CFB roundup: Florida edges Vanderbilt to win SEC East title

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Austin Hardin’s 43-yard field goal with 2:22 remaining helped No. 10 Florida beat pesky Vanderbilt, 9-7, on Saturday and clinch a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Order restored — barely.

The Gators won the Eastern Division for the first time in 2009, and in coach Jim McElwain’s first season. McElwain’s mantra all season has been “restore the order” by getting Florida back to the top of the division.

Vanderbilt nearly wrecked it.

The Commodores (3-6, 1-4 SEC) held Florida to 258 yards, including 57 in the second half. But the Gators (8-1, 6-1) did just enough on their next-to-last possession to set up Hardin’s winning kick.

Hardin, who only handled kickoffs earlier in the game, drilled it.

Vanderbilt had one final chance, but failed to pick up a first down on a fourth-and-25 play.

No. 1 Clemson 23, No. 16 Florida State 13

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Deshaun Watson threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Deon Cain and Wayne Gallman came through with a game-sealing score as the Tigers clinched the ACC Atlantic Division.

The win came on the first Saturday after the Tigers (9-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) were chosen No. 1 in the first College Football Playoff ranking.

Clemson trailed 10-6 at the break, going without a first-half touchdown for the first time this season. But Watson led three long scoring drives in the second half for the Tigers’ first win over the Seminoles since 2011.

Greg Huegel had three field goals, the last a 34-yarder in the fourth quarter to put Clemson ahead for good. Clemson’s defense took over from there, stopping the speedy Cook on fourth-and-1 with the Seminoles (7-2, 5-2) driving.

Cook had 194 yards rushing, but only 37 came in the second half.

No. 4 Alabama 30, No. 2 LSU 16

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Derrick Henry ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns and the Crimson Tide defense smothered Leonard Fournette to secure the victory.

The Crimson Tide (8-1, 5-1 in Southeastern Conference) physically dismantled the previously unbeaten Tigers (7-1, 4-1) in the second half. It was a physical, no-frills performance days after some questioned the team’s No. 4 College Football Playoff ranking.

Henry led the way with 38 punishing carries in a game where he took second billing. The nation’s leading rusher, Fournette gained only 31 yards on 19 carries. His previous season low was 154 yards against Western Kentucky.

Alabama’s SEC title chances got a boost even before kickoff when Arkansas beat No. 19 Mississippi 53-52 in overtime. The Rebels are the only team to have beaten the Tide.

No. 5 Notre Dame 42, Pittsburgh 30

PITTSBURGH -- DeShone Kizer threw for five touchdowns and ran for another as the Irish bolstered their College Football Playoff resume with a victory over the Panthers.

Kizer completed 19 of 26 passes for 262 yards with no turnovers as the Irish (8-1) won their fourth straight. Will Fuller caught seven passes for 157 yards and three scores and Josh Adams ran for 147 yards and hauled in Kizer’s final touchdown pass.

Notre Dame never trailed and rolled up 435 total yards in their first game since being ranked fifth in the initial CFP poll.

Nate Peterman passed for 223 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Pitt (6-3), which has lost two straight. Jordan Whitehead ran for two scores for the Panthers. Tyler Boyd caught three passes for 84 yards to set a school record for career yards receiving but Pitt was never really in it over the final three quarters.

Nebraska 39, No. 7 Michigan State 38

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Tommy Armstrong drove Nebraska 91 yards in 38 seconds, hitting Brandon Reilly with a 30-yard touchdown pass that survived a video review with 17 seconds left to hand the Spartans a loss that likely will ruin their playoff hopes.

Armstrong rallied the Cornhuskers from 12 points down in the last 4 1/2 minutes. He scored on a short touchdown with 1:47 left to make it 38-33. After Michigan State (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten, No. 7 CFP) went three-and-out, he led the drive that defines his career so far.

Starting at his own 9, he hit Jordan Westerkamp for passes of 28 and 33 yards. Two plays later, he found Reilly for the winning score. Reilly went out of bounds and came back in to make the catch, but officials ruled it was legal because cornerback Jermaine Edmondson forced him out.

The Spartans got a final chance, but Connor Cook passed out of bounds from the Nebraska 41 as time ran out.

No. 9 Iowa 35, Indiana 27

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- LeShun Daniels Jr. ran for two scores and injured quarterback C.J. Beathard threw the game-clinching touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to keep the Hawkeyes unbeaten.

The Hawkeyes (9-0, 5-0 Big Ten) have matched the best start in school history. The last time it happened was 2009.

It was another frustrating finish for Indiana (4-5, 0-5), which got within 21-20 after a 28-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

But Daniels answered with a 1-yard scoring run, and Beathard sealed it with a 10-yard TD pass to George Kittle.

Indiana got a late touchdown but was unable to recover the onside kick.

Beathard finished 19 of 33 for 231 yards.

Indiana’s Jordan Howard ran 22 times for 174 yards and two scores against the nation’s No. 5 run defense, but the Hoosiers lost their fifth straight.

No. 11 Stanford 42, Colorado 10

BOULDER, Colo. -- Kevin Hogan threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in leading Stanford past the Buffaloes and into the Cardinal history books.

With his 32nd win, Hogan surpassed Andrew Luck as the school’s winningest quarterback, and he got a big assist from Christian McCaffrey, who put on a quite a show for friends and family.

McCaffrey, who grew up in nearby Denver, where his father, Ed, starred for the Broncos in the 1990s, collected 220 all-purpose yards plus a 28-yard touchdown toss to tight end Austin Hooper in a little more than three quarters.

McCaffrey collected 147 yards rushing, 15 receiving and 58 on returns.

The Cardinal (8-1, 7-0 Pac-12) bounced back from a scare at Washington in which they escaped with a two-point win on a shanked field goal as time expired. Their final three games are all at home, against Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame.

No. 12 Utah 34, Washington 23

SEATTLE -- Gionni Paul returned a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown, set up another score with an interception and the Utes held off the Huskies to remain in control of the Pac-12 South Division race.

Utah (8-1, 5-1, No. 12 CFP) leaned on big plays from its defense to overcome the Huskies (4-5, 2-4). After going two weeks without forcing a turnover, the Utes forced three in the first half and made that stand up against Washington’s second-half rally.

Paul jumped on Dwayne Washington’s fumble midway through Utah’s 24-point second quarter and went untouched to give the Utes a 21-6 lead. Quarterback Travis Wilson ran 3 yards for a touchdown with 3:27 left in the fourth quarter after the Utes had gone scoreless in the second half.

Devontae Booker rushed for 150 yards to help Utah maintain a one-game lead on the chase group in the Pac-12 South.

Navy 45, No. 13 Memphis 20

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Chris Swain ran for 108 yards and three touchdowns and Navy upset Memphis, ending the Tigers’ winning streak at 15 games.

The Midshipmen (7-1, 5-0 American Athletic) remained tied with Houston atop the West Division. Memphis (8-1, 4-1) was 13th this week in the first College Football Playoff poll.

DeBrandon Sanders ran for 82 yards and Navy’s triple-option rushing attack had 374 yards against a Memphis defense that had only allowed 118.8 yards a game.

But it was a 75-yard scoring pass from Keenan Reynolds to DeBrandon Sanders with 6:43 left in the third quarter that gave the Midshipmen the lead for good at 24-17. The pass came on the first play from scrimmage after Memphis tied it at 17.

No. 15 Oklahoma 52, Iowa State 16

NORMAN, Okla. -- Baker Mayfield completed 23 of 31 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score to help the Sooners coast to the win.

Samaje Perine ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 13 rushes, and Joe Mixon rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown on eight carries for Oklahoma (8-1, 5-1 Big 12, No. 15 CFP). The Sooners have won fourth straight, outscoring their opponents 232-50.

Joel Lanning completed 26 of 51 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown for Iowa State (3-6, 2-4). The Cyclones have lost four of their last five.

No. 17 Michigan 49, Rutgers 16

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jake Rudock threw for two touchdowns and a career-high 337 yards and ran for a score and a two-point conversion to lead the Wolverines to victory.

The Wolverines (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) were able to coast to an easy victory after wild finishes in their last two games. They beat Minnesota last week on a goal line stand and botched a punt to lose to Michigan State on the final play the week before.

The Scarlet Knights (3-6, 1-5) have lost three straight, giving up at least 48 points in each of the lopsided setbacks. They have to close the regular season with three straight wins to be eligible for a fifth consecutive bowl and to perhaps help coach Kyle Flood keep his job.

Arkansas 53, No. 18 Mississippi 52 (OT)

OXFORD, Miss. -- Brandon Allen threw his sixth touchdown pass and then ran for a two-point conversion to lead the Razorbacks to an improbable win at Ole Miss.

Arkansas (5-4, 3-2) pulled off the victory thanks to two wild plays in overtime.

The Razorbacks kept the game alive on fourth-and-25 when Allen completed a pass to Hunter Henry, who flung the ball backward and Alex Collins picked it up on the bounce and then ran it for a 31-yard gain.

After Arkansas scored its overtime touchdown, its first attempt at the 2-point conversion failed but Ole Miss’ Marquis Haynes was called for a face mask penalty which gave the Razorbacks another chance.

Allen threw for a career-high 442 yards.

Ole Miss (7-3, 4-2) lost despite three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns by Chad Kelly.

Auburn 26, No. 19 Texas A&M 10

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Jovon Robinson ran for 159 yards and a touchdown and the Tigers intercepted three passes to get a victory on the road.

Jeremy Johnson wasn’t flashy, but was effective in his first start since Auburn’s third game with Sean White out with an injured left knee. He finished with 132 yards and a touchdown.

Auburn (5-4, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) built a 14-3 lead by halftime, with its second touchdown coming on the drive after the first of Aggies quarterback Kyler Murray’s three interceptions. The Tigers didn’t score a touchdown in the second half, but got four field goals by Daniel Carlson to secure the victory that snapped a two-game skid.

Murray threw for 105 yards in his second start since Kyle Allen was benched before leaving after a hit to the head late in the third quarter. Jake Hubenak took over for Texas A&M (6-3, 3-3, No. 19 CFP) and threw for 32 yards and a touchdown.

No. 21 Northwestern 23, Penn State 21

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Jack Mitchell’s 35-yard field goal with nine seconds left gave the Wildcats a win over the Nittany Lions.

Backup quarterback Zack Oliver passed for one touchdown and ran for another, and Justin Jackson rushed for 186 yards for Northwestern. Mitchell had missed an extra point and a pair of field goals, but recovered to give the Wildcats a dramatic victory.

Solomon Vault added a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 2:04 left in the first half for Northwestern, which is No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings and won its second straight after consecutive losses. For Vault, it was his second kickoff return for a score this season and the third of his career, both school records.

Oliver replaced Clayton Thorson after Thorson was hit with 3:09 left in the first quarter by Penn State’s Carl Nassib.

No. 23 UCLA 41, Oregon State 0

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Josh Rosen threw two touchdowns to Thomas Duarte and the Bruins kept alive their Pac-12 title hopes with a win in cold, rainy conditions.

Rosen was 22 for 33 for 333 yards, with the freshman sitting out the fourth quarter. The Bruins (7-2, 4-2) had 676 yards against the Beavers (2-7, 0-6).

UCLA limited Oregon State to 246 yards and forced four turnovers against redshirt freshman quarterback Nick Mitchell. The Beavers are rebuilding under first-year coach Gary Andersen and remain the only winless team in conference play.

The Bruins capitalized on turnovers to score 24 points in the second quarter.

No. 25 Houston 33, Cincinnati 30

HOUSTON -- The Cougars overcame Gunner Kiel’s 523 yards passing, forcing four straight incompletions on the final drive to remain unbeaten.

Greg Ward Jr. led scoring drives on two of three Cincinnati turnovers, finishing 16 of 24 for 161 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions. He also ran for 119 yards on 16 carries as Houston improved to 9-0 (5-0 American Athletic Conference) for the first time since 2011 — ahead of a potential matchup between undefeated teams when it plays Memphis Nov. 14.

Kiel threw was 28 of 51 with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

Air Force 20, Army 3

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Karson Roberts threw two TD passes to tight end Garrett Griffin, Air Force’s defense turned in a dominating performance and the Falcons won their school-record 11th straight home game.

The victory makes Air Force (6-3) bowl eligible. Even more, the Falcons remain in the running for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, which is presented annually to the winning academy in the round-robin competition. Air Force lost to Navy earlier this season and needs the Black Knights (2-7) to beat the Midshipmen next month to retain the trophy.

These teams know each other so well that yards were hard to gain. Air Force’s smothering defense limited Army to 169 total yards and just nine first downs.

This was the 50th all-time meeting between the schools. Air Force leads the series 35-14-1.

North Carolina 66, Duke 31

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Marquise Williams threw for 404 of his school-record 494 yards by halftime and North Carolina put on a dominating show to beat its rival.

Williams threw for four touchdowns and ran for another, breaking the school passing mark in the opening minutes of the second half. The senior’s performance was the biggest highlight on an afternoon full of them for the Tar Heels (8-1, 5-0 ACC), who haven’t lost since the opener and firmed up their hold on the Coastal Division race by blowing out the Blue Devils (6-3, 3-2).

Seven players scored for UNC, from Elijah Hood running for three touchdowns to Mack Hollins and Ryan Switzer each hauling in TD catches on 100-yard receiving days. And by the end, the Tar Heels had scored more points than ever against the Blue Devils.

North Carolina State 24, Boston College 8

BOSTON -- Jacoby Brissett threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Trowell early in the second quarter and North Carolina State sent Boston College to its sixth straight loss

Jaylen Samuels had a 5-yard TD run and Reggie Gallaspy II ran 35 for a score for the Wolfpack (6-3, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Walk-on quarterback John Fadule made his first career start for the Eagles (3-7, 0-7). He was 23-for-37 for 257 yards with a TD in the closing 90 seconds. He also had three interceptions, a fumble and was sacked seven times.

It was N.C. State’s first game after leading rusher Matt Dayes was lost for the season with a foot injury in a 56-41 loss at No. 3 Clemson. The Wolfpack gained 139 yards on the ground against BC’s top-ranked rush defense. Brissett completed 14 of 27 for 212 yards with one interception.

West Virginia 31, Texas Tech 26

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Wendell Smallwood rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown while Rushel Shell had 111 yards and two scores for the Mountaineers.

West Virginia (4-4, 1-4 Big 12) broke a four-game losing streak while Texas Tech (5-5, 2-5) lost its third straight in trying to become bowl eligible.

The Mountaineers compiled 300 yards on the ground against one of the nation’s worst rush defenses. Shell and Smallwood surpassed 100 yards against the Red Raiders for the second straight year.

Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes threw a 17-yard scoring pass to DeAndre Washington that pulled the Red Raiders within 31-26 with 6:47 left in the game. But the Texas Tech never got the ball back. West Virginia drove to the Texas Tech 1 before running out the clock.