COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — All-American Marvin Harrison made all the difference for No. 3 Ohio State in a pivotal Big Ten match-up, making 11 catches for 162 yards and late touchdown as the Buckeyes beat No. 7 Penn State 20-12 on Saturday.
The Buckeyes’ defense smothered Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten), extending Ohio State’s winning streak in the series to seven games.
Penn State needed 58 minutes to convert a third or fourth down and didn’t get into the end zone until 29 seconds were left in the game. Penn State failed to convert on its first 15 third-down attempts.
Kyle McCord was 22 for 35 for 286 yards and the Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0) put up 367 total yards, a season-high against Penn State’s stingy defense.
No. 6 OKLAHOMA 31, UCF 29
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Dillon Gabriel threw three touchdown passes against his former team, Oklahoma stopped a two-point attempt in the closing minutes and the Sooners held on to beat UCF.
Gabriel, who transferred before the 2022 season, connected on 25 of 38 passes for 253 yards.
Nic Anderson caught five passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns and Drake Stoops caught seven passes for 60 yards and a score for the Sooners (7-0, 4-0 Big 12).
John Rhys Plumlee, who missed most of the past month with a leg injury, passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns for UCF. Javon Baker had five catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns and RJ Harvey ran for 101 yards for the Knights (3-4, 0-4), who are still seeking their first Big 12 win.
No. 8 TEXAS 31, HOUSTON 24
HOUSTON (AP) — CJ Baxter rushed 16 yards for a touchdown with 5½ minutes left in the fourth quarter, and Texas stopped Houston on 4th-and-1 in the final minute on the way to a win over Houston.
Jonathon Brooks rushed for 99 yards and Xavier Worthy had 92 receiving yards and a touchdown for Texas (6-1, 3-1 Big 12).
Quinn Ewers was 23 of 29 for 211 yards and two touchdowns, but exited after taking a hit on a scramble late in the third quarter. Ewers was replaced by Maalik Murphy on the Longhorns’ first drive of the fourth quarter. There was no immediate word on Ewers’ condition.
Texas outgained Houston 141-14 in rushing yards, but Houston (3-4, 1-3) outgained Texas 392-360 in total yards.
No. 9 OREGON 38, WASHINGTON STATE 24
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bo Nix threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns while setting the NCAA record for most career starts and Oregon rebounded from its first loss of the season with a victory over Washington State.
Nix started in his 54th college game and the Ducks (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) became bowl eligible after a disappointing 36-33 loss at rival Washington last weekend.
Bucky Irving ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching a scoring pass from Nix to keep Oregon undefeated at home this season.
Washington State (4-3, 1-3) lost its third straight game.
VIRGINIA 31, No. 10 NORTH CAROLINA 27
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Mike Hollins ran for three touchdowns and Malik Washington had the go-ahead scoring catch in the fourth quarter to help Virginia beat North Carolina, shaking up the Atlantic Coast Conference race with its first road victory over a top-10 opponent.
James Jackson had the clinching interception with 26 seconds left, picking off Drake Maye’s pass with the Tar Heels (6-1, 3-1) reaching midfield on a drive for a winning score.
Instead, Virginia players started spilling onto the field to celebrate, while Jackson ran all the way down the field to the end zone in his own jubilation.
Washington pushed the Cavaliers (2-5, 1-2) over the top, taking a short feed from Tony Muskett and then turning toward the end zone to push across the goal line with 8:51 left while shrugging off multiple bad tackle attempts by UNC defenders.
No. 11 ALABAMA 34, No. 17 TENNESSEE 20
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns, Jihaad Campbell returned a fumble for a score in the fourth quarter and Alabama uncorked 27 straight second-half points in rallying for a victory over Tennessee.
With its national title hopes on the brink, Alabama (7-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) turned in its most dominant half of the season. And it came against a border rival who had helped end ’Bama’s championship aspirations a year ago.
The comeback was fueled by big plays from Milroe and tailback Jase McClellan and a defense that smothered Joe Milton III and the Volunteers (5-2, 2-2) after the half and even provided the decisive TD.
No. 20 MISSOURI 34, SOUTH CAROLINA 12
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Cody Schrader ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns and Missouri sacked Spencer Rattler six times in a victory over South Carolina.
Missouri (7-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) has seven victories in its first eight games for the first time since 2013.
Brady Cook completed 14 of 24 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score, and Luther Burden III caught four passes for 90 yards and a TD.
Rattler completed 23 of 40 passes for 217 yards, and South Carolina kicker Mitch Jeter converted four of five field goals.
After South Carolina (2-5, 1-4) cut it to 24-12 with 10:31 left on Jeter’s goal, Schrader sealed it with an 11-yard touchdown run with 2:46 to go.
No. 22 AIR FORCE 17, NAVY 6
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Zac Larrier threw a 94-yard touchdown to Dane Kinamon — the longest pass in Air Force history — and the 22nd-ranked Falcons shut down Navy.
Air Force (7-0) gained almost as many yards on that one play as Navy (3-4) did in the entire game. The Falcons seemed to back off defensively late, allowing the Midshipmen to drive 78 yards for their only touchdown. They finished with 124 yards.
Larrier, whose availability for this game was a surprise after coach Troy Calhoun said earlier in the week the injured quarterback would be out “a while,” completed only four passes, but they went for a total of 151 yards.
No. 23 TULANE 35, NORTH TEXAS 28
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Michael Pratt passed for three touchdowns and scrambled 19 yards for a go-ahead score with 2:34 to go, and Tulane staved off a frantic North Texas comeback bid to defeat the Mean Green.
Mekhi Highes ran for a 10-yard touchdown and finished with 121 yards on 20 carries — his third straight game eclipsing the 100-yard mark.
Tulane (6-1, 3-0 AAC) appeared to be cruising toward its fifth straight victory when tight end Alex Bauman made his second touchdown catch of the game on a 21-yard throw from Pratt to make it 28-7 in the third quarter.
But North Texas (3-4, 1-2), which had been shut out in the first half, scored touchdowns on their next three possessions, the second of which began with a successful onside kick.
MINNESOTA 12, No. 24 IOWA 10
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Dragan Kesich made four field goals and Minnesota won at Iowa for the first time since 1999 to snap an eight-game losing streak in the series, holding the Hawkeyes to 12 yards in the second half.
With the Floyd of Rosedale bronze hog statue at stake in the cross-border rivalry, Iowa appeared to take the lead with 1:21 left when Cooper DeJean fielded a punt that had bounced near the Minnesota sideline and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. But after a replay review, DeJean was ruled to have made a fair-catch signal before fielding the punt, disallowing the return.
Iowa still had the ball, but Justin Walley intercepted Deacon Hill’s pass with a minute to play.
Down 10-3 at the half, the Gophers (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) held Iowa (6-2, 3-2) to minus-2 yards in the third quarter.
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