Bearcats stay perfect to close in on playoff
GREENVILLE, N.C. — Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes as No. 4 Cincinnati, aiming to maintain its position among the top four in the College Football Playoff rankings, completed a perfect regular season by beating East Carolina 35-13 in an American Athletic Conference matchup Friday afternoon.
The Bearcats (12-0, 8-0) are trying to become the first team from a Group of Five conference to compete in the four-team CFP. They’ll host Houston next week in the AAC title contest, their last game before the final playoff rankings are revealed.
Ridder was 17-for-28 for 301 yards with two interceptions, Alec Pierce had eight catches for 136 yards and Jerome Ford rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown. This outcome, though, was largely achieved because of Cincinnati’s defense, which held East Carolina (7-5, 5-3) to 282 yards, including just 54 on the ground.
On special teams, Arquon Bush blocked a field-goal attempt and Ahmad Gardner returned the ball 60 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown to make it 28-6.
› No. 25 Arkansas 34, Missouri 17
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — KJ Jefferson passed for 262 yards and a touchdown, scored on a 58-yard run and led Arkansas (8-4, 4-4 SEC) to points on four straight drives in the final two quarters to turn a four-point halftime lead to 18 with less than 12 minutes left. Treylon Burks was his biggest help, catching seven passes for 129 yards and a touchdown.
The Razorbacks hadn’t beaten Missouri since 2015, which had been the most recent season the program was eligible for a bowl until this year, and their eight wins are their most in the regular season since 2011.
Missouri (6-6, 3-5), which finished the regular season at .500 for the third straight year, managed just 316 yards of total offense, including 219 rushing yards on 41 carries by Tyler Badie, who scored the Tigers’ only touchdown with 1:25 left. The visitors were largely beaten by big plays as the Arkansas offense averaged 8 yards per play to Missouri’s 4.2.
› No. 17 Iowa 28, Nebraska 21
LINCOLN, Neb. — The Hawkeyes won this border battle for the seventh straight year, along with the Heroes Trophy, sealing a comeback victory when Jermari Harris intercepted a pass at their 2-yard line with 43 seconds to play. Iowa trailed by 15 points in the third quarter, and the visitors’ first lead in the game didn’t come until Spencer Petras ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 2:58 left.
The Hawkeyes (10-2, 7-2) stayed alive in the Big Ten West Division race and now need Minnesota to beat Wisconsin on Saturday to go to the conference championship game next weekend in Indianapolis.
The loss was another gut punch to Nebraska (3-9, 1-8) in its worst season since 1957. The Cornhuskers, who won’t go to a bowl for a fifth straight year, finished with losses in six straight games and eight of nine. Their nine losses were by a total of 56 points.
› No. 22 San Diego State 27, Boise State 16
CARSON, Calif. — Jordon Brookshire led San Diego State to 24 unanswered points after replacing Lucas Johnson behind center late in the first half, and the Aztecs clinched the Mountain West Conference’s West Division title.
Brookshire passed for 192 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 46 yards and another score for the Aztecs (11-1, 7-1), who celebrated at their temporary home in the Los Angeles suburbs after completing their first 11-win regular season in 99 years of football. The Aztecs, who have never had a 12-win season, will host the Mountain West title game on Dec. 4, against Air Force or Utah State.
San Diego State erased an early 13-point deficit, and its vaunted defense shut out the Broncos (7-5, 5-3) over the final 38 minutes.
› No. 16 Utah 28, Colorado 13
SALT LAKE CITY — Cameron Rising threw three touchdown passes and Tavion Thomas ran for 142 yards and a score as the Utes (9-3, 8-1 Pac12) rushed for 265 yards and held Colorado (4-8, 3-6 Pac-12) to 148 yards of total offense with the Pac-12 title game looming. T.J. Pledger added 103 yards on the ground for Utah, which had already clinched the South Division title and won for the fifth straight game.
The Buffaloes exploited the Utes’ weak link — special teams — with a blocked field-goal attempt in the first quarter and an electrifying 100-yard touchdown return by Nikko Reed to open the second half and get within 14-13. Colorado’s offense couldn’t get going, though, as quarterback Brendon Lewis was harassed all game and sacked four times while finishing 9-of23 passing for 84 yards.
› No. 8 Ole Miss 31, Mississippi State 21
STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Rebels scored 21 straight points on a windy, rainy and cold Thursday night to beat Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl, the annual rivalry showdown of the Magnolia State’s two SEC programs.
Junior quarterback Matt Corral, who has already declared for the NFL draft, helped Ole Miss (10-2, 6-2) overcome an early 6-3 deficit for a 24-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. He ran for a touchdown and was 25-of-33 passing for 229 yards with an interception.
The Rebels totaled 388 yards of offense, with Snoop Conner scoring twice on 1-yard runs during the decisive outburst and rushing for 60 yards on 16 carries in the game. Dontario Drummond had 13 catches for 133 yards, and Jerrion Ealy’s 15-yard run made it 31-13 with 5:35 left.
Mississippi State’s Will Rogers was 38-of-58 for 336 yards with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Walley in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs (7-5, 4-4) added an 11-yard touchdown run by Jo’quavious Marks with 2:27 remaining but could not pull within single digits despite 420 yards of total offense.