Clemson survives QB injury
With new starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence knocked out of the game, No. 3 Clemson rallied behind Travis Etienne, who ran for a two-yard touchdown with 41 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lift the Tigers to a 27-23 victory Saturday against Syracuse in Clemson, South Carolina.
Etienne finished with three touchdowns and a career-high 203 yards rushing to bail out Clemson (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which went from having one too many starting-caliber quarterbacks earlier in the week to not enough by the second half against the Orange (4-1, 1-1).
Lawrence (10-for-15, 93 yards) left his first career start late in the second quarter with a concussion. He had been promoted to starter earlier in the week by coach Dabo Swinney in a move that prompted Kelly Bryant, who had started the first four games and led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff last season, to leave the team.
That left third-stringer Chase Brice to lead the comeback, and it looked bleak when quarterback Eric Dungey bulled his way in for a one-yard touchdown with 12:58 left to give Syracuse a 23-13 lead.
But Etienne’s 26-yard touchdown run with 11:08 left drew Clemson within a field goal before Brice directed a 94-yard scoring drive that Etienne capped with his touchdown run in the final minute to rescue the Tigers.
West Virginia 42, Texas Tech 34
Will Grier threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns, Keith Washington thwarted a rally with 51-yard interception return for another touchdown and the No. 12 Mountaineers (4-0, 2-0) held on to defeat the No. 25 Red Raiders (3-2, 1-1) in a Big 12 thriller in Lubbock, Texas.
West Virginia scored 28 points in the first quarter and led 35-10 at the break, but the second half belonged to Texas Tech. The Mountaineers’ only points after halftime came on Washington’s interception return that gave them a 42-27 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Georgia 38, Tennessee 12
D’Andre Swift and Justin Fields each ran for two touchdowns, and the No. 2 Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0) used a dominant defense to overcome a sluggish offensive start on their way to a Southeastern Conference victory against the Volunteers (2-3, 0-2) in Athens, Georgia.
Isaac Nauta added a 31-yard touchdown on a fumble return for Georgia, which held Tennessee to 209 yards of offense. The loss extended the Volunteers’ schoolrecord losing streak in conference games to 11, dating to a 63-37 victory against Missouri on Nov. 19, 2016.
Alabama 56, La.-Lafayette 14
Jaylen Waddle returned a punt for a touchdown and caught two touchdown passes, including a 94-yarder from third-string quarterback Mac Jones, to power the No. 1 Crimson Tide (5-0) to a rout of the Ragin’ Cajuns (1-3) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Tua Tagovailoa was 8-for-8 for 128 yards and two touchdowns and Jalen Hurts was 4-for-6 for 118 yards and a touchdown as Alabama opened a 49-0 halftime lead. The Crimson Tide have scored at least 45 points in five consecutive games for the first time in their history.
Oklahoma 66, Baylor 33
Kyler Murray sat out the first series, then came on to pass for 432 yards and six touchdowns to fuel the No. 6 Sooners (5-0, 2-0) to a Big 12 rout of the Bears (3-2, 1-1) in Norman, Oklahoma.
Austin Kendall opened the game behind center, but Murray entered on the second possession and played nearly flawlessly. His six touchdowns tied for the secondmost in school history behind Baker Mayfield’s seven against Texas Tech in 2016. Oklahoma wouldn’t say why Murray didn’t start.
Tennessee St. LB badly injured
Tennessee State linebacker Christion Abercrombie underwent emergency surgery in Nashville, Tennessee, after collapsing with an unspecified head injury late in the first half of a game against Vanderbilt. The school said he is in critical condition.