STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Will Howard threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns and No. 4 Ohio State’s defense made a late defensive stand to lift the Buckeyes over No. 3 Penn State 20-13 on Saturday.
Ohio State (7-1, 4-1) kept its hopes alive for a spot in the Big Ten Championship game by beating the Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1) for the eighth straight time. Howard, who believes Penn State thought he “ wasn’t good enough ” when it declined to offer the Philadelphia-area native a scholarship, exacted a measure of revenge in front of the largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history (111,030).
While Howard wasn’t perfect by any stretch — he threw a pick-6 on his first pass and later fumbled as he was crossing the goalline for what would have been a touchdown — he connected on first-half scoring passes to Emeka Egbuka and Brandon Inniss and Ohio State’s defense did the rest.
No. 1 OREGON 38, MICHIGAN 17
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Dillon Gabriel threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score in another efficient performance from the Heisman Trophy front-runner, leading No. 1 Oregon to a win over Michigan.
The Ducks (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) seemed to get a break on their first touchdown when Gabriel’s 2-yard pass to Evan Stewart appeared to be dropped, but they didn’t need much good fortune to stay unbeaten.
The Wolverines (5-4, 3-3) pulled into a 7-all tie on Davis Warren’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Morris, taking advantage of backup returner Ryan Pellum fumbling on a punt return. They trailed the rest of the game.
No. 2 GEORGIA 35, FLORIDA 20
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP0 — Carson Beck threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns to offset three interceptions and No. 2 Georgia escaped “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” with a victory over Florida.
The Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) won their fourth straight in the series, their longest streak since winning six in a row between 1978 and 1983. They took advantage of Florida’s quarterback woes and a special teams error in this one.
Standout freshman DJ Lagway left the game on a cart in the second quarter with a left hamstring injury and with the Gators (4-4, 2-3) leading 10-3. Without him, it was mostly ugly.
Walk-on Aidan Warner completed 7 of 22 passes for 66 yards, with an interception. Warner was thrust onto the field because Florida starter Graham Mertz tore a ligament in his left knee at Tennessee last month and is out for the season.
No. 5 MIAMI 53, DUKE 31
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Heisman Trophy hopeful Cam Ward threw for 400 yards and five more touchdown passes, three to Xavier Restrepo on a record-setting day for both of them, and the Hurricanes erased a double-digit deficit for the third time this season to roll past the Blue Devils.
Ward now has 29 touchdown passes, tying Steve Walsh’s Miami season record set in 1988. A 66-yard scoring grab with 7:36 left was the big history-maker: Restrepo tied Mike Harley’s Miami career reception record with his 182nd, broke Santana Moss’ career receiving yards record with 2,573, and Ward tied Walsh’s TD pass mark for the Hurricanes (9-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Maalik Murphy threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns for Duke (6-3, 2-3), but was intercepted three times and fumbled the ball away once. Sahmir Hagans had nine catches for 139 yards and a score for the Blue Devils, who had a 28-17 lead in the third quarter in Duke coach Manny Diaz’s first game against Miami since the school fired him in 2021.
No. 7 TENNESSEE 28, KENTUCKY 18
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dylan Sampson rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 7 Tennessee to a victory over Kentucky.
Tight end Miles Kitselman caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown for the Volunteers (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) as they kept their College Football playoff hopes alive.
The Wildcats (3-5, 1-6) lost their fourth straight game after five starters were out with injuries. During the game, receiver Barion Brown and quarterback Brock Vandagriff were also hurt.
After trailing 10-7 at halftime, Kitselman and Sampson scored in the third quarter to put Tennessee up 21-10. Gavin Wimsatt replaced Vandagriff, who left after a hard hit by James Pearce, and threw an interception on his first series. On his second series, Wimsatt hit Ja’Mori Maclin for a 32-yard TD to cut the score to 21-18.
Sampson stretched the advantage to 28-18 as he was carried by a scrum for a 6-yard score.
SOUTH CAROLINA 44, No. 10 TEXAS A&M 20
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP0 — LaNorris Sellers ran for 106 yards and threw for 244 more and South Carolina finally knocked off one of the Southeastern Conference’s playoff contenders, beating No. 10 Texas A&M.
The Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3) took LSU and Alabama to the wire this season before losing. But this time their freshman quarterback and senior transfer Raheim Sanders ran all over Aggies (7-2, 5-1), who came into Saturday allowing just 104.5 yards a game.
Sanders, the all-SEC transfer from Arkansas, rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns. South Carolina gained 286 yards on the ground.
Sellers threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score.
The Aggies ground their way through the SEC to be the last undefeated team in the league and worked their way back to a lead before halftime after falling behind 14-0 less than six minutes into the game.
TEXAS TECH 23, No. 11 IOWA ST. 22
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Behren Morton drove Texas Tech 71 yards for the winning touchdown with 19 seconds left, and the Red Raiders denied No. 11 Iowa State its best start in program history with an upset.
Tahj Brooks’ 5-yard touchdown run came after the Cyclones had taken their first lead on Rocco Becht’s 44-yard touchdown pass to Carson Brown with 2:11 to play.
Brooks ran 25 times for 122 yards to go over 4,000 for his career. He has gone over 100 yards in all nine of his games this season.
The Red Raiders (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) got the win after dropping consecutive games to Baylor and TCU.
Iowa State (7-1, 4-1) was trying for its first 8-0 start, and it had multiple opportunities to do it but fell short.
LOUISVILLE 33, No. 11 CLEMSON 21
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Isaac Brown ran for a career high 151 yards and a clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter as Louisville beat No. 11 Clemson for the first time
Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough somersaulted for a score and Brock Travelstead tied his career high with four field goals as Louisville (6-4, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) qualified for a bowl game and snapped an 0-8 career mark against the Tigers (6-2, 5-1).
The Cardinals also seriously dented Clemson’s hopes of playing for an ACC title and reaching the College Football Playoff. The Tigers were among four undefeated ACC teams when the week began and now must get outside help with the season in its final month.
Shough put the Cardinals ahead for good in the second quarter with a 4-yard burst, finishing with a somersault into the end zone for a 10-7 lead.
No. 13 INDIANA 47, MICHIGAN ST. 10
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Kurtis Rourke threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Elijah Sarratt, and Amare Ferrell had two interceptions Saturday to lead No. 13 Indiana to a victory over Michigan State and its first 9-0 start in school history.
Rourke, who missed last week’s game against Washington following surgery on an injured right thumb, showed no ill effects and completed 19 of 29 passes.
The Hoosiers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter before scoring 47 consecutive points to claim their ninth straight win by double digits. This is only the third season in Indiana history — dating back to the 1800s — in which the Hoosiers have won nine games.
Michigan State (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) jumped in front in the first quarter off a 47-yard field goal by Jonathan Kim and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Aidan Chiles to Nick Marsh. Indiana hadn’t trailed this season prior to Kim’s field goal.
HOUSTON 24, No. 17 KANSAS ST. 19
HOUSTON (ap) — Zeon Chriss threw for 103 yards and a touchdown without an incompletion as Houston rallied in fourth quarter to beat No. 17 Kansas State.
Trailing 19-10 to start the fourth quarter, Chriss threw a 1-yard touchdown to Maliq Carr with 11 minutes left. After forcing a punt, Chriss rushed for a 41-yard touchdown with 2:31 to go.
Chriss, who finished 11 of 11, also rushed for 75 yards and caught a pass for eight yards.
Michael Batton intercepted Avery Johnson on the next drive.
After Houston (4-5, 3-3 Big 12) was forced to punt with 40 seconds left, the Wildcats drove to the Cougars’ 39 with 4 seconds left, but Johnson’s heave was knocked out of the end zone.
The win was Houston’s first win over a ranked team since beating No. 19 SMU 44-37 on Oct. 30, 2021.
No. 19 MISSISSIPPI 63, ARKANSAS 31
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Jaxson Dart set Ole Miss records for yards passing and touchdown throws in a single game, leapfrogging Matt Corral and Eli Manning, in the Rebels’ dominating win over the Razorbacks.
Dart threw four scores and 321 yards in just the first half. He found Jordan Watkins on three of the TDs, including one for 62 yards and another for 66 on back-to-back drives. They were just three offensive plays apart. Dart ultimately finished 25 of 31 passing for 515 yards with six touchdowns.
Ole Miss (7-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) led 35-10 at halftime after scoring on three straight drives over the first and second quarters. The Rebels opened and closed the first-half scoring when Princely Umanmielen pounced on a Taylen Green fumble in the end zone midway through the first quarter and Dart capped things with a three-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Watkins with five seconds left in the half, his fourth passing score in the game’s first half-hour.
No. 20 SMU 48, No. 18 PITTSBURGH 25
DALLAS (AP) — Brashard Smith ran for 161 yards with a 71-yard sprint for the first his two rushing touchdowns and made a nifty tiptoe catch for another score as No. 20 SMU overwhelmed previously undefeated and 18th-ranked Pittsburgh to remain tied for the conference lead in their Atlantic Coast Conference debut.
The Mustangs (8-1, 5-0 ACC), last year’s champions in The American, are the first team to start 5-0 in their first season in a power conference after moving up from a Group of Five league.
Kevin Jennings was 17-of-25 passing for 306 yards with two touchdowns. He hit tight end Matthew Hibner for an 80-yard score on his final pass, one play after Jonathan McGill’s interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
Pitt (7-1, 3-1) was trying to open 8-0 for the first time since 1981 — when Dan Marino was quarterback of the Panthers. Redshirt freshman QB Eli Holstein, who left late in their previous game with an undisclosed injury, completed 29 of 47 passes for 248 yards, and didn’t play the final 9 1/2 minutes because of the lopsided score.
No. 21 ARMY 20, AIR FORCE 3
WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Kanye Udoh rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns to help Army win over the Falcons and the Black Knights’ nation-leading 12th straight victory.
Playing without starting quarterback Bryson Daily, who missed the game with injury or illness per an academy statement, Udoh stepped up and carried the running load.
Udoh ran seven times for 48 yards on Army’s opening drive of the second half. The sophomore finished the possession off with a 12-yard touchdown run, his eighth of the season.
MINNESOTA 25, No. 24 ILLINOIS 17
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Max Brosmer threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Geers and Dragan Kesich kicked his fourth field goal of the game in the final five minutes, rallying the Gophers to a victory over the Fighting Illini.
It was the fourth consecutive win for Minnesota (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten), while Illinois (6-3, 3-3) dropped its second straight.
Brosmer completed 22 of 37 passes for 213 yards and a TD. Darius Taylor ran for 131 yards and a TD on 22 carries and was the Golden Gophers’ leading receiver with nine catches for 58 yards. Elijah Spencer had six catches for 67 yards.
Luke Altmyer was 20 of 33 for 226 yards and a TD for Illinois, but lost two fumbles.
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