Ferguson leads Memphis to upset of No. 25 UCLA
MEMPHIS 48, NO. 25 UCLA 45
MEMPHIS — UCLA and Josh Rosen came in with the reputation and the ranking. The Memphis Tigers thought it was time they got some respect and notoriety.
Rosen was unable to put together a fourth-quarter comeback like he did in the opener against Texas A&M, and Memphis beat the No. 25 Bruins 48-45 on Saturday. The nationally televised game showcased a Tigers program that is 2-0 and has beaten a ranked team in each of the last three seasons.
Riley Ferguson threw for 398 yards and six touchdowns, and Jacobi Francis broke up a late fourth-down pass to lead Memphis. Francis’ breakup with 56 seconds left sent the Tigers faithful into a celebration.
“They’ve been given nothing. They’ve had to earn everything they’ve ever gotten,” Memphis Coach Mike Norvell said about his team. “That’s what today’s about. It’s about going out there and when you get that opportunity and you put the work in, then you go out there and you make the play. That’s why I love this football [team].”
Rosen, considered one of the top quarterbacks in the country, was 34 of 56 for 463 yards and 4 touchdowns for the Bruins (2-1). But there also were two key interceptions.
For all of the hype about Rosen, Ferguson matched his counterpart, completing 23 of 38 passes for Memphis, and his connections with wide receiver Anthony Miller meant the difference. Miller caught 9 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns.
UCLA gave up big plays and turnovers, key ones that thwarted drives and led to Memphis scores, including a 60-yard interception return by linebacker Tim Hart in the third quarter.
Both teams managed to answer the opponents’ scores through the game. Memphis held a couple of 10-point leads, but UCLA went ahead 45-41 on Rosen’s 22-yard pass to Austin Roberts with 11:51 left.
Memphis responded with a four-play, 81-yard drive, the final 3 yards coming on Ferguson’s pass to Phil Mayhue with 9:56 left.
From there, it was up to the Tigers’ defense, which despite giving up 633 yards did not allow another touchdown.
NO. 2 OKLAHOMA 56, TULANE 14
NORMAN, Okla. — Baker Mayfield passed for 331 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Oklahoma followed its impressive victory at Ohio State with a victory over Tulane.
Oklahoma receiver CeeDee Lamb caught 4 passes for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns before he was ejected for targeting on a block in the second quarter. Marquise Brown had career highs of 6 catches for 155 yards, including an 87yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter for the Sooners (3-0).
The Sooners and Green Wave were tied at 14-14 in the second quarter before Oklahoma’s Parnell Motley returned an interception 77 yards for a touchdown to turn the momentum for good. Oklahoma extended its nation-leading victory streak to 13 games.
Tulane (1-2) scored on its first two drives and never scored again. Dontrell Hilliard ran for 104 yards and a touchdown to surpass 2,000 yards rushing in his career for the Green Wave.
NO. 8 OHIO STATE 38, ARMY 7
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Freshman J.K. Dobbins ran for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Ohio State rebounded from a deflating loss to rout Army.
Dobbins broke away for an electrifying 52-yard touchdown run to open the second half after romping for 22 yards on the previous play, extending Ohio State’s 17-7 halftime lead. The Buckeyes (2-1) then got touchdowns on two of their next three drives to pull away.
J.T. Barrett, the target this week of critics who suggested he should be benched after the 31-16 loss to Oklahoma, was 25 of 33 for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns.
NO. 10 WISCONSIN 40, BRIGHAM YOUNG 6
PROVO, Utah — Alex Hornibrook
threw for four touchdowns and 256 yards as No. 10 Wisconsin eased to a victory.
The Badgers (3-0) met little resistance as they put the game away in the first half and led 24-6 at halftime.
Hornibrook missed on only one pass all day. He completed 10 of 11 passes in the first half for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns. The second half was more of the same as he hit on all eight attempts. The sophomore put up career highs in passing yards, passing touchdowns and completions.
Jonathan Taylor gave the BYU defense fits as he repeatedly sidestepped defenders and finished runs with power. The freshman running back gained 128 yards and scored once on 18 rushes.
NO. 16 VIRGINIA TECH 64, EAST CAROLINA 17
GREENVILLE, N.C. — Redshirt freshman Josh Jackson threw for 372 yards and five touchdowns — three to Cam Phillips — to help Virginia Tech beat East Carolina.
Phillips had a program-record 14 catches for 189 yards to help the Hokies improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2011. He punctuated his day with a perfectly executed route that left him wide open, and Jackson hit him in stride for a 45-yard score with 7:46 left in the third quarter.
NO. 21 WASHINGTON ST. 52, OREGON STATE 23
PULLMAN, Wash. — Luke Falk threw six touchdown passes — three to Tavares Martin Jr. — and Washington State (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12) beat Oregon State for its fourth consecutive victory over the Beavers.
Falk, the FBS active leader with 98 touchdown passes, completed 37 of 49 passes for 396 yards without an interception. Martin had 10 catches for 194 yards.
Jake Luton threw for 179 yards for Oregon State (1-3, 0-1), but was carted off the field in the fourth quarter with an injury. The Beavers have lost 14 consecutive road games dating to 2014.