Francois, Florida State too much for N. Illinois
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Deondre Francois threw for a seasonhigh 352 yards and two touchdown passes as Florida State used an efficient first-half offense en route to a 37-19 win overNorthern Illinois on Saturday.
Francois had his seventh career 300-yard day, completing 23 of 31 passes. The junior had a 78-yard touchdown pass to Tamorrion Terry and an 8-yard TD pass to Jacques Patrick.
Despite using a fourth different starting lineup on the offensive line, the Seminoles generated a season-high 473 yards against the Huskies. Florida State was at its best in the first half, generating four scoring drives as the Seminoles took a 20-7 lead.
The Seminoles (2-2) gave coach WillieTaggart his firstwin over an FBS opponent in 2018. Florida State’s other win came against Samford on Sept. 8.
Ricky Aguayo had made just one of four field-goal attempts coming into the game but connected on three kicks — from 50 yards and twice from 42 yards.
NIU’sMarcus Childers tossed a pair of touchdown passes, including a66-yardcatch-and-run toD.J. Brown. Childers also had an 11-yard touchdown run for the Huskies (1-3), who were forced to punt eight times and couldn’t convert a pair of fourth-down conversions.
Keith Gavin set career highs for catches (six) and receiving yards (93) in the first half for the Seminoles.
No. 8 Notre Dame 56, Wake Forest 27: At Winston-Salem, N.C., Ian Book rushed for three touchdowns and threw for two more inhis first start of the season, leading the Fighting Irish past Wake Forest.
Book replaced Brandon Wimbush in the starting lineup and was 25 of 34 for 325 yards with touchdown passes of 3 yards to BrockWright and 7 yards to Chase Claypool, along with three short scoring runs.
He helped the Irish (4-0) more than double their season high for scoring and roll up a season-best 566 total yards, surpassing the previous high midway through the third quarter.
No. 10 Penn State 63, Illinois 24: At Champaign, Miles Sanders set career highs by rushing for200 yards and three touchdowns, Trace McSorley threw for three TDsand ranfor a personal-best 92 yards, and the Nittany Lions scored 35 points in the fourth quarter Friday to pull away from Illinois.
Penn State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) scored the final 42 points after Illinois went up by three early in the third quarter, breaking it open after getting all it could handle from a team showing signs of a turnaround in coach Lovie Smith’s third season.
Illinois (2-2, 0-1) opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Sanders answered with a 48-yard scoring run , and Penn State put this one away with two TDs in the opening minute of the fourth. It was the Nittany Lions’ third straight game with more than 50 points.
Illinois’MJ Rivers, a true freshman, was 17 of 28 for 149 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his second start with AJ Bush nursing a hamstring injury. Reggie Corbin ran for 87 yards. Mike Epstein finished with 73 after back-to-back 100-yard rushing games.