PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cade Klubnik wanted to get out of bounds. Needed to get out of bounds.
The clock was running. Clemson was trailing Pittsburgh and all of the Tigers’ timeouts were gone. So the junior quarterback broke into the secondary on a designed run and then veered right for the safety of the sideline.
Klubnik never got there. He never had to. A well-timed block from wide receiver T.J. Moore gave Klubnik a lane that offered nothing but green grass and victory. Klubnik’s instincts led him to cut up the field for a go-ahead 50-yard touchdown run with 1:16 remaining that lifted the 17th-ranked Tigers past the Panthers 24-20 on Saturday.
Klubnik’s dash kept Clemson’s outside hopes of reaching the ACC title game alive. The Tigers (8-2, 7-1 ACC) need No. 12 Miami to lose one of its final two games or No. 14 SMU to drop its last two contests to reach the championship game in Charlotte on Dec. 7.
No. 1 OREGON 16, WISCONSIN 13
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Atticus Sappington broke a tie with a 24-yard field goal with 2:36 remaining and No. 1 Oregon rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Wisconsin.
Jordan James rushed for 115 yards and a tying touchdown on 22 carries to help Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) win its first 11 games for the second time in school history. The Ducks also won their first 11 games in 2010 and went on to reach the BCS championship game before losing to Cam Newton-led Auburn.
Tawee Walker rushed for 97 yards on 20 carries for Wisconsin (5-5, 3-4) in its third straight loss. The Badgers fell to 2-15 in their last 17 games against Top 25 teams, going 0-6 mark in Luke Fickell’s two-year coaching tenure.
Oregon won by outscoring Wisconsin 10-0 in the fourth quarter. The Ducks also erased fourth-quarter deficits in victories over Boise State and Ohio State this season.
No. 2 OHIO ST. 31, NORTHWESTERN 7
CHICAGO (AP) — Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate celebrated his Chicago homecoming with two touchdown receptions against Northwestern at Wrigley Field.
It was Tate’s first game in his hometown since his mother, Ashley Griggs, 40, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Chicago in July 2023.
With the Buckeyes facing a second-and-8 at the Northwestern 25 late in the first half, Will Howard dropped back and lofted the ball in Tate’s direction down the sideline. The 6-foot-3 sophomore made a diving grab in the end zone for his third TD of the season.
Tate added an 8-yard touchdown reception on Ohio State’s first possession of the second half, capping a five-play, 90-yard drive and lifting the Buckeyes to a 28-7 lead. He also made a tough 14-yard catch over the middle that set up the Buckeyes’ first TD in the second quarter.
No. 3 TEXAS 20, ARKANSAS 10
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Quinn Ewers threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns and the Longhorns defense clamped down on the Razorbacks final two possessions to help secure the win.
Ewers’ 1-yard pass to Matthew Golden ended an eight-play, 75-yard drive that provided the Longhorns (9-1, 5-1 SEC, No. 3 CFP) with a two-score lead with 9:05 left. Ewers, who finished 20-of-32 passing, also connected with Golden for the game’s first touchdown.
Arkansas (5-5, 3-4) had an opportunity to take the lead on the possession before Texas stretched its lead early in the fourth quarter as the Razorbacks drove to the Texas 26. The Longhorns’ defense stiffened and Arkansas settled for a 44-yard field goal from Matthew Shipley to trim Texas’ lead to 13-10.
Texas ostensibly sealed its win on Arkansas’ next possession. Taylen Green completed a pass to CJ Brown at the Texas 40, but Brown fumbled and Michael Taaffe recovered for the Longhorns. Ewers converted a fourth-and-1 with two minutes left, allowing Texas to run out the clock.
No. 4 PENN ST. 49, PURDUE 10
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Drew Allar threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 4 Penn State to a rout of Purdue.
Allar, who completed his first 10 passes, connected on 17 of 19 passes for the Nittany Lions (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) in three quarters. His top target was tight end Tyler Warren, who caught eight passes for 127 yards.
Hudson Card completed 11 of 20 passes for 151 yards for the Boilermakers (1-9, 0-7). Purdue was limited to 85 rushing yards.
No. 11 GEORGIA 31, No. 6 TENNESSEE 17
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Carson Beck silenced his critics by throwing for two touchdowns and running for another on a raucous Saturday night between the hedges, leading No. 11 Georgia to a victory over No. 6 Tennessee that gave a huge boost to the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff hopes.
Georgia (8-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference, No. 12 CFP) bounced back from a 28-10 loss at Ole Miss that left the Bulldogs just outside the provisional 12-team postseason field.
Now, they are positioned for a likely playoff berth — and a shot at winning their third national title in four years — if they can close out the regular season with wins over UMass and Georgia Tech.
Tennessee (8-2, 5-2, No. 7 CFP) could have moved a big step closer to a berth in the SEC championship game, but the Vols’ postseason prospects are now a whole lot murkier after what had all the makings of a playoff elimination game.
KANSAS 17, No. 7 BYU 13
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Jalon Daniels threw for 169 yards, Dylan Neal ran for two touchdowns and Kansas upset No. 7 BYU to hand the Cougars’ their first loss of the season.
The Jayhawks (4-6, 3-4 Big 12) beat ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks for the first time in school history. Neal surpassed 4,000 yards rushing in his career, finishing with 52 yards on the ground.
Jake Retzlaff threw for 192 yards for BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 6 College Football Playoffs). LJ Martin ran for 76 yards for the Cougars, who were held to a field goal in the second half.
No. 8 NOTRE DAME 35, VIRGINIA 14
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Riley Leonard passed for three touchdowns and Notre Dame’s defense forced five turnovers as the No. 8 Fighting Irish beat Virginia.
Leonard was 22 for 33 for 214 yards as Notre Dame (9-1) raced to a 35-0 lead and won its eighth straight game.
Leonard’s TD passes came in the first half. He found Jayden Harrison with an 8-yard strike, Cooper Flanagan with a 2-year flare and hit Mitchell Evans with a 16-yard pass.
Notre Dame forced the five turnovers in the first half and four led to touchdowns. Xavier Watts intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble. Adon Shuler and Leonard Moore also had interceptions, while Max Hurleman recovered a fumble. Rod Heard II forced a fumble.
No. 9 ALABAMA 52, MERCER 7
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third in just over two quarters to help No. 9 Alabama beat FCS team Mercer.
Ryan Williams ran for a 29-yard touchdown and caught a 14-yard score for the Crimson Tide (8-2, No. 9 CFP), who got a reprieve from Southeastern Conference games after re-entering the Top 10 following a dominating win over LSU last week. Now, they’ll go back to focusing on polishing their playoff resume and battling for an SEC title.
The Bears (9-2), playing without injured quarterback DJ Smith, had already clinched a spot in the FCS playoffs and at least a share of the Southern Conference title. Whitt Newbauer started at quarterback for Mercer, going 15 of 22 for 140 yards with an interception. The Bears avoided the shutout with his 31-yard touchdown pass to Kendall Harris late in the first half.
No. 13 BOISE ST. 42, SAN JOSE ST. 21
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Ashton Jeanty ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns to set a school record for yards rushing in a season, and No. 13 Boise State beat San Jose State for its eighth straight win.
Boise State (9-1, 6-0 Mountain West Conference) had a chance to clinch a spot in the Mountain West Conference championship game if UNLV lost to San Diego State, but the Rebels beat the Aztecs 41-20 later Saturday.
The Broncos, whose only loss was to top-ranked Oregon, remain on track for a spot in the College Football Playoff if they win the conference title.
Jeanty’s 36-yard touchdown run gave the Broncos their first lead early in the fourth quarter at 28-21. After forcing a punt, Boise State took over with under nine minutes left and drained more than six minutes off the clock before Jeanty capped a 12-play, 89-yard drive with his third score.
On the next possession, Davon Banks returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown that sealed it.
No. 14 SMU 38, BOSTON COLLEGE 28
DALLAS (AP) — Kevin Jennings threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns, Brashard Smith ran for 120 yards with a score and 14th-ranked SMU moved closer to making the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in its league debut with a victory over Boston College.
Jennings was 24-of-35 passing and his 38-yard TD to Jordan Hudson, who caught the ball in stride behind the secondary inside the 5, put the Mustangs (9-1, 6-0 ACC) ahead to stay with 8:52 left in the third quarter as they won their seventh game in a row. Smith’s run for the 2-point conversion made it 28-21.
SMU is the only of the 17 ACC teams without a league loss, while No. 12 Miami and No. 17 Clemson both have one. The ACC champion is guaranteed a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.
No. 15 TEXAS A&M 38, NEW MEXICO ST. 3
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Marcel Reed threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third score in less than three quarters to help No. 15 Texas A&M cruise to a win over New Mexico State.
It was a bounce-back performance for Texas A&M (8-2, No. 15 CFP), handed its first Southeastern Conference loss after being shut out in the second half of a 44-20 defeat at South Carolina two weeks ago before an open date last Saturday.
Texas A&M led 17-0 at the end of a first quarter in which it outgained New Mexico State 273-50. The Aggies were up 31-0 when Conner Weigman took over for Reed with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the third.
Seth McGowan ran for 75 yards for New Mexico State (2-8), a Conference USA team that lost its third straight and eighth in the last nine games.
No. 18 COLORADO 49, UTAH 24
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders overcame a shaky start to throw three touchdown passes, LaJohntay Wester returned a punt 76 yards for a score and the Buffaloes pulled away late to beat the Utes.
Winners of four straight, the Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1 Big 12, No. 17 CFP ) remain in the driver’s seat for an appearance in the conference title game and possibly a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Sanders threw an interception on his first pass of the game and later lost a fumble. But he settled down and finished 30 of 41 for 340 yards. He connected twice on TD passes with Will Sheppard. Sanders has thrown 27 TD passes, one away from matching the single-season school record set by Sefo Liufau in 2014.
NEW MEXICO 38, No. 19 WASHINGTON ST. 35
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Devon Dampier scored on a 1-yard run with 21 seconds left and New Mexico beat No. 19 Washington State for its first victory over a ranked team since 2003, dashing the Cougars’ slim College Football Playoffs hopes.
Dampier ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries and completed 11 of 25 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. Eli Sanders added 108 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries for the Lobos (5-6).
Dampier ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. He moved New Mexico 75 yards on the winning drive after Washington State (8-2) took a 35-31 lead with 3:12 left on John Mateer’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams.
Mateer was 25 of 36 for 375 yards and four touchdowns. Williams had nine receptions for 181 yards and three touchdowns.
New Mexico took a 30-28 lead with 4:40 left in the game on Luke Drzewiecki’s 21-yard field goal.
ARIZONA ST. 24, No. 20 KANSAS ST. 14
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Sam Leavitt threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, Jordyn Tyson had 12 catches for 176 yards and two of the scores, and Arizona State held off No. 16 Kansas State in the Sun Devils’ first trip to their new Big 12 rival.
Cam Skattebo returned from an injury to run for 73 yards, and the Sun Devils (8-2, 5-2) built a 21-0 halftime lead, before Kenny Dillingham’s team held on for a third straight win to remain in contention for the Big 12 championship game.
Avery Johnson threw for 258 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown run for Kansas State (7-3, 4-3, No. 16 CFP), which had been 4-0 at home this season and 15-3 over the past three. D.J. Giddens ran for 133 yards and Joe Jackson had a TD run.
The bumbling Wildcats, who turned the ball over three times and failed to get the snap down on two field-goal tries, sure didn’t look like a conference title contender that had last week off to prepare for the Sun Devils.
FLORIDA 27, No. 21 LSU 16
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — DJ Lagway threw for a touchdown and set up another with a long completion in his return from a strained left hamstring, and Florida upset No. 21 LSU to give the Gators their first series victory since 2018.
Jadan Baugh’s 55-yard scoring scamper with 3:48 remaining essentially sealed it and put the Gators (5-5, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) on the verge of becoming bowl eligible.
Florida had dropped eight in a row against ranked opponents and was 1-10 under coach Billy Napier in rivalry games.
Former Florida coach Steve Spurrier suggested all week that fans should rush the field named after him if the Gators win. But it didn’t happen.
Florida’s defense, though, deserved to be celebrated. The unit sacked Garrett Nussmeier seven times — one more than LSU (6-4, 3-3) allowed in its first nine games combined.
STANFORD 38, No. 22 LOUISVILLE 35
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Emmet Kenney made a career-long 52-yard field goal as time expired to give Stanford a victory over No. 22 Louisville, ending the Cardinal’s six-game losing streak.
Down 35-21 in the fourth quarter, Stanford (3-7, 2-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) tied it on Emmett Mosley V’s two touchdown passes, the second a 25-yarder from backup quarterback Justin Lamson with 45 seconds left.
After forcing a turnover on downs, Stanford got the ball at its own 45, then benefited from two penalties. Louisville (6-4, 4-3) was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after a short swing pass, putting Stanford in position for the field goal.
Kenney, who earlier converted from 41 and 24 yards, lined up for a 57-yard kick, but Louisville’s Quincy Riley was offside. That moved the ball 5 yards closer, and Kenney split the uprights.
Ashton Daniels passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns — two to Mosley, who had 13 catches for 168 yards.
Louisville’s Tyler Shough passed for 270 yards and a touchdown.
No. 23 SOUTH CAROLINA 34, No. 24 MISSOURI 30
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — LaNorris Sellers threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Raheim Sanders with 15 seconds left and No. 23 South Carolina beat No. 24 Missouri for its third straight victory over a ranked opponent.
Sellers had career highs of five TD passes and 353 yards, completing 21 of 30 attempts.
The Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3) have won four straight Southeastern Conference games for the first time since Steve Spurrier was coach in 2012. But it’s now one of Spurrier’s hires with the Gamecocks in Shane Beamer who has South Carolina as the hottest team in the powerhouse conference.
This one looked as if it would be another runaway the past three wins over Oklahoma (35-9), Texas A&M (44-10) and Vanderbilt (28-7) when Sellers threw three first-half touchdown passes for a 21-6 lead.
But the Tigers (7-3, 3-3) twice battled back to take the lead in the fourth quarter, the final time on Brady Cook’s 37-yard TD pass to Luther Burden III with 1:10 to go for a 30-27 lead.
Sellers, though, was far from done. He hit on passes of 10 and 49 yards to bring the Gamecocks to the Missouri 21. After Sellers’ 7 yard run, he flipped the ball to Sanders who bulled his way across the goal line to send the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium into a frenzy.
No. 25 TULANE 35, NAVY 0
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Makhi Hughes ran for 82 yards and two touchdowns, as the Green Wave locked up its spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game by romping to a victory over the Midshipmen.
Darian Mensah threw for two TDs and ran for another as Tulane (9-2, 7-0) guaranteed a championship meeting on Dec. 6 against No. 16 Army, which was idle Saturday.
Sam Howard intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble for the Green Wave, who preserved their second shutout and held an opponent to single digits for the fourth time this season.
Tulane outgained Navy (7-3, 5-2) 359-113 on a gusty day and knocked starting Midshipmen quarterback Blake Horvath out of the game with a rib injury.
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