Advertisement

UNC topples No. 12 Florida State, Oklahoma State wallops No. 22 Texas and No. 13 Baylor avoids upset

North Carolina players hoist kicker Nick Weiler onto their shoulders after he kicked a game-winning 54-yard field goal against Florida State as time expired Saturday.
(Mark Wallheiser / Associated Press)
Share via

Nick Weiler made a 54-yard field goal as time expired to give North Carolina a 37-35 win over No. 12 Florida State on Saturday, snapping the Seminoles’ 22-game home winning streak.

It was the first field goal make by either team after their respective kickers missed their first four attempts. Weiler also atoned for a blocked extra point that allowed the Seminoles to take a late lead.

“I knew it was within his distance. That wasn’t the issue,” North Carolina Coach Larry Fedora said. “He had something to prove. After the extra point got blocked I talked to him on the sideline and said he had to get it out of his head. He got his mind right and we gave him his shot.”

Advertisement

After Florida State took a 35-34 lead with 22 seconds remaining on a Deondre Francois 2-yard touchdown run, the Tar Heels were able to drive 38 yards in three plays. They also took advantage of a pass interference call on Florida State’s Tavarus McFadden to get them in range.

It is the second straight week that the Tar Heels (4-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won in the final seconds. Last Saturday, they defeated Pittsburgh 37-36 with two seconds remaining on a Mitch Trubinsky touchdown pass.

Against Florida State, Trubisky had his third straight 400-yard game, completing 31 of 38 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan Switzer, who had 16 catches last week, had 14 receptions for 158 yards.

Advertisement

The Tar Heels took a 34-28 lead on a 34-yard touchdown reception by Thomas Jackson, but Florida State’s Wally Aime blocked Weiler’s point-after attempt. Florida State (3-2, 0-2) then drove 75 yards in nine plays, culminating in Francois’ score. The freshman quarterback looked like he was going to be sacked at the North Carolina 8 but eluded tackles by Mikey Bart and Malik Carney to score.

Oklahoma State 49, No. 22 Texas 31

Mason Rudolph passed for 392 yards and three touchdowns to help the Cowboys upset the Longhorns at Stillwater, Okla.

Advertisement

Justice Hill rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown and Jalen McCleskey added 109 yards and two touchdowns receiving for the Cowboys (3-2, 1-1 Big 12), who had lost their previous eight home games against the Longhorns (2-2, 0-1).

Oklahoma State blocked three extra points in the first half, matching a school record for blocked kicks in a game. On the first one, defensive tackle Vincent Taylor came up the middle for the block, picked up the ball and ran with it before delivering a perfect option-style pitch to Tre Flowers in stride. Flowers took it into the end zone for two points and, instead of a 14-all tie, Oklahoma State led 16-13.

Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph dives across the goal line as he's hit by Texas Dylan Haines during their game Saturday.
Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph dives across the goal line as he’s hit by Texas Dylan Haines during their game Saturday.
(Brett Deering / Getty Images )

Rudolph passed for 310 yards and three scores and ran for a touchdown in the first half to help the Cowboys take a 37-25 lead.

Oklahoma State receiver James Washington was knocked out of the game in the third quarter after taking a hit to the head from Texas linebacker Malcolm Roach. Washington had three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys.

Texas’ running backs took a beating. Chris Warren III missed the second half with a knee injury. He ran for 106 yards on 10 carries in the first half. D’Onta Foreman left the game in the third quarter with an abdominal injury after rumbling for 148 yards and two touchdowns.

Advertisement

No. 13 Baylor 45, Iowa State 42

Chris Callahan hit a 19-yard field goal as time expired as the Bears rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Cyclones in Ames, Iowa.

Shock Linwood rushed for 237 yards for the Bears, who moved to 2-0 in the Big 12 for the fourth year in a row.

Baylor (5-0, 2-0), playing without star wide receiver KD Cannon because of a groin injury, trailed 42-28 before using scoring drives of 86 and 84 yards to tie it up.

Baylor’s defense finally stiffened in the fourth quarter and Seth Russell — who was 12 of 22 passing for 178 yards — drove Baylor 83 yards to set up Callahan’s chip shot.

Joel Lanning threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns for Iowa State (1-4, 0-2). Mike Warren added a season-high 130 yards rushing for the Cyclones.

Advertisement

No. 1 Alabama 34, Kentucky 6

Jalen Hurts threw two third-quarter touchdown passes to Calvin Ridley and Ronnie Harrison scored on a 55-yard fumble return to lead the Crimson Tide to the victory at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) overcame a week full of potential distractions and a slow start to run away from the Wildcats (2-3, 1-2).

The Hurt and Ridley Show took over the second half, hooking up on scoring passes of 10 and 19 yards and plenty in between. Hurts passed for 262 yards, including 173 in the third quarter.

Ridley gained 174 yards on 11 catches, both career-highs.

No. 2 Ohio State 58, Rutgers 0

J.T. Barrett broke the school record for career touchdown passes with the third of his four TD tosses, a stifling defense forced the Scarlet Knights to punt on each of its 10 drives and the surging Buckeyes romped to the win in Columbus, Ohio.

Advertisement

Barrett was 21 for 29 for 238 yards before giving way to backup Joe Burrow near the end of the third quarter. He now has 59 TD passes in 27 career games for Ohio State.

Freshman tailback Mike Weber continued to cement his place in the Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) backfield, rushing for 144 yards on 14 attempts before also taking a seat in the third quarter. He also scored a touchdown, cutting around the left end and racing untouched for a 46-yard score 2 1/2 minutes into the second half.

Ohio State’s superb defense never allowed the Scarlet Knights (2-3, 0-2) to penetrate deeper than the Ohio State 38 yard line. They sacked quarterback Chris Laviano three times.

No. 9 Texas A&M 24, South Carolina 13

Trevor Knight threw for 206 yards and ran for 84 more, leading the Aggies to the win at Columbia, S.C.

Knight also had a fumble and an interception that kept this one close. But the Aggies (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern) used a tight defense to win this one, tackling the Gamecocks (2-3, 1-3) for losses on 10 plays and keeping them out of the end zone after A.J. Turner’s 75-yard touchdown run on South Carolina’s first play from scrimmage.

Advertisement

Knight came in second in the SEC in total offense, and either threw the ball or ran it on 52 of Texas A&M’s 79 plays. Trayveon Williams and James White each ran for a touchdown for the Aggies. The SEC’s best rushing team had 216 yards on the ground.

Four starters were out for Texas A&M, including last year’s SEC sack leader Myles Garrett, two receivers in Speedy Noil and Ricky Seals-Jones and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and the Aggies were away from home for a third straight game.

No. 11 Tennessee 34, No. 25 Georgia 31

Jauan Jennings hauled in a 43-yard Hail Mary from Joshua Dobbs on the final play, giving the Volunteers a stunning victory after the Bulldogs appeared to win the game on a long TD pass of their own with 10 seconds left in Athens, Ga.

The Vols (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) rallied from a double-digit deficit for the fourth time in five games, but this was their most improbable comeback yet. The SEC East rivals packed a whole game’s worth of action into the closing minutes as Tennessee went ahead for the first time all afternoon by recovering a fumble by Georgia (3-2, 1-2) in the end zone with 2:56 to go.

Then, after the Bulldogs threw an interception but got the ball back one more time, Jacob Eason tossed a 47-yard touchdown pass to fellow freshman Riley Ridley. With the Sanford Stadium crowd in a frenzy, Tennessee took the kickoff into position to take one shot at the end zone.

Advertisement

Dobbs hurled a towering pass that the 6-foot-3 Jennings didn’t really have that much trouble bringing down . He leaped above the scrum to make the catch, and then landed on his back for the score that sent the Tennessee bench charging on the field to celebrate.

No. 14 Miami 35, Georgia Tech 21

Shaquille Quarterman and Joe Jackson each returned fumbles by Yellow Jackets quarterback Justin Thomas for touchdowns in a span of less than on minute in the second quarter to help the Hurricanes to the win in Atlanta.

Miami won in the Atlantic Coast Conference debut of Coach Mark Richt, the former Georgia coach.

Miami (4-0, 1-0 ACC) led 28-7 after the fumble returns of 17 yards by Quarterman and 18 yards by Jackson.

Georgia Tech (3-2, 1-2) cut the deficit to 28-21 before Miami’s Brad Kaaya answered with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Stacy Coley late in the third quarter.

Advertisement

No. 15 Nebraska 31, Illinois 16

Terrell Newby ran for 113 of his 140 yards and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lead the Cornhuskers to the win in Lincoln, Neb.

Newby touched the ball on 18 of Nebraska’s last 21 plays from scrimmage and the Cornhuskers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) won going away after being down 16-10. They also avenged a 14-13 loss last year in Champaign.

Illinois (1-3, 0-1) got off only 10 offensive plays after taking its six-point lead with 7:40 left in the third quarter. The Illini have lost 14 straight and 23 of 24 against top-25 opponents.

No. 16 Mississippi 48, Memphis 28

Chad Kelly threw for 361 yards, Eugene Brazley ran for a career-high 124 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Rebels to the win in Oxford, Miss.

Advertisement

Ole Miss (3-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter against the Tigers for a second straight season, but this time held on for the victory. Memphis beat Ole Miss 37-24 last season after falling behind by two touchdowns early.

There would be no such comeback Saturday. Memphis (3-1) made this one interesting for a while, but couldn’t keep up with the Rebels’ high-scoring offense.

Indiana 24, No. 17 Michigan State 21 (OT)

Hoosiers quarterback Richard Lagow caught a touchdown pass, threw for two more and took advantage of a second chance in overtime to set up Griffin Oakes for a 20-yard field goal and an improbable victory over the Spartans in Bloomington, Ind.

The Hoosiers (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) trailed 14-0 late in the third quarter before Lagow’s five-yard TD catch on third-and-goal finally helped the Hoosiers turn the corner.

Indiana ended a seven-game losing streak in the series, reclaimed the Old Brass Spittoon for the first time since 2006, beat a ranked team at home for the first time in a decade and earned their first overtime win since 2010.

Advertisement

Michigan State kicker Michael Geiger missed 49-yard field goal to start overtime, and Oakes missed a 33-yard field goal on the ensuing possession when Michigan State’s Drake Martinez was called for leaping to give Indiana a first down.

Michigan State (2-2, 0-2) has lost back-to-back games for the first time since November 2012.

South Alabama 42, No. 19 San Diego State 24

Cole Garvin threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns to lead the upset of the Aztecs at Mobile, Ala.

Garvin, the sophomore Marshall transfer starting in place of injured Dallas Davis, threw touchdown passes of 37 yards to Kevin Kutchera, 79 yards to tight end Gerald Everett, and 6 yards to Josh McGee.

San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey ran for 156 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. He broke 100 yards rushing for the 25th time and went over 5,000 yards to become the Mountain West’s career leader.

South Alabama improved to 3-2, and San Diego State dropped to 3-1.

No. 20 Arkansas 52, Alcorn State 10

Advertisement

Austin Allen completed 13 of 18 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns as the Razorbacks won for the 10th time in 12 games with the victory in Little Rock, Ark.

Following a loss to No. 9 Texas A&M last week, the Razorbacks (4-1) led 24-0 after the first quarter and had few struggles afterward again the Football Championship Subdivision Braves (1-3).

Running backs Devwah Whaley and Rawleigh Williams each topped the 100-yard rushing mark for Arkansas, with Whaley finishing with a career-high 135 yards on nine carries and Williams 126 on 13 carries.

Oklahoma 56, No. 21 Texas Christian 46

Baker Mayfield made up for two lost fumbles with four touchdowns, running for two and throwing two to Dede Westbrook, as the Cowboys won their Big 12 opener at Fort Worth, Texas.

After giving up 21 points in the first quarter for the first time in 20 years, the Sooners (2-2) went ahead to stay with 28 consecutive points in the second quarter. Westbrook was wide open on a flea flicker for a 67-yard touchdown that put Oklahoma up 28-21, and Mayfield then hit in him stride again for a 40-yard score.

Advertisement

Mayfield was facing TCU for the first time since saying before the Orange Bowl last year that TCU was the team that disappointed him the most in recruiting, and claiming the Horned Frogs “kind of drug it out” without offering a scholarship while he turned down other offers.

TCU coach Gary Patterson and Mayfield both insisted this week all that was in the past, with Mayfield even saying things were blown out of proportion. But when they were the same field, the Sooners junior quarterback was 23-of-30 passing for 274 yards, and ran 12 times for 55 yards.

Kenny Hill threw for 449 yards and five touchdowns for the Frogs (3-2, 1-1 Big 12), including scoring strikes of 64 and 74 yards to Taj Williams in the fourth quarter, the later ending a stretch of 22 consecutive points for the Frogs that got them within 49-46. Williams finished with five catches for 210 yards.

No. 23 Florida 13, Vanderbilt 6

Jordan Scarlett ran for a four-yard touchdown with Eddy Pineiro adding a pair of field goals as the sluggish Gators pulled out the victory in Nashville, Tenn.

Florida (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) came up with two interceptions and two sacks on a day where the Gators defense otherwise struggled against one of the nation’s worst offenses.

Advertisement

Ralph Webb ran for 110 yards as Vanderbilt outgained Florida, 265-236, in total offense.

The Commodores (2-3, 0-2) had a final chance to force overtime until Nick Washington intercepted a Wade Freebeck pass with 54 seconds left sealing the Gators’ win.

No. 24 Boise State 21, Utah State 10

Jeremy McNichols accounted for 226 all-purpose yards, including 132 yards rushing and a 61-yard touchdown reception, to lead the Broncos past the visiting Aggies.

Boise State (4-0, 1-0) led 7-3 at halftime before taking control in the second half with a pair of touchdown passes by Brett Rypien and a stout defensive performance.

McNichols, who was named the Mountain West Conference offensive player of the week for his performance against Oregon State, continued to power the Broncos.

His 61-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Cedric Wilson gave Boise State a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, Boise State turned to McNichols to grind out the clock and secure the victory.

Advertisement

Utah State (2-3, 0-2) didn’t get the help it received last season in a 52-26 victory over the Broncos when Boise State committed eight turnovers.

Notre Dame 50, Syracuse 33

DeShone Kizer threw for a career-best 465 yards to help the Irish overcome another shaky performance by their defense and special teams for a win at East Rutherford, N.J.

The Irish snapped a two-game losing streak, but did not show much defensive improvement in the first game since Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly fired coordinator Brian VanGorder. The Irish (2-3) allowed more than 30 points for the fourth time this season.

The tackling on punt coverage might have been even more concerning. Syracuse’s Brisly Estime had a 74-yard return late in the first half that setup a touchdown for the Orange and left Kelly fuming on the sideline.

Advertisement