Georgia picks apart Florida
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jake Fromm picked apart Florida’s defense for the second straight year and No. 8 Georgia beat the sixth-ranked Gators 24-17 in the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” on Saturday.
Fromm completed 20 of 30 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns, including a 52-yarder to an uncovered Lawrence Cager in the fourth quarter. Fromm also threw a TD pass in the first half, his fourth on third down in two years against the Gators.
Cager finished with seven receptions for 132 yards, both career highs.
D’Andre Swift added 86 yards rushing to help the Bulldogs (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) move a step closer to winning the SEC’s Eastern Division for the third consecutive year and strengthen their College Football Playoff resume.
The Gators (7-2, 4-2) looked lost on both sides of the ball most of the afternoon.
Still, Kyle Trask escaped a collapsing pocket and found Van Jefferson for a 23-yard touchdown pass in the fourth that made it a one-score game. But Georgia answered with Cager’s catch and run.
Trask brought Florida back again with a 2-yard TD pass to Freddie Swain , making it a seven-point game with 3:11 remaining.
But Fromm essentially ended any chance of a comeback with a 22-yard completion to Eli Wolf on third down.
NOTRE DAME 21, VIRGINIA TECH 20
Ian Book ran 7 yards for a touchdown with 29 seconds left to cap an 18-play, 87-yard drive to rally Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
The Fighting Irish (6-2) committed three turnovers deep in Virginia Tech territory, including a fumble at the goal line that Divine Deablo returned 98 yards to tie it at 14 with 9 seconds left in the first half.
The Irish trailed by six with 3:19 remaining and the ball at its 13.
Book led a methodical drive, converting two fourth downs, including a fourth-and-10 from the Tech 33 for 26 yards to Chase Claypool that gave the Irish first-and-goal from the 7. After two incomplete passes, Notre Dame caught Virginia Tech in a blitz. Book ran away from it and darted into the end zone.
CLEMSON 59, WOFFORD 14
Trevor Lawrence scored four touchdowns, Travis Etienne ran for 212 yards and two TDs and No. 4 Clemson won its 24th consecutive game, rolling over FCS opponent Wofford in Clemson, S.C.
UTAH 33, WASHINGTON 28
Tyler Huntley threw for one touchdown and ran for another, Jaylon Johnson returned an interception 39 yards for a score and Utah overcame an 11-point first-half deficit to keep alive its College Football Playoff hopes.
OREGON 56, USC 24
The Ducks were down 10-0 after the first quarter, but scored 28 secondquarter points and led
56-17 midway through the fourth quarter in Los Angeles, Calif. Justin Herbert was 21 of 26 for 225 yards with three touchdowns, and Juwan Johnson had seven catches for 106 yards and three touchdowns. Kedon Slovis was 32 of 57 for 264 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
AUBURN 20, MISSISSIPPI 14
Bo Nix passed for a career-high 340 yards and had a 1-yard touchdown for Auburn, which mostly dominated on the stat sheet but struggled to put the 19-point underdogs away after repeated stalled drives and three missed field goals.
MICHIGAN 38, MARYLAND 7
Giles Jackson returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, and Michigan, coming off its 31-point rout of Notre Dame last week, used freshman Zach Charbonnet’s two first-half scoring runs to pull away from fading Maryland in College Park, Md.
CINCINNATI 46, EAST CAROLINA 43
Sam Crosa kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired to lift Cincinnati. Desmond Ridder threw for 161 yards and a touchdown, rushed for 146 more and led the winning drive in the final 1:10 for the East Division-leading Bearcats.
KANSAS STATE 38, KANSAS 10
Skylar Thompson ran for 127 yards and three touchdowns, Harry Trotter added 92 yards rushing and another score, and Kansas State romped over Kansas in Lawrence, Kan.
WAKE FOREST 44,
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 10
Jamie Newman returned from injury to throw for three touchdowns and run for two more for Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. Newman’s status was uncertain, but the Demon Deacons dominated.