Cincinnati stays unbeaten after surviving UCF
Desmond Ridder three two touchdown passes and ran for two scores as No. 7 Cincinnati defeated host Central Florida 36-33 Saturday to head into the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings unbeaten.
The Bearcats (8-0, 6-0 American) fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter against their toughest opponent yet, but grabbed the lead by halftime.
Dillon Gabriel threw for 243 yards, three touchdowns and one interception as the Knights (5-3, 4-3) lost at home for the second time this season. UCF took a 25-22 lead in the third quarter with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Marlon Williams.
The interception Gabriel threw was costly for UCF.
Bearcats safety Darrick Forest picked off Gabriel’s pass early in the fourth quarter and returned it 20 yards to the Knights’ 16. Four plays later, a 1-yard sneak by Ridder gave UC a 29-25 lead with 13:07 remaining.
Rider passed for 338 yards and ran for 57.
Cincinnati used 10 plays to go 71 yards on its next possession to go up two scores. The Bearcats converted a fourth-and-1 at the UCF 26 and three plays later Ridder threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Leonard Taylor for a 36-25 lead with 7:15 remaining.
UCF made it 36-33 with 4:27 remaining on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Jaylon Robinson and a 2-point conversion pass to Jacob Harris
The Bearcats ran down all but one second of the clock, trying not score down near the goal line. Cincinnati was cutting it close and then an errant snap on fourth down gave everyone a jolt, but was recovered by Ridder. The Knights got one play from their 8 that went nowhere.
The first CFP rankings come out Tuesday night and the Bearcats are hoping to become the first team from outside the Power Five conferences to crack the top-10 in the selection committee’s first top 25 of the season.
The Knights have lost more conference games this season than the past three combined but they have come by a combined 12 points.
UCF will close out its regular season at USF on Friday.
A No. 1 Alabama 63, Kentucky 3: DeVonta Smith caught nine passes for 144 yards and set the Southeastern Conference career record with two more touchdowns in the host Crimson Tide’s lopsided victory over the shorthanded Wildcats.
Mac Jones passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns and Najee Harris ran for a pair of scores for the Crimson Tide (7-0 SEC), both in less than three quarters. A slow start turned into a breezy return from a threeweek layoff after LSU was forced to call off last week’s scheduled game because of COVID-19 troubles.
The outmanned Wildcats (3-5) were missing a number of key players because of injuries or coronavirus protocol. They were competitive early on the stat sheet, but it didn’t hold up particularly long on the scoreboard.
Smith broke Amari Cooper’s SEC and Alabama record with his 32nd touchdown catch, a 10-yarder from Jones in the second quarter.
A No. 3 Ohio State 42,
No. 9 Indiana 35: Master Teague ran for a career-high 169 yards and two touchdowns, Justin Fields accounted for three scores and the host Buckeyes (4-0) held off a comeback bid by Michael Penix Jr., Ty Fryfogle and the Hoosiers (4-1).
A No. 8 BYU 66, North Alabama 14: Tyler Allgeier ran for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns and the host Cougars (9-0) routed the overmatched Lions (0-4).
A No. 19 Northwestern
17, No. 10 Wisconsin 7: Peyton Ramsey threw two touchdown passes and the host Wildcats (5-0) shut down Graham Mertz and the Badgers (2-1) to take control of the Big Ten West.
A No. 11 Oregon 38,
UCLA 35: Tyler Shough threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns and the host Ducks (3-0) held off the short-handed Bruins (1-2) to remain undefeated.
A No. 15 Coastal Carolina 34, Appalachian State 23: Reese White scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 3-yard run with 2:24 to play, and the host Chants (6-0 Sun Belt Conference) continued their perfect 8-0 start with their first-ever win over the Mountaineers ( 6-2, 4-1).
A No. 17 Iowa State 45, Kansas State 0: Brock Purdy passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns and the host Cyclones (6-2) trounced the Wildcats (4-4, 4-3) for their most lopsided win over KState in 77 years.
STATE SCHOOLS
A Late Friday — FAU 24, UMass 2: Freshman Javion Posey passed for 203 yards and rushed for a 70-yard touchdown to help the host Owls beat the Minutemen in the first meeting between the schools. FAU (5-1) scored the first 21 points before Tanner Davis blocked a punt, resulting in a safety for UMass late in the third quarter. BJ Emmons scored on a 1-yard run and Nick Tronti connected with Brandon Robinson for a 13-yard score. Vladimir Rivas capped the scoring with a 30-yard field goal. Posey completed 13-of-27 passes and carried it 19 times for 90 yards in his second career start. Last week, he passed for two touchdowns and set a program record for rushing yards (182) in a game by a quarterback.
TJ Chase caught four passes for 79 yards for FAU. David Belvin III and Teja Young each made an interception.