Watson injured in Clemson rout
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson left the game with a bruised right shoulder after getting tackled in the second quarter of a 54-0 shutout of Syracuse.
Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said at halftime the injury didn’t appear serious, calling it a “shoulder stinger.” The team announced Watson would not start the second half, but was available to play if needed.
That seemed unlikely with Clemson up 30-0 on the Orange at halftime.
Watson was injured after he picked up 13 yards on a run and was brought down by Davion Ellison and Rodney Williams. Watson threw an incomplete pass on the next play before coming out of the game. His shoulder was looked at by a trainer for a few moments before he was walked into the locker room.
Earlier, Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey left the game after he was hit hard by Clemson linebacker Dorian O’Daniel. Dungey returned to the sidelines in shorts, a t-shirt and baseball cap.
Watson completed 13 of 16 passes for 169 yards and two TDs. He also ran for a 1-yard touchdown.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 35, NO. 7 TEXAS A&M 28 >>
Nick Fitzgerald ran for 182 yards and two touchdowns, Aeris Williams added a careerhigh 140 yards and Mississippi State upset No. 7 Texas A&M 35-28 on Saturday.
Mississippi State (4-5, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) was coming off an uninspiring 56-41 win over lower-level Samford. The Bulldogs had lost their previous three games against FBS competition.
It was an equally stunning loss for Texas A&M. The Aggies were ranked No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday, but will now almost certainly tumble out of contention.
NO. 5 LOUISVILLE 52, BOSTON COLLEGE 7 >>
Lamar Jackson ran for three touchdowns and threw for four more in three quarters to lead Louisville past Boston College.
Jackson had a 69-yard scoring run on the game’s third play and added rushing TDs of 13 and 53 yards in the second half. The Heisman Trophy favorite had TD pass of 30, 44 and 10 yards out on drives of five, four and one play to give the Cardinals (8-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 7 CFP) a 28-0 lead two snaps into the second quarter.
Despite leaving the game briefly in the first half with cramps, Jackson ran 15 times for 185 yards to become the first quarterback in school history to run for more than 1,000 yards in a season. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 231 yards.
Tyler Rouse scored from 39 yards out on a screen pass from Patrick Towles to give Boston College (45, 1-5) its only score.
NO. 8 WISCONSIN 21, NORTHWESTERN 7 >>
Corey Clement ran for 106 yards and a touchdown, Jazz Peavy scored on a 46-yard run and Wisconsin beat Northwestern.
Conor Sheehy forced a big fumble when he sacked Clayton Thorson with the Wildcats (4-5, 3-3 Big Ten) threatening early in the fourth quarter.
That led to Clements’ 2-yard TD run that made it a 14-point game and preserved the third straight win for the Badgers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten, No. 8 CFP). It also gave them a rare victory at Northwestern after they jumped back into the Top 10 by beating Nebraska in overtime last week.
NO. 11 AUBURN 23, VANDERBILT 16 >>
The injured Sean White came off the bench to throw a touchdown pass and Josh Holsey intercepted a last-minute throw to lift Auburn past Vanderbilt.
The Tigers (7-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 9 CFP) sputtered after starting John Franklin III in place of White, who had an unspecified injury. White returned to open the second half with Auburn down 13-10, then threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton and led two field goal drives.
The win coupled with Mississippi State’s upset of No. 7 Texas A&M means Auburn can win the SEC West with victories over Georgia and No. 1 Alabama.
Vandy (4-5, 1-4) stayed alive into the final minute against the 26-point favorites thanks to Caleb Scott’s 29-yard catch of a tipped ball on fourth-and-18. The Commodores moved to Auburn’s 30 before Holsey’s interception put it away.
NO. 18 NORTH CAROLINA 48, GEORGIA TECH 20 >>
Elijah Hood ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns for North Carolina.
The Tar Heels (7-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 21 CFP) piled up 636 total yards. They had a season-high 283 on the ground and scored the game’s final 21 points.
Mitch Trubisky passed for 329 yards and a touchdown as North Carolina beat Georgia Tech for the third consecutive year — the first time that’s happened since 1992-94.
Justin Thomas passed for 184 yards and a touchdown for the Yellow Jackets (5-4, 2-4).
He also rushed for 82 yards before suffering an upper-body injury in the third quarter. Dedrick Mills rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown for Georgia Tech.