Louisville wallops No. 2 Florida State; No. 1 Alabama edges No. 19 Ole Miss

Lamar Jackson ran for four touchdowns and threw for another and No. 10 Louisville poured it on in a 63-20 victory over No. 2 Florida State on Saturday in what was billed as an ACC showdown game in Louisville, Ky.

There was no showdown at all, as the Cardinals showed off their talent with Jackson leading the way. The quarterback ran for 146 yards and four TD and passed for 216 yards and a score. The defense chipped in with nine sacks.

The Cardinals (3-0, 2-0 ACC) lost back-to-back halftime leads to the Seminoles in the past, but they left no doubt in topping 60 points for the third consecutive game. The Seminoles (2-1, 0-1) suffered one of the worst losses in school history.

Jeremy Smith ran for two TDs for the Cardinals, but Jackson was nearly unstoppable in piling up 362 yards of offense. He also added to his collection of highlights as he faked one defender and spun off another en route to his final TD run of 47 yards. He has 18 TDs in three games.

Louisville’s defense held FSU to 284 yards and forced two turnovers. The Seminoles’ only bright spot was 10 straight points to get within 14-10 before Jackson and took over.

Jaire Alexander contributed a 69-yard punt return for a TD and a fumble recovery leading to another Louisville score. Brandon Radcliff rushed for 118 yards and a score as Louisville won its biggest ACC before national TV audience.

No. 1 Alabama 48, No. 19 Mississippi 43

The Crimson Tide scored two defensive touchdowns and another on special teams to overcome a three-touchdown deficit and win in Oxford, Miss.

Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC) freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 158 yards and ran for 146 more but it was unlikely touchdowns from Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne and Eddie Jackson that proved to be the biggest plays of the game.

Ole Miss (1-2, 0-1) looked like it might be on its way to a third straight win over the Tide late in the second quarter. Instead, it was the Rebels’ second collapse in three games.

Ole Miss took a 24-3 lead with 2:47 remaining in the first half after defensive end Marquis Haynes’ big hit on Hurts, forcing a fumble that fellow defensive lineman John Youngblood scooped up and ran 44 yards for a touchdown.

But Alabama responded with three scores in 65 seconds. The Tide needed just three plays and 37 seconds to pull within 24-10 after Calvin Ridley ran for a six-yard score. Ole Miss was forced to punt on the next drive and Jackson returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown.

The Rebels’ Chad Kelly threw for a career-high 421 yards and three touchdowns.

No. 9 Wisconsin 23, Georgia State 17

Backup quarterback Alex Hornibrook led the Badgers to three scoring drives in the second half to help avert an embarrassing upset in Madison, Wis.

The Bison went for a 2-point conversion down 21-20 with 3:41 left, but couldn’t punch it in. North Dakota State’s defense then held, and quarterback Easton Stick’s 29-yard run put the Bison in position for the biggest win in school history.

Hornibrook took over for Bart Houston late in the third quarter with Wisconsin stuck in an offensive malaise. The freshman finished eight of 12 for 122 yards, including a one-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Penniston with 7:25 left to give the Badgers the lead for good, 20-17.

Wisconsin (3-0) heads into Big Ten play next week at No. 12 Michigan State with questions at quarterback. Houston, a senior making his third career start, was 10 of 18 for 91 yards.

Georgia State (0-3) played well after losing its first two games by a combined 79-35.

Conner Manning threw for a career-high 269 yards and a score. Kyler Neal’s nine-yard touchdown run with 11:36 left gave the Panthers a brief lead before the Badgers defense reasserted itself.

No. 4 Michigan 45, Colorado 28

De’Veon Smith gave the Wolverines the lead with a 42-yard run early in the third quarter and they pulled away from there against the Buffaloes in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Wolverines (3-0) were behind 21-7 in the first quarter and by four points in the opening minute of the second half.

The Buffaloes (2-1) got to midfield on the final possession, but they were more than a Hail Mary away by the end of the matchup, which rekindled memories of Kordell Stewart’s 64-yard pass to Michael Westbrook in 1994 in the same stadium.

It didn’t help that Sefo Liufau was hurt after throwing his third TD pass, a 70-yarder to Shay Fields that put Colorado up 28-24 just after halftime. Liufau, who was shaken up in the first half, grabbed his right ankle after Ryan Glasgow hit him on the go-ahead score. The senior quarterback limped through Colorado’s next series before being replaced by freshman Steven Montez.

No. 5 Clemson 59, South Carolina State 0

The Tigers scored early and often in the first half in a game at Clemson, S.C., that both coaches decided to shorten.

The game was such a mismatch that the fifth-ranked Tigers (3-0) scored two touchdowns in the first quarter with no time running off the clock. An NCAA rule allows for games to be shortened by time if the coaches agree.

Clemson led 45-0 at the half against the FCS Bulldogs (0-3), and the third and fourth quarters were 12 minutes each instead of the usual 15 minutes.

Deshaun Watson threw three early TD passes to get the Tigers rolling.

No. 8 Washington 41, Portland State 3

Jake Browning threw three touchdown passes in the first 16 minutes and No. 8 Washington closed out its uninspired non-conference schedule with an easy win in Seattle.

Browning and the Huskies (3-0) led 14-0 after less than 3 minutes and coasted their way past the lower division opponent. Browning threw a 43-yard touchdown to Chico McClatcher on Washington’s opening drive, and added TD tosses of 11 yards to Darrell Daniels, 13 yards to McClatcher on the second play of the second quarter and a 4-yard TD pass to Myles Gaskin early in the fourth quarter.

Browning finished 12 of 19 for 163 yards. His numbers were less impressive than the first two weeks due to the Huskies being helped out by a pair of Portland State turnovers deep in its own end, giving Washington a short field. Browning now has 12 touchdown passes in three games after throwing 16 TDs all of last season.

Will Dissly, a converted defensive end now playing tight end, caught a 27-yard touchdown from K.J. Carta-Samuels in the fourth quarter as Washington extended its streak of scoring 40 or more points to six straight games dating to last season.

Alex Kuresa was 11 of 17 passing for 148 yards and one interception for Portland State. The Vikings (1-2) had four total turnovers and managed just 34 yards rushing on 42 carries.

North Dakota State 23, No. 13 Iowa 21

Cam Pedersen kicked a 37-yard field as time expired to help the Bison pull off an upset in Iowa City and give them a sixth straight win over an FBS opponent.

The loss was just the fourth by an FBS team to an FCS school. North Dakota State isn’t just another Football Championship Subdivision team, though. The Bison have won the last five FCS national titles.

Against the Hawkeyes, they ran for 239 yards and held Iowa to 231 total yards.

Stick had 124 yards passing and a touchdown for the Bison (3-0), who also snapped Iowa’s nine-game home winning streak.

C.J. Beathard had three TD passes for Iowa (2-1). But the Hawkeyes ran for just 34 yards on 25 carries.

No. 12 Michigan State 36, No. 18 Notre Dame 28

Tyler O’Connor threw for two touchdowns, Gerald Holmes ran for two more, including a 73-yard score, and the Spartans won in South Bend, Ind.

The Spartans (2-0) turned what had been a close game at halftime into a 29-point lead with three third-quarter touchdowns. Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and the Irish (1-2) cut the lead to 36-28 with 6:02 left on a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Durham Smythe.

On Notre Dame’s next possession, Kizer was sacked for a 5-yard loss by Raequan Williams on third-and-2 and Notre Dame punted with 3:37 left in the game and the Spartans ran out the clock.

O’Connor, a fifth-year senior making his third career start, was 19 of 26 passing for 241 yards and one interception on a deflected pass. Kizer threw for a career-high 344 yards, completing 20 of 37 passes.

No. 15 Tennessee 28, Ohio 19

Joshua Dobbs threw a pair of 20-yard touchdown passes to Josh Malone and ran for a third score as the Volunteers overcame injuries and a suspension to hold off the pesky Bobcats in Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee (3-0) played without four starters — three were injured and defensive back Malik Foreman was suspended for team rules violations. During the first half, the Volunteers (3-0) lost two players to injuries in the first half — cornerback Cam Sutton and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

Tennessee scored 38 seconds into the game on the first TD pass from Dobbs to Malone. The Vols continued to lead the rest of the way, though Ohio stayed close throughout.

Ohio, a 27-point underdog, was within 21-19 when Dobbs and Malone connected again with 11:07 left in the game. The Bobcats (1-2) wouldn’t threaten again.

No. 17 Texas A&M 29, Auburn 16

Trevor Knight passed for 247 yards and Daniel LaCamera kicked five field goals to lead the Aggies at Auburn, Ala.

Knight also ran for 42 yards and several first downs in his first Southeastern Conference game for the Aggies (3-0, 1-0 SEC), who are off to another fast start. Myles Garrett had two sacks and Texas A&M’s defense harassed quarterback Sean White enough to minimize big-play chances for Auburn (1-2, 0-1).

In a matchup of teams trying to defy modest preseason SEC West forecasts, Texas A&M kept that hope firmly intact with a 478-yard offensive performance. Trayveon Williams weaved through Auburn defenders for an icing-on-the-cake 89-yard touchdown run with 6:52 left and gained 127 yards on eight carries.

The Aggies are 3-0 for the third straight year, a run they haven’t had since 1939-41.

Nebraska 35, No. 22 Oregon 32

Tommy Armstrong Jr. scored on a 34-yard quarterback draw with 3:30 left, and the Cornhuskers held on during the Ducks’ final series for the win in Lincoln, Neb.

Armstrong converted a fourth-and-nine play with a 14-yard pass to Jordan Westerkamp before taking off on his winning run for the Huskers (3-0).

The Ducks, playing without star running back Royce Freeman since early in the game, made it to midfield on their last possession, failing to convert on fourth down.

Armstrong finished with 95 yards rushing, and completed 17 of 33 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Devine Ozigbo also ran for 95 yards.

Kani Benoit rushed six times for 100 yards to lead the Ducks (2-1), and Dakota Prukop passed for 146 yards and ran for 87.

No. 20 Louisiana State 23, Mississippi State 20

Leonard Fournette returned from a bruised left ankle in powerful form, rushing for 147 yards and two touchdowns while the Tigers withstood a late rally for the win in Baton Rouge, La.

Danny Etling completed 19 of 30 passes for 215 yards in his first start for LSU (2-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference), including a 37-yard touchdown strike to D.J. Chark. But the Tigers nearly squandered a comfortable lead, giving up two touchdowns 4:10 and 3:30 left, the second after the Bulldogs (1-2, 1-1) recovered an onside kick.

Fournette, who sat out last week’s victory over Jacksonville State, exhibited his typical mix of hard-nosed and explosive gains. He ran over tacklers for his 5-yard TD and burst into open field for his 25-yard score. He also had four receptions for 27 yards, but his performance was somewhat tarnished by two fumbles.

Nick Fitzgerald, whose 195 yards on the ground against South Carolina a week earlier set a school record for QB rushing, struggled against LSU. He was held to 13 yards rushing and completed 12 of 24 passes for 120 yards. Williams came on in the fourth quarter to convert a fourth-and-4 play with a 24-yard pass to Donald Gray, setting up MSU’s first TD.

No. 23 Florida 32, North Texas 0

Florida quarterback Luke Del Rio injured his left knee against North Texas on Saturday night, a huge concern as the Gators come off the win in Gainesville, Fla., to prepare to play at No. 15 Tennessee next week.

The injury overshadowed a dominant performance by Florida’s defense, which allowed a school-record 53 yards on 50 plays. The previous mark was 59 yards allowed against Western Carolina in 2006.

Defensive lineman Joshua Wheeler hit Del Rio low at the end of incomplete pass late in the third quarter, drawing a personal-foul penalty. Trainers and coach Jim McElwain rushed to the field as Del Rio ripped off his helmet. Del Rio eventually got up and walked to the locker room without any assistance.

But that was hardly the end of it for Florida (3-0). McElwain, who seemingly believed Wheeler’s hit was dirty, started yelling at the North Texas (1-2) sideline and had to be restrained by officials and then players. Both teams responded by stepping onto the field and moving toward the hash marks.

No. 24 Arkansas 42, Texas State 3

Austin Allen threw for 241 yards and a pair of touchdowns in less than three quarters of action to lead the Razorbacks to the victory in Fayetteville, Ark.

The win is the ninth in the last 10 games for Arkansas (3-0), and it follows last week’s double-overtime win at TCU.

Rawleigh Williams topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the second straight game for Arkansas, finishing with 121 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. The Razorbacks outgained the Bobcats (1-1) 350-26 in total yardage in the first half.

No. 25 Miami 45, Appalachian State 10

Brad Kaaya threw for 368 yards and three scores, Mark Walton ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns and the Hurricane rolled to a win in front of a record crowd of 34,658 at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C.

Miami (3-0) came in having scored a school-record 108 points in its first two games in wins over Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic. The Hurricanes picked up where they left off, scoring on their first four possessions to build a 24-0 lead.

Walton set the tone, busting through the middle of the line on Miami’s first play from scrimmage and racing 80 yards untouched to the end zone. Kaaya added first quarter TD passes to David Njoku and Stacy Coley.