College Football: Ga Tech beats Florida State on 78-yard return on final play
ATLANTA — Lance Austin returned a blocked field goal 78 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game, giving Georgia Tech a stunning 22-16 victory over No. 9 Florida State on Saturday night.
Roberto Aguayo, one of the most accurate kickers in the country, attempted a 56-yard field goal to win the game for the Seminoles (6-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) with 6 seconds remaining. But the kick was low, and Patrick Gamble managed to get a hand on it.
While most of the Georgia Tech players celebrated, Austin went back to retrieve the ball, rolling along inside the 25. At first, he seemed hesitant to pick it up. But then he did, taking off the other way in front of the Georgia Tech bench. He avoided Aguayo’s diving attempt, then cut back on the final guy who had a shot at him to win the game for Georgia Tech (3-5, 1-4).
The Georgia Tech fans stormed the field at Bobby Dodd Stadium, celebrating with the players after perhaps the most improbable win in school history.
Georgia Tech snapped a five-game losing streak and might have knocked Florida State out of the race for the national championship. The Yellow Jackets also ended Florida State’s record-tying streak of 28 straight victories against ACC opponents, a run that dated to 2012 and matched the Seminoles’ streak of winning its first 28 conference games after joining the league in 1992.
Leading 16-13, Florida State had a chance to seal the victory in the fourth quarter as it drove deep into Georgia Tech territory. On third-and-goal from the 10, Everett Golson’s deflected pass led to the Seminoles’ first offensive turnover of the season — and first turnover of any kind since their first game. Jamal Golden made the interception in the back of the end zone.
NO. 17 OKLAHOMA 63,
TEXAS TECH 27
STILLWATER, Okla. — Backup quarterback J.W. Walsh ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more scores to help Oklahoma State beat Kansas, hours after a fatal crash near the stadium during homecoming festivities.
Four people — including a toddler — were killed and dozens injured when a woman suspected of driving under the influence plowed a car into a crowd at the homecoming parade. Oklahoma State considered postponing the game, but in the end, opted to go ahead with it.
The flag at Boone Pickens Stadium was lowered to half-staff and Cowboys players knelt down on the field and prayed before the coin toss.
Mason Rudolph completed 20 of 26 passes for 305 yards and had a touchdown for Oklahoma State (7-0, 4-0 Big 12). Kansas (0-7, 0-4) lost its 10th straight game and 36th in a row on the road.
NO. 1 OHIO STATE 49,
RUTGERS 7
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — J.T. Barrett threw three touchdown passes and ran for two scores in his first start of the season, leading Ohio State past Rutgers.
Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) extended its winning streak to 21 games, best in the nation, and heads into its off week with no doubt who the starting quarterback will be when Minnesota comes to Columbus on Nov. 7. It will be a nice change for coach Urban Meyer, who started Cardale Jones in the first seven games of the season before making the switch to Barrett this week.
Barrett was near flawless against Rutgers (3-4, 1-3). He was 14 for 18 for 223 yards and ran for 101 yards on 13 carries. Jones entered in the fourth quarter when the score was 49-0.
NO. 2 BAYLOR 45,
IOWA STATE 27
WACO, Texas — Shock Linwood ran for 171 yards and a touchdown, caught a pass for another score and Baylor beat Iowa State for its FBS-best 20th consecutive home victory.
On a rainy day along the Brazos River, the Bears (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) were held under 60 points for the first time in six games. The only other NCAA team with five straight 60-point games was Oklahoma in 2008.
Corey Coleman had two more touchdown catches, his sixth consecutive game with multiple scores, to push his FBS-leading total to 18. He broke Kendall Wright’s school record for career touchdowns with his 31st.
Coleman had a 36-yard score on Baylor’s opening drive, then had a downfield block that helped quarterback Seth Russell break free on a 37-yard TD run for a quick 14-0 lead. Coleman caught a 12-yarder from Jarrett Stidham in the closing minutes.
Russell fractured one of the bones in his neck on a 4-yard run without about 5 1/2 minutes left. The fracture was revealed on postgame X-rays and a CT scan. He will see a specialist next week.
Mike Warren ran for 145 yards on 28 carries for Iowa State (2-5, 1-3).
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 42,
No. 3 UTAH 24
LOS ANGELES — Cameron Smith returned the second of his three interceptions 54 yards for a touchdown, and Southern California knocked Utah from the unbeaten ranks.
Ronald Jones II, Justin Davis and fullback Soma Vainuku rushed for scores to help the Trojans (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12) snap their two-game skid and earn a victory for interim coach Clay Helton in his debut game at the Coliseum.
Cody Kessler passed for 264 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score, while JuJu Smith-Schuster had eight catches for 143 yards and a fourth-quarter TD that wrapped up the win.
Britain Covey caught two touchdown passes for the Utes (6-1, 3-1), whose eight-game winning streak ended.
Smith, USC’s dynamic freshman linebacker, led a fine defensive performance by picking off Travis Wilson’s throws and making three returns for a combined 122 yards, including his scoring romp down the USC sideline 1:07 before halftime.
NO. 5 LSU 48,
WESTERN KENTUCKY 20
BATON ROUGE, La. — Brandon Harris passed for a career-high 286 yards, with two of his three scoring passes going for more than 50 yards, and LSU beat Western Kentucky.
Leonard Fournette ran for 150 yards and a short touchdown on a soggy field, giving him 1,352 yards rushing and 15 TDs this season.
The Hilltoppers (6-2) were as close as 17-13 on Brandon Doughty’s 39-yard touchdown pass to Antwane Grant in the third quarter, but LSU (7-0) scored the next 17 points.
Malachi Dupre caught a 55-yard scoring pass on LSU’s opening series. Tigers freshman Tyron Johnson made a tough downfield catch over defender Wonderful Terry, then scampered about 20 yards for his 61-yard score in the third quarter.
NO. 6 CLEMSON 58,
MIAMI 0
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Deshaun Watson threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score to help Clemson hand Miami its worst loss in the program’s 90-year history.
Wayne Gallman ran for 118 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers (7-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Stacy Coley had eight catches for 54 yards for Miami (4-3, 1-2), in a game that could doom whatever chance Hurricanes coach Al Golden had of keeping his job much longer.
Until Saturday, the worst loss in Miami history was a 70-14 defeat to Texas A&M on Dec. 8, 1944. It was Clemson’s largest win over an FBS opponent since an 82-24 victory over Wake Forest on Oct. 31, 1981.
NO. 7 MICHIGAN STATE 52,
INDIANA 26
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Connor Cook threw for 398 yards and four touchdowns for Michigan State.
Cook fell just short of the school record of 400 yards passing, set by Bill Burke in 1999 against Michigan. The Spartans (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) never trailed in the second half, but it was touch and go until Cook found R.J. Shelton for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 4:57 left for a 12-point lead.
The Spartans then tacked on two more touchdowns to avoid an upset a week after their unforgettable win at Michigan. Michigan State has won 12 in a row for the first time since 1956. The run matches the third-longest winning streak in school history.
Indiana (4-4, 0-4) was outscored 24-0 in the fourth quarter.
NO. 8 ALABAMA 19,
TENNESSEE 14
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Derrick Henry had a 14-yard touchdown run with 2:24 left to lift Alabama past Tennessee.
Alabama’s aggressive defense then made two straight sacks and Ryan Anderson knocked the ball loose from Joshua Dobbs to preserve the victory.
Alabama (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) got plenty of help, with Tennessee (3-4, 1-3) missing three long field goals.
The Vols took the lead on Jalen Hurd’s 12-yard run with 5:49 left. Alabama overwhelmed the 15-point underdogs from there.
NO. 10 STANFORD 31,
WASHINGTON 14
STANFORD, Calif. – Christian McCaffrey caught a touchdown pass, ran for another score and gained 300 all-purpose yards to lead Stanford to its sixth straight victory.
Kevin Hogan threw for 290 yards and two scores for the Cardinal (6-1, 5-0 Pac-12). They have topped 30 points in each game since a season-opening loss to Northwestern thanks to their efficient quarterback and all-purpose star.
McCaffrey, who entered the game with an FBS-best 253 all-purpose yards per game, had a 50-yard touchdown catch and 7-yard scoring run in the third quarter. In all, he ran 23 times for 109 yards, caught five passes for a career-high 112 yards and added 79 yards on kick returns in his third 300-yard all-purpose game of the season.
The Huskies (3-4, 1-3) were no match for the Cardinal, especially with starting quarterback Jake Browning watching with an injury. Backup K.J. Carta-Samuels completed just 9 of 21 passes for 118 yards as Washington didn’t even cross midfield until the third quarter.
NO. 24 MISSISSIPPI 23,
NO. 15 TEXAS A&M 3
OXFORD, Miss. — Chad Kelly threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns and Mississippi used a dominant defense to beat Texas A&M.
Ole Miss (6-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) bounced back from a loss to Memphis. Laquon Treadwell caught five passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Jaylen Walton ran for 97 yards.
Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2) has lost two straight. Sophomore Kyle Allen completed just 12 of 34 passes for 88 yards before being replaced by Jake Hubenak early in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 16-3 lead by halftime and put the game out of reach with a 58-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Treadwell with 9:16 left in the third quarter.
NO. 17 OKLAHOMA 63,
TEXAS TECH 27
NORMAN, Okla. — Samaje Perine ran for 201 yards and four touchdowns and helped Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield top his old team.
Mayfield transferred from Texas Tech after his freshman season in 2013 and had to sit out last year because the school blocked him from playing right away.
Mayfield completed 15 of 22 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Mixon ran for 154 yards and two scores, and the Sooners (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) ran for 405 yards.
Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes passed for 233 yards and ran for 58, but threw four interceptions. DeAndre Washington ran for 94 yards and a touchdown for the Red Raiders (5-3, 2-3).
NO. 19 TOLEDO 51,
MASSACHUSETTS 35
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Phillip Ely threw four of his five touchdown passes in the second half Toledo overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Massachusetts.
Ely completed 26 of 47 passes for 355 yards, with three interceptions in the first half. The Rockets (7-0, 4-0 Mid-American) are off to their best start since 1997.
Terry Swanson ran 21 times for 117 yards and a score for the Rockets.
Blake Frohnapfel completed 27 of 49 for 240 yards and four touchdowns for UMass (1-6, 0-3).
NO. 21 HOUSTON 59,
UCF 10
ORLANDO, Fla. — Kenneth Farrow ran for 167 yards and three touchdowns and Houston beat Central Florida to remained undefeated.
The Cougars (7-0, 4-0 American Athletic) scored 24 points in a mid-game span of 3 1/2 minutes and won for the fifth time by 21 points or more.
Houston cornerback Brandon Wilson scored on an 85-yard fumble return on the third play of the game.
Farrow’s 26-yard touchdown run gave Houston the lead with 2:26 left in the half, and interceptions by William Jackson III and Donald Gage set up a touchdown and a field goal in the final 50 seconds.
The Golden Knights (0-8, 0-4) had four turnovers and gained only 105 yards after the first quarter.
NO. 23 DUKE 45,
VIRGINIA TECH 43, 4OT
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Thomas Sirk threw four touchdown passes and ran for a 2-point conversion in the fourth overtime to lift Duke past Virginia Tech.
Sirk hit Erich Schneider with a 25-yard scoring pass on the first play of the fourth overtime, after the Hokies had scored and missed the mandatory 2-point attempt. Sirk rolled right and cut upfield, giving the Blue Devils (6-1, 3-0) the victory in the longest game in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
Virginia Tech (3-5, 1-3) lost for the fourth time in five games, and for the third time this season at home. The Hokies, getting the ball first in the fourth extra period, seemed in good shape to either win or extend it, but after Travon McMillians’s 1-yard touchdown run, Michael Brewer’s 2-point conversion pass to Isaiah Ford was broken up by Deondre Singleton just inside the goal line.
NO. 25 PITTSBURGH 23,
SYRACUSE 20
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A fake punt for a first down helped set up Chris Blewitt’s 25-yard field goal on the final play of the game in Pittsburgh’s victory over Syracuse.
The Panthers (6-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won four of five on the road, with their only loss at Iowa on a 57-yard field goal on the final play. Syracuse (3-4, 1-2) has lost four straight.
With the score at 20-all, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi called for a fake punt on fourth down near midfield. Punter Ryan Winslow hit Matt Galambos for 12 yards and a first down.
Qadree Ollison ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers.
