Bedlam: No. 8 Oklahoma outscores No. 11 Oklahoma State 62-52
STILLWATER, Okla. — Bedlam sure lived up to its name.
Baker Mayfield passed for a school-record 598 yards and No. 8 Oklahoma outlasted No. 11 Oklahoma State 62-52 on Saturday in one of the highest-scoring games in the history of the rivalry.
Mayfield threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score to outduel Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph in a battle of two Heisman Trophy contenders. Rudolph passed for 448 yards and five touchdowns, but he had three turnovers in the second half.
Marquise Brown caught nine passes for a school-record 265 yards, and he had touchdown receptions of 84 and 77 yards for the Sooners (8-1, 5-1 Big 12, No. 5 CFP). Oklahoma gained 785 total yards.
Oklahoma State (7-2, 4-2, No. 11 CFP) appeared to have lost its last chance when Oklahoma’s Tre Brown intercepted the ball off a deflection with 1:56 remaining and the Cowboys trailing 55-52. A targeting penalty against Oklahoma’s Will Johnson negated the play, but the Cowboys couldn’t take advantage of the extra opportunity.
Justice Hill ran for a career-high 228 yards for Oklahoma State and James Washington caught seven passes for 128 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game in the second half with an ankle injury.
The game was tied at 38-all at halftime. In the second quarter, the teams combined for 52 points and 540 yards. Mayfield passed for a school-record 387 yards in the first half. Rudolph hung in there with him and passed for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Brown tied Juaquin Iglesias’ school record for yards receiving in a half with 178 before the break.
IOWA 55,
NO. 3 OHIO STATE 24
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Nate Stanley threw for 226 yards and five touchdowns, and Iowa throttled Ohio State, dealing a likely fatal blow to the Buckeyes’ playoff hopes.
Josh Jackson added three interceptions for the Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-3), who beat their fourth top-five opponent in their last five tries at home.
Iowa raced out to a 31-17 halftime lead on Stanley’s two TD passes to Noah Fant.
Stanley, following a successful and highly unusual fake field goal, later fired a 2-yard TD pass with a defender hanging onto his foot that put the Hawkeyes ahead 38-17 late in the third quarter.
J.T. Barrett threw a career-high four interceptions for Ohio State (7-2, 5-1, No. 6 CFP). The Buckeyes allowed their most points in a game under coach Urban Meyer. They committed nine penalties and gained just 371 yards in their most lopsided defeat since last year’s 31-0 loss to eventual national champion Clemson in the playoffs.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 24,
NO. 19 LSU 10.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jalen Hurts passed for a touchdown and ran for a score and Alabama sweated out a bruising victory over LSU.
The Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) had to withstand a rare challenge this season from a league opponent, managing it with big plays from the defense and a handful of timely ones from Hurts.
Alabama was ranked No. 2 in the first College Football Playoff rankings behind Georgia, which clinched the SEC East with a 24-10 victory over South Carolina.
The Tigers (6-3, 3-2) kept getting defensive stops in the fourth quarter but couldn’t muster a threat. They had to punt twice and then managed to squeeze out only a couple of first downs after taking over at their own 8 with 4:39 left.
Quarterback Danny Etling completed a couple of short passes and gave way to backup Myles Brennan, who couldn’t push them much further. He was sacked on fourth-and-long by freshman linebacker Dylan Moses.
Alabama ran out the clock on its seventh straight win in the SEC West rivalry.
NO. 2 GEORGIA 24, SOUTH CAROLINA 10
ATHENS, Ga. — Jake Fromm proved he can throw — and block a little, too — in leading Georgia past South Carolina.
Fromm, the freshman best known for handing off to a deep group of tailbacks, was underestimated this week by South Carolina defensive back Chris Lammons, who said the Bulldogs “can’t pass.”
Fromm was accurate and efficient, completing 16 of 22 passes for 196 yards with scoring passes of 10 yards to Javon Wims and 20 yards to Mecole Hardman. He did not throw an interception.
Fromm also had the final block to clear the way for Sony Michel to score on a direct-snap, 8-yard run in the first quarter.
Georgia (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 1 College Football Playoff) has won its first nine games for the first time since 1982. The Bulldogs needed a Mississippi win over Kentucky on Saturday to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game.
South Carolina (6-3, 4-3) had its three-game winning streak snapped. The Gamecocks also lost hopes for winning the SEC East.
NO. 4 WISCONSIN 45, INDIANA 17
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Jonathan Taylor rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown and Alec Ingold had three scores to help Wisconsin beat Indiana.
The Badgers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten, No. 9 CFP) extended the nation’s second-longest winning streak to 10 and their school record for consecutive Big Ten victories to 12. They also remained one of a handful of unbeaten teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. A win next week would give Wisconsin the West Division title and its fifth ticket in seven years to the Big Ten championship game.
NO. 5 NOTRE DAME 48, WAKE FOREST 37
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Brandon Wimbush passed for a career-high 280 yards, ran for two touchdowns and shook off an injury to help Notre Dame win its seventh straight.
Wimbush was 15-of-30 passing and threw a 34-yard touchdown to sophomore Chase Claypool, who had a career-high 180 yards on nine receptions. Wimbush also had 110 yards on 12 carries and the second TD was a 50-yarder in the second quarter.
Wake Forest (5-3) did not go down without a fight, piling up 587 yards against a defense directed by former Demon Deacons coordinator Mike Elko.
Notre Dame star running back Josh Adams left the field late in the first quarter and Wimbush joined him late in the first half. Wimbush was hit on his planted left leg after a 28-yard gain, but left the field on his own power. He had a bandage on his left hand after the game.
Wimbush returned for the second half while Adams rode a stationary bike on the sideline as the Irish (8-1, No. 3 CFP) totaled season highs in passing (340) and total yards (720) to set up a showdown with No. 9 Miami (No. 10 CFP) next Saturday night.
NO. 6 CLEMSON 38, NO. 20 N.C. STATE 31
RALEIGH, N.C. — Tavien Feaster had an 89-yard touchdown run to end the third quarter and K’Von Wallace picked off Ryan Finley’s pass on the game’s final play to help Clemson hold off North Carolina State.
Feaster’s break-loose run up the middle and gave Clemson (8-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 4 CFP) a 31-21 lead entering the fourth, then the Tigers had to hang on in the final seconds as the Wolfpack (6-3, 4-1, No. 20 CFP) got one more shot to tie the game in the final minute.
That drive pushed to the Clemson 28. Wallace broke up a pass to Jaylen Samuels a few yards short of the goal line, and then an illegal formation penalty by North Carolina wiped out completion that would have given the Wolfpack a first-and-goal.
Wallace picked off Finley’s final overthrown fourth-down ball and returned it 55 yards to burn the clock and keep the Tigers on course for a third straight trip to the College Football Playoff.
Finley threw three touchdown passes for N.C. State.
NO. 24 MICHIGAN STATE 27, NO. 7 PENN STATE 24
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Matt Coghlin kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to lift Michigan State past Penn State in a game delayed nearly 3 1/2 hours by severe weather in the second quarter.
Brian Lewerke threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns for the Spartans (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten, No. 24 CFP), and Michigan State was aided at the end by a roughing the passer call on Penn State’s Marcus Allen. Lewerke was hit by Allen on a third-down pass that fell incomplete in the final minute. The penalty moved the ball to the Penn State 22, and the Spartans were able to run the clock before Coghlin’s winning kick.
It was the second straight tough loss for Penn State (7-2, 4-2, No. 7 CFP), which fell 39-38 at Ohio State last weekend and may have had its national title hopes crumble for good Saturday. Now it’s Michigan State — which went 3-9 last season — that will take its improbable division title hopes into a showdown at Ohio State next weekend.
Trace McSorley threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns for Penn State, but Nittany Lions star Saquon Barkley was held in check. He had 0 yards rushing in the first half and finished with only 63. McSorley was intercepted three times.
Penn State was ahead 14-7 in the second quarter when the game was halted for a lengthy weather delay. The game had a noon start time and didn’t end until after dark.
NO. 9 MIAMI 28,
NO. 13 VIRGINIA TECH 10
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Malik Rosier threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Travis Homer had a 64-yard touchdown run and Miami moved to the brink of clinching what would be its first spot in an Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
Braxton Berrios and Christopher Herndon IV had touchdown catches for Miami (8-0, 6-0 ACC, No. 10 CFP), which extended the nation’s longest current winning streak to 13 games.
Rosier survived a three-interception night, helped out by Miami’s turnover chain — the gaudy bauble that gets awarded amid much fanfare on the sideline when the Hurricanes get a takeaway — making four appearances to the delight of Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez and about 63,000 other people in the crowd.
Virginia Tech (7-2, 3-2) got a touchdown run from quarterback Josh Jackson. He was 20 of 32 passing for 197 yards and two interceptions.
NO. 10 TCU 24, TEXAS 7
FORT WORTH, Texas — Kyle Hicks ran for two touchdowns and TCU rebounded from its only loss, staying tied for the Big 12 lead and in contention for a playoff spot.
In a game dominated by two of the Big 12’s best defenses, Hicks had 41 yards rushing on 11 carries. That included his 1-yard TD to end TCU’s opening drive and his 14-yarder that put the Horned Frogs (8-1, 5-1 Big 12, No. 8 CFP) up 17-0 early in the second quarter. Texas (4-5, 3-3) managed only 263 total yards in its biggest losing margin in coach Tom Herman’s first season.
With freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger missing his second straight game for the Longhorns, Shane Buechele completed 21 of 44 passes for 254 yards with a 33-yard scoring pass to Collin Johnson.
NO. 12 WASHINGTON 38, OREGON 3
SEATTLE — Washington’s Dante Pettis became the NCAA’s all-time leader in punt return touchdowns and had a 47-yard TD reception.
A year after breaking a 12-game losing streak to the Ducks, Washington (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12, No. 12 CFP) kept alive its hopes for a return to the College Football Playoff by thumping its rival to the south.
Pettis sparked Washington’s blowout on a frigid, wet night along the shore of Lake Washington. After a sluggish start, Pettis’ ninth career punt return TD started an avalanche of Washington points.
Washington quarterback Jake Browning threw for 204 yards, and his two TD passes tied Keith Price for the school record at 75.
Brandon Burmeister started at quarterback for Oregon as the Ducks (5-5, 2-5) kept Justin Herbert out for one more game due to a collarbone injury. Herbert has not played since being injured in late September. Royce Freeman rushed for 122 yards, but the Ducks had almost no passing attack.
WEST VIRGINIA 20, NO. 14 IOWA STATE 16
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Will Grier threw two touchdown passes and Justin Crawford broke out of a three-game slump with 102 yards rushing for West Virginia.
West Virginia (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) became bowl eligible and knocked the Cyclones (6-3, 4-2, No. 15 CFP) out of a four-way tie for first place.
Iowa State trailed 20-0 late in the second quarter and never recovered in losing on the road for the first time. Grier rebounded from his worst performance of the season last week when he threw four interceptions in a loss to Oklahoma State.
Grier had scoring passes of 10 yards to David Sills and 55 yards to Ka’Raun White. Grier finished 20 of 25 for 316 yards, his eighth 300-yard performance of the season.
NO. 15 UCF 31, SMU 24
DALLAS — McKenzie Milton threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score, Adrian Killins Jr. rushed for two more touchdowns and UCF stayed undefeated.
The Knights (8-0, 5-0 AAC, No. 18 CFP) remained the only undefeated team in the Group of Five, keeping them on track to play in a major New Year’s Day bowl game if they can win out.
SMU’s best opportunity at an upset fizzled with 5:10 remaining when wideout Trey Quinn dropped a pass on fourth-and-3 that would have given the Mustangs (6-3, 3-2) a first down deep in UCF territory.
Killins scored on runs of 64 yards and 34 yards for UCF, splitting defenders and shedding would-be tacklers along the way. And early in the second quarter, Milton found wide receiver Gabriel Davis down the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown strike.
NO. 16 AUBURN 42, TEXAS A&M 27
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Jarrett Stidham threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns and Auburn pulled away in the second half against Texas.
Kerryon Johnson added 145 yards rushing and a touchdown and provided a highlight-reel play with a nifty one-handed catch for an 11-yard gain on third down in the fourth quarter. Eli Stove capped that possession with a 4-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead to 42-20.
Auburn (7-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 14 CFP) led by eight at halftime and made it 28-13 when Stidham connected with Ryan Davis on a 4-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter.
The Aggies (5-4, 3-3) were forced to punt on their next drive and Shane Tripucka, who had a punt blocked for a touchdown in the first half, didn’t get this one off cleanly and it went just 16 yards to give Auburn good field position.
NO. 17 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 49, NO. 23 ARIZONA 35
LOS ANGELES — Ronald Jones II rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns, and Southern California overcame a big second-half rally led by Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate.
Sam Darnold passed for 311 yards and two TDs for the Trojans (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12), who led 28-6 midway through the third quarter before Tate finally got the Wildcats (6-3, 4-2) rolling. Arizona scored 29 points in about 11 minutes, tying it at 35 on Zach Green’s TD run and a 2-point conversion with 8:23 to play.
But Jones ran wild in the fourth quarter, racking up 96 yards while scoring the tiebreaking touchdown with 5:37 to play and adding another score with 3:09 left as the Trojans pulled away.
USC is alone atop the Pac-12 South after its 15th consecutive victory at the Coliseum. One victory in the Trojans’ final two games against Colorado and UCLA will put them in the conference title game next month.
NO. 21 MISSISSIPPI ST 34, UMASS 23
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Nick Fitzgerald ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns to lead Mississippi State past UMass.
Mississippi State (7-2, No. 16 CFP) trailed 20-13 at halftime, but scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 27-20 advantage. UMass pulled to 27-23 on a short field goal in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t move the ball in the final minutes.
Aeris Williams added 114 yards rushing on 24 carries for Mississippi State.
UMass (2-7) had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to drive for the go-ahead score, but went three-and-out. Mississippi State’s Deddrick Thomas returned the ensuing punt 83 yards for a touchdown.
NO. 25 WASHINGTON STATE 24, NO. 18 STANFORD 21
PULLMAN, Wash. — Luke Falk threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns and Washington State beat No, keeping alive its hopes for a Pac-12 North title.
Snow started to fall heavily at the end of the first quarter. Stanford hadn’t played in snow since a 1936 game against Columbia in New York.
Jamal Morrow rushed for 66 yards for Washington State (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12, No. 25 CFP), chewing up time at the end of the game. Bryce Love, slowed by an ankle injury, was held to 69 yards, his worst outing of the season for Stanford (6-3, 5-2, No. 21 CFP). He came in as the nation’s leading rusher, averaging 198 yards a game. The Cougars finished 7-0 in Pullman this season.
