Cincinnati stays unbeaten
Ridder leads 8-0 Bearcats to victory at Central Florida
Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores as No. 7 Cincinnati defeated Central Florida 36-33 Saturday to head into the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings unbeaten.
The Bearcats (8-0, 6-0 American) fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter against their toughest opponent yet, but grabbed the lead by halftime.
Dillon Gabriel threw for 243 yards, three touchdowns and one interception as the Knights (5-3, 4-3) lost at home for the second time this season.
UCF took a 25-22 lead in the third quarter with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Marlon Williams.
The interception Gabriel threw was costly for UCF.
Bearcats safety Darrick Forest picked off Gabriel’s pass early in the fourth quarter and returned it 20 yards to the Knights’ 16. Four plays later, a 1-yard sneak by Ridder gave UC a 29-25 lead with 13:07 remaining.
Rider passed for 338 yards and ran for 57.
The first CFP rankings come out Tuesday night and the Bearcats are hoping to become the first team from outside the Power Five conferences to crack the top-10 in the selection committee’s first top 25 of the season.
Alabama 63, Kentucky 3:
Devonta Smith caught nine passes for 144 yards for No. 1 Alabama. Mac Jones passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns and Najee Harris ran for a pair of scores for the Crimson Tide (7-0 SEC).
Florida 38, Vanderbilt 17: Kyle Trask passed for 383 yards and three touchdowns and No. 6 Florida beat Vanderbilt. The Gators (6-1, 6-1 SEC) pulled into Vanderbilt Stadium an hour before kickoff already in uniform, hoping to avoid the visitors locker room as a coronavirus precaution. The Commodores (0-7, 0-7) opened the game by driving for a touchdown, but Trask helped get Florida on track, completing 26 of 35 passes to nine receivers.
BYU 66, North Alabama 14: Tyler Allgeier ran for a careerhigh 141 yards and two touchdowns and No. 8 BYU (9-0) routed North Alabama.
Oregon 38, UCLA 35: Tyler Shough threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns and No. 11 Oregon remained. At 3-0, Oregon solidified its spot atop the Pac-12 North. Devon Williams had six catches for 123 yards, including a 19-yarder for a score and a 49-yard reception that helped set up a thirdquarter score. UCLA (1-2) had several players out because of COVID-19 protocols and contact tracing, including starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Redshirt freshman Chase Griffin started.
Georgia 31, Mississippi State 24: JT Daniels made quite a debut between the hedges, throwing for 401 yards and four touchdowns as No. 13 Georgia (5-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) held on to beat Mississippi State (2-5, 2-5).
Oklahoma 41, Oklahoma State 13: Spencer Rattler passed for 301 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score to help No. 18 Oklahoma (6-2, 5-2 Big 12) beat No. 14 Oklahoma State (5-2, 4-2).
Coastal Carolina 34, Appalachian State 23: Reese White scored on a 3-yard run with 2:24 to play and No. 15 Coastal Carolina improved to 8-0 with its first victory over Appalachian State. The Chants (6-0 Sun Belt had lost all six previous games to the four-time defending Sun Belt champion Mountaineers. they held Appalachian State (6-2, 4-1) to just two field goals after falling behind 17-9 at halftime.
Iowa State 45, Kansas State 9: Brock Purdy passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns and No. 17 Iowa State beat Kansas State for its most lopsided win over the Wildcats in 77 years. Iowa State (6-2) improved to 6-1 in the Big 12.
N.C. State 15, Liberty 14: North Carolina State (6-3) blocked Alex Barbir’s 39-yard field goal attempt with 1:18 left to beat No. 21 Liberty (8-1).
Auburn 30, Tennessee 17: Smoke Monday returned an interception 100 yards for a TD as No. 23 Auburn (5-2, 5-2 SEC) beat 2-5 Tennessee.