Jake Fromm threw two touchdown passes, and Georgia allowed just 21 rushing yards as the eighth-ranked Bulldogs defeated No. 6 Florida 24-17 on Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla.
Rodrigo Blankenship kicked three field goals for the Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1), who took possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference’s East Division with four weeks remaining in the regular season.
The decision virtually was sealed when Fromm teamed with tight end Eli Wolf for a 22-yard pass play on third-and-7 with over 2 minutes to go and Florida without a timeout. The Bulldogs ran out the clock.
Fromm completed 20 of 30 passes for 279 yards in beating Florida for the third straight year. Kyle Trask finished 21 of 33 for 257 yards and two TDs for the Gators (7-2, 4-2). He became the first Gators quarterback in 10 years to throw for two or more TDs against Georgia.
No. 4 Clemson 59, Wofford 14
Travis Etienne rushed for a career-high 212 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers rolled past the Terriers at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.
Etienne, a junior running back, scored on runs of 47 and 86 yards, giving him 48 for his career and eclipsing the school record for rushing touchdowns held by James Davis (47 from 2005-08).
Etienne amassed his yardage on only nine carries for an average of 23.6 yards per attempt and pushed his season total to 1,102 yards. He became the first player in Clemson history to have three 200-yard rushing games in a career.
No. 7 Oregon 56, USC 24
Justin Herbert threw three touchdown passes, rushed for a fourth score, and the Ducks rolled past the host Trojans.
Juwan Johnson caught all three of Herbert’s scoring passes, the second capping a drive in which Herbert briefly left the game. In a scary moment for the Ducks, the quarterback took a late, low hit and spent several moments on the turf before walking to the sideline under his own power.
Herbert completed 21 of 26 passes for 225 yards. Johnson caught seven passes for 106 yards. The Ducks’ defense picked off USC freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis three times.
No. 9 Utah 33, Washington 28
Tyler Huntley completed 19 of 24 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score as the Utes rallied to defeat the host Huskies in Seattle.
Zack Moss, the Utes’ all-time leading rusher, added 100 yards and a clinching touchdown on 27 carries. He also caught five passes for 41 yards and a score as Utah (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12) won its fifth straight game.
Washington (5-4, 2-4) blew a double-digit lead at home to a top-12 ranked team for the second straight game, after suffering a 35-31 loss to Oregon two weeks ago. Tight end Hunter Bryant led the Huskies with six catches for 105 yards and two scores.
No. 11 Auburn 20, Ole Miss 14
Freshman quarterback Bo Nix passed for a season-high 340 yards, and freshman running back D.J. Williams rushed for 75 of his game total 93 yards in the second half to key the Tigers’ victory over the Rebels.
The Tigers (7-2, 4-2 SEC) played without a pair of defensive starters, defensive end Marlon Davidson (back spasms) and safety Jeremiah Dinson (virus), but stifled a comeback bid by the Rebels (3-6, 2-4) when defensive back Christian Tutt intercepted quarterback John Rhys Plumlee’s fourth-down pass in the closing seconds.
The Tigers were up only a field goal at halftime but took command early in the second. Nix capped a 54-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter, and kicker Anders Carlson added a 38-yard field goal on the next series, giving the Tigers a 13-point cushion.
No. 14 Michigan 38, Maryland 7
Giles Jackson returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, and freshman Zach Charbonnet rushed for two touchdowns to lead the Wolverines over the Terrapins in College Park, Md.
The Michigan defense did the rest, holding Maryland without an offensive score and to 233 total yards.
The Wolverines (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) won for the fifth time in the past six games. The Terrapins (3-6, 1-5) have dropped four consecutive games and six of seven since a 2-0 start. Maryland’s only points came on Javon Leake’s 97-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.
No. 24 Memphis 54, No. 15 SMU 48
Brady White threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns as the host Tigers ended the Mustangs’ hopes of an unbeaten regular season.
Both teams are 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the American Athletic Conference West, but the Tigers bolstered their hopes of a third straight division title and a chance for the Group of Five’s berth in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day.
White completed 19 of 33 passes, hitting Antonio Gibson for a 50-yard scoring strike and Damonte Coxie for touchdowns of 24 and 49 yards. Gibson added a 97-yard kickoff return to start the second half and a 78-yard scoring run with 9:31 left in the game, finishing his night with 386 total yards (97 rushing, 130 receiving, 159 kickoff return).
No. 16 Notre Dame 21, Virginia Tech 20
Senior quarterback Ian Book rushed 7 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 29 seconds left as the Fighting Irish escaped with a win over the visiting Hokies in South Bend, Ind.
Book’s touchdown capped a wild comeback for Notre Dame (6-2), which trailed by six points when it took over at its 13-yard line with 3:22 remaining. The Fighting Irish converted a pair of fourth-down plays during the 18-play, 87-yard scoring drive, which extended their home winning streak to 16 games.
Hokies safety Divine Deablo had a 98-yard score on the longest ever fumble recovery for a touchdown against Notre Dame. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Virginia Tech (5-3).
No. 17 Cincinnati 46, East Carolina 43
Cornerback Ahmad Gardner scored a go-ahead pick-six late in the fourth quarter, and kicker Sam Crosa hit a 32-yard field goal on the game’s final play, as the Bearcats defeated the Pirates in Greenville, N.C.
The Bearcats (7-1, 4-0 AAC) were 24-point favorites, but got all they wanted from the Pirates (3-6, 0-5), who received career games from quarterback Holton Ahlers and receiver C.J. Johnson. Ahlers completed 32 of 52 passes for 535 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson caught 12 passes for 283 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Cincinnati’s offense kept pace. Running back Michael Warren II rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Desmond Ridder rushed for 153 yards on 12 carries. He also threw for 161 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
No. 21 Boise State 52, San Jose State 42
George Holani rushed for season highs of 126 yards and four touchdowns to help the Broncos rally past the host Spartans.
Hank Bachmeier returned from a one-game absence due to a hip injury to pass for 213 yards and one interception for the Broncos (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West). John Hightower caught five passes for 129 yards.
Josh Love passed for a season-best 438 yards and had two touchdown tosses and one interception for San Jose State (4-5, 1-4), which dropped to 0-13 all-time against Boise State. Tre Walker caught nine passes for a season-best 193 yards, Bailey Gaither had eight receptions for 110 yards and one score and DeJon Packer rushed for two touchdowns for the Spartans.
No. 22 Kansas State 38, Kansas 10
Skylar Thompson rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 129 yards as the Wildcats smothered the host Jayhawks in the first sellout since 2009 in Lawrence, Kan.
Playing without leading rusher James Gilbert, Kansas State (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) still powered for 342 yards on the ground. Only its own lack of execution prevented more points. The Wildcats, who became bowl eligible, were penalized 11 times for 113 yards. They crossed into Kansas territory eight times, generated 471 total yards and went 5 of 5 in the red zone.
The Jayhawks (3-6, 1-5), coming off two straight 500-yard performances, managed just 241 yards.
No. 23 Wake Forest 44, NC State 10
Jamie Newman returned from a one-game injury absence to throw for three touchdowns and rush for two more as the Demon Deacons throttled the visiting Wolfpack in Winston-Salem, N.C.
In his first game since Oct. 12, Newman completed 25 of 38 passes for 287 yards. He added 30 yards on the ground on 11 carries, and tight end Jack Freudenthal caught all three scoring passes.
Wake Forest (7-1, 3-1 ACC) is off to its best start since its 2006 ACC championship season. The Demon Deacons have won three straight in the series with NC State (4-4, 1-3), who fell behind quickly thanks to two first-quarter turnovers.
–Field Level Media
