No. 7 Alabama holds off South Carolina, avoiding another big upset loss

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama was able to hold off South Carolina 27-25 on Saturday with an interception after allowing the Gamecocks a chance at handing the Crimson Tide its second straight SEC loss by botching an onside-kick recovery before the game’s final drive.

LaNorris Sellers hit Nyck Harbor for a 31-yard touchdown with 43 seconds left, but the Gamecocks (3-2, 1-3) failed to convert on their two-point attempt. They recovered the ensuing onside kick, but Sellers’ desperation heave toward the end zone with 13 seconds remaining was intercepted at the goal line by Domani Jackson.

Jalen Milroe rushed for a 7-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and then hit Germie Bernard for a late 34-yard score to help No. 7 Alabama (5-1, 2-1) survive the scare.

The Crimson Tide narrowly avoided another upset after losing to Vanderbilt last week, ending a short stint as the top-ranked team in the country.

No. 1 TEXAS 34, No. 18 OKLAHOMA 3

DALLAS (AP) — Quinn Ewers returned from injury to lead No. 1 Texas to a win over 18th-ranked Oklahoma, throwing for 199 yards and the go-ahead touchdown and running for another score in the teams’ first Red River Rivalry matchup as Southeastern Conference members.

Quintrevion Wisner ran for 118 yards and a touchdown for the Longhorns (6-0, 2-0 SEC), and his fumble at the end of another long run was recovered in the end zone by teammate Silas Bolden for a TD.

Ewers overcame a sluggish start and finished 20-of-29 passing in his first game since an abdomen strain four weeks ago. He was sacked for the only time on the game’s first play and threw an interception on his first pass.

The first meeting under their new conference logo was the 120th in the series that dates to 1900 and has been played annually during the State Fair of Texas since 1929. Oklahoma (4-2, 1-2) won five of the last six times they played while together in the Big 12, but the Longhorns have a 64-51-5 series advantage.

No. 3 OREGON 32, No. 2 OHIO ST. 31

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Dillon Gabriel threw two touchdown passes and ran for another late score to help third-ranked Oregon hand No. 2 Ohio State its first loss of the season.

Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon (6-0, 3-0) this season from Oklahoma for the Ducks’ first season in the Big Ten, completed 23 of 34 passes for 341 yards. He also ran for 32 yards on four carries.

Jordan James ran for 115 yards and a score for the Ducks in front of a record crowd of 61,128 for the first matchup between two teams ranked in the top five at Autzen Stadium.

Gabriel scored on 27-yard keeper early in the fourth quarter to give Oregon a 29-28 lead. But Ohio State (5-1, 2-1) responded with a clock-eating drive that ended with Jayden Fielding’s 40-yard field goal that made it 31-29 with six minutes to go.

A pass-interference call got the Ducks to Ohio State’s 9. But after three tries to get into the end zone, Oregon settled for Atticus Sappington’s 19-yard field goal and a 32-21 lead with 1:47 left.

No. 4 PENN ST. 33, SOUTHERN CAL 3O, OT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyler Warren caught 17 passes to tie the FBS single-game record for tight ends, Ryan Barker hit a 36-yard field goal in overtime and No. 4 Penn State rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half for a victory over Southern California.

Drew Allar passed for a career-high 391 yards and two touchdowns despite three interceptions for Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten), which didn’t lead in the final 49 minutes of regulation. The Nittany Lions came back three times to tie it in the final 20 minutes, including Nicholas Singleton’s 14-yard TD reception with 2:53 left.

Quentin Joyner scored two early TDs for the Trojans (3-3, 1-3), who have lost three of four. USC hasn’t beaten a top-five team since the Trojans held off No. 5 Penn State in a 52-49 thriller of a Rose Bowl in January 2017.

Warren racked up 224 yards and a touchdown, although his only catch after the third quarter was a 3-yarder in overtime. The senior set a record for the most receptions by an opponent in USC’s 137-year football history.

No. 5 GEORGIA 41, MISSISSIPPI ST. 31

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Carson Beck passed for a career-high 459 yards and three touchdowns and No. 5 Georgia withstood Mississippi State’s second-half comeback bid for a win.

Georgia (5-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) played at times as if it were looking ahead to next week’s visit to No. 1 Texas but had enough offense for its 28th consecutive home win.

Georgia led 34-10 early in the second half before freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., making his second start, led the Bulldogs (1-5, 0-3) to two straight touchdowns. Van Buren’s strong performance was not enough to prevent Mississippi State’s fifth consecutive loss.

With Georgia leading 34-24, Beck led a 16-play touchdown drive to put the game away. On fourth down at the MSU 1, Trevor Etienne was pushed across the goal line by Georgia’s offensive line.

No. 8 TENNESSEE 23, FLORIDA 17, OT

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dylan Sampson scored his third touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run in overtime to give No. 8 Tennessee a victory over Florida.

The Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) went to overtime for only the second time. The first was in 1998 when they won the national title.

Trey Smack missed a 47-yard field goal try for Florida (3-3, 1-2) on the first overtime possession.

The Gators tied it with 29 seconds left on DJ Lagway’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Chimere Dike. After lining up for a 2-point conversion, Tennessee called a timeout and Florida kicked the extra point.

No. 10 CLEMSON 49, WAKE FOREST 14

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Cade Klubnik passed for three touchdowns and Phil Mafah added two short touchdown runs as No. 10 Clemson rolled past Wake Forest for its fifth straight win.

The Tigers (5-1, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) turned a couple of interceptions into touchdowns as they started to pull away with a 28-point second quarter.

Klubnik threw for 309 yards on 31 for 41 passing and Mafah gained 118 yards on 20 carries.

The Tigers threw in some wrinkles, with receiver Antonio Williams throwing 28 yards to tight end Jake Briningstool for a third-quarter touchdown.

Wake Forest (2-4, 1-2) dropped its fourth consecutive home game. Quarterback Hank Bachmeier was limited to 126 passing yards with a pair of interceptions and two touchdown tosses before he was replaced midway through the third quarter.

No. 11 NOTRE DAME 49, STANFORD 7

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Riley Leonard threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead No. 11 Notre Dame to a win over Stanford.

Leonard was 16 of 22 passing for 229 yards and three scores, and rushed six times for 31 yards and a TD.

The game was stopped at the end of the third quarter due to lighting in the area, with Notre Dame ahead 42-7. Play resumed after a delay of about an hour.

Steve Angeli replaced Leonard at quarterback when play resumed.

Notre Dame (5-1) shut down Stanford’s offense and posted eight tackles for loss, four quarterback sacks and a lost fumble. The Fighting Irish also stopped Stanford three times on fourth-down attempts.

No. 11 IOWA ST. 28, WEST VIRGINIA 16

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Carson Hansen rushed for three scores, Rocco Becht threw a touchdown pass and No. 11 Iowa State beat West Virginia.

The Cyclones (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) opened the season with six wins for the first time since 1938. They forged a first-place tie in the league with BYU and idle Texas Tech, with Colorado playing later Saturday.

Iowa State broke open a close game by scoring two touchdowns after intercepting West Virginia’s Garrett Greene in the second half.

Becht found Eli Green on passes of 12 and 34 yards on consecutive plays to set up the Cyclones at the West Virginia 17. A third-down holding call on West Virginia cornerback Ayden Garnes gave Iowa State first-and-goal at the 3, and Hansen scored on the next play for a 21-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Jontez Williams made his third interception of the season on West Virginia’s next drive, and Iowa State took over at the Mountaineers’ 34. Hansen ran for 20 yards on the ensuing drive, capped by his 2-yard scoring run for a 28-10 lead with 4:42 left.

No. 13 LSU 29, No. 9 MISSISSIPPI 26, OT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Garrett Nussmeier threw a tying touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation and hit Kyren Lacy for a 25-yard scoring strike on No. 13 LSU’s first play of overtime, completing a stunning comeback victory over No. 9 Mississippi.

The winning score marked the first time LSU (5-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) led the entire game and fans streamed onto the field to celebrate a triumph that for now will put the Tigers back in the College Football Playoff discussion.

Nussmeier struggled much of the game, and threw two interceptions, but came alive when it mattered to finish with 337 yards and three TDs passing. Two of those touchdowns came on the last two snaps he took.

Jaxson Dart passed for 284 yards and a score, and Ulysses Bently IV ran for a 50-yard touchdown on a fourth-down play for Mississippi (5-2, 1-2), which suffered a serious blow to its hopes for winning a conference crown or earning a CFP bid.

No. 14 BYU 41, ARIZONA 19

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Jake Retzlaff passed for 218 yards and two touchdowns and No. 14 BYU forced four turnovers in a win over Arizona.

Darius Lassiter had 86 yards on five catches and Parker Kingston caught a touchdown pass and threw for a score on a trick play for BYU. The Cougars (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) are off to their best start since 2020.

Noah Fifita threw for 275 yards and a touchdown to lead Arizona. But, he tossed three interceptions and lost a fumble. Tetairoa McMillan had 78 yards on five catches for the Wildcats.

Arizona (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) has lost four straight games in the series with BYU.

Arizona turned the ball over twice in its first three plays of the second half.

No. 17 BOISE ST. 28, HAWAII 7

HONOLULU (AP) — Ashton Jeanty accounted for 237 all-purpose yards and scored two touchdowns to lead No. 17 Boise State to a win over Hawaii.

The Broncos (5-1, 2-0 Mountain West) ran their winning streak to four games since their narrow loss at then-No. 3 Oregon on Sept. 7.

The Rainbow Warriors (2-4, 0-2) have lost four of their last five games.

Jeanty, the leading rusher in all of FBS, had a season-high 31 carries for 217 yards. It was his third game this season that he has eclipsed the 200-yard mark and the fifth of his career.

No. 18 KANSAS ST. 31, COLORADO 28

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Avery Johnson rebounded from throwing a costly interception by finding Jayce Brown for a 50-yard touchdown with 2:14 remaining as No. 18 Kansas State beat Colorado.

The dual-threat quarterback for the Wildcats (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) finished with a rushing score and two passing TDs, both to Brown.

Leading 21-7 in the third quarter, the Wildcats saw the Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1) steadily chip away. Colorado took the lead when Shedeur Sanders threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to LaJohntay Wester with 3:12 left.

The score was set up when Johnson’s tipped pass resulted in a 59-yard interception return from cornerback Colton Hood, who was filling in after two-way star Travis Hunter left the game with an apparent shoulder injury.

No. 21 MISSOURI 45, UMASS 3

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Missouri receiver Luther Burden scored on a 61-yard jet sweep less than a minute into the game, and the 21st-ranked Tigers went on to beat Massachusetts.

Missouri (5-1) rebounded from its 41-10 loss at Texas A&M last week with a resounding victory over the Football Bowl Subdivision independent. UMass (1-6) lost its third straight game.

Brady Cook completed 14 of 19 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns in three quarters and gave way to Drew Pyne to start the fourth. Marcus Carroll rushed for 91 yards on 13 carries with three touchdowns.

The Tigers, who entered the game ranked 15th nationally in total defense, limited UMass to 237 yards and 13 first downs.

No. 22 PITTSBURGH 17, CALIFORNIA 15

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Desmond Reid ran for 120 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 22 Pitt held off California.

The Panthers improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1982 by relying on a defense that racked up six sacks on a day their revamped offense struggled. Pitt managed just 277 total yards — nearly 250 below its season average coming in — and did next to nothing in the second half.

Still, Pitt hung on as Cal (3-3, 0-3 ACC) let a couple of late opportunities slip away. Ryan Coe’s go-ahead 40-yard field goal attempt with 1:54 left was a low wobbler that sailed wide right. The Bears got the ball back with 44 seconds remaining but failed to generate a first down as Pitt reached bowl eligibility a year after a 3-9 season led longtime head coach Pat Narduzzi to overhaul the offensive coaching staff.

The arrival of offensive coordinator Kade Bell and his up-tempo attack has shoved Pitt into the 21st century, but for most of a crisp fall afternoon, the Panthers defense led the way.

No. 23 ILLINOIS 50, PURDUE 49, OT

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Luke Altmyer threw a 25-yard touchdown pass in overtime to Pat Bryant and Dylan Rosiek sacked Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne on a two-point conversion attempt after the Boilermakers scored a TD to give to give No. 23 Illinois a Big Ten win Saturday.

Ahrmad Branch, on his only carry of the day, scored on a 3-yard run in OT for the Boilermakers.

A 38-yard field goal by Illinois’ David Alano as time expired sent the game into overtime after Purdue rallied from 27-3 and 40-28 deficits in the second half.

Illinois (5-1, 2-1) had lost four straight to Purdue (1-5, 0-3) and seven of the last eight games against the Boilermakers and hadn’t beaten Purdue at Memorial Stadium since 2010.

Altmyer completed 20 of 34 passes for 379 yards and three touchdowns. Josh McCray ran for 78 yards and two TDs and caught a TD pass from Altmyer. Bryant caught four passes for 104 yards.

The Associated Press