Auburn’s Payton Thorne tossed a two-point scoring pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith in the fourth overtime to give the host Tigers a 43-41 upset of No. 15 Texas A&M on Saturday night in Southeastern Conference play.
The Aggies had a chance to force another extra session, but Amari Daniels dropped Marcel Reed’s pass in the end zone.
The setback severely hurts the chances of Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2 SEC) being part of the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
Auburn blew a 21-point lead and later forced overtime on Ian Vachon’s 29-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation. Thorne was 19-of-31 passing for 301 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Tigers (5-6, 2-5). Jarquez Hunter rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries.
Reed completed 22 of 35 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for the Aggies. Noah Thomas caught five passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, Jahdae Walker had a receiving score and Terry Bussey added a rushing touchdown for Texas A&M.
No. 2 Ohio State 38, No. 5 Indiana 15
Caleb Downs’ punt return for a touchdown broke up a tight game and pushed the Buckeyes past the Hoosiers in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) can earn a rematch with top-ranked Oregon in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 7 if it beats Michigan next Saturday. Oregon defeated Ohio State 32-31 at home on Oct. 12.
Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard was 22-of-26 passing for 201 yards with two TDs and an interception. Kurtis Rourke completed only 8 of 18 passes for 68 yards for Indiana (10-1, 7-1).
No. 3 Texas 31, Kentucky 14
Quinn Ewers passed for 191 yards and two touchdowns while playing the final 2 1/2 quarters with a gimpy right leg as the Longhorns handled the Wildcats in an SEC game in Austin, Texas.
Texas (10-1, 6-1 SEC) survived despite having six fumbles (losing two), including one that was returned for a touchdown in the third quarter to give Kentucky some hope.
Cutter Boley, who entered at quarterback for the Wildcats (4-7, 1-7) to start the second half in favor of starter Brock Vandagriff, passed for 160 yards. Kentucky amassed just 232 yards of total offense.
No. 4 Penn State 26, Minnesota 25
Nicholas Singleton rushed for a go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and the Nittany Lions converted a fake punt late in the fourth, helping them secure a victory over the Golden Gophers in Big Ten play in Minneapolis.
Omari Evans reeled in a 45-yard scoring strike and Tyler Warren had eight catches for 102 yards for Penn State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten), which overcame two blocked kicks to record its third win in a row.
Marcus Major rushed for a 20-yard score and tight end Jameson Geers reeled in a touchdown pass for Minnesota (6-5, 4-4), which has dropped two straight after a four-game winning streak.
No. 6 Notre Dame 49, No. 19 Army 14
Jeremiyah Love rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass, helping the Fighting Irish crush the Black Knights at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Riley Leonard completed 10 of 13 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (10-1). Jadarian Price rushed for 53 yards and a pair of scores.
Quarterback Bryson Daily had 39 carries for 139 yards and two touchdowns for Army (9-1). The Black Knights had their 13-game winning streak snapped. Their most recent loss had been against Massachusetts on Oct. 28, 2023.
Oklahoma 24, No. 7 Alabama 3
The Sooners forced two big turnovers in the third quarter and freshman running back Xavier Robinson ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns to lead Oklahoma to a win over the Crimson Tide in Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma (6-5, 2-5 SEC) forced Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe to throw a pair of interceptions in the third, one of which ended up being a pick-6. Milroe finished with 164 yards and three picks on 11-of-26 passing.
Alabama (8-3, 4-3) totaled 234 yards of offense.
No. 8 Miami 42, Wake Forest 14
Cam Ward passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score as the Hurricanes defeated the Demon Deacons in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Miami (10-1, 6-1 ACC) can clinch a berth in the ACC championship game against No. 13 SMU by beating Syracuse next Saturday. Ward completed 27 of 38 passes as the Hurricanes totaled 508 yards of offense and improved to 6-0 at home. Ward also threw for a two-point conversion and was intercepted once.
Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5) was led by Demond Claiborne, who had 176 all-purpose yards. His biggest play was a 100-yard kickoff return for a score.
Florida 24, No. 9 Ole Miss 17
Montrell Johnson Jr. rushed for the tiebreaking touchdown and Bryce Thornton made two huge interceptions in the final 1:32 to help the Gators beat the Rebels in Gainesville, Fla.
Johnson rushed for 107 yards on 18 carries as the Gators (6-5, 4-4 SEC) defeated a ranked team for the second straight week. Florida beat then-No. 21 LSU last week.
The setback was painful for Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3), as its third loss figures to stomp out its CFP aspirations.
No. 10 Georgia 59, UMass 21
Carson Beck completed 20 of 31 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns as the Bulldogs pummeled the Minutemen in Athens, Ga.
Nate Frazier ran for career highs of 136 yards and three touchdowns, while Arian Smith caught three passes for 110 yards and a score as Georgia (9-2) won its second straight game overall and 30th straight at home, a streak that dates back to 2019.
AJ Hairston completed 7 of 16 passes for 121 yards and a score for UMass (2-9), which dropped its third straight. Jalen John ran for 107 yards and a TD and Jakobie Keeney-James caught three passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
No. 11 Tennessee 56, UTEP 0
Nico Iamaleava passed for four touchdowns and Dylan Sampson rushed for 77 yards and set a school record for TDs in a season as the Volunteers rolled past the Miners in Knoxville, Tenn.
Iamaleava was 15-of-20 passing for 173 yards for Tennessee (9-2), while Bru McCoy caught a pair of TD passes and Squirrel White and Ethan Davis each had a TD reception.
Skyler Locklear was 10-of-19 passing for 50 yards with an interception for UTEP (2-9). JP Pickles also had a turn under center for the Miners and was 10-of-15 passing for 72 yards. Kenny Odom had eight receptions for 70 yards.
No. 12 Boise State 17, Wyoming 13
Ashton Jeanty became the Broncos’ first 2,000-yard rusher by collecting 169 yards on 19 carries in beating the Cowboys in Laramie, Wyo.
Jeanty, who also found the end zone once on the ground, entered the contest as the nation’s leading rusher with 1,893 yards. His big performance on Saturday helped Boise State (10-1, 7-0 Mountain West Conference) clinch a berth in the conference championship game. Maddux Madsen completed 14 of 26 passes for 168 yards for Boise State.
Kaden Anderson started under center for the Cowboys (2-9, 2-5), but he did not play in the second half because of an apparent injury. He had 116 yards and a TD on 9-of-14 passing prior to exiting. Evan Svoboda took over and hit on 6 of 13 passes for 87 yards.
No. 13 SMU 33, Virginia 7
Kevin Jennings passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score as the Mustangs added to their case to be a part of the CFP with a win over the Cavaliers in an ACC matchup in Charlottesville, Va.
SMU (10-1, 7-0 ACC) has won eight straight games and clinched a berth in the ACC championship game against either Miami or Clemson in its first year in the league. The winner of the ACC championship earns an automatic berth in the 12-team CFP.
Anthony Colandrea passed for 108 yards and a score for Virginia (5-6, 3-4), which has lost five of its past six games. The Cavaliers need to win at Virginia Tech next weekend to play in their first bowl game since the 2019 season.
No. 21 Arizona State 28, No. 14 BYU 23
Sun Devils cornerback Javan Robinson intercepted a pass from the Cougars’ Jake Retzlaff to thwart a BYU threat with 1:04 left in Arizona State’s victory in Tempe, Ariz.
The Cougars (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) used two timeouts, and Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt tried to burn time by running backward on a couple of plays to the BYU 39. Two delay of game penalties put the ball at the BYU 49 with seven seconds left.
Leavitt tried to burn those seconds by dropping back and throwing the ball high into the air. The ball dropped out of bounds with one second left. A throng of fans rushed the field thinking that Arizona State (9-2, 6-2) won. The game was delayed at least 20 minutes before Retzlaff’s Hail Mary pass fell incomplete short of the end zone.
Kansas 37, No. 16 Colorado 21
Devin Neal scored four touchdowns as the Jayhawks upset the Buffaloes at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) became the first team in college football history with a losing record to win three straight games against ranked opponents. The Jayhawks’ bowl chances seemed bleak after Kansas lost at then-No. 16 Kansas State on Oct. 26 and fell to 2-6. But if the Jayhawks win at Baylor next Saturday, they’ll be bowl-eligible.
Shedeur Sanders was 23-of-29 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns for Colorado (8-3, 6-2), which rushed for only 42 yards. Heisman Trophy candidate Travis Hunter had eight catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 17 Clemson 51, The Citadel 14
Quarterback Cade Klubnik helped the Tigers score six touchdowns before the visiting Bulldogs could respond for an easy non-conference victory.
Klubnik led Clemson (9-2) with 198 yards and three touchdowns. His biggest connection came in the second quarter when Bryant Wesco Jr. caught a 55-yard touchdown pass to put the Tigers up 21-0. Wesco led Clemson with 75 receiving yards, while Antonio Williams had two touchdown catches.
The Citadel (5-7) was able to rush for 288 yards on 55 attempts. The Bulldogs’ second touchdown came from a trick play, with the visitors selling a run before pulling off a successful flea flicker back to quarterback Jonathan Bennett, who threw a 66-yard scoring strike to Javonte Graves-Billips with 10:31 remaining in regulation.
No. 18 South Carolina 56, Wofford 12
LaNorris Sellers threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns — and rushed for another score — as the Gamecocks rolled to their fifth straight victory, topping their in-state FCS foe in the Terriers in Columbia, S.C.
Sellers completed 23 of 27 passes and ran for 53 yards on 13 carries for the Gamecocks (8-3). Dalevon Campbell hauled in five of Sellers’ passes for 120 yards, and the South Carolina offense was also boosted by Raheim Sanders rushing for 72 yards and a score on 15 carries.
Amari Odom finished with 215 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-28 passing for Wofford (5-7).
No. 22 Iowa State 31, Utah 28
Carson Hansen’s 3-yard touchdown run with 1:31 left lifted the Cyclones to a win over the Utes in Salt Lake City, forcing a four-way tie for the Big 12 Conference lead with one week left in the regular season.
Hansen’s score capped a 75-yard drive for Iowa State (9-2, 6-2 Big 12). His halfback pass to Gabe Burkle on third-and-1 on the previous play went for 26 yards to set up the decisive score.
Utah (4-7, 1-7) had a chance to force overtime, but Cole Becker, who earlier made field goals of 34 and 47 yards, missed wide right on a 54-yard attempt with eight seconds left.
No. 23 Missouri 39, Mississippi State 20
Marcus Carroll rushed for three touchdowns and a two-point conversion as the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
The Tigers (8-3, 4-3 SEC) ran the ball 56 times for 204 yards. Nate Noel gained 95 yards on the ground. Brady Cook completed 15 of 20 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown for Missouri. Luther Burden III caught seven passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Davon Booth rushed for 124 yards and one touchdown for the Bulldogs (2-9, 0-7). Michael Van Buren Jr. completed 16 of 28 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown.
No. 25 Illinois 38, Rutgers 31
Pat Bryant caught a 40-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with four seconds remaining as the Fighting Illini rallied for a dramatic victory over the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, N.J.
Bryant’s dramatic catch came after Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) initially decided to attempt a go-ahead 57-yard field goal into the wind. Following a timeout, the Ilini went for it on fourth down. Bryant finished with seven catches for a career-high 197 yards.
Kyle Monangai rushed for 122 yards on 28 carries and Athan Kaliakmanis completed 19 of 37 passes for 175 yards for Rutgers (6-5, 3-5). Kaliakmanis also rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
–Field Level Media