Stroud tosses 6 TDs to lead Ohio St.; Michigan readies for rivalry with rout
C.J. Stroud lit up No. 7 Michigan State early and gave his coach the rare luxury of being able to let his mind wander to next week’s showdown with Michigan.
Stroud tied a school record with six touchdown passes — all in the first half — as No. 5 Ohio State bolted out to a 49-point halftime lead on the way to a startling 56-7 rout Saturday that eliminated the Spartans from the Big Ten East race.
Next up, the annual rivalry game and hatefest against No. 8 Michigan that may end up determining the winner of the division.
“We’ve got everything riding on this thing coming up right around the corner,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “And I got to tell you, the game wasn’t even over yet and I was thinking about it. There’s just so much going on here.”
Day should savor this one for at least a minute.
Stroud, who threw his first collegiate football pass less than three months ago, was 32 for 35 for 432 yards against the Spartans’ sketchy pass defense, which had allowed more yards through the air than any in major college football.
The redshirt freshman completed 17 straight passes, setting an Ohio State record, and positioned himself as maybe the Heisman Trophy favorite heading into the championship stretch of the season.
“My O-line did a great job the whole game,” he said. “I was back there chilling, in a sense.”
This is Stroud’s third 400-yard game in 10 career starts and his fourth game with at least five touchdown passes.
“You can see our capability,” Day said. “We’re playing really good football, clean football. We have a high ceiling.”
The Buckeyes scored on all seven first-half possession before backing off.
“We got blasted,” Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. “We were not able to eliminate the explosive plays on defense and were not able to execute on offense.”
Michigan State Heisman hopeful Kenneth Walker III, the nation’s leading rusher, was turned into a nonfactor by the Buckeyes. Walker, who rolled his ankle in last week’s win over Maryland, had just six carries for 25 yards.
“He’s a little banged up right now, so we’re gonna use the guys who can go,” Tucker said.
No. 8 Michigan 59, Maryland 18: Mike Sainristil made a one-handed catch in the end zone for a second-quarter touchdown, Hassan Haskins scored two TDs of his own, and the Wolverines did their part to raise the stakes of next weekend’s showdown with Ohio State, routing the host Terrapins.
The Wolverines (10-1, 7-1, No. 6 CFP) host the Buckeyes next week, and the winner will go to the Big Ten title game. Michigan hasn’t won the conference since 2004 and hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 2011. Maryland (5-6, 2-6) didn’t reach the end zone until Michigan was up 31-3 in the third quarter.
No. 1 Georgia 56, Charleston Southern 7: Standout defensive tackle Jordan Davis scored his first career touchdown and the host Bulldogs’ (11-0) defense was again dominant against the Buccaneers (4-6).
No. 2 Alabama 42, No. 21 Arkansas 35: Bryce Young passed for a schoolrecord 559 yards and five touchdowns and the host
AAACrimson Tide clinched a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game with a victory over the Razorbacks.
The Crimson Tide (10-1, 7-1, No. 2 CFP) won its 15th consecutive game against the Razorbacks (7-4, 3-4), thanks largely to the Young-to-Jameson Williams deep connection that continues to be the ultimate offensive bailout.
Alabama set up a date with No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta on Dec. 4 after a visit to rival Auburn.
Young completed 31 of 40 passes to keep himself squarely in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Williams caught eight passes for 190 yards with touchdowns of 79, 32 and 40 yards.
No. 3 Cincinnati 48, SMU 14: Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and even caught a TD pass to help the host Bearcats (11-0, 7-0 American Athletic) roll past the Mustangs (8-3, 4-3).
Alec Pierce had a pair of TD catches for the Bearcats. They extended the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to 26 games and keep alive hopes of becoming the first non-Power 5 team to reach the College Football Playoff. SMU managed 199 yards of offense after averaging 498 through the first 10 games.
No. 6 Notre Dame 55, Georgia Tech 0: Jack Coan threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns in a little more than a half and the host Fighting Irish (10-1, CFP No. 8) had two defensive
AAtouchdowns and beat the Yellow Jackets (3-8) for their sixth straight win.
No. 12 Oklahoma 28, vs. Iowa St. 21: Caleb Williams passed for a touchdown and ran for another, Jalen Redmond returned a fumble for a score and the host Sooners (10-1, 7-1 Big 12, No. 13 CFP) held off the Cyclones (6-5, 4-4).
Clemson 48, No. 13 Wake Forest 27: Kobe
Pace ran for a career-high 191 yards and two touchdowns and the host Tigers (8-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their 13th straight over Wake Forest (9-2, 6-1), delaying the Demon Deacons’ run to the ACC Atlantic title.
No. 15 UTSA 34, UAB 31: Frank Harris threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Oscar Cardenas with three seconds left, rallying the host Roadrunners (11-0, 7-0) past the reigning three-time Conference
USA West champion Blazers (7-4, 5-2) to clinch their first division title.
No. 16 Texas A&M 52, Prairie View 3: Devon Achane and Isaiah Spiller combined for three touchdowns before halftime, and the host Aggies (8-3) routed APrairie View (7-3).
No. 18 Iowa 33, Illinois 23: Charlie Jones had a 100-yard kickoff return for Iowa’s first touchdown and the host Hawkeyes (9-2,
6-2 Big Ten) went on to beat the Illini (4-7, 3-5).
No. 19 Wisconsin 35, Nebraska 28: Braelon Allen rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns — including a tiebreaking 53-yarder with 3:50 remaining — to help the host Badgers (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten, No. 15 College Football Playoffs) outlast the Cornhuskers (3-8, 1-7) for their seventh consecutive win.
No. 20 Pittsburgh 48, Virginia 38: Kenny Pickett, Jordan Addison and the host Panthers took the chaos out of the ACC’s Coastal Division. Pickett threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns — all of them to Addison — in his final game at Heinz Field and the Panthers (9-2, 6-1 ACC) claimed their second Coastal title in four years with a victory over the Cavaliers (6-5, 4-3).
AAAAAA