College football roundup: Ohio State dominates Michigan; Wisconsin beats Minnesota
J.K. Dobbins ran for four touchdowns and Justin Fields threw four TD passes, providing plenty of firepower for No. 2 Ohio State to rout No. 10 Michigan 56-27 Saturday for a school-record eighth straight win in the series.
The Buckeyes (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten, No. 1 CFP) will head to the Big Ten championship game with a spot in the College Football Playoff in sight against either No. 9 Minnesota or No. 13 Wisconsin next Saturday.
The Wolverines (9-3, 6-3, No. 13 CFP) will have to settle for a second- or third-tier bowl game after coach Jim Harbaugh fell to 0-5 in the rivalry, and the Wolverines lost to Ohio State for the 15th time in 16 years.
Michigan got off to a strong start, driving 75 yards on the opening drive and scoring on Giles Jackson’s 22-yard run.
The Wolverines, though, followed that up with the first of too many mistakes that doomed their chances of pulling off an upset as a heavy underdog. Quinn Nordin missed the extra point and less than a few minutes later, the Buckeyes took the lead for good.
Dobbins, who ran 211 yards on 31 carries, scored to put Ohio State ahead 7-6 midway through the first quarter.
Fields, who was 14 of 25 for 302 yards, connected on a 57-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave late in the first quarter.
Michigan answered with Shea Patterson’s 25-yard TD pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones to pull within a point later in the opening quarter and couldn’t get closer.
Highlights from Ohio State’s victory over Michigan on Saturday.
The Buckeyes turned the game into a rout by outscoring Michigan 28-3 to earn a 42-16 cushion late in the third quarter when only the final score was in doubt.
During the pivotal surge, Patterson lost a fumble on an accurate, shotgun snap from the Ohio State 12 trailing by eight points midway through the second quarter.
Patterson was 18 of 41 for 305 yards with an interception late in the game. He completed 14 of 19 in the first half.
Hassan Haskins had 78 yards rushing and ran for a TD and a 2-point conversion early in the fourth to cut Michigan’s deficit to 15 points.
Fields and Dobbins added late TDs, giving Ohio State 56 points a year after it scored 62 in a win over the Wolverines.
No. 12 Wisconsin 38, No. 8 Minnesota 17
Jack Coan delivered two momentum-shifting touchdown passes in the snow for Wisconsin, Jonathan Taylor added three touchdowns to his FBS-leading total and the Badgers forcefully repossessed Paul Bunyan’s Axe by beating Minnesota to win the Big Ten West Division in Minneapolis.
Quintez Cephus caught five passes for 114 yards, including a 47-yarder for a score midway through the third quarter that gave Wisconsin (10-2, 7-2, No. 12 CFP) a 17-7 lead. Coan connected with Taylor for a 28-yard touchdown strike late in the second quarter that gave the Badgers the lead after a slow start, sending them to the Big Ten championship game for a rematch with second-ranked Ohio State.
Tanner Morgan passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns for the Gophers (10-2, 7-2). They watched their dream season take a painful hit from their oldest rival after ending a 14-game losing streak to the Badgers a year ago with a 37-15 victory at Wisconsin.
No. 1 Louisiana State 50, Texas A&M 7
Joe Burrow padded his Heisman Trophy resume with 352 yards and three touchdowns passing and beat Texas A&M for its first unbeaten regular season since 2011.
Burrow’s night was highlighted by a deep, pin-point accurate pass on a 78-yard touchdown strike to JaMarr Chase, who had 197 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches.
Burrow has 4,366 yards and 44 touchdowns passing this season, smashing LSU single-season records in both categories. Burrow’s yards passing total also broke the SEC record, which had stood since 1998, when former Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch passed for 4,275 yards.
Burrow’s 44 TDs has tied the SEC’s single season mark set by Missouri’s Drew Lock in 2017. And LSU (12-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 2 CFP) has at least two games — possibly three — still to play.
LSU entered the week talking redemption and emphatically backed it up, outgaining Texas A&M (7-5, 4-4) 553-169.
No. 3 Clemson 38, South Carolina 3
Trevor Lawrence threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 3 Clemson to its 27th straight victory and second consecutive 12-0 regular season with a victory over rival South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.
Travis Etienne ran for two touchdowns to break Atlantic Coast Conference marks for career touchdowns (57) and rushing scores (53) as the Tigers dominated throughout on the way to a sixth straight win over South Carolina (4-8).
Lawrence had touchdown throws of 10 and 65 yards to Tee Higgins and of 16 yards to Justyn Ross. He completed 25 of 35 throws — tying an Atlantic Coast Conference single-game mark with 18 straight at one point — before coming out in the fourth quarter.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said no matter the record coming in, his players were going to be ready to extend their hold on the rivalry. “Our program and our team takes pride in these type of games and every single game,” he said.
No. 4 Georgia 52, Georgia Tech 7
Jake Fromm threw four touchdown passes and No. 4 Georgia cruised into the Southeastern Conference championship game with a victory over Georgia Tech — the Bulldogs’ biggest win ever over their state rival in Athens, Ga.
The Bulldogs (11-1) were 28-point favorites over the Yellow Jackets (3-9) and this one was never in doubt, even as Georgia struggled a bit offensively, fumbled the ball away three times, dealt with injury woes, and failed to cover an onside kick.
It was Georgia’s third straight win in the one-sided series known as “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” — all of them blowouts. The Bulldogs have outscored Georgia Tech 135-35 during that span.
When Tyson Campbell recovered a fumbled punt for Georgia’s final touchdown in the closing minutes, it surpassed the Bulldogs’ previous biggest margin over the Yellow Jackets, a 51-7 rout in 2002.
No. 7 Oklahoma 34, No. 21 Oklahoma State 16
Kennedy Brooks rushed for 160 yards and a touchdown to help Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State on Saturday night.
Jalen Hurts passed for 163 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 63 yards and a score and caught a touchdown pass for the Sooners (11-1, 8-1 Big 12, No. 7 CFP) in their fifth straight victory in the series.
Oklahoma has won 21 consecutive November games dating to 2014. The Sooners will play Baylor in the Big 12 championship game next Saturday.
Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard, the nation’s leading rusher, ran for 104 yards and a touchdown for his 10th consecutive game with at least 100 yards rushing. The Cowboys (8-4, 5-4, No. 21 CFP) had their four-game winning streak snapped.
No. 9 Baylor 61, Kansas 6
JaMycal Hasty rushed for three touchdowns and Baylor forced six turnovers in a blowout victory at Lawrence, Kan.
Charlie Brewer threw for 182 yards and a touchdown as Baylor (11-1, 8-1 Big 12, No. 9 CFP) equaled the school record for wins in Matt Rhule’s third season as coach. Trestan Ebner, Gerry Bohanon, Qualan Jones and Jacob Zeno also rushed for TDs as the Bears piled up 263 yards on the ground.
Only three times since the program’s founding in 1899 have the Bears won 11 games in a season.
Next up for Baylor is the Big 12 championship game Saturday against No. 7 Oklahoma. The Sooners beat the Bears 34-31 on Nov. 16.
Kansas (3-9, 1-8) finished Les Miles’ first season as coach with its fourth straight loss. Carter Stanley threw three of the Jayhawks’ four interceptions, and Manny Miles also was picked off.
No. 11 Florida 40, Florida State 17
Kyle Trask threw three first-half touchdown passes, including two to Freddie Swain, and Florida hammered rival Florida State to end a four-game, home losing streak in the series.
The Gators (10-2, No. 11 CFP) locked up consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time in a decade, finished unbeaten at home for the first time in four years and celebrated their first winning streak against the Seminoles (6-6) since 2009.
Florida scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions, needing two fourth-down conversions to get the first two, and was able to start celebrating before halftime. Receiver Kadarius Toney taunted FSU players by posing and pointing at a scoreboard as they left the field at halftime.
The pass-happy, one-dimensional Gators picked apart FSU’s beleaguered defense, a scene rarely seen in a game that typically features stout defenses. Trask completed 30 of 41 passes for 343 yards, including two short ones to Swain that went for scores.
Swain caught a screen pass, waited for a block, split two defenders and sprinted 19 yards to cap the opening drive. He made it 20-7 in the second quarter when he broke a tackle near the sideline, outran one defender and bowled through another at the goal line.
No. 12 Penn State 27, Rutgers 6
Journey Brown ran for 103 yards with three touchdowns and Penn State pulled away from Rutgers at University Park, Penn.
Will Levis played quarterback for the Nittany Lions (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten, No. 10 CFP) in place of injured started Sean Clifford and added 108 rushing yards on 17 carries and a 42-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson in the fourth quarter.
Isaih Pacheco led Rutgers (2-10, 0-9) with 102 yards rushing on 18 carries and Johnny Langan completed 12 of 24 passes for 164 yards with 58 rushing yards.
Kansas State 27, No. 23 Iowa State 17
Jordon Brown and Jacardia Wright ran for touchdowns, Joshua Youngblood took a kickoff back 93 yards for another score, and Kansas State beat Iowa State in a defensive slugfest Saturday night.
The Wildcats (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) only managed 57 yards passing and 288 yards of total offense, but they scored the final 13 points while holding the Cyclones’ high-powered offense in check.
Brock Purdy was just 15 of 30 for 185 yards passing and a touchdown, and the Cyclones (7-5, 5-4) finished with 236 yards in all. Their biggest problem came in converting third downs — they were 1 of 13 — and that in turn led to a massive advantage for Kansas State in time of possession.
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