College football: No. 8 Florida defeats No. 5 Georgia; No. 12 Oregon beats Stanford
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kyle Trask had another four-touchdown night, becoming the first quarterback in Southeastern Conference history to accomplish the feat in five consecutive games, and No. 8 Florida beat fifth-ranked and undermanned Georgia 44-28 on Saturday.
The Gators (4-1, 4-1 SEC) ended a three-game losing streak in the rivalry known as the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party†— it was coach Dan Mullen’s most significant victory in three years in Gainesville — and now have a stranglehold on the SEC’s East Division.
The Bulldogs (4-2, 4-2), who entered the game as 3½-point favorites, were likely eliminated from College Football Playoff consideration and probably have a quarterback competition moving forward.
Florida, meanwhile, has a Heisman Trophy contender.
Trask completed 30 of 43 passes for a career-high 474 yards — eight yards shy of Tim Tebow’s single-game school record — despite playing much of the night without standout tight end Kyle Pitts.
Pitts was knocked out of the game in the second quarter on Lewis Cine’s crushing hit over the middle. Cine was ejected for targeting, adding to Georgia’s already thin defense.
The Bulldogs were without nose tackle Jordan Davis (elbow), safety Richard LeCounte (motorcycle accident) and defensive tackle Julian Rochester (knee) to start the game.
Kyren Williams ran for the go-ahead touchdown in the second overtime, and No. 4 Notre Dame prevailed 47-40 over No. 1 Clemson and D.J. Uiagalelei.
Trask and the Gators took advantage, burning Georgia repeatedly with wheel routes while overcoming a 14-0 deficit.
As the win was sealed, Trask started jumping up and down on the sideline. His teammates took it to another level, running and leaping into the stands.
Mullen wasn’t going to be left out of the fun. He pulled himself onto the edge of the front row and celebrated wildly with fans.
Mullen clearly understood the magnitude of the victory. Everyone did.
“You’ve got to enjoy it,“ Mullen said. “I might be 48 years old, but I’m really young on the inside, so I’ve still got to enjoy some of that stuff.â€
Once Trask and Florida got going, the Bulldogs did little to stop them. The Gators scored on eight of nine possessions after a three-and-out to open the game and finished with 572 yards.
Trask deserved the biggest cheers. And had it not been for a pick-six in which a freshman receiver appeared to run the wrong route, he would have been close to perfect.
“Kyle Trask does a great job,“ Mullen said. “He’s not going to force the ball. If they’re going bracket and take away and double people, he’s going to go to who you’re not doubling or covering.â€
The only question that remained going into the fourth quarter was whether Florida would top 50 points for the third time in series lore. The Gators came up short.
Georgia had several chances to make it a one-possession game, but D’Wan Mathis kept overthrowing open receivers. Mathis, who started the season opener, replaced Stetson Bennett in the third quarter.
Bennett left the game briefly in the first quarter with an apparent shoulder injury and was ineffective after returning. He completed five of 16 passes for 78 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Bennett was without his top target, George Pickens (upper body), and lost Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint to an apparent broken right leg on a 32-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.
No. 12 Oregon 35, Stanford 14
EUGENE, Ore. — Tyler Shough picked up where Justin Herbert left off, throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown and running for another score to lead Oregon past short-handed Stanford in the opener for both teams.
The Cardinal were hurt before game even kicked off when it was announced that starting quarterback Davis Mills was unavailable. Wide receiver Connor Wedington and defensive end Trey LaBounty also were listed as unavailable because of COVID-19 testing results and contact tracing protocols. Stanford did not specify whether the players had tested positive, but Wedington said on Twitter that he tested negative.
USC recovers an onside kick late in the fourth quarter before Drake London scores on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Kedon Slovis to defeat Arizona State.
Shough completed 17 of 26 passes with one interception and ran for 85 yards as he assumed the starter’s role now that Herbert has moved on to the NFL with the Chargers. With Herbert at quarterback, Oregon went 12-2 last season and won the Rose Bowl over Wisconsin. CJ Verdell ran for 105 yards and a score for Oregon, which won its 11th straight game at Autzen Stadium, the seventh-longest active streak in the nation.
No. 13 Indiana 38, No. 23 Michigan 21
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Michael Penix Jr. passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns, and Indiana beat Michigan for its first victory against the Wolverines in 33 years.
With a chunk play here, a free play there, and a few dinks and dunks thrown in to keep drives alive, Penix helped the Hoosiers (3-0, 3-0 Big Ten) snap a 24-game losing streak in the series — tied for the longest active skid in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
“When we play a great team like that, we have to make sure we play great football. We did that,†Penix said. “But it’s just the beginning because we still have some more games to follow up on.â€
President Trump claimed he played a role in resurrecting the Big Ten football season, but it did little to help the conference or his re-election chances.
It was Indiana’s first win against the Wolverines (1-2, 1-2) since Oct. 24, 1987, just its second in 41 games against Michigan, and only the second in the 21 games played between the teams at Memorial Stadium.
The Wolverines still don’t have a top-15 road win since beating Notre Dame in 2006. The loss to Indiana could turn up the pressure on coach Jim Harbaugh in his sixth season at Michigan.
No. 3 Ohio State 49, Rutgers 27
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Justin Fields threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score to help Ohio State beat Rutgers.
Fields, a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2019, added to his already gaudy 2020 resume, completing 24 of 28 passes for 314 yards.
Fields threw two touchdown passes to Chris Olave, with Jameson Williams, Garrett Wilson and Jeremy Ruckert also recipients of scoring passes as the Buckeyes (3-0, 3-0 Big Ten) played through some sloppiness and held off a second-half push by the Scarlet Knights (1-2, 1-2).
Wilson caught six passes for 104 yards for Ohio State, and Fields completed passes to eight other receivers. His average completion went for 13 yards. Running backs Master Teague III, Steele Chambers and Trey Sermon pieced together 174 rushing yards, and Teague had a touchdown.
Rutgers quarterback Noah Vedral, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma, was 22 of 33 for 168 yards.
No. 6 Cincinnati 38, Houston 10
CINCINNATI — Gerrid Doaks rushed for a career-high 184 yards and one touchdown, Desmond Ridder ran for three scores and threw for another, and Cincinnati rolled past Houston.
Doaks ran for the most yards by a Bearcats player since Mike Boone’s 212 in 2014 against South Florida. It was Doaks’ best total since he had 149 on Nov. 4, 2017, at Tulane.
Ridder rushed for 103 yards and threw for 162. He has accounted for 13 touchdowns (eight running, five passing) in the past three games. The Bearcats (6-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) extended their school-record home winning streak to 18 games.
Houston dropped to 2-3, 2-2.
No. 7 Texas A&M 48, South Carolina 3
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Kellen Mond threw four touchdown passes to become Texas A&M’s career leader, Isaiah Spiller ran for 131 yards, and the Aggies routed South Carolina.
Mond moved past Jerrod Jefferson with the 68th touchdown pass of his career, a 52-yarder to Devon Achane in the third quarter with the game long decided.
Mond also ran for a score to help Texas A&M improve to 5-1 — all in the SEC — for its best start since opening 6-0 in 2016. The Aggies are 7-0 against the Gamecocks.
Mond and Spiller helped the Aggies open a 21-0 halftime lead and cruise to their fourth consecutive victory since a loss at Alabama last month.
South Carolina (2-4, 2-4), coming off an off week, had no answer.
No. 14 Oklahoma State 20, Kansas State 18
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Oklahoma State safety Jason Taylor II returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, and the Cowboys stopped Kansas State’s two-point try that would have tied it with 2:08 to go.
The Cowboys’ Spencer Sanders was held to 108 yards passing without dynamic wide receiver Tylan Wallace and with running back Chuba Hubbard slowed by an injury. LD Brown helped to pick up the load, running 15 times for 110 yards, as Oklahoma State (5-1, 4-1 Big 12) leaned on its defense to bounce back from an overtime loss to Texas.
UCLA’s struggles with turnovers in the first half creates a deficit too big for a second-half rally to conquer in a 48-42 loss to Colorado.
The Wildcats (4-3, 4-2) were forced to try for a two-point conversion after Will Howard’s short touchdown run because of their odd decision to attempt a two-point try to stretch a 12-0 lead in the first half. Howard was incomplete on that one, and he never got a pass off on the second — he fumbled the ball as the pocket collapsed around him.
Oklahoma State guided the ensuing onside kick out of bounds and ran some time off the clock before punting it back to the Wildcats, but Howard immediately threw an interception with 1:47 to go to seal their fate.
Howard finished with 143 yards passing and a touchdown and 125 yards rushing and another score.
No. 15 Coastal Carolina 23, South Alabama 6
CONWAY, S.C. — Grayson McCall threw for 203 yards and a score, Massimo Biscardi had three field goals, and Coastal Carolina improved to 7-0 with a victory over South Alabama.
McCall completed 16 of 23 passes, including a nine-yard scoring pass to C.J. Marable, as the Chanticleers (7-0, 5-0 Sun Belt Conference) outgained the Jaguars (3-4, 2-2) by more than 100 yards, including 236 yards on the ground. The defense recorded recorded five sacks.
No. 16 Marshall 51, Massachusetts 10
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Grant Wells threw three touchdown passes, Brenden Knox ran for two scores, and Marshall pummeled Massachusetts.
The game was added to the Thundering Herd’s schedule last month after several other opponents had previously pulled out because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marshall (6-0) continued to produce a season-long balance on offense that keeps opponents guessing. Knox scored on first-quarter runs of 45 and 14 yards and got nearly all of his 118 yards in the first half. It was his fifth straight game over 100 yards.
Massachusetts (0-2), in its fourth season as a Bowl Subdivision independent, has 22 true or redshirt freshmen on its depth chart. Wells took advantage of a UMass secondary that consisted entirely of freshmen and sophomores and completed 21 of 30 passes for 228 yards.
No. 17 Iowa State 38, Baylor 31
AMES, Iowa — Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes in the second half after throwing three interceptions in the first, and Iowa State rallied to beat Baylor.
The Cyclones (5-2, 5-1) are 5-1 in conference play for the first time in the program’s 128-year history and are first in the Big 12 by a half-game.
Breece Hall went over 100 yards rushing for the seventh straight game, finishing with 133 and two touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown pass. The Cyclones won for the first time since 2012 when committing four turnovers. Baylor (1-4, 1-4) scored its first 24 points off Iowa State turnovers, the last coming when Greg Eisworth muffed a punt.
Iowa State linebacker Mike Rose sealed the victory when he intercepted Charlie Brewer’s pass in the end zone with 57 seconds left.
No. 18 Southern Methodist 47, Temple 23
PHILADELPHIA — Shane Buechele threw four touchdown passes, two to Tyler Page, and the Mustangs broke away from undermanned Owls. The game was pushed back from its original Thursday date while Temple dealt with virus-related issues. The Owls were missing 15 players who were in COVID-19 protocol.
SMU led 20-16 before Buechele connected with Kylen Granson on a 24-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Mustangs (7-1, 4-1 American Athletic Conference) scored four touchdowns in the first 7½ minutes of the period.
D’Eriq King threw for five touchdowns as No. 11 Miami rallied past N.C. State 44-41, and No. 9 BYU rolled to a 51-17 victory at No. 21 Boise State.
Temple (1-4, 1-4) scored on the first play of the game, with wide receiver Randle Jones going 75 yards on a screen pass from Trad Beatty.
No. 19 Oklahoma 62, Kansas 9
NORMAN, Okla. — Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns as Oklahoma routed winless Kansas.
Stevenson, in his second game back from a suspension, also caught four passes for 60 yards.
Spencer Rattler passed for 212 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score to help the Sooners (5-2, 4-2 Big 12) win their fourth straight game. It was Oklahoma’s 22nd consecutive November win dating to 2014.
Jalon Daniels completed 11 of 31 passes for 115 yards for the Jayhawks (0-7, 0-6), who were held to 246 total yards.
No. 22 Texas 17, West Virginia 13
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas stopped West Virginia on fourth-down passes into the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, enabling the Longhorns to escape.
Texas (5-2, 4-2 Big 12) overcame an offense that produced nearly 100 yards and 27 points fewer than its average.
Sam Ehlinger, typically the Longhorns’ offensive star, completed just 15 of 31 passes for 184 yards, but he connected with Brennan Eagles for a seven-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and with Jake Smith for a 33-yard touchdown strike in the third. Freshman Bijan Robinson rushed for 113 yards in 12 carries for Texas.
Jarret Doege was 35 of 50 for 317 yards for West Virginia (4-3, 3-3).
No. 25 Liberty 38, Virginia Tech 35
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Alex Barbir made a career-best 51-yard field goal with one second remaining to lift Liberty to the victory. Barbir’s kick punctuated a wild ending for the Flames, who rallied from a 20-14 halftime deficit and moved to 7-0 for the first time in program history.
Barbir had a 59-yard attempt blocked with eight seconds left, and Virginia Tech’s Jermaine Waller returned it to the end zone for what appeared to be the game-winning score for the Hokies (4-3). But officials ruled that Virginia Tech had called a timeout before the attempt.
UCLA might not need an A-level game to beat Colorado on Saturday, but the opener could go a long way in determining how good the Bruins will be in 2020.
Willis led the Flames, who knocked off their second ACC opponent this season and won their eighth straight game going back to last season. He threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards and a score.
Hendon Hooker paced Virginia Tech, throwing for 217 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown.
Washington State 38, Oregon State 28
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Jayden de Laura passed for two touchdowns and ran for a score in his college debut, leading Washington State to a victory over Oregon State in the Pac-12 opener for both schools.
De Laura, a 6-foot, 195-pound freshman from Honolulu, completed 18 of 33 passes for 227 yards and also rushed for 43 yards.
Deon McIntosh had 147 yards rushing and a touchdown as the Cougars amassed 456 total yards.
Nick Rolovich got a win in his first game as coach at Washington State, which was without running back Max Borghi. The junior has 28 career touchdowns, including 16 last season.
The Beavers rallied late behind quarterback Tristan Gebbia and cut the lead to 31-28 with 2:39 remaining on Jermar Jefferson’s 15-yard run and Gebbia’s two-point conversion pass to Trevon Bradford.
But Washington State recovered the onside kick and scored on the next play — a 44-yard touchdown run by Travell Harris.
Gebbia passed for 329 yards and a touchdown and Jefferson ran for 120 yards and three scores, but it wasn’t enough for the Beavers, who haven’t had a winning season since 2013.
Maryland 35, Penn State 19
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Taulia Tagovailoa competed 18 of 26 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns, and Maryland beat Penn State.
Rakim Jarrett caught five passes for 144 yards with a pair of touchdowns, Dontay Demus caught another, and Jake Funk added 80 yards rushing and a score for the Terrapins (2-1, 2-1 Big Ten), who won for just the third time in the 44-game series and first since 2015.
Sean Clifford completed 27 of 57 passes for 340 yards with two interceptions and three touchdowns for the Nittany Lions (0-3, 0-3), who fell to 0-3 for the first time since 2001. They had outscored Maryland 163-6 over the last three meetings.
Iowa 49, Michigan State 7
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Tyler Goodson ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns as the Hawkeyes throttled the Spartans.
Goodson led a balanced Iowa offense that racked up a season-high point total. The sophomore’s outing included a career-best 71-yard scamper, which set the Hawkeyes (1-2, 1-2 Big Ten) up for their sixth touchdown of the day.
It was a shaky outing for Michigan State’s junior quarterback. Lombardi completed 17 of his 37 throws for 227 yards and three interceptions, just one game removed from a 323-yard, three-touchdown performance against No. 23 Michigan. The Spartans fell to 1-2, 1-2.
Northwestern 21, Nebraska 13
EVANSTON, Ill. — Peyton Ramsey shook off two interceptions to throw for two touchdowns in the second half, and the Wildcats hung on to beat the Cornhuskers after Luke McCaffrey’s last-second pass to Wan’Dale Robinson in the end zone fell incomplete.
Seven of the previous nine meetings since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011 were decided by seven points or fewer. Six were within a field goal. This was the fourth in a row to come down to the final play of regulation or go to overtime.
Nebraska took over at its eight-yard line with 2:14 remaining after Northwestern punted and had a fourth down at the 14 when McCaffrey was unable to connect with Robinson. The Wildcats (3-0, 3-0 Big Ten) got the ball back with a second left and took a knee to cap yet another tight game with the Cornhuskers (0-2, 0-2).
Minnesota 41, Illinois 14
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for four touchdowns and Tanner Morgan threw for one more as Minnesota beat depleted Illinois.
Ibrahim now has back-to-back games in which he has scored four rushing touchdowns for the Gophers (1-2, 1-2 Big Ten).
Illinois (0-3, 0-3) had 12 players out because of COVID-19 protocols and was down to fourth-string quarterback Coran Taylor. Starter Brandon Peters and backup Isaiah Washington are out, and third-string QB Matt Robinson remained unavailable after suffering a leg injury early in the Purdue game last week.
Taylor wasn’t awful, going six for 17 through the air for a touchdown and no interceptions. He suffered what appeared to be a hand injury on his throwing arm early in the second half but remained in the game despite obvious passing difficulties.
Arkansas 24, Tennessee 13
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Feleipe Franks threw three touchdown passes in the third quarter to lead Arkansas in a come-from-behind win against Tennessee.
The Razorbacks (3-3, 3-3 SEC) trailed 13-0 at halftime before scoring on four straight drives. Each touchdown came faster than the one before as Arkansas found the end zone on 16-play, three-play and two-play consecutive series.
Franks threw touchdown passes to Mike Woods, Blake Kern and a 59-yarder to Treylon Burks. A.J. Reed’s 48-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining in the third quarter capped the scoring.
Franks finished 18 of 24 for 215 yards passing and three scores.
Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, who left late in the third quarter with a head injury, completed just five of eight passes for 42 yards. Brian Maurer and Harrison Bailey, Guarantano’s replacements, were a combined six-for-13 passing for 65 yards with two interceptions.
After allowing Tennessee (2-4, 2-4) to score on three of its four full-length drives in the first half, Arkansas gave up just 16 yards of total offense in the third quarter and countered with 257 of its own in the same 15 minutes.
Mississippi State 24, Vanderbilt 17
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Will Rogers threw for 226 yards and a touchdown, and Mississippi State’s defense combined for five turnovers in a narrow victory over Vanderbilt.
The Rebels (2-4, 2-4 SEC) finally won their first home game under first-year coach Mike Leach after losing their first two attempts to Arkansas and Texas A&M last month.
The Commodores (0-5, 0-5) had 478 yards of total offense, more than twice Mississippi State’s total, but ultimately couldn’t overcome their turnover woes. Because of a mix of COVID-19 infections, injuries and suspensions, Vanderbilt dressed only 58 scholarship players for the game. The SEC minimum is 53.
North Carolina 56, Duke 24
DURHAM, N.C. — Javonte Williams scored four first-half touchdowns, and the Tar Heels rolled past the Blue Devils.
Sam Howell threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score for the Tar Heels (5-2, 5-2 ACC), who were playing without a national ranking for the first time this season. Williams gained 151 rushing yards in 12 carries as part of North Carolina’s 573 yards of total offense. Backfield mate Michael Carter scored two touchdowns, posting 85 yards on the ground on 17 attempts. Howell finished 18-for-27 passing for 235 yards and an interception.
Duke quarterback Chase Brice was 11-for-23 passing for 155 yards. Teammate Mataeo Durant gained 132 yards in 11 carries, highlighted by a 46-yard touchdown run. The Blue Devils (2-6, 1-6) are guaranteed a losing regular-season record for the third time in five seasons.
Boston College 16, Syracuse 13
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Zay Flowers caught a 20-yard touchdown pass, Aaron Boumerhi kicked three field goals, and Boston College sent Syracuse to its fifth consecutive loss.
The Eagles held the Orange to 240 yards total offense.
Flowers had six receptions for 64 yards for Boston College (5-3, 4-3 ACC). David Bailey gained 125 yards in 25 carries. Phil Jurkovec completed 20 of 29 passes for 208 yards.
Syracuse freshman JaCobian Morgan was 19-of-30 passing for 188 yards, a one-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hackett with 21 seconds remaining and one interception in his first career start for the Orange (1-7, 1-6).
Pittsburgh 41, Florida State 17
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Nick Patti had two touchdown runs, Kenny Pickett added a 10-yard touchdown run, and Pittsburgh capitalized on short fields to defeat Florida State, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Pickett returned to the starting lineup after missing two games because of an ankle injury. The senior completed 21 of 27 passes for 210 yards, connecting with freshman Jordan Addison a season-high 11 times for 127 yards.
Patti came off the bench to score touchdowns from one and two yards for Pittsburgh (4-4, 3-4 ACC).
Jordan Travis had an 88-yard touchdown run, but Florida State (2-5, 1-5) couldn’t generate much of a rushing attack otherwise. The Seminoles had just 58 yards on their other 34 carries.
Texas Christian 34, Texas Tech 18
FORT WORTH — Texas Christian quarterback Max Duggan ran for 154 yards and three touchdowns on a day when he threw for only 73 yards, and the Horned Frogs snapped a five-game home losing streak with a win over Texas Tech.
Duggan, who finished 11-of-23 passing with an interception, had a three-yard keeper for a score in the first half. He sprinted 48 yards for a touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter, then had a game-clinching 81-yard touchdown on his 19th and final carry with 1:42 left.
The Horned Frogs (3-3, 3-3 Big 12) hadn’t won at home since beating Texas on Oct. 26, 2019, and had lost their first three games at Amon G. Carter Stadium this season. The win also snapped a five-game streak in the series against Texas Tech (2-5, 1-5) in which the visiting team had won each time.
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