C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba shined with record-setting performances as No. 6 Ohio State rallied for a memorable 48-45 victory over No. 11 Utah in the Rose Bowl on Saturday at Pasadena, Calif.
Stroud completed 37 of 46 passes and set Rose Bowl records with 573 yards and six touchdowns while being intercepted once. Smith-Njigba set school and Rose Bowl records with 347 receiving yards while making 15 catches, three for touchdowns.
Noah Ruggles kicked the winning 19-yard field goal with nine seconds left. Marvin Harrison Jr. caught three touchdown passes for the Buckeyes (11-2), who overcame a 14-point halftime deficit and drove down the field late for Ruggles’ decisive kick.
Utah’s Cameron Rising completed 17 of 22 passes for 214 yards and rushed for 92 yards and one score before leaving with a head injury in the fourth quarter. Britain Covey caught a touchdown pass and scored another on a kickoff return for the Utes (10-4).
No. 7 Baylor 21, No. 8 Ole Miss 7
Monaray Baldwin scored on a tiebreaking 48-yard run as the Bears notched their school-record 12th win by beating the Rebels at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
With the teams tied at 7-7 in the fourth quarter, Baldwin took off on a jet sweep and blazed his way to the end zone to give the Bears (12-2) the go-ahead score with 11:14 remaining. Baylor improved to 2-1 in the Sugar Bowl — the other win came in 1957 — and 14-12 all-time in bowls. A year after going 2-7, the Big 12 champion topped its previous 11-win seasons in 2013, 2014 and 2019.
Abram Smith rushed for 172 yards on 25 carries, and Gerry Bohanon was 7 for 17 for 40 yards with a touchdown and an interception after missing the previous two games.
No. 9 Oklahoma St. 37, No. 5 Notre Dame 35
The Cowboys rallied from a 21-point deficit late in the first half to stun the Fighting Irish in a top-10 battle at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
Spencer Sanders completed 34 of 51 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns, and wide receiver Tay Martin (10 catches, 104 yards) tied a bowl record with three touchdown catches. The Cowboys’ defense held Notre Dame to just one second-half touchdown.
Fifth-ranked Notre Dame lost its fifth straight Fiesta Bowl, despite quarterback Jack Coan throwing for a Fiesta bowl record 509 yards and tying a record with five touchdowns.
No. 22 Kentucky 20, No. 15 Iowa 17
Chris Rodriguez’s 6-yard touchdown run with 1:48 to play lifted the Wildcats (10-3) to a victory over the Hawkeyes (10-4) at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Rodriguez, who rushed for 107 yards on 20 carries in the game, broke a tackle behind the line of scrimmage and powered around left end for the score. Wan’Dale Robinson set up the winning TD with a 52-yard reception to Iowa’s 1-yard line, the last of his 10 catches for 170 yards.
The Hawkeyes had a chance to tie or win on their last possession, but Kentucky’s Deandre Square made a diving interception of Iowa QB Spencer Petras’ forced pass over the middle at the Wildcats’ 26-yard line with 48 seconds remaining.
No. 21 Arkansas 24, Penn St. 10
KJ Jefferson and Raheim Sanders combined for 189 rushing yards and three scores to lead the Razorbacks past the Nittany Lions in the Outback Bowl at Tampa, Fla.
Jefferson, who completed 14 of 19 passes for 90 yards, with an interception, did the bulk of his damage on the ground for the Razorbacks (9-4), who posted 17 third-quarter points in overcoming a sluggish first half. Jefferson rushed 20 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Sanders carried 13 times for 79 yards and two TDs as Arkansas defeated a Big Ten opponent in a bowl game for the first time in five tries. The Razorbacks, from the Southeastern Conference, concluded their season by winning five of six games.
–Field Level Media
