College football roundup: Anthony Gordon lifts No. 20 Washington State over Houston

Anthony Gordon threw for 440 yards and three touchdowns for his third straight 400-yard game, and No. 20 Washington State pulled away in the second half to get a 31-24 win over Houston on Friday night.

Gordon threw a seven-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and had two 39-yard scoring throws, including one in the third quarter that gave Washington State (3-0) the lead for good.

It was the first meeting as head coaches for Washington State’s Mike Leach and Houston’s Dana Holgorsen, who first met almost 30 years ago when Holgorsen played at Iowa Wesleyan, where Leach was an assistant.

The two coached together at both Valdosta State and Texas Tech and have remained close since that time, adding some familiarity to this game between teams meeting for just the fourth time.

USC Sports

Clay Helton and USC wary of trap game against BYU after big win over Stanford

Kedon Slovis’ breakout performance in USC’s dominant victory over Stanford left the Trojans feeling good, but they know they can’t underestimate BYU.

Sept. 13, 2019

D’Eriq King had 128 yards passing and a score and added 94 yards rushing and two touchdowns on a night Houston (1-2) led 14-7 at halftime. But the Cougars struggled to move the ball in the second half, lost two fumbles and didn’t get in the end zone after halftime until King’s 12-yard run with 2:21 left cut the lead to 31-24.

Brandon Arconado had nine receptions for 115 yards and Max Borghi added 61 yards receiving and ran for a touchdown in the third quarter to help Washington State to the victory.

at Wake Forest 24, North Carolina 18

Jamie Newman came up with a pair of big plays on a clock-draining fourth-quarter drive, helping the Demon Deacons hold off the Tar Heels’ comeback bid for a win in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Newman hit Scotty Washington for a 27-yard gain, then had a four-yard scramble on third down to keep possession to help Wake Forest (3-0) take five minutes off the clock and add a field goal to a dwindling lead.

North Carolina (2-1) had a final drive with no timeouts with a chance for a third straight fourth-quarter comeback, but the game ended when Michael Carter didn’t get out of bounds in time on a run to set up a final desperation heave from just across midfield.

UCLA Sports

UCLA’s struggles will be a national spectacle against Oklahoma

UCLA faces Heisman Trophy candidate Jalen Hurts and No. 5 Oklahoma as a 23½-point underdog in a nationally-televised game at the Rose Bowl.

Sept. 13, 2019

The Demon Deacons dominated the first half to lead 21-0, only to see freshman quarterback Sam Howell lead the Tar Heels on two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to get back in it.

The win came in an unusual setting: a game between instate Atlantic Coast Conference teams that was designated as a nonconference matchup that didn’t count in the league standings. The teams had agreed in 2015 to play this year and in 2021 instead of waiting until 2022 for their next ACC matchup amid the 14-team league’s scheduling rotation for teams in opposite divisions.

Kansas 48, at Boston College 24

Carter Stanley threw for three touchdowns, Khalil Herbert rushed for 187 yards on just 11 carries, and the Jayhawks stunned the Eagles for their first road win over a Power Five school in nearly 11 years.

Kansas (2-1), which entered as a three-touchdown underdog, won its first road game against a power conference opponent since a victory at Iowa State on Oct. 4, 2008, a span of 48 straight losses. Pooka Williams ran for 121 yards on 22 attempts with a touchdown, and Herbert added a late score. Stanley was 20 of 27 for 238 yards with an inception on his first attempt.

AJ Dillon ran for 151 yards on 27 carries and Anthony Brown went 18 for 36 with 195 yards a touchdown pass for the Eagles (2-1). Brown also had a touchdown reception.