College football: Coastal Carolina edges BYU; Indiana tops Wisconsin
CONWAY, S.C. — Mateo Sudipo stopped Brigham Young’s Dax Milne at the one-yard line as time expired and No. 14 Coastal Carolina beat the eighth-ranked Cougars 22-17 in a short-notice showdown of 9-0 teams Saturday night.
BYU (9-1, No. 13 CFP) was a late-week fill-in, traveling more than 2,200 miles to the South Carolina coast and eagerly stepping in after No. 25 Liberty had to back out of the game Thursday due to COVID-19 concerns.
It looked like an uphill climb for Coastal (10-0) with BYU entering with dynamic passers in Zach Wilson and the fourth-highest scoring offense in the country at more than 47 points a game.
The Sun Belt East champion Chanticleers (10-0) controlled the clock with three long touchdown drives and made plays when it counted — none bigger than when the freshman safety Sudipo corralled Milne a few steps from the end zone. It will go down as a 17-yard completion, but the Cougars needed 18 on their final play.
That sealed Coastal Carolina’s biggest victory in the program’s four FBS seasons.
CJ Marable rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns for the Chanticleers.
BYU’s Zach Wilson was 19 of 30 for 240 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Even though these teams had never met, there was plenty of emotion and chippy play.
It turned ugly right before halftime when Wilson’s Hail Mary pass was intercepted at the goal line. But Coastal Carolina linebackers Jeffrey Gunter and Teddy Gallagher kept blocking and hitting Wilson after the interception. The two got Wilson to the ground and when Wilson got up, Gunter hit him again. Both teams rushed to the spot before coaches and officials separated the scrum and sent both teams to the locker room. No flags were thrown.
No. 1 Alabama 55, LSU 17
BATON ROUGE, La. — Mac Jones passed for 385 yards and four touchdowns and Alabama used a slew of explosive plays to run away from Louisiana State.
Jones threw three of his touchdown passes to Louisiana native DeVonta Smith, who went to the same high school as Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and finished with eight catches for 231 yards in his return to his home state.
Smith’s first two touchdowns went for 65 and 61 yards to cap three-play, 75-yard drives for Alabama (9-0, 9-0 SEC). But his third touchdown catch from 20-yards out appeared to be his most difficult. He shed close coverage from top LSU cornerback Derrick Stingley Jr. and made a twisting, leaping catch high over his head before landing on his back deep in the end zone.
Najee Harris rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries, juking, shedding and even leaping over LSU defenders along the way.
LSU (3-5, 3-5) showed signs of life in the second quarter, scoring on a pair of long plays.
No. 2 Notre 45, Syracuse 21
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Ian Book threw three touchdown passes and ran for two scores in his final home game at Notre Dame, leading the Fighting Irish past Syracuse.
The fifth-year senior led the Irish to a victory as a starter for the 30th time, the most ever for a Notre Dame quarterback. The Irish (10-0, 9-0 Atlantic Coast Conference, CFP No. 2) ran their winning streak to 16 games, best on the country, and their home winning streak to 24.
Next up for the Irish, who are playing this season in a pandemic as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, is the Dec. 19 league championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina. It will be a rematch against No. 4 Clemson if the Tigers beat Virginia Tech later Saturday.
Book was 24 for 37 for 285 yards, with touchdown passes of 21, 28 and 26 to Javon McKinley, who had seven receptions for 111 yards.
Book scored on runs of 28 and 17 yards and rushed for 53 yards while improving to 30-3 as a starter and passing Notre Dame greats Tom Clements, Ron Powlus and Brady Quinn for most victories as a starting quarterback.
Kyren Williams added 110 yards on 20 carries, giving him 1,011 for the season, and freshman Chris Tyree had a 94-yard TD run for Notre Dame’s final touchdown.
The Orange (1-10, 1-9) managed 414 yards on the Irish defense.
No. 3 Ohio State 52, Michigan State 12
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Justin Fields threw two touchdown passes and Haskell Garrett returned an interception for a score in Ohio State’s victory over Michigan State.
The Buckeyes (5-0 Big Ten, No. 4 CFP) were able to take the field after a coronavirus-related cancellation the previous weekend. They were without coach Ryan Day and a few other members of the staff. Ohio State also had a list of 23 unavailable players, but none of that seemed to faze the Buckeyes.
Fields also ran for two scores.
Now the big question is whether Ohio State’s regular-season finale against Michigan next weekend will be played. The Wolverines did not play this weekend for virus-related reasons. The concern for the Buckeyes is that they could fall short of the six-game threshold to be eligible for the Big Ten title game.
Michigan State (2-4, 2-4) was coming off a win over another undefeated team — Northwestern — but the Spartans were overmatched. Rocky Lombardi was shaken up and left the game after being sacked in the second quarter, and by that time, the rout was already on.
No. 4 Clemson 45, Virginia Tech 10
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Trevor Lawrence had two touchdown runs and threw a scoring pass and Clemson beat Virginia Tech to set up a rematch against Notre Dame in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
The Tigers (9-1, 8-1) ended their regular-season schedule with a chance for a sixth consecutive conference title and revenge against Notre Dame after a 47-40 loss in South Bend on Nov. 7 when Lawrence was sidelined by COVID-19.
Against the Hokies (4-6, 4-5), Lawrence completed 12 of 22 for 195 yards with an interception. He ran for 41 yards.
Clemson took a 17-10 lead in the second quarter on Lyn-J Dixon’s 19-yard touchdown run, and added 28 more in the second half, with Lawrence scoring on a 7-yard run and throwing a 65-yard touchdown pass to Cornell Powell.
Derion Kendrick returned a fumble 66 yards for a touchdown, and the Tigers scored off another turnover.
No. 5 Texas A&M 31, Auburn 20
AUBURN, Ala. — Kellen Mond threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and Texas A&M scored 17 points in the fourth quarter in a comeback victory over Auburn.
The Aggies (7-1 Southeastern Conference) dominated the final quarter to win their sixth straight and remain in College Football Playoff contention. The Tigers (5-4) led 20-14 entering the fourth.
Mond rebounded from his worst game of the season against LSU with a strong performance. He completed 18 of 23 for 196 yards, highlighted by two TDs to Jalen Wydermyer, and ran for 60 yards. Seth Small iced the game with a 32-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining after an earlier miss had helped Auburn remain within a score.
Isaiah Spiller had his fifth 100-yard game of the current winning streak, gaining 120 on 20 carries. Devon Achane also ran for 99 yards on just nine carries. Wydermyer caught eight passes for 89 yards.
No. 6 Florida 31, Tennessee 19
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Kyle Trask threw for 433 yards and four touchdowns and Florida beat Tennessee wrap up a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game.
Trask completed 35 of 49 passes without committing a turnover. He even had a 32-yard punt late in the game.
Kyle Pitts had seven receptions for 128 yards, helping the Gators (8-1, No. 6 CFP) win the SEC’s East Division. Kadarius Toney finished with eight catches for 108 yards and a TD.
Playing with a depleted roster, Tennessee (2-6) dropped its sixth consecutive game. The Vols were missing 16 players.
No. 9 Miami 48, Duke 0
DURHAM, N.C. — D’Eriq King threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to help Miami rout Duke in the Hurricanes’ return from a two-week pause amid coronavirus issues.
King hit Mike Harley for an 89-yard touchdown strike in the third quarter for the Hurricanes (8-1, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 10 CFP), and Cam’Ron Harris ran for 96 yards and two scores.
Miami had its first road shutout in 20 years, while Duke (2-8, 1-8) was shut out for the first time in a dozen years. Miami held the Blue Devils to 177 total yards and forcing five turnovers.
Miami was playing for the first time since beating Virginia Tech on Nov. 14, and had spent the weeks since dealing with positive COVID-19 tests and quarantines. That included having two games postponed. The trip to face the Blue Devils was a late replacement for a rescheduled visit to Wake Forest, as the Demon Deacons faced their own coronavirus issues. The Hurricanes had 15 players unavailable.
No. 10 Indiana 14, No. 18 Wisconsin 6
MADISON, Wis. — Jack Tuttle threw two touchdown passes in his first career start and Indiana’s defense made a stand in the final minute to hold off Wisconsin.
Indiana (6-1, CFP No. 12) snapped a 10-game skid in the series and tied a program record with its sixth Big Ten victory of the season. Indiana also had six Big Ten wins in 1967 and 1987. The Hoosiers hadn’t beaten Wisconsin since 2002.
Wisconsin (2-2, No. 16 CFP) drove deep into Indiana territory on its final drive, but Graham Mertz’s fourth-and-10 pass to Chimere Dike from the 21 was broken up by Reese Taylor in the right corner of the end zone with 46 seconds left.
Tuttle went 13 of 22 for 130 yards with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Peyton Hendershot and a 7-yard scoring strike to Whop Philyor. The Utah transfer was starting in place of Michael Penix Jr., who tore his anterior cruciate ligament last week in a 27-11 victory at Maryland.
No. 12 Iowa State 42, West Virginia 6
AMES, Iowa — Brock Purdy threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns and Iowa State dominated on defense in a rout of West Virginia to secure its first appearance in the Big 12 championship game.
The Cyclones (8-2, 8-1, No. 9 CFP) were assured a spot in the conference title game Dec. 19 when TCU finished its win over Oklahoma State about the same time as kickoff against the Mountaineers (5-4, 4-4).
Iowa State scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and finished with 483 total yards against the Big 12’s top defense, while holding West Virginia to 263.
Purdy completed 20 of 23 passes and Breece Hall ran 22 times for 97 yards and caught three passes for 56 yards and a TD. West Virginia didn’t score until Tyler Sumpter made a 32-yard field goal with 12 minutes left.
No. 13 Oklahoma 27, Baylor 14
NORMAN, Okla. — Spencer Rattler threw two touchdown passes, and Oklahoma earned a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.
The Sooners (7-2, 6-2 Big 12, No. 11 CFP) lost their first two conference games before winning six straight to earn the right to play Iowa State in the title game, which is scheduled for Dec. 19.
Rhamondre Stevenson ran for a touchdown and had 98 yards from scrimmage for Oklahoma. The Sooners were limited to just 269 yards.
The Sooners held Baylor (2-6, 2-6) to 288 yards, including 25 yards rushing. They did it without several key players, including linebacker Nik Bonitto, defensive back Brendan Radley-Hiles and safety Pat Fields.
Baylor’s Charlie Brewer completed 30 of 56 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for another score.
Rice 20, No. 15 Marshall 0
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Safety Naeem Smith returned one of five Marshall interceptions for a touchdown and Rice shocked the Thundering Herd for their first loss.
The three-touchdown underdog Owls (2-2 Conference USA) beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 1997 despite being without their two top offensive weapons and getting outgained 245 yards to 213.
Marshall (7-1, 4-1, No. 21 CFP) saw the end of its bid to keep a perfect season going.
Rice was missing quarterback Mike Collins and leading wide receiver Austin Trammell, who did not play due to undisclosed injuries unrelated to COVID-19.
Backup quarterback JoVoni Johnson had not attempted a pass in two previous games this season. The Owls didn’t need his arm much, using its ground game behind freshman Khalan Griffin to eat up clock time against the nation’s top rushing defense.
Marshall redshirt freshman Grant Wells had by far his worst game of the season. Coming off a five-touchdown performance against Middle Tennessee on Nov. 14, Wells went 18 of 35 for 165 yards and the five interceptions.
TCU 29, No. 19 Oklahoma State 22
FORT WORTH, Texas — Max Duggan threw a go-ahead, 71-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter and ran for two more scores in the win for Texas Christian.
Duggan threw for 265 yards and ran for 104 to lead the Horned Frogs (5-4 Big 12). Derius Davis caught the long TD pass in stride near the 25 with 7:56 left to give the Horned Frogs the lead.
TCU, which overcame five turnovers, stayed in front when Trevon Moehrig made a one-handed interception of a deflected pass in the end zone, and TCU had a fourth-down stop with 2:18 left after its last turnover.
Oklahoma State (6-3, 5-3), with a makeup game remaining at Baylor, wasn’t necessarily eliminated from making the Big 12 championship game in two weeks, but would need a lot of help to get there.
California 21, No. 21 Oregon 17
BERKELEY, Calif. — Chase Garbers threw a touchdown pass and ran for a short score, Muelu Iosefa had a late fumble recovery, and California beat Oregon for its first victory of the season.
Oregon (3-2 Pac-12) got the ball back with 2:01 left and Tyler Shough marched the Ducks down the field, but his team gave the ball away once again in what has become a problematic pattern this season.
Garbers completed 10 of his first 13 passes and wound up 20 of 32 for 183 yards for the Golden Bears (1-3).
Shough’s 67-yard completion to Travis Dye in the final minute of the second quarter set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Cyrus Habibi-Likio that lifted the Ducks to a 17-14 halftime lead.
No. 22 Tulsa 19, Navy 6
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Tulsa clinched a spot in the American Athletic Conference title game, using a strong defensive effort and 66-yard touchdown pass from Zach Smith to Josh Johnson to beat Navy for its sixth straight victory.
The Golden Hurricane (6-1, 6-0, No. 24 CFP) needed to win one of their final two games to play for the AAC championship. Tulsa will face Cincinnati at home next weekend before taking on the Bearcats for the title Dec. 19.
Navy (3-6, 3-4) will take a four-game losing streak into next week’s clash with Army.
Stanford 31, No. 23 Washington 26
SEATTLE — Austin Jones rushed for a pair of first-half touchdowns, Davis Mills threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Scooter Harrington early in the second half, and Stanford held off Washington’.
A crazy week for Stanford that saw the Cardinal forced away from campus in California to continue their season ended with their first victory over the Huskies in Seattle since 2014. Stanford relocated its entire program from the Bay Area to Seattle this week, used a high school for practice and even had its Friday walkthrough in a public park in the suburb of Bellevue, just across Lake Washington from Husky Stadium.
The Cardinal (2-2 Pac-12) will remain on the road before next week’s game against Oregon State.
Washington (3-1) will still likely have a chance at the Pac-12 North title if it can win at Oregon next week.
No. 24 Iowa 35, Illinois 21
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Spencer Petris threw three touchdown passes and Iowa scored 35 straight points after trailing by two touchdowns early to beat Illinois.
Petris was 18 of 28 for 220 yards for Iowa (5-2 Big Ten) and Tyler Goodson had 19 rushes for 92 yards.
Illinois is 2-4.
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