Clemson drops Louisville
Watson takes QB duel with Jackson
Deshaun Watson threw for five touchdowns, including two in the final seven minutes, as No. 5 Clemson rallied for a 4236 victory over No. 3 Louisville after the Tigers lost an 18-point lead to Lamar Jackson and the high-flying Cardinals last night in Clemson, S.C.
The Tigers (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) looked like they had this one wrapped up before halftime, scoring four TDs in the second quarter to lead 28-10 at the break. Then “Action” Jackson got moving and the Cardinals (4-1, 2-1) scored on five consecutive possessions to take a 36-28 lead with 7:50 left.
Artavis Scott began Clemson’s comeback with a 77-yard kickoff return and Watson found Mike Williams for a 20-yard scoring pass two plays later. Clemson forced Louisville to punt for the only time in the second half and Watson guided the game-winning drive, ending on a 31-yard TD catch by Jordan Leggett.
Jackson had one last surge, leading Louisville to Clemson’s 9. But James Quick was knocked out of bounds by safety Van Smith on fourth down with 33 seconds left to seal the win. Alabama 34, Kentucky 6— Jalen Hurts threw two third-quarter touchdown passes to Calvin Ridley and Ronnie Harrison scored on a 55-yard fumble return as the No. 1 Crimson Tide (50, 2-0 SEC) whacked the Wildcats (2-3, 1-2) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Alabama overcame a week full of potential distractions and a slow start to run away from Kentucky.
Ohio St. 58, Rutgers 0 — J.T. Barrett broke the school record for career touchdown passes with the third of his four TD tosses, OSU’s stifling defense forced punts on each of its 10 drives and the No. 2
Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) romped the Scarlet Knights (2-3, 0-2) in Columbus, Ohio.
Michigan 14, Wisconsin 7— Wilton Speight threw a tiebreaking, 46-yard touchdown pass to Amara Darboh midway through the fourth quarter and Jourdan Lewis had a spectacular, one-handed interception as the No. 4 Wolverines (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) held on to beat the No. 8 Badgers (4-1, 1-1) in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Texas A&M 24, South Carolina 13 — Trevor Knight threw for 206 yards and ran for 84 more, leading the No. 9 Aggies (5-0, 3-0 SEC) past the Gamecocks (2-3, 1-3) in Columbia, S.C.
Tennessee 34, Georgia 31 — In Athens, Ga., Jauan Jennings hauled in a 43yard Hail Mary from Joshua Dobbs on the final play, giving the No. 11 Volunteers (5-0, 2-0 SEC) a stunning victory over the No. 25 Bulldogs (3-2, 1-2) after the hosts appeared to win on a long TD pass of its own with 10 seconds remaining.
North Carolina 37, Florida St. 35 — In Tallahassee, Fla., Nick Weiler made a 54-yard field goal as time expired to give the Tar Heels (4-1, 2-0 ACC) a win over the No. 12 Seminoles (3-2, 0-2), snapping FSU’s 22-game home winning streak.
Baylor 45, Iowa St. 42 — Chris Callahan hit a 19-yard field goal as time expired and the No. 13 Bears (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) rallied from 14 down in the fourth quarter to edge the Cyclones (1-4, 0-2) in Ames, Iowa.
Miami 35, Georgia Tech 21 — Shaquille Quarterman and Joe Jackson each returned fumbles by GT quarterback Justin Thomas for touchdowns in a span of less than 1 minute in the second quarter and the No. 14 Hurricanes (4-0, 1-0 ACC) handled the Yellow Jackets (3-2, 1-2) in Atlanta.
Nebraska 31, Illinois 16 — Terrell Newby ran for 113 of his 140 yards and scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and the No. 15 Cornhuskers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) got a scare from the Illini (1-3, 0-1) before winning in Lincoln, Neb.
Mississippi 48, Memphis 28 — Chad Kelly threw for 361 yards, Eugene Brazley ran for a career-high 124 yards and two touchdowns and the No. 16 Rebels (3-2)
pulled away late to top the Tigers (3-1) in Oxford, Miss.
Indiana 24, Michigan St. 21 — Quarterback Richard Lagow caught a touchdown pass, threw for two more and took advantage of a second chance in overtime to set up Griffin Oakes for a 20-yard field goal as the Hoosiers (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
outlasted the No. 17 Spartans (2-2, 0-2) in Bloomington, Ind.
California 28, Utah 23 — Davis Webb threw four touchdown passes and the Golden Bears (3-2, 1-1 Pac12) stopped Zach Moss from the 1-yard line on the final play to win their second straight matchup against a ranked opponent, besting the No. 18 Utes (4-1, 1-1) in Berkeley, Calif.
South Alabama 42, San Diego St. 24 — Cole Garvin threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns and the Jaguars 3-2) upended the No. 19 Aztecs (3-1) in Mobile, Ala.
Arkansas 52, Alcorn St. 10 — Austin Allen completed 13-of-18 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns as the No. 20 Razorbacks (4-1) drilled the FCS Braves (1-3) in Little Rock, Ark.
Oklahoma 52, TCU 46 — Baker Mayfield made up for two lost fumbles with four touchdowns, running for two and throwing two to Dede Westbrook, and the Sooners (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) held on to drop the No. 21 Horned Frogs (3-2, 1-1) in Fort Worth, Texas.
Oklahoma St. 49, Texas 31 — Mason Rudolph passed for 392 yards and three touchdowns to help the Cowboys (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) drop the No. 22 Longhorns (2-2, 0-1) in Stillwater, Okla.
Florida 13, Vanderbilt 6 — Jordan Scarlett ran for a 4-yard touchdown with Eddy Pineiro adding a pair of field goals as the No. 23 Gators (4-1, 2-1 SEC) held off the Commodores (2-3, 0-2) in Nashville, Tenn.