COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Dwayne Haskins threw five touchdown passes, freshman Chris Olave scored twice and blocked a punt that was returned for a TD and No. 10 Ohio State continued its mastery over No. 4 Michigan with a record-setting 62-39 victory Saturday that sends the Buckeyes to the Big Ten championship game.
The Wolverines were two victories away from their first conference championship since 2004 and a trip to the College Football Playoff, facing an Ohio State team that has looked discombobulated on defense and one-dimensional on offense much of the season. Looking to snap a six-game losing streak against the Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1, No. 10 CFP) and get coach Jim Harbaugh his first victory in four tries in the rivalry, the Wolverines (10-2, 8-1, No. 4 CFP) wilted.
In the 115th meeting between two of college football’s most storied rivals, Ohio State scored more points than it ever had against Michigan - more points than any team has ever scored in regulation against Michigan. The previous high was 58 by Cornell in 1891.
And now, despite all the dysfunction at Ohio State this season - both on and off the field - the Buckeyes will face No. 20 Northwestern next week in Indianapolis with a chance to repeat as Big Ten champs and maybe even squeeze into the playoff.
NO. 3 NOTRE DAME 24, USC 17
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ian Book passed for 352 yards, Dexter Williams went 52 yards on a go-ahead touchdown run and Notre Dame completed an unbeaten regular season and likely secured a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Chris Finke caught an early TD pass for the Fighting Irish (12-0, No. 3 CFP), who showed playoff-level tenacity in rallying from an early 10-point deficit, their largest of the season. Tony Jones Jr. then took a short pass 51 yards for a touchdown with 3:09 to play to finish off Notre Dame’s 10th perfect regular season since 1945, the first since 2012.
Notre Dame is all but certain to be chosen for the four-team playoff, and this win could keep the Irish away from powerhouse Alabama in the first postseason game.
Williams rushed for 97 yards as the Irish overcame a slow start in the 90th edition in this famed intersectional rivalry. Notre Dame didn’t score until Finke’s TD catch shortly before halftime, but the Irish ran off 24 consecutive points and shut out USC in the second half until Tyler Vaughns’ TD catch with 48 seconds to play.
J.T. Daniels passed for 349 yards for the Trojans (5-7), who will stay home for the bowl season after their first losing season since 2000. Vaughns caught 12 passes for 120 yards in what might have been the final game for coach Clay Helton, who is under pressure after the Trojans lost five of their final six games in a dismaying collapse.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 52, AUBURN 21
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Tua Tagovailoa threw five touchdown passes and ran for a score to lead Alabama past rival Auburn.
Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 1 CFP) took over with an explosive third quarter, when the Heisman Trophy contender threw three long touchdown passes. He’s the first Alabama player to have a hand in six TDs in a game and matched the school record with the five scoring passes.
Now, ’Bama heads to the SEC championship game against No. 5 Georgia with a guaranteed playoff spot on the line.
With Alabama leading Auburn (7-5, 3-5) 17-14 at halftime, Tagovailoa launched the Tide into another SEC blowout. He was 11-of-12 passing for 208 yards and four touchdowns in the second half, despite only playing one series in the fourth quarter.
Tagovailoa finished 25 of 32 for 324 yards and ran for 26 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown and a 21-yard third-down conversion on runs.
The second-half numbers included touchdowns of 46 yards to Jerry Jeudy, 33 to Josh Jacobs, 40 to DeVonta Smith and 22 to Henry Ruggs III - all accurate strikes downfield.
TEXAS A&M 74, NO. 8 LSU 72, 7 OT
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Kellen Mond’s 2-point conversion to Kendrick Rogers in the seventh overtime gave Texas A&M the victory over LSU in a game that tied the NCAA record for most overtimes in an FBS game.
Mond connected with Quartney Davis on a 17-yard throw to tie it at 72. Greedy Williams was called for pass interference on the first 2-point conversion try, giving the Aggies (8-4, 5-3, No. 22 CFP), another shot. After a false start by Texas A&M, Mond found Rogers for the conversion to end it.
Joe Burrow had a 10-yard TD run to put LSU (9-3, 5-3, No. 7 CFP) up 72-66 in the seventh OT, but his 2-point conversion throw failed.
The 74 points LSU allowed are the most ever given up by a ranked team, eclipsing the 73 No. 24 Fresno State gave up to Northern Illinois on Oct. 6, 1990, and the first seven overtime game involving a ranked team.
The 146 combined points are the most in an FBS game in NCAA history and the second-most in college football history behind the 161 points Abilene Christian and West Texas A&M scored in Abilene Christian’s 93-68 win in 2008.
Mond threw for 287 yards and six touchdowns, three 2-point conversions and ran for one more TD as Texas A&M snapped a seven-game skid against LSU and got its first win over the Tigers since 1995.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron’s clothes might have already dried by the time this one ended after he was prematurely doused with Gatorade after the Tigers appeared to have a clinching interception in the fourth quarter. But the play was reviewed and it was ruled that Mond’s knee was down before the throw, keeping the Aggies alive and setting up the wild finish.
Mond threw a 25-yard TD pass to Jace Sternberger and a 2-point conversion to Rogers in sextuple overtime before Burrow had a 4-yard touchdown run and Burrow ran for a 4-yard TD and threw for the 2-point conversion to push it to a seventh OT.
NO. 2 CLEMSON 56, SOUTH CAROLINA 35
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) - Trevor Lawrence threw for a career-high 393 yards, Adam Choice rushed for three touchdowns and Clemson capped a perfect regular season, beating South Carolina for its fifth consecutive rivalry win.
The Tigers reached 12-0 for the second time in four seasons and for the third time in program history, starting with its 1981 national title season.
Clemson (CFP No. 2) kept pace for another title run with their latest success over the Gamecocks (6-5), its longest since winning seven in a row from 1934-40.
Jake Bentley had career highs with 510 yards - the second most ever allowed by Clemson - and five TDs for South Carolina. The Tigers had not given up that many points in 28 games since a 42-35 win over Virginia Tech in the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference title game.
The Tigers will try for their fourth straight ACC title when they take on No. 24 Pitt in the championship game at Charlotte, North Carolina.
NO. 5 GEORGIA 45, GEORGIA TECH 21
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Jake Fromm threw four touchdown passes, D’Andre Swift ran for 105 yards and Georgia romped into the Southeastern Conference championship game.
The Bulldogs (11-1, No. 5 CFP) couldn’t afford a slip-up, not with top-ranked Alabama looming next week in Atlanta.
Georgia led 38-7 at halftime - which, in an interesting twist, was the score of last year’s dominating victory over the Yellow Jackets. The Bulldogs held a 343-66 edge in total yards, piling up 18 first downs to only four by Georgia Tech (7-5).
Fromm threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Riley Ridley, a 12-yarder to Jeremiah Holloman and a 44-yarder to Mercole Hardman. Swift chipped in with a 1-yard scoring run, Elijah Holyfield had an 8-yard TD and Rodrigo Blankenship completed the onslaught with a 25-yard field goal on the final play of the half. On Georgia’s first series of the second half, Fromm hooked up with Ridley again on a 4-yard scoring pass that prompted many in the crowd of more than 92,000 to head for the exits on a cold, damp day between the hedges.
NO. 13 FLORIDA 41, FLORIDA STATE 14
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Feleipe Franks had three touchdown passes and No. 13 Florida used a punishing ground attack to end a five-game losing streak to Florida State.
Lamical Perine had a 74-yard touchdown run, and Florida ran for 278 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Perine ran for 129 yards, averaging 9.9 yards per carry.
The Gators (9-3) halted Florida State’s bowl streak, which began in 1982, and handed the Seminoles (5-7) their first losing season since 1976 - Bobby Bowden’s first season as coach.
Franks, who grew up just 20 miles south of Doak Campbell Stadium in Crawfordville, completed 16 of 26 passes for 254 yards. He threw touchdown passes to Van Jefferson, Trevon Grimes and Josh Hammond. Grimes led the Gators with five receptions for 118 yards.
NO. 21 BOISE STATE 26, NO. 14 UTAH STATE 24
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Brett Rypien threw for 310 yards and a touchdown and Alexander Mattison rushed for 200 yards and three scores to lead Boise State.
Boise State (10-2, 7-1), which has won seven straight since losing to San Diego State on Oct. 6, will host Fresno State for the Mountain West championship on Saturday in a rematch from last season.
Utah State (10-2, 7-1) had its 10-game winning streak snapped and had its hopes dashed of earning a berth to one of the New Year’s Six bowls.
The Broncos relied on a bend-but-don’t-break defense as the offense struggled to land a knockout blow in a tight game throughout.
NO. 15 PENN STATE 38, MARYLAND 3
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Trace McSorley completed 12 of 22 passes for 230 yards and had a hand in three touchdowns to help Penn State rout Maryland.
McSorley added 64 rushing yards on 11 carries for the Nittany Lions (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten, No. 12 CFP). He threw a 34-yard bullet through freezing rain to KJ Hamler on the game’s first play, sprinted downfield to throw a block that opened Miles Sanders up for a 35-yard run on the next, then skipped into the end zone from 3 yards out to cap the quick opening drive.
McSorley added another touchdown run two possessions later when he scrambled through a pair of defenders up the middle for 20 yards and a 14-3 lead.
Ricky Slade added 8- and 1-yard touchdown runs and tight end Pat Freiermuth caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from McSorley in the fourth quarter.
Sanders finished with 128 yards on 14 carries, Hamler caught three passes for 90 yards.
Tyrrell Pigrome completed 14 of 23 passes for 185 yards but was sacked five times for the Terrapins (5-7, 3-6).
NO. 17 KENTUCKY 56, LOUISVILLE 10
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Terry Wilson accounted for 340 yards and four touchdowns, Benny Snell Jr. rushed for two scores and Kentucky blew out Louisville in the Governor’s Cup.
The Wildcats (9-3) scored TDs on all five first-half drives and never trailed in posting their first nine-win regular season since 1977, scoring TDs on all five first-half drives. Wilson’s 3-yard scoring run provided a 14-0 lead before he tossed TD passes of 28 and 13 yards to Lynn Bowden for a 35-10 cushion late in the second quarter. The sophomore transfer threw a 32-yard TD to Josh Ali in the third to make it 42-10.
Wilson completed 17 of 23 passes for 261 yards and rushed for 79 in his biggest game with Kentucky. Snell rushed for TDs of 7 and 24 yards, A.J. Rose ran for a 75-yard score and Kavosiey Smoke had a 37-yard TD run as Kentucky posted its most lopsided series win over the Cardinals (2-10) since ’98 (68-34).
NO. 18 UTAH 35, BYU 27
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Jason Shelley threw for 141 yards and a touchdown and added 61 yards and another score on the ground to rally Utah.
Armand Shyne also ran for a pair of touchdowns, including the go-ahead score, to help the Utes rally from a 20-point third quarter deficit. Utah (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) gained only 296 total yards, but beat the Cougars for the eighth straight time dating to 2010.
Zach Wilson threw for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Wilson added 73 yards on the ground. Matt Hadley also ran for 64 yards and a pair of scores before leaving with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
BYU (6-6) totaled just 51 yards in the fourth quarter after piling up 306 yards through the first three quarters, opening the door for Utah to rally.
NO. 19 SYRACUSE 42, BOSTON COLLEGE 21
BOSTON (AP) - Eric Dungey ran for three touchdowns and threw for 362 yards and three more scores to lead Syracuse past Boston College.
The Orange (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) gave up the first score of the game, then scored touchdowns on three straight possessions, starting with a 75-yard pass from Dungey to a wide-open Sean Riley. BC fumbled the ensuing kickoff, setting up Dungey’s 4-yard run to make it 14-7 and the Eagles (7-5, 4-4) never got any closer.
Dungey followed with a 2-yard touchdown run and also scored on an 18-yard quarterback sneak right before the half to give the Orange a 28-14 lead.
Riley caught five passes for 115 yards, and Dontae Strickland carried 20 times for 129 yards for Syracuse.
NO. 20 NORTHWESTERN 24, ILLINOIS 16
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - Clayton Thorson accounted for three touchdowns, Isaiah Browser rushed for 166 yards on 18 carries and Northwestern beat Illinois.
Thorson completed 12 of 18 passes for 110 yards and two TDs. He also ran for a score, and Bowser posted his fourth 100-yard game of the season.
The Wildcats (8-4, 8-1, No. 19 in CFP) will face No. 10 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game next weekend in Indianapolis.
Illinois (4-8, 2-7) lost for the sixth time in seven games. AJ Bush Jr. completed 23 of 39 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown, and Ricky Smalling finished with seven receptions for 72 yards and a TD.
MIAMI 24, NO. 24 PITTSBURGH 3
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) - Travis Homer rushed for 168 yards and a long touchdown, DeeJay Dallas ran back a punt for one of his two scores and Miami closed its regular season by knocking off Pittsburgh.
Dallas also had a rushing touchdown for the Hurricanes (7-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference). Homer is up to 969 yards this season, and would have a chance to become the 10th runner in Miami history with a 1,000-yard season if he gets 31 in the bowl game.
Kenny Pickett completed 14 of 22 passes for 130 yards for Pitt (7-5, 6-2), which had already locked up the ACC’s Coastal Division and a berth in next weekend’s conference title game against Clemson. It was a reversal of last season, when Miami had the Coastal clinched and lost to Pitt in the regular-season finale for both clubs.
NO. 25 IOWA STATE 42, KANSAS STATE 38
AMES, Iowa (AP) - David Montgomery ran for three touchdowns, including the winner with 4:34 to go, and Iowa State rallied from 17 down in the fourth quarter to snap a 10-game skid against Kansas State.
Montgomery had 149 yards rushing for the Cyclones (7-4, 6-3 Big 12), who clinched their best-ever finish in the Big 12.
Down 38-21, Iowa State scored twice in just 1:44 early in the fourth - on Brock Purdy’s TD pass and a 21-yard fumble return by Mike Rose - to pull to 38-35. The Cyclones’ defense then made a stop, and Montgomery’s 18-yard touchdown run gave Iowa State an improbable lead.
Kansas State’s (5-7, 3-6) fate was sealed when a long pass to Dalton Schoen deep in Iowa State territory glanced off his fingertips with 1:20 left.
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