Navy upends Notre Dame; Texas A&M and Florida upset in SEC play

Will Worth ran for 175 yards and two touchdowns, his ninth consecutive game with a rushing score to lead Navy to a 28-27 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday in the nation’s longest-running intersectional rivalry.

It was a rare victory in the series for the Midshipmen (6-2), who beat the Irish for just the fourth time since 1963. Notre Dame (3-6) had won five in a row against Navy.

Irish Coach Brian Kelly deserved some of the blame for this one. Trailing 28-24 with a little more than 7 minutes to go, Kelly opted for a 31-yard field goal instead of trying to convert a fourth-and-four play at the 14. He made the call even though his defense hadn’t forced a punt all afternoon.

Navy got the ball back and ran out the clock with its option offense. Worth converted two huge fourth-down plays on the final drive, one on a dive play near midfield and another with a pass to Jamir Tillman that clinched the win.

Worth finished with his fourth straight 100-yard rushing performance and fifth of the season.

Navy actually punted once, but it was wiped out after a replay because Notre Dame had 12 men on the field. Instead of punting, the Midshipmen kept the drive alive and capped it with Worth’s second rushing TD and his 15th of the season.

DeShone Kizer threw three touchdown passes for Notre Dame, which now needs to win out against Army, Virginia Tech and USC to become bowl eligible.

Mississippi State 35, No. 4 Texas A&M 28

Nick Fitzgerald ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns, Aeris Williams ran for a career-high 140 yards as the Bulldogs used a dominant ground game to pull off the upset in Starkville, Miss.

It was a stunning win for Mississippi State (4-5, 2-3 Southeastern Conference), which was coming off an uninspiring 56-41 win over lower-level Samford. The Bulldogs had lost their previous three games against FBS competition.

It was an equally stunning loss for Texas A&M. The Aggies were ranked No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday, but will now almost certainly tumble out of contention.

Mississippi State finished with 365 yards rushing. The Bulldogs’ biggest drive was a grinding 14-play, 73-yard push in the fourth quarter that ended with Fitzgerald running for a four-yard touchdown for a 35-21 lead.

Texas A&M (7-2, 4-2) not only lost the game, but possibly its starting quarterback. Trevor Knight was knocked out of the game in the second quarter with an apparent right shoulder injury and didn’t return.

Arkansas 31, No. 11 Florida 10

Rawleigh Williams rushed for 148 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Arkansas to their first win over the Gators since 1982 with the win Fayetteville, Ark.

The win is the first Southeastern Conference victory over the Gators for the Razorbacks (6-3, 2-3 SEC), who had lost nine straight to Florida since joining the league in 1992.

Arkansas’ last victory over the Gators (6-2, 4-2, No. 11 CFP) came in the 1982 Bluebonnet Bowl.

Williams finished with 26 carries for the Razorbacks, topping the 100-yard rushing mark for the fifth time this season. Austin Allen added 243 yards through the air and was 15-of-26 passing with a touchdown for Arkansas.

Santos Ramirez returned an interception 24 yards for the opening touchdown for the Razorbacks, who outgained Florida 466-241 in total yardage. The Gators only touchdown came on an interception return for a score by Duke Dawson, and they were held to a season-low 12 yards rushing on 14 carries.

No. 2 Clemson 54, Syracuse 0

Deshaun Watson threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third before leaving the rout of the visiting Orange because of a bruised shoulder.

Tigers Coach Dabo Swinney said Watson’s injury was not serious and the team announced after halftime their junior Heisman Trophy contender could return if needed. With the Tigers up 30-0 at the half, it was hardly necessary and Watson spent the final two quarters high-fiving teammates and chatting up coaches while Clemson improved to 9-0 for a second straight season.

Watson finished with 169 yards passing and 39 rushing to keep the Tigers (6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) on track for the ACC title game. They can clinch the ACC Atlantic Division next week against Pitt.

Syracuse (4-5, 2-3) had hoped to catch Clemson napping after the Tigers’ dramatic, 37-34 win at Florida State last week. However, any upset chances left once Orange quarterback Eric Dungey was knocked out in the first-quarter following a hard hit by linebacker Dorian O’Daniel.

No. 3 Michigan 59, Maryland 3

Wilton Speight finished with a career-high 362 yards after accounting for three touchdowns in the first half, helping the Wolverines build a huge lead before coasting to the victory at Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Wolverines (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) scored touchdowns on all five of their drives in the first half.

The Terrapins (5-4, 2-4) hit the right upright on a field goal, came up 1 yard short of a TD at the end of the first half and failed to convert a trio of fourth downs.

Speight, cool in the pocket and crafty with his feet when he had to move, completed 19 of 24 passes and had a 10-yard TD run. He set a first-half school record with 292 yards passing, connecting on 13 of 16 passes before halftime. De’Veon Smith had a season-high 114 yards rushing and a career-high three TDs.

No. 6 Ohio State 62, No. 10 Nebraska 3

Curtis Samuel had 178 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard scoring reception on the Buckeyes’ first play of the second half during the rout in Columbus, Ohio.

After three straight weeks of close games and inconsistent offense, the Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) put forth their best performance of the season, led 31-3 at the half and handed the Cornhuskers (7-2, 4-2) their most lopsided loss since 2004.

Damon Webb got it started with a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown on Nebraska’s first drive of the game. J.T. Barrett led three long touchdown drives, including a 15-play, 85-yarder that ended with 1-yard jump TD pass to Samuel with 3 seconds left in the half.

Nebraska lost quarterback Tommy Armstrong to a scary head injury in the second quarter, when the senior slammed the side of his helmet on the turf after being knocked out of bounds. Armstrong was taken from the stadium in an ambulance, but returned to the sideline in sweats in the third quarter.

No. 7 Louisville 52, Boston College 7

Lamar Jackson ran for three touchdowns and threw for four more in three quarters to lead the Cardinals to the win in Boston.

Jackson ran for a 69-yard score on the game’s third play and added rushing TDs of 13 and 53 yards in the second half. The Heisman Trophy favorite also threw for TDs from 30, 44 and 10 yards out on drives of five, four and one play to give the Cardinals a 28-0 lead just two snaps into the second quarter.

Despite leaving the game briefly in the first half with cramps, Jackson ran 15 times for 185 yards to become the first quarterback in school history to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 231 yards.

It was the third time this season he has accounted for seven or more touchdowns. No other player in FBS has done it more than once.

Jackson went to the bench for the last two possessions of the first half with that the school said was arm cramps but returned to start the second. He left after three quarters with the Cardinals (7-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) leading 52-7.

Tyler Rouse scored from 39 yards out on a screen pass from Patrick Towles to give Boston College (4-5, 1-5) its only score. The Eagles were coming off a victory over North Carolina State that was their first ACC win in almost two years.

No. 8 Wisconsin 21, Northwestern 7

Corey Clement ran for 106 yards and a touchdown and Jazz Peavy scored on a 46-yard run to help the Badgers win at Evanston, Ill.

Conor Sheehy forced a big fumble when he sacked Clayton Thorson with the Wildcats (4-5, 3-3 Big Ten) threatening early in the fourth quarter.

That led to Clements’ 2-yard TD run that made it a 14-point game and preserved the third straight win for the Badgers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten). It also gave them a rare victory at Northwestern after they jumped back into the Top 10 by beating Nebraska in overtime last week.

Clement had 32 carries — three shy of his career high.

No. 9 Auburn 23, Vanderbilt 16

An injured Sean White came off the bench to throw a touchdown pass and Josh Holsey intercepted a last-minute throw to lift the Tigers to a come-from-behind win over the visiting Commodores.

The Tigers (7-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) sputtered after starting John Franklin III in place of White, who had an unspecified injury. White returned to open the second half with Auburn down 13-10, then threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton and led two field goal drives.

The win coupled with Mississippi State’s upset of Texas A&M means Auburn can win the SEC West with victories over Georgia and No. 1 Alabama.

Vandy (4-5, 1-4) stayed alive into the final minute against the 26-point favorites thanks to Caleb Scott’s 29-yard catch of a tipped ball on fourth and 18. The Commodores moved to Auburn’s 30 before Holsey’s interception put it away.

No. 12 Penn State 41, Iowa 14

Saquon Barkley accounted for 211 all-purpose yards, scored two touchdowns and the host Nittany Lions won their fifth straight Big Ten game for the first time since 2011.

Trace McSorley completed 11 of 18 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns and added 40 rushing yards and another score for the Nittany Lions.

The Nittany Lions (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) scored on seven of 11 possessions and kept the pressure on after leading 24-7 at halftime. Barkley scored on a 57-yard run and caught a 44-yard touchdown pass.

C.J. Beathard completed 18 of 26 passes for 204 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for the Hawkeyes (5-4, 3-3). He was sacked four times.

Texas Christian 62, No. 17 Baylor 22

Kyle Hicks ran for a career-high 192 yards with five touchdowns as the Horned Frogs handed the Bears their worst home loss since 2005.

It came on a day in Waco when the Bears wore all-black uniforms, as selected by the seniors, and there were black T-shirts sold outside supporting former coach Art Briles.

The Bears (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) have lost consecutive games since a 6-0 start. TCU (5-4, 3-3) entered the game after losing back-to-back games for the first time since 2013.

Hicks’ five TD were one short of LaDainian Tomlinson’s school record set in November 1999, when he ran for 406 yards against UTEP in what was then the single-game major college record.

No. 18 Oklahoma State 43, Kansas State 37

Mason Rudolph passed for 457 yards and five touchdowns, Chris Carson provided the go-ahead score and the Cowboys picked off Jesse Ertz’s pass to the end zone on the final play of the game to preserve the win in Manhattan, Kan.

The Cowboys (7-2, 5-1) kept their Big 12 title hopes alive thanks to a critical stop on third and inches early in the fourth quarter. They trailed 37-28 at that point, and an 82-yard touchdown pass from Rudolph to James Washington, and Carson’s 17-yard scoring run wiped that away.

Kansas State (5-4, 3-3) got the ball back with 1:39 left and quickly marched downfield. But after converting on fourth and five to remain alive, an offensive pass interference penalty pushed them back to the 13 with 4 seconds to go. Ertz’s wobbler was picked off by Jordan Sterns to end the game.

Jesse Ertz ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns, but he was just 12 of 18 for 87 yards through the air as the Wildcats finished with 345 yards rushing. Duke Shelley returned an interception for another touchdown.

No. 19 Virginia Tech 24, Duke 21

Adonis Alexander returned a blocked field goal 75 yards for a touchdown as the Hokies remained in control of the ACC’s Coastal Division race with the win at Durham, N.C.

Travon McMillian ran 14 yards for a TD and Jerod Evans passed for 192 yards and scored on a 7-yard run, carrying three Duke defenders along for the ride, for the Hokies (7-2, 5-1).

Daniel Jones pulled Duke within three points with his second touchdown run of the game, a 2-yarder with 7:10 to play.

No. 20 West Virginia 48, Kansas 21

Skyler Howard threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores to help the Cavaliers hand the Jayhawks their 40th straight road loss.

Justin Crawford ran for 129 yards and a score, and freshman Kennedy McKoy had 127 yards for the Mountaineers (7-1, 4-1 Big 12, No. 20 CFP). The pair shared the rushing load in place of Rushel Shell, who missed the game with an ankle injury sustained a week ago.

West Virginia bounced back from a 37-20 loss at Oklahoma State by piling up 605 yards of offense against the Jayhawks (1-8, 0-6). Kansas has lost 18th straight conference games.

No. 21 North Carolina 48, Georgia Tech 20

Elijah Hood ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns to help the Tar Heels pick up the win in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Tar Heels (7-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) piled up 636 total yards. They had a season-high 283 on the ground and scored the game’s final 21 points.

Hood had plenty of room to run, breaking into the secondary untouched on several carries between the tackles.

Mitch Trubisky passed for 329 yards and a touchdown as North Carolina beat Georgia Tech for the third consecutive year — the first time that’s happened since 1992-94.

Justin Thomas passed for 184 yards and a touchdown for the Yellow Jackets (5-4, 2-4). He also rushed for 82 yards before suffering an upper-body injury near the end of a 21-yard run late in the third quarter.

No. 22 Florida State 24, North Carolina State 20

Deondre Francois threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Travis Rudolph with 3:09 left at Raleigh, N.C., to help the Seminoles rally for the win.

Francois threw for 330 yards while Dalvin Cook ran for a touchdown on an otherwise quiet night for the Seminoles (6-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).

The Seminoles came up with a final stop, forcing Ryan Finley to overthrow Nyheim Hines on fourth down after the Wolfpack (4-5, 1-4) had driven near the red zone with about 2 minutes left.

Hines had a career-best 11 catches for 124 yards for the Wolfpack.