Sam doesn’t suck, but USC wins it with ‘D’
Stephen Carr ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown two plays after Southern California’s defense forced one of its six turnovers and the fifth-ranked Trojans won their 13th straight, beating California, 30-20, on Saturday in Berkeley, Calif.
Quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns for the Trojans (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12), but also had an interception and was under steady pressure by Cal (3-1, 0-1).
Alabama 59, Vanderbilt 0
In Nashville, Tenn., Damien Harris ran for a career-high 151 yards and three touchdowns, Bo Scarbrough added two TDs and No. 1 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) routed Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1).
Clemson 34, Bost. College 7
In Clemson, S.C., Adam Choice had a 6-yard tiebreaking touchdown in the fourth quarter and Travis Etienne had two scoring runs in the final six minutes as the No. 2 Tigers (4-0, 2-0 ACC) wore down Boston College (1-3, 0-2).
Oklahoma 49, Baylor 41
In Waco, Texas, Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns, including the goahead score a snap after his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and No. 3 Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) overcame feisty Baylor (0-4, 0-1) to stretch the nation’s longest winning streak to 14 games.
Penn State 21, Iowa 19
In Iowa City, Iowa, Juwan Johnson caught a 7-yard touchdown pass as time expired, and No. 4 Penn State (4-0, 1-0) rallied to stun Iowa (3-1, 0-1).
TCU 44, Oklahoma St. 31
In Stillwater, Okla., Darius Anderson ran for a careerhigh 160 yards and three touchdowns, as No. 16 TCU (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) upset No. 6 Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1).
Michigan 28, Purdue 10
In West Lafayette, Ind., Chris Evans ran for two touchdowns in the second half and backup quarterback John O’Korn rallied No. 8 Michigan (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) from a halftime deficit to beat Purdue (2-2, 0-1) after starter Wilton Speight left late in the first quarter with an undisclosed injury.
N.C. St. 27, Florida St. 21
In Tallahassee, Fla., Ryan Finley threw for two touchdowns, Jaylen Samuels scored twice and North Carolina State (3-1, 1-0 ACC) got its first road win over a ranked team since 2008, defeating No. 12 Florida State (0-2, 0-1), which lost its first two to open a season for the first time in 28 years.
LSU 35, Syracuse 26
In Baton Rouge, La., Danny Etling responded to a barrage of bruising blitzes with touchdown passes of 87 and 43 yards, and No. 25 LSU (3-1) overcame bouts of inconsistency to beat relentless Syracuse (2-2).
Notre Dame 38, Mich. St. 18
In East Lansing, Mich., Brandon Wimbush threw for a touchdown and ran for one, and Notre Dame (3-1) routed turnoverprone Michigan State (2-1).
Nebraska 27, Rutgers 17
In Lincoln, Neb., Tanner Lee led Nebraska on a 97yard scoring drive for the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter after Rutgers’ Kiy Hester returned an interception for a TD, and the Cornhuskers (2-2, 1-0 Big Ten) shook off the Scarlet Knights (1-3, 0-1).
Columbia 35, Georgetown 14
In Manhattan, Anders Hill threw for a career-high four touchdowns and Columbia defeated Georgetown (1-2) to open the season 2-0 for the first time since 2006.
Bryant 45, Fordham 40
In Smithfield, R.I., Jean Constant scored twice late in the game to seal the win as Bryant (2-2) beat Fordham (1-3), negating Rams quarterback Kevin Anderson’s 366-yard, five-touchdown passing day.