Ohio State’s Haskins shines; Rocky is undervalued

Here are some of Saturday’s stars and takeaways:

■ Dwayne Haskins Jr., Ohio State, passed for a career-best 455 yards and six TDs as the No. 3 Buckeyes pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Indiana 49-26.

■ Devlin Hodges, Samford, accounted for 586 yards and six TD passes while setting three school records in a 66-28 win over Western Carolina.

■ Laviska Shenault, Colorado, caught 13 passes for 127 yards and scored four TDs to help 21stranked Buffaloes beat Arizona State 28-21.

■ Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, passed for 334 yards and four TDs as the No. 1 Crimson Tide ran its winning streak against Arkansas to 12 with a 65-31 win.

■ Clayton Thorson, Northwestern, threw for 373 yards and three TDs to help the Wildcats beat No. 20 Michigan State 29-19.

■ Travis Etienne, Clemson, rushed for 167 yards and three TDs to help the No. 4 Tigers rout Wake Forest 63-3.

■ Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss, passed for 374 yards and accounted for five TDs in a 70-21 win over Louisiana-Monroe.

■ Chandler Burks, Kennesaw State, rushed for four scores and passed for another in a 56-0 victory over Presbyterian.

■ Anthony Lawrence, San Diego, threw for 354 yards and five TDs in a 51-34 win over Morehead State.

NO LONGER SEC LEAST: No. 5 LSU joined the Sooners as a previously unbeaten team.

The Tigers lost a slugfest at No. 22 Florida . The magic wore off LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who threw the first two interceptions of his career in the last two minutes of the game.

Dan Mullen and the Gators, along with No. 13 Kentucky, are leading a revival in the SEC East that could make No. 2 Georgia’s anticipated march to the division title much tougher than expected. Thanks to Florida’s victories against Mississippi State and LSU, the SEC East is 3-1 against the West after Kentucky’s OT loss at Texas A&M.

Unbeaten Georgia goes to LSU next weekend. The Bulldogs take a week off after Death Valley before getting Florida in Jacksonville, and then go to Kentucky on Nov. 3.

Consider for a moment, on the same day Alabama plays at LSU, the biggest game in the SEC could be Georgia-Kentucky for first in the SEC East. SMOOTH SAILING? No. 6 Notre Dame pulled away from No. 24 Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium in what could very well be the last time the Fighting Irish play against a ranked team this season.

Their remaining opponents have a combined 17-16 record. But the last five weeks could still be a problem for the Irish, who play only once in South Bend after next week’s game against Pitt. Following an open date on Oct. 20, Notre Dame plays Navy in San Diego, then at Northwestern and against Florida State at home. Then they go to New York to play Syracuse at Yankee Stadium before the finale at Southern Cal.

Not ideal.

AROUND THE COUNTRY: Nothing in college football swings like the mood of Auburn fans. Their Tigers are either a national championship contender or their coach should be fired after an ugly loss such as Saturday’s 23-9 defeat by Mississippi State. The current coach just signed a 7-year, $49 million contract … without its starting quarterback and running back, San Diego State beat Boise State, which probably killed the Broncos’ chances of reaching a New Year’s Six bowl. SDSU’s Rocky Long might be the most undervalued coach in the country. … Looking for a running back to emerge in the Heisman race? Etienne is up to 761 yards and 11 touchdowns after ripping through Wake Forest . The sophomore is averaging 9.2 yards per carry. … Beware Iowa State with a thirdstring quarterback in the state of Oklahoma. The Cyclones knocked off No. 25 Oklahoma behind freshman Brock Purdy. Last season it was Kyle Kempt leading the Cyclones past the Sooners. The difference? Purdy, a three-star recruit from Arizona, looks like a player coach Matt Campbell can build his program around.