Aidan O’Connell passed for 536 yards and three touchdowns as host Purdue defeated a top-five team for the second time this season, downing previously unbeaten and No. 3-ranked Michigan State 40-29 on Saturday.
The Boilermakers (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) defeated then-No. 2 Iowa on Oct. 16.
O’Connell completed 40 of 54 passes, with David Bell hauling in 11 for 217 yards for the Boilermakers, who led 21-14 at halftime and took the lead for good at 28-21 with about nine minutes left in the third quarter.
Payton Thorne completed 20 of 30 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns for the Spartans (8-1, 5-1). Tre Mosley caught two touchdown passes and Kenneth Walker III rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
No. 1 Georgia 43, Missouri 6
Stetson Bennett threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns to lead the top-ranked Bulldogs to a big victory over the visiting Tigers in Athens, Ga.
Bennett went 13-for-19 passing and JT Daniels came off the bench to complete 7 of 11 passes for 82 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Bulldogs (9-0, 7-0 SEC), who overcame a sluggish start to overwhelm the Tigers (4-5, 1-4).
Jermaine Burton caught three for 76 yards and a score, while running back James Cook rushed for a team-high 41 yards and a score on nine carries. Georgia outgained Missouri 505-273.
No. 2 Alabama 20, LSU 14
Bryce Young threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, and the host Crimson Tide held off the pesky four-touchdown-underdog Tigers at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama (8-1, 5-1 SEC) failed to score after getting a touchdown on its first possession of the third quarter, but stopped the Tigers (4-5, 2-4) three times in Alabama territory in the fourth quarter.
Max Johnson passed for just 160 yards, but had two touchdowns, and Ty Davis-Price rushed for 104 yards for LSU.
No. 4 Oregon 26, Washington 16
Travis Dye rushed for a career-high 211 yards and a touchdown to help the Ducks better their chances of qualifying for the College Football Playoff with a win against the Huskies in a Pac-12 game in Seattle.
Anthony Brown passed for one touchdown and ran for another for the Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12), who were ranked fourth in the initial CFP rankings released on Tuesday night.
Washington (4-5, 3-3) took an early 9-3 lead and only trailed by a point at halftime, but ultimately was held to 166 total yards and finished 3-for-12 on third down.
No. 5 Ohio State 26, Nebraska 17
Noah Ruggles kicked four field goals for the second straight game for the struggling Ohio State offense to help the Buckeyes defeat host Nebraska.
Ohio State (8-1, 6-0 Big Ten) led 17-10 at the half, and Ruggles made field goals of 46 and 35 yards in the third quarter to increase the lead to 23-10.
Nebraska (3-7, 1-6) responded with a 75-yard drive to pull to 23-17 in the final minute of the third quarter on a 1-yard keeper by Adrian Martinez, one play after a 53-yard catch by Samori Toure. But that would be as close as the Cornhuskers could get.
No. 6 Cincinnati 28, Tulsa 20
The Bearcats remained perfect on the season, but they didn’t help their case with the College Football Playoff committee with a tight win over the visiting Golden Hurricane in an American Athletic Conference game.
Cincinnati (9-0, 5-0 AAC) kept Tulsa out of the end zone on six consecutive plays late in the fourth quarter. The Golden Hurricane (3-6, 2-3) were close to scoring late, but Sam Crawford Jr. was stopped a yard short of a first down on a short catch at the Cincinnati 2-yard line with 1:14 remaining.
However, Bearcats QB Desmond Ridder fumbled the next snap under center and Tulsa recovered on the Cincinnati 3. The Hurricane tried four straight runs but couldn’t score. On fourth down, RB Steven Anderson lost the ball as he was crossing the goal line. Cincinnati recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback and knelt down to end the game.
No. 7 Michigan 29, Indiana 7
Hassan Haskins rushed for a career-high 168 yards and a touchdown, and tight end Luke Schoonmaker caught two touchdown passes to lift the Wolverines to a win over the Hoosiers in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Haskins took on the bulk of the run game after sophomore running back Blake Corum suffered an injury in the first quarter and did not return.
Even without Corum, Michigan (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) rolled up 188 rushing yards and 411 yards of total offense to avenge a 38-21 loss at Indiana last season. Quarterback Cade McNamara passed for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Indiana (2-7, 0-6) dropped its fifth straight and is still seeking its first conference win.
North Carolina 58, No. 9 Wake Forest 55
The Tar Heels rallied from an 18-point, second-half hole to hand the Demon Deacons their first loss of the season, going ahead on Grayson Atkins’ 25-yard field goal with 2:12 to play before Ty Chandler’s fourth touchdown run sealed the victory in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Chandler gained 213 yards on 22 carries, his final points coming on a 50-yard run before Sam Hartman’s fifth touchdown throw for visiting Wake Forest.
North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell ran for two touchdowns and threw for another. He gained 104 yards on the ground on 21 attempts and passed for 216 yards. Hartman threw for 398 yards and ran for two touchdowns for the Demon Deacons, but he was intercepted twice. A.T. Perry and Jaquarii Roberson each caught two touchdown passes.
No. 10 Notre Dame 34, Navy 6
Kyren Williams ran for two touchdowns and the Fighting Irish recorded a key fourth-quarter safety in a win over the Midshipmen in South Bend, Ind.
Jack Coan went 23-for-29 passing for 269 yards and one touchdown, and Kevin Austin Jr. had six receptions for a career-high 139 yards for Notre Dame (8-1). Williams gained 95 yards on 17 carries. The Fighting Irish outgained the Midshipmen 430-184.
Midshipmen starting quarterback Tai Lavatai sustained a neck injury during the second quarter and did not return. Xavier Arline replaced him and only had 18 passing yards and 8 rushing on eight attempts. Fullback Isaac Ruoss ran for 73 yards on 22 attempts for Navy (2-7).
No. 11 Oklahoma State 24, West Virginia 3
Spencer Sanders passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns and the defense did the rest as the Cowboys stayed in the thick of the Big 12 race with an easy win over the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W.Va.
Sanders completed 21 of 31 passes and had touchdown tosses of 6 and 12 yards to Tay Martin as the Cowboys (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) shut out the Mountaineers (4-5, 2-4) 14-0 in the second half. Jaylen Warren scored on a 13-yard burst up the middle early in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
Oklahoma State’s defense posted a season-high eight sacks with linebacker Devin Harper and defensive end Brock Martin combining for half of them with two sacks each. The Mountaineers managed only 133 yards in total offense with a net 17 rushing and failed to score a touchdown for the first time since a 42-6 loss at Iowa State in their 2020 regular-season finale. Oklahoma State finished with 285 yards.
TCU 30, No. 12 Baylor 28
Two defensive-minded teams produced an offensive showdown, but it was the Horned Frogs’ defense that came up with a huge takeaway with just over a minute remaining to preserve an upset over the visiting Bears.
TCU’s Chandler Morris was spectacular with 461 passing yards and two touchdown passes, along with 70 yards and a score on the ground. Saturday’s game marked the first time since 2000 that the Horned Frogs played without defensive guru Gary Patterson on the sideline after he and the school mutually agreed to part ways.
With the Bears driving for a possible game-winning field-goal attempt or touchdown, TCU’s Shadrach Banks intercepted Gerry Bohanon’s pass to seal a victory and end the Horned Frogs’ three-game losing streak.
No. 14 Texas A&M 20, No. 13 Auburn 3
The Aggies’ defense scored the game’s only touchdown and Seth Small kicked four field goals as they shut down the Tigers in College Station, Texas.
The Aggies (7-2, 4-2 SEC) overwhelmed Auburn from the opening kickoff. The Tigers (6-3, 3-2) finished with just 226 yards and committed a turnover that enabled Texas A&M to take control of a close game early in the fourth quarter.
The Tigers were trailing 9-3 early in the fourth quarter when Auburn quarterback Bo Nix made a huge mistake. While rolling out for a bootleg, he dropped the ball without being touched. Defensive end Micheal Clemons scooped it up on Auburn’s 24-yard line and raced untouched into the end zone and Ainias Smith caught Zach Calzada’s two-point conversion pass to make it 17-3 with 13:04 remaining.
No. 15 BYU 59, Idaho State 14
Jaren Hall threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Cougars to victory over the visiting Bengals in Provo, Utah.
Puka Nacua had 120 yards and a touchdown on six receptions to lead the Cougars with his second straight 100-yard game. Keanu Hill added a career-high 92 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. Hill also blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for another touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
BYU (8-2) amassed 560 yards in winning its third straight game. Sagan Gronauer threw for 167 yards and a touchdown for Idaho State (1-8, 1-5 Big Sky), which fell to 0-7 all-time against the Cougars. The Bengals mustered 238 total yards and punted 10 times en route to their fourth straight loss.
No. 16 Ole Miss 27, Liberty 14
Jerrion Ealy rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns and the Rebels’ defense hounded Flames star quarterback Malik Willis, spoiling the homecoming of former Rebels coach Hugh Freeze in Oxford, Miss.
The running back found paydirt twice as the Rebels led 24-0 in the first half — one in which the defense sacked Willis seven times.
Ole Miss (7-2) recorded nine sacks and three interceptions of Willis, a high first-round draft projection playing in front of 22 NFL scouts and executives.
Arkansas 31, No. 17 Mississippi St. 28
Dominique Johnson rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning 4-yarder with 21 seconds remaining, as the host Razorbacks defeated the Bulldogs in a Southeastern Conference game.
KJ Jefferson, who passed for 191 yards and a touchdown, drove the Razorbacks (6-3, 2-3 SEC) 75 yards in 10 plays for the winning score after Will Rogers’ fourth touchdown pass of the game had given the Bulldogs (5-4, 3-3) the lead with 2:22 remaining.
Rogers, who completed 36 of 48 passes for 417 yards, drove Mississippi State into position for a tying field goal, but Nolan McCord, replacing Brandon Ruiz after Ruiz had missed both of his field-goal attempts, was wide left from 40 yards as time expired.
Tennessee 45, No. 18 Kentucky 42
Hendon Hooker threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns as the Volunteers made the most of their limited opportunities, upsetting the Wildcats in Lexington, Ky.
Hooker completed 15 of 20 passes for the Volunteers (5-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference), including a 6-yard scoring strike to Cedric Tillman with 11:40 left that gave them a 45-35 lead. The Wildcats (6-3, 4-3) pulled within three points when Will Levis hit Izayah Cummings with a 24-yard touchdown pass just over two minutes later.
But Kentucky’s last chance to win went begging with 29 seconds remaining when Levis’ 4th-and-10 pass from the Tennessee 38 sailed over the head of his intended receiver. It was the Wildcats’ third straight loss.
No. 19 NC State 28, Florida State 14
Devin Leary went 21-for-32 passing for 314 yards and four touchdowns and one interception to lead the Wolfpack over the Seminoles in Tallahassee, Fla.
Trent Pennix, C.J. Riley, Ricky Person and Christopher Toudle had one touchdown reception apiece for North Carolina State. Zonovan Knight rushed for 75 yards on 18 carries for the Wolfpack (7-2, 4-1 ACC), who outgained the Seminoles 400-271.
McKenzie Melton finished 22-of-44 passing for 233 yards with a touchdown and interception for the Seminoles (3-6, 2-4).
Illinois 14, No. 20 Minnesota 6
Chase Brown rushed for 147 yards, Brandon Peters passed for a touchdown and the defense recorded six sacks to lift the Fighting Illini to a Big Ten Conference road upset of the Golden Gophers.
Illinois (4-6, 3-4 Big Ten) snapped the Golden Gophers’ four-game winning streak, earning their second road victory against a ranked foe in the past three weeks.
Minnesota (6-3, 4-2), which entered play as the leader in the Big Ten West, sputtered to a 4-for-13 effort on third down. The home crowd booed the Golden Gophers in the fourth quarter as opportunities continued to slip away.
No. 21 Wisconsin 52, Rutgers 3
Graham Mertz threw three touchdown passes and Braelon Allen rushed for 129 yards as the Badgers easily extended their winning streak to five games with a rout of the host Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, N.J.
The Badgers (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) moved into a tie with first-place Minnesota in the West Division. They began the day in a three-way tie for second with Iowa and Purdue and have outscored opponents 153-37 during their streak.
Wisconsin became bowl-eligible for the 20th straight season and scored its most points in a conference game since a 59-24 win over Nebraska on Nov. 15, 2014. The Badgers’ defense produced four turnovers on Saturday.
No. 22 Iowa 17, Northwestern 12
Alex Padilla relieved a struggling Spencer Petras and directed three scoring drives as the Hawkeyes held on against the Wildcats in Evanston, Ill.
The Hawkeyes (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) halted a two-game skid that followed their 6-0 start and bounced back from getting outscored 51-14 in consecutive losses to Purdue and Wisconsin. They moved into a four-way tie for the lead in the Big Ten West after Minnesota lost to Illinois while Purdue beat Michigan State and Wisconsin routed Rutgers.
Northwestern quarterback Andrew Marty completed 25 of 44 passes for 270 yards in his second career start but was picked off three times and sacked three times as the Wildcats (3-5, 1-4) were held to 14 points or less for the fourth time in five games.
Boise State 40, No. 23 Fresno State 14
Jonah Dalmas kicked four field goals and Andrew Van Buren rushed for two touchdowns to help the visiting Broncos crush the Bulldogs in Mountain West play.
Hank Bachmeier was 15-of-27 passing for 283 yards and one touchdown as the Broncos (5-4, 3-2) won their second consecutive game. George Holani racked up 186 yards from scrimmage (117 rushing, 69 receiving) and Khalil Shakir caught seven passes for 67 yards and one score.
Fresno State’s Jake Haener tossed three interceptions while completing 22 of 38 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Keric Wheatfall and Zane Pope had scoring receptions for the Bulldogs (7-3, 4-2), who had a three-game winning streak halted.
No. 24 San Diego State 17, Hawaii 10
The Aztecs moved into a tie for first place in the Mountain West Conference’s West Division, holding off the Rainbow Warriors’ last drive to earn a win in Honolulu.
The Aztecs (8-1, 4-1 MW) gained just 227 total yards and were penalized nine times for 90 yards, but leaned on their defense and special teams to get the win. The Rainbow Warriors (4-6, 1-4) managed only 260 total yards and were held to 85 yards on the ground.
Hawaii reached the San Diego State 18-yard line on its last drive, but Chevan Cordeiro’s 5-yard pass to Dedrick Parson on third down ended inbounds. With no timeouts to stop the clock, the Rainbow Warriors weren’t able to snap the ball for fourth down before time expired.
No. 25 Pittsburgh 54, Duke 29
Kenny Pickett threw for 416 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Panthers over the Blue Devils in an ACC contest in Durham, N.C.
Jordan Addison caught seven passes for 171 yards and a touchdown for Pitt (7-2, 4-1), which bounced back from a 38-34 loss to Miami last week and stayed on top of the ACC Coastal Division standings.
Gunnar Holmberg completed 16 of 23 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown for Duke (3-5, 0-5), which has lost five straight games.
–Field Level Media
