Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Cincinnati survives scare from UCF
NO. 7 CINCINNATI 36, CENTRAL FLORIDA 33
ORLANDO, Fla. — No. 7 Cincinnati found itself in a four-quarter struggle for the first time all season, and Desmond Ridder and the Bearcats showed they can take a punch.
Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores as Cincinnati defeated 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 Athletic) fell behind 14-3 in the first quarter against their toughest opponent yet, but grabbed the lead by halftime.
“What a hard, hard-fought game,” Cincinnati Coach Luke Fickell said. “That is a really good football team that on senior night gave us everything we could handle.”
Dillon Gabriel threw for 243 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 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 19yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Marlon Williams.
“Burn this one, quick turnaround,” UCF Coach Josh Heupel said. “We’ve got a trophy game [Friday against South Florida], our guys will be ready to play.”
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.
Ridder passed for 338 yards and ran for 57.
“He’s just a baller, he shows up ready to go every game,” Taylor said of Ridder.
“He’s a winner. He’s a competitor and when we go out there we’re behind him.”
NO. 8 BYU 66, NORTH ALABAMA 14
PROVO, Utah — Tyler Allgeier ran for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns as BYU routed overmatched North Alabama to improve to 9-0.
Allgeier had his fourth 100-yard game of the season. Zach Wilson threw for 212 yards and 4 touchdowns before halftime, and added 33 yards rushing. He had a season-high 256.3 QB rating.
BYU scored touchdowns on all six first-half drives. The Cougars rolled up 394 total yards and averaged 11.3 yards per play before halftime.
Rett Files threw for 198 yards and a touchdown for the Lions (0-4). Files played during the second and fourth quarters while starting quarterback Blake Dever took snaps in the first and third quarters. Dever threw for 107 yards.
NO. 19 NORTHWESTERN 17, NO. 10 WISCONSIN 7
EVANSTON, Ill. — Peyton Ramsey threw two touchdown passes, and Northwestern shut down Graham Mertz and Wisconsin to take control of the Big Ten West.
Northwestern forced five turnovers — four in the first half — and sacked Mertz three times in its first win over a Top 10 team since a 28-25 victory over No. 9 Nebraska on Nov. 5, 2011. Ramsey, a graduate transfer from Indiana, was 23 of 44 for 203 yards, and Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman had 4 receptions for 95 yards.
The Wildcats improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2015. They also moved to 5-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1996.
Wisconsin (2-1) had committed just one turnover this year, a fumble during a 45-7 victory over Illinois on Oct. 23. The Badgers then had back-to-back games canceled because of a covid-19 outbreak within the program before rolling to a 49-11 win at Michigan last weekend.
NO. 11 OREGON 38, UCLA 35
EUGENE, Ore. — Tyler Shough threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns, and Oregon held off short-handed UCLA to remain undefeated.
At 3-0, Oregon solidified its spot atop the Pac-12 North.
Devon Williams had 6 catches for 123 yards, including a 19-yarder for a score and a 49-yard reception that helped set up a third-quarter score.
UCLA (1-2) had several players out because of covid-19 protocols and contact tracing, including starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Redshirt freshman Chase Griffin started.
Griffin threw for 195 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Demetric Felton rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns, including an 11-yard scoring run that got the Bruins within three with 3:43 left.
NO. 15 COASTAL CAROLINA 34, APPALACHIAN STATE 23
CONWAY, S.C. — Reese White scored on a 3-yard run with 2:24 to play as Coastal Carolina improved to 8-0 with its first victory over Appalachian State.
The Chanticleers (6-0 Sun Belt) had lost all six previous games to the fourtime defending Sun Belt champion Mountaineers, but they held Appalachian State (6-2, 4-1) to just two field goals in the second half after falling behind 17-9 at halftime.
The Mountaineers tried to rally after White’s score. But D’Jordan Strong intercepted Zac Thomas’ fourth-and-22 pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown.
NO. 17 IOWA STATE 45, KANSAS STATE 0
AMES, Iowa — Brock Purdy passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns as Iowa State beat Kansas State for its most lopsided win over the Wildcats in 77 years.
Iowa State (6-2) improved to 6-1 in the Big 12, matching the school record for conference wins.
The Cyclones hadn’t had such a wide winning margin against the Wildcats since they beat them 48-0 in 1943. It was their biggest win over a Big 12 opponent since beating Kansas 45-0 three years ago.
Kansas State (4-4, 4-3), which won 11 of the previous 12 meetings, started to unravel after failing to score on an early first and goal from the 3.
Purdy completed 10 of his first 12 passes for 156 yards to six receivers and all 3 of his touchdowns. Breece Hall ran for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 carries.
NO. 18 OKLAHOMA 41, NO. 14 OKLAHOMA STATE 13
NORMAN, Okla. — Spencer Rattler passed for 301 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score to help No. 18 Oklahoma beat No. 14 Oklahoma State to boost its hopes of winning a sixth consecutive Big 12 championship.
Rhamondre Stevenson ran for a career-high 141 yards, and Theo Wease caught two touchdown passes for the Sooners. Oklahoma (6-2, 5-2) extended its November winning streak to 23 dating to 2014.
Oklahoma leads the series 90-18-7, including the last six games.
Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard was held to 44 yards on eight carries, and the Cowboys (5-2, 4-2) gained just 246 total yards.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 15, NO. 21 LIBERTY 14
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State blocked Alex Barbir’s 39-yard field goal attempt with 1:18 left to beat No. 21 Liberty, handing the Flames their first loss this season.
Liberty (8-1) was trying to earn a third win against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent this year, all on the road. The Flames had their shot to extend the best start in program history, too, putting together a drive to give Barbir a shot at the lead.
But Vi Jones deflected the kick to set off a celebration for the Wolfpack (6-3).
Zonovan Knight ran for two touchdowns to lead N.C. State, including the go-ahead 4-yard score with 6:53 left. That play was set up by a diving interception from true freshman reserve Aydan White.
Knight also had a first-half touchdown run and ran for 96 yards.
Malik Willis threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns for Liberty but had three interceptions, two coming in the fourth quarter.