College football Top 25 roundup: No. 2 Ohio State survives No. 8 Wisconsin 30-23
MADISON, Wis. — J.T. Barrett threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to leaping receiver Noah Brown in overtime, and No. 2 Ohio State finished off No. 8 Wisconsin with a sack on fourth-and-goal from the 4 for a 30-23 victory on Saturday night.
Barrett also ran for two touchdowns for the Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten).
The touchdown throw gave Barrett his 89th career touchdown passing or rushing, breaking the school record set by quarterback Braxton Miller.
The Buckeyes rushed the field after defensive end Tyquan Lewis sacked quarterback Alex Hornibrook to end the thriller. Just in time too, after school officials warned fans that severe weather was rolling through the area right before the final play.
The Buckeyes opened overtime with Barrett’s touch pass to Brown in the corner of the end zone.
Barrett finished 17 of 29 for 226 yards with one interception, and ran for 92 yards on 21 carries. Corey Clement ran for 164 yards on 25 carries for Wisconsin (4-2, 1-2).
NO. 3 CLEMSON 24, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 17, OT
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Deshaun Watson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Artavis Scott in overtime and Marcus Edmond followed with an interception to give Clemson the victory.
The Tigers (7-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) looked all but done in regulation, but Kyle Bambard’s 33-yard field goal try as time experience was wide right.
Clemson took advantage with Watson’s strike to Scott. Then Edmond reached high to grab a throw in the end zone from NC State’s Ryan Finley, and Clemson escaped with its path to the ACC title game and the College Football Playoffs still all clear.
It wasn’t the prettiest game for Clemson, which gave up 397 yards and turned it over four times — including Watson’s first-ever pick six — to the Wolfpack (4-2, 1-1).
Clemson took a big hit early on when running back Wayne Gallman came out, looking woozy and out of it as he headed to the locker room. Gallman, the team’s leading rusher, did not return.
Receiver Hunter Renfrow, who had six catches in his first game since Sept. 10 because of a broken hand, was hurt in the fourth quarter and came out the rest of the way.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 49, NO. 9 TENNESSEE 10
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jalen Hurts and Bo Scarbrough each ran for over 100 yards and Alabama again got points from its defense and special teams.
Alabama (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) has won 19 straight overall and 10 in a row in theannual series. Tennessee (5-2, 2-2) has lost its last 13 games against Western Division schools.
It was the most lopsided victory by either team in the rivalry since a 51-0 Alabama victory in 1906.
Hurts, the Crimson Tide’s freshman quarterback, ran for 132 yards and three touchdowns, and Alabama outrushed Tennessee 438-32. Scarbrough had 109 yards on five carries, including an 85-yard touchdown.
Alabama posted its highest single-game rushing total since running for 457 yards in a 56-28 victory over Tennessee in 1986.
The Tide scored on Ronnie Williams’ 58-yard interception return and Eddie Jackson’s 79-yard punt return. Alabama has 11 non-offensive touchdowns this season, including eight from its defense.
NO. 10 NEBRASKA 27, INDIANA 22
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Terrell Newby ran for one score and Tommy Armstrong Jr. hooked up with Stanley Morgan Jr. on a 72-yard touchdown pass with 9:57 left to play for Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) won their seventh straight game overall and their fifth in a row in the series, last played in 1978. It’s also the first time since 2001 that Nebraska has won its first six.
The improving Hoosiers (3-3, 1-2) missed a chance to beat a Top 10 for the first time since 1987.
Nebraska opened the game by driving for a field goal then got Newby’s 4-yard TD run and Chris Jones’ 33-yard interception return for a score in a 14-second span to make it 17-0.
The Hoosiers scored the next 15 points, getting into the end zone on the final play of the third quarter, a 33-yard TD run from Devine Redding on a fake reverse. Nebraska took advantage when Indiana’s two safeties ran into one another, allowing Morgan to turn about a 20-yard gain into a 72-yard TD.
Five plays later, Redding scored on a 4-yard TD catch that made it 24-22 with 8:26 to go.
The Cornhuskers closed it out by using all but 45 seconds of the remaining time while surviving a near-fumble from Newby 2:06 left. The officials ruled Newby was down when the ball came out and it was not overturned by replay review and they got a 39-yard field goal.
NO. 11 BAYLOR 49, KANSAS 7
WACO, Texas (AP) — Seth Russell threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores playing only the first half, and Ryan Reid returned the first of his two interceptions for a score for Baylor.
Shock Linwood’s 4-yard score on the first play after a Kansas fumble was his 36th carer rushing touchdown and broke a tie with Alfred Anderson for the most in school history. Linwood was already the career rushing leader for the Bears (6-0, 3-0 Big 12).
Kansas (1-5, 0-3) had five turnovers that led to 21 points for the Bears. The Jayhawks have lost 15 Big 12 games in a row, and dropped 36 consecutive road games since winning at UTEP seven years ago.
Reid’s 64-yard interception return ended the first offensive drive for Kansas and gave the Bears a 14-0 lead. He returned a pick in the second quarter 52 yards to the 19.
NO. 22 ARKANSAS 34, NO. 12 MISSISSIPPI 30
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Jared Cornelius scored on a 6-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter and Arkansas outlasted Mississippi.
Austin Allen was 19-of-32 passing for 229 yards and three touchdowns for Arkansas (5-2, 1-2 Southeastern Confererence), giving the junior an SEC-best 18 touchdown passes for the season. Rawleigh Williams added a career-high 180 yards rushing on 27 carries.
Chad Kelly accounted for 342 yards of total offense for Ole Miss (3-3, 1-2), throwing for 253 yards and rushing for 89 more. The senior also threw for a touchdown and ran for two more.
Evan Engram led the Rebels with seven catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.
NO. 13 HOUSTON 38, TULSA 31
HOUSTON (AP) — Emeke Egbule returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown with 1:21 remaining to lift Houston past Tulsa.
The game was tied at 31 when Garrett Davis knocked the ball out of the hands of quarterback Dane Evans. Egbule scooped it up and dashed into the end zone for the score.
Tulsa (4-2, 1-1 American) had a chance to tie it, but Jesse Brubaker was stopped just short of the goal line after a reception on the last play of the game.
It was a close call for the Cougars (6-1, 3-1) a week after Navy beat them 46-40 for their first loss of the season after a 5-0 start.
Tulsa never led, but had twice rallied from 14-point deficits to tie it. The second time came when James Flanders scored on a 3-yard run with 3:31 left.
NO. 14 FLORIDA STATE 17, WAKE FOREST 6
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Travis Rudolph had a career-high 13 receptions for 238 yards and Florida State overcame three turnovers to beat Wake Forest.
Rudolph had the fourth-best receiving game in Florida State history in the ugly game with the teams combining for seven turnovers.
Deondre Francois accounted for both of Florida State’s touchdowns. His 2-yard run on a quarterback keeper with 3:16 remaining in the second quarter gave the Seminoles (5-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) a 10-3 lead. Francois, who was 22 of 37 for 319 yards and an interception, also threw an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter to extend it to 17-6.
Dalvin Cook rushed for 115 yards on 25 carries but also fumbled twice.
Wake Forest (5-2, 2-2) was held to 252 offensive yards.
NO. 15 BOISE STATE 28, COLORADO STATE 23
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Jeremy McNichols ran for 217 yards and two touchdowns and Boise State withstood Colorado State’s late rally.
After the Broncos (6-0, 3-0 Mountain West) took a 28-3 lead early in the fourth quarter, Colorado State (3-4, 1-2) recovered two onside kicks in the final 6 minutes while scoring three straight TDs, cutting the deficit to five with 3:35 left.
The Broncos recovered Colorado State’s third onside kick and ran the clock down to 15 seconds before giving the Rams the ball at their own 27. Colorado State advanced to the 40 on a play with multiple laterals, but a review ruled that a forward lateral was made, resulting in a 10-second runoff that ended the game.
SYRACUSE 31, NO. 17 VIRGINIA TECH 17
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Eric Dungey accounted for 417 yards and two touchdowns and Syracuse beat a rabked opponent for the first time since 2012.
Fans stormed the field and carried off Dungey in celebration after he passed the 311 yards and ran for 106. He scored on a 1-yard sneak to give the Orange (3-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) a 24-17 lead with 7:56 to go, and hit Erv Phillips on a 58-yard scoring play in the first quarter.
Held to their lowest offensive output of the season, the Hokies (4-2, 2-1) tied it at 17 with 13:53 to go in regulation on Jerod Evans’ 10-yard pass to Bucky Hodges and a 2-point conversion catch by Chris Cunningham, but Dungey took over after that.
Syracuse dominated the first half. The Orange had 347 yards of offense in the first half, 221 in the second quarter. The Hokies, ranked second nationally and first in the ACC in pass defense at 132.2 yards a game, yielded 310 yards passing in the first 30 minutes and 405 for the game. The Orange defense had its best half of the season, limiting the Hokies to Joey Slye’s 36-yard field goal.
NO. 18 FLORIDA 40, MISSOURI 14
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson returned interceptions for touchdowns, helping Florida move into first place in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division.
The cornerback tandem provided nearly as many highlights as either offense and seemingly saved the Gators (5-1, 3-1) from a fourth homecoming loss in the last seven years.
Tabor squatted on a short pass by Drew Lock and went untouched for a 39-yard score in the second quarter. It was Tabor’s second Pick Six in as many years against the Tigers (2-4, 0-3). Not to be outdone, Wilson stepped in front of Sean Culkin on the ensuing possession, picked off Lock’s pass and went 78 yards the other way for his first career touchdown.
Playing for the first time in a month, Luke Del Rio threw three interceptions in his return from a sprained left knee. And the Gators were flagged for eight false starts.
NO. 19 OKLAHOMA 38, KANSAS STATE 17
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield was 25 of 31 for 346 yards and four touchdowns, and Dede Westbrook had nine receptions for 184 yards and three scores for Oklahoma.
One week after Mayfield passed for 390 yards and Westbrook had a school-record 232 yards receiving, the duo help Oklahoma (5-2, 3-0 Big 12) won its third straight game after a 1-2 start.
With Samaje Perine sidelined by an undisclosed injury in the first quarter, Joe Mixon stepped up for Oklahoma. He rushed for 88 yards, caught three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown and became the first Sooners running back since 1973 to throw a touchdown pass, a 26-yarder to Westbrook in the second quarter that put the Sooners ahead 21-7.
Kansas State (3-3, 1-2) lost starting quarterback Jesse Ertz for good just after halftime with an apparent problem with his right throwing shoulder. He completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and ended the game as the Wildcats’ leading rusher with 40 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Joe Hubener came in and threw for 157 yards on 12 of 23 passes, with a spectacular 54-yard touchdown to Dominique Heath early in the fourth quarter that pulled K-State to 31-17.
NO. 20 WEST VIRGINIA 48, TEXAS TECH 17
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Skyler Howard ran for two touchdowns and threw for another for West Virginia.
The Mountaineers (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) held Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2) to its lowest offensive output this season, just 379 yards, and harassed quarterback Patrick Mahomes most of the day. He threw for 305 yards, his second-lowest passing total of the season, and was replaced in the fourth quarter by Nic Shimonek.
A 14-point turnaround in the second quarter helped the Mountaineers gain momentum. Sean Walters’ interception at the West Virginia 11 led to a TD pass from Howard to Justin Crawford at the other end of the field to put the Mountaineers up 17-7.
Howard completed 21 of 31 passes for 318 yards. Rushel Shell ran for 104 yards and two TDs.
NO. 21 UTAH 19, OREGON STATE 14
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Joe Williams came out of retirement and ran for a 5-yard first-quarter touchdown and Utah beat Oregon State in wet and windy conditions.
Williams, who had left the team because of injuries following the second game of the season, finished with 179 yards rushing on 34 carries for the Utes (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12).
Trailing 12-7, Oregon State (2-4, 1-2) got as close as the Utah 9 with 8:25 left, but couldn’t score and Garrett Owens’ 27-yard field goal attempt went wide left.
After quarterback Troy Williams ran for an 8-yard touchdown to extend Utah’s lead, the Beavers scored on Marcus McMaryion’s 14-yard pass to Hunter Jarmon.
NO. 24 WESTERN MICHIGAN 41, AKRON 0
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Jarvion Franklin ran for a school-record 281 yards and Zach Terrell threw for two scores and ran for two more for Western Michigan, ranked in the Top 25 for the first time.
Corey Davis caught two touchdown passes to add to his career school record, finishing with eight catches for 63 yards. The Broncos (7-0, 2-0 Mid-American) had 585 yards of offense in a victory that capped one of the biggest weeks in the 100-year history of the program.
Franklin, whose previous career-high rushing game was 211 yards against Idaho two seasons ago, had a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Terrell was 21 for 31 for 207 yards.
Akron is 4-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
