE 17, MICHIGAN STATE 16
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Mike Weber ran for 111 yards and a touchdown, and No. 2 Ohio State held off Michigan State 17-16 on Saturday after the Spartans missed a 2-point conversion with 4:41 remaining.
Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 2 CFP) can now move on to next weekend’s showdown with rival Michigan, but only after withstanding a spirited challenge from a Michigan State team that derailed the Buckeyes’ national title bids in two of the previous three seasons. The Spartans (3-8, 1-7) were down 17-10 when LJ Scott scored on a 1-yard run with 4:41 to play. Michigan State went for the lead, but Tyler O’Connor’s pass on the 2-point conversion attempt was intercepted in the end zone.
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said he’d planned all week for the Spartans to go for 2 if a situation like that came up.
The Spartans got the ball back one more time, at their own 20 with 2:04 remaining. Tyquan Lewis sacked O’Connor on the first play, and then Gareon Conley intercepted him on the second.
Scott ran for 160 yards and also scored on a 64-yard catch-and-run in the first minute of the game, but the Ohio State defense didn’t allow much more after that. J.T. Barrett threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel in the first quarter, and the game was tied at 10 at halftime.
Weber’s 4-yard TD run in the third gave the Buckeyes the lead for good.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 31, CHATTANOOGA 3
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Jalen Hurts passed for three touchdowns and ran for 68 yards to help Alabama overcome a slow start against FCS team Chattanooga.
With the offense struggling to get going, the Crimson Tide (11-0) spotted the Mocs (8-3) the game’s first three points and didn’t really shake them until late in the third quarter. The defense had a more Bama-like performance, and hasn’t given up a touchdown in 13 quarters.
Hurts was 15 of 21 for 136 yards a week after torching Mississippi State for 347 yards. He had a 47-yard TD pass to Calvin Ridley and added two 1-yarders to Gehrig Dieter, including one in the final minutes that made the score look a little closer to what most expected.
Damien Harris rushed for 91 yards, and a touchdown and Ridley gained 94 yards on seven catches.
NO. 4 MICHIGAN 20, INDIANA 10
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - De’Veon Smith ran for two touchdowns in a 3:33 span late in the third quarter, finishing with a career-high 158 yards rushing, to help Michigan shake off Indiana.
John O’Korn made his first start for Michigan (10-1, 7-1, No. 3 CFP), replacing the injured Wilton Speight, and struggled to lead an offense that was averaging 45 points and 232 yards passing.
O’Korn was 7 of 16 yards for just 59 yards. His best play was a 30-yard run, escaping a collapsed pocket on third down to set up Smith’s 34-yeard run that put the Wolverines up 13-10 with 4:02 left in the third. Smith’s 39-yard run later in the quarter put them ahead 20-10.
Richard Lagow was 14 of 29 for 191 yards for Indiana (5-6, 3-5).
NO. 5 CLEMSON 35, WAKE FOREST 13
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Deshaun Watson ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score, and Clemson wrapped up a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game.
Wayne Gallman rushed for a season-high 161 yards and two touchdowns, including a 42-yarder on fourth-and-inches that started the scoring for the Tigers (10-1, 7-1, No. 4 CFP).
Playing with something to prove after a last-second loss to Pittsburgh, Clemson reeled off touchdowns on its first four possessions to take a 28-0 lead and then essentially went into protection mode while holding the Demon Deacons to 197 yards - its fewest since the opener against Tulane.
Watson was 23 of 33 for 202 yards and sandwiched a pair of short scoring runs around a pretty 15-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams, checking out after Gallman’s second TD with 10:50 to play.
Cade Carney had a 1-yard touchdown run for Wake Forest (6-5, 3-4).
NO. 6 WISCONSIN 49, PURDUE 20
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - T.J. Watt returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown, and Wisconsin scored 35 points in the final 8 1/2 minutes of the first half.
Alec Ingold and Bradrick Shaw each scored twice during the flurry, helping the Badgers (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten, No. 7 CFP) to their fifth straight win overall and 11th in a row in the series. They can wrap up the West Division title and earn a spot in the conference championship game with a victory next weekend at home against Minnesota. Corey Clement rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown for Wisconsin.
Purdue (3-8, 1-7) closed out its home schedule with a sixth straight loss, five under interim coach Gerad Parker.
NO. 7 WASHINGTON 44, ARIZONA STATE 18
SEATTLE - Jake Browning overcame a sluggish start to throw for 338 yards and two touchdowns, and Washington routed Arizona State to stay in the College Football Playoff mix.
Washington (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12, No. 6 CFP) will likely move up in both the AP Top 25 and the CFP ranking after snapping a 10-game losing streak to the Sun Devils (5-6, 2-6).
Browning completed 27 of 44 passes with 12 of those going to John Ross for 95 yards. Myles Gaskin ran for 127 yards and a 45-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Washington’s victory sets up one of the biggest Apple Cup games ever Friday in Pullman against rival Washington State, with the winner claiming a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. The two are tied atop the Pac-12 North standings after Washington State’s 38-24 loss at Colorado on Saturday.
NO. 8 OKLAHOMA 49, NO. 10 WEST VIRGINIA 28
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores and Oklahoma scored four times off turnovers to beat West Virginia in the snow.
Oklahoma (9-2, 8-0 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) turned a marquee matchup into a rout from the start, building a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter before the Mountaineers tried a late comeback.
The Sooners kept their long-shot playoff hopes alive and can win the conference title in their regular-season finale in two weeks against Oklahoma State.
West Virginia (8-2, 5-2, No. 14 CFP) was eliminated from the conference race.
Samaje Perine ran for 160 yards and two TDs, Joe Mixon had 147 yards and a score, and Dede Westbrook had 100 yards receiving, including a 75-yard TD. After Oklahoma’s hot start, the Sooners kept the ball mostly on the ground. Mayfield finished 9 of 15 for 169 yards, all season lows.
West Virginia’s Justin Crawford rushed for 331 yards, the third-highest total in school history.
OREGON 30, NO. 11 UTAH 28
SALT LAKE CITY - Justin Herbert threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Darren Carrington with 2 seconds remaining to lift Oregon past Utah, which was eliminated from the Pac-12 championship race.
Herbert led the Ducks (4-7, 2-6) on a 10-play, 75-yard drive in just over 2 minutes, capping it with the TD pass to Carrington. He was initially called out of bounds, but that call was reversed after a replay showed Carrington got a foot down inbounds.
Herbert passed for 324 yards and three TDs. He also scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The Utes (8-3, 5-3, No. 12 CFP) had taken a 28-24 lead with 2:18 remaining off a Troy Williams 30-yard touchdown pass, but the Ducks then began their comeback drive.
Royce Freeman led the Ducks’ ground game with 129 yards.
Joe Williams rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown for Utah.
NO. 12 COLORADO 38, NO. 20 WASHINGTON STATE 24
BOULDER, Colo. - Sefo Liufau threw for 345 yards, ran for 108 more and scored three touchdowns in Colorado’s victory over Washington State in a matchup of unlikely Pac-12 division leaders.
Phillip Lindsay added 144 yards rushing and two TDs for the Buffaloes (9-2, 7-1, No. 10 CFP), who can wrap up the Pac-12 South and a spot in the conference title game by beating Utah at home next week.
A loss would give the South to No. 15 Southern California.
Liufau briefly left in the fourth quarter only to return and pick up a crucial third-and-short that led to a game-sealing TD run by Lindsay.
Luke Falk threw for 325 yards and three scores for Washington State (8-3, 7-1, No. 22 CFP). The Cougars had won eight in a row.
NO. 13 OKLAHOMA STATE 31, TCU 6
FORT WORTH, Texas - Mason Rudolph ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score, and Oklahoma State earned a Big 12 title shot with its seventh consecutive victory.
The Cowboys (9-2, 7-1, No. 11 CFP) will be conference champions if they beat No. 8 Oklahoma in their regular-season finale after an open date.
Oklahoma State scored on its only two drives in the third quarter to go ahead 24-6. Chris Carson had a bruising 19-yard TD run when he got through three tacklers and Rudolph scored on a 2-yard keeper immediately after a 63-yard catch-and-run by Chris Lacy,
TCU (5-5, 3-4) had a chance to take the lead in the final minute of the first half after a 40-yard run by quarterback Kenny Hill. But Kyle Hicks took direct snaps in a wildcat formation on consecutive plays from the 1, getting stopped short on a third-down run and then overthrowing an open receiver.
Justice Hill had 154 yards rushing on 16 carries for Oklahoma State, and Carson had 146 yards on 17 carries. Lacy had four catches for 109 yards.
NO. 14 WESTERN MICHIGAN 38, BUFFALO 0
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Zach Terrell passed for a career-high 445 yards and four touchdowns, helping Western Michigan remain undefeated.
Corey Davis had 13 catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns, breaking the Mid-American Conference record for career receptions. Davis also holds the MAC records for career yards receiving and touchdown catches.
Michael Henry added six receptions for 121 yards as the Broncos (11-0, 7-0, No. 21 CFP) stayed in contention for a major bowl bid. They need a win against Toledo next week and a victory in the MAC championship to have a chance at the Cotton Bowl.
Jordan Johnson had 95 yards rushing for the Bulls (2-9, 1-6).
NO. 15 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 36, UCLA 14
PASADENA, Calif. - Sam Darnold passed for 267 yards and hit De’Quan Hampton for two touchdowns, leading Southern California past UCLA in the Los Angeles rivals’ 86th crosstown showdown.
Ronald Jones II rushed for 121 yards and two TDs for the surging Trojans (8-3, 7-2 Pac-12), who won their seventh straight game after a dismal start to the season.
USC claimed the Victory Bell for the second consecutive year, overcoming Darnold’s two early interceptions and eventually taking apart UCLA’s solid defense for 527 total yards.
Jordan Lasley caught two first-half touchdown passes from Mike Fafaul for UCLA (4-7, 2-6). After five losses in their last six games, the Bruins are assured their first losing season in coach Jim Mora’s half-decade in charge.
NO. 21 FLORIDA 16, NO. 16 LSU 10
BATON ROUGE, La. - Florida stuffed LSU’s Derrius Guice on a do-or-die run from the 1 in the final seconds, and the Gators held on to wrap up the Southeastern Conference’s East Division.
The stop capped a defensive struggle in which LSU converted a fourth-and-10 play on its final drive, only to get stopped on back-to-back runs from the 1 to end the game.
Florida’s Austin Appleby completed only seven passes on 17 attempts, but one of his connections went for a pivotal 98-yard touchdown to Tyrie Cleveland. Eddy Piniero scored the rest of Florida’s points on field goals of 36, 24 and 34 yards.
LSU (6-4, 4-3 SEC, No. 16 CFP) controlled most of the game and held considerable statistical advantages, outgaining Florida (8-2, 6-2, No. 23 CFP) 423 yards to 270 and holding possession for 34:02. But on three occasions, the Tigers failed to score after driving inside Florida’s 10 - the first time because of Guice’s fumble in the first half and the second time because of a botched field goal in the third quarter. The loss likely cost the Tigers a Sugar Bowl bid.
NO. 17 FLORIDA STATE 45, SYRACUSE 14
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Dalvin Cook ran for 225 yards and four touchdowns to become Florida State’s career rushing leader.
Cook entered the game needing 19 yards to break Warrick Dunn’s 20-year old school record for rushing (3,959) and did so with a 41-yarder in the first quarter. He finished the first half with 104 yards to become just the sixth player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to reach 4,000 yards and the first to do it in three years.
Florida State (8-3, 5-3, No. 17 CFP) won for the fifth time in six games and handed Syracuse (4-7, 2-5) its third straight loss.
Syracuse starting quarterback Eric Dungey again warmed up before the opening kickoff but did not play for the second straight game. The sophomore has been out since suffering a vicious hit to the shoulder-head area in the first quarter against Clemson two weeks ago.
NO. 18 AUBURN 55, ALABAMA A&M 0
AUBURN, Ala. - Jeremy Johnson accounted for three touchdowns, and Auburn made the most of its final tuneup before the Iron Bowl with a victory over FCS opponent Alabama A&M.
Starting in place of the injured Sean White, Johnson was 14 of 19 for 147 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two more. It was Johnson’s first start of the season and the first game he received substantial playing time in since the opener against Clemson.
Kerryon Johnson ran for 108 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries before being lifted for freshman Kam Martin at halftime. Kamryn Pettway, who entered the week leading the SEC in rushing, missed his second consecutive game with a left leg injury. Among the other Tigers to sit out the final home game of the season were running back Stanton Truitt, H-back Chandler Cox and cornerback Carlton Davis.
Auburn (8-3, No. 15 CFP) outgained Alabama A&M (4-7) 598-130, and had its first shutout since the first game of the 2008 season.
NO. 19 NEBRASKA 28, MARYLAND 7
LINCOLN, Neb. - Terrell Newby ran for a career-high three touchdowns for Nebraska, and Ryker Fyfe passed for 220 yards and a score filling in for injured starter Tommy Armstrong Jr.
The Cornhuskers (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) stayed alive in the West Division. They must win at Iowa on Friday and Wisconsin must lose to Minnesota for Nebraska to go to the conference championship game.
Maryland (5-6, 2-6) lost for the sixth time in seven games and has been outscored 149-13 over three weeks. Fyfe prevailed over Max Bortenschlager in a battle of backup quarterbacks.
Armstrong injured his hamstring scoring the winning touchdown in last week’s game against Minnesota. He didn’t practice this week and was not in uniform Saturday. Perry Hills was dressed but didn’t play for the Terrapins because of shoulder problems.
NO. 23 TEXAS A&M 23, UTSA 10
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Jake Hubenak threw for 248 yards and a touchdown, and Myles Garrett had 4 1/2 sacks to help No. 23 Texas A&M get back on track.
The Aggies (8-3) were in desperate need of a victory after consecutive losses to Mississippi State and Mississippi ruined their shot at the College Football Playoff.
The Roadrunners (5-6) cut the lead to three early in the second quarter after a one-handed touchdown grab by Josh Stewart. The Aggies then scored the next 13 points, capped by a 47 yard run by Trayveon Williams to make it 23-7 in the third quarter.
Garrett was finally healthy after missing two games and being limited in several others because of a high ankle sprain. He finished with eight tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble. Instead of limping as he has been in recent weeks, Garrett was harassing UTSA’s two quarterbacks all game.
WYOMING 34, NO. 24 SAN DIEGO STATE 33
LARAMIE, Wyo. - Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes, including a 29-yarder to C.J. Johnson with 1:07 left, and Wyoming stopped a 2-point conversion attempt by San Diego State with no time on the clock.
Allen completed 16 of 31 passes for 282 yards and also rushed for 56 yards. Brian Hill added 131 yards on 31 carries and two TDs for the Cowboys (8-3, 6-1 Mountain West). Johnson had five catches for 85 yards.
Christian Chapman completed 15 of 26 passes for 211 yards and two TDs for San Diego State (9-2, 6-1). Chapman’s last TD pass was a 23-yard desperation heave that Quest Truxton caught on the rebound with no time left. Aztecs coach Rocky Long elected to go for the win and Chapman’s 2-point pass attempt was knocked away by defensive back Antonio Hull.
Rashaad Penny and Juwan Washington both returned kickoffs for touchdowns for the Aztecs. Penny’s was 93 yards, and Washington’s 92 yards.
