Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Walker leads Spartans’ comeback
NO. 8 MICHIGAN STATE 37, NO. 6 MICHIGAN 33
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Kenneth Walker earned the right to stump for Heisman Trophy votes and humbly refused, shaking off questions about the coveted award as if they were linebackers trying to tackle him.
Walker ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns, helping No. 8 Michigan State top No. 6 Michigan 37-33 for a thrilling comeback win on Saturday.
“I don’t feel like it was a Heisman moment,” said Walker, who started the day leading the nation in rushing and finished it with 1,194 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. “But it was just a great team win.”
The Wake Forest transfer had a lot to do with it.
The Spartans ( 8- 0, 5- 0) trailed by nine at halftime and 30-14 with 6:47 left in the third quarter before rallying as Walker boosted his chances of being selected college football’s most outstanding player.
Walker’s fifth touchdown — a 23-yard run — lifted the Spartans to a 37-33 lead with 5:08 remaining. He had 8.6 yards a carry, an average that spiked thanks to his 58-yard touchdown that helped the Spartans pull into a 30-30 tie early in the fourth quarter.
“This was a huge stage, the whole world was watching, and you got a chance to see what type of player he is,” Coach Mel Tucker said. “Any recognition he’s getting for Heisman consideration is well deserved.”
The Wolverines (7-1, 4-1) forced a final punt and had the ball at their 33 with 1:15 and no timeouts left.
After a roughing-the-passer penalty gave them the ball at midfield, Michigan State cornerback Charles Brantley sealed the victory by picking off a floating pass from Cade McNamara.
“This one stings,” McNamara said. “We have to respond. Our backs are against the wall now.”
McNamara threw for 383 yards and two touchdowns, but his interception was costly, as was freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s lost fumble on an attempted handoff in the fourth quarter.
“That exchange didn’t go smoothly,” said Harbaugh, who said McNamara was “working through something,” when he the freshman replaced him.
The rivals were on the same field with 7-0 or better records for the first time, matching up as top-10 teams for the first time since 1964.
Michigan State’s win puts the program in contention for the Big Ten conference championship and potentially a spot in the College Football Playoff.
NO. 2 CINCINNATI 31, TULANE 12
NEW ORLEANS — Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown pass to tight end Josh Whyle and Cincinnati beat Tulane to remain undefeated.
Jerome Ford rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown — his 14th this season — for Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0 AAC). The Bearcats briefly trailed in the second quarter and led by just two points at halftime.
Ridder passed for 227 yards and three touchdowns to go with his 47 yards rushing, but also was sacked in the end zone for a safety and threw an intercepted.
NO. 4 OKLAHOMA 52, TEXAS TECH 21
NORMAN, Okla. — Caleb Williams threw for 402 yards and six touchdowns and Oklahoma finally put together a complete game, rolling past Texas Tech.
The true freshman quarterback tied Kyler Murray and Landry Jones for the second-most touchdown passes in a game in school history. Baker Mayfield threw seven against Texas Tech in 2016.
Marvin Mims caught four passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and Mario Williams had five receptions for 100 yards and a score to help the Sooners (90, 6-0 Big 12) extend their nation-leading winning streak to 17 games.
Donovan Smith passed for 192 yards for the Red Raiders (5-4, 2-4). Erik Ezukanma caught eight passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.
NO. 5 OHIO STATE 33, NO. 20 PENN STATE 24
COLUMBUS, Ohio — TreVeyon Henderson ran for 152 yards and a touchdown and No. 5 Ohio State made just enough long plays and short field goals to hold off No. 20 Penn State.
Facing their first real challenge in a month and half, the Buckeyes (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) finally finished off the Nittany Lions (5-3, 2-3) on Noah Ruggles’ fourth field goal, a 26-yarder with 2:41 left to make it a nine-point lead.
Coming off an ugly nine-overtime loss at home to Illinois, Penn State looked a lot like the team that had climbed into the top five before losing to Iowa in a game where quarterback Sean Clifford got hurt.
The senior looked sharp and healthy, going 35 for 52 for 361 yards and a touchdown after a tentative performance last week. Still, the Nittany Lions lost their third in a row to fall out of contention in the Big Ten East.
NO. 7 OREGON 52, COLORADO 29
EUGENE, Ore. — Anthony Brown Jr. threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns and Oregon had a season-high 568 yards to rout Colorado.
Travis Dye ran for two touchdowns and caught a scoring pass to help Oregon (71, 6-1 Pac-12) extend its winning streak at Autzen Stadium to 17 games.
Brendon Lewis threw for 224 yards and three TDs for the Buffaloes (2-5, 1-4). Brenden Rice, son of former San Francisco 49ers great Jerry Rice, had 102 yards receiving and a touchdown.
WISCONSIN 27, NO. 9 IOWA 7
MADISON, Wis. — Graham Mertz scored on two quarterback sneaks and threw a touchdown pass to help Wisconsin beat Iowa for its fourth consecutive victory.
Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) forced three turnovers, had six sacks and limited Iowa to 24 yards rushing on 30 carries. The Badgers maintained control of their destiny in the Big Ten West Division race and regained possession of the Heartland Trophy that goes to the winner of the annual matchup.
Iowa (6-2, 3-2) has been outscored 51-14 in its last two games after being ranked second in the nation just a couple of weeks ago.
Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen rushed for 104 yards on 20 attempts.
NO. 11 NOTRE DAME 44, NORTH CAROLINA 34
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Kyren Williams raced 91 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and No. 11 Notre Dame held off Sam Howell and upset-minded North Carolina in a game that had over 1,000 yards in offense.
Williams ran for a career-high 199 yards on 22 carries to help the Fighting Irish improve to 7-1 with their third consecutive victory — and ruin the 400th collegiate game for North Carolina Hall of Fame Coach Mack Brown.
The Irish won despite being outgained by the Tar Heels (4-4) in total yardage, 554-523. But the Irish outrushed the Tar Heels 293-223.
NO. 13 WAKE FOREST 45, DUKE 7
WINSTON- SALEM, N. C. — Sam Hartman continued his recent tear by accounting for five touchdowns to help Wake Forest beat Duke, giving the Demon Deacons their best start in program history.
Hartman threw for 402 yards and three touchdowns, including a 38-yarder to Jaquarii Roberson on the first possession. He also ran for 61 yards and two scores, including a 26-yarder, for the Demon Deacons (8-0, 5-0 ACC).
Christian Beal-Smith, Ke’Shawn Williams and Taylor Morin also had touchdowns for Wake Forest, which finished with 677 total yards while flirting with its first shutout in six years. Mataeo Durant ran for 103 yards for Duke (3-5, 0-4).
NO. 15 OKLAHOMA STATE 55, KANSAS 3
STILLWATER, Okla. — Spencer Sanders threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 53 yards and a score, all in the first half, in Oklahoma State’ romp over Kansas.
Jaylen Warren added 69 yards rushing on just nine carries and backup running back Dominic Richardson gained 79 yards and a touchdown on 11 rushes for Oklahoma State (7-1, 4-1 Big 12).
Kansas (1-7, 0-5) has lost seven in a row.
NO. 16 BAYLOR 31, TEXAS 24
WACO, Texas — Ben Sims had a 1- yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Abram Smith spun away for a 32-yard scamper to the end zone and Baylor became the third team in a row to overcome a double-digit deficit to beat Texas.
The handoff to the sweeping Sims for a score with 12:48 left put the Bears (71, 4-1 Big 12) back ahead for the first time since the first quarter. Texas then had a failed fake punt attempt, setting up Smith’s nifty run three plays later when he took a quick pitch left, reversed field after spinning away from a defender.
Texas (4-4, 2-3) was coming off its open date, which followed consecutive losses to No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 15 Oklahoma State in which the Longhorns led by at least two touchdowns before halftime both times.
Big 12 rushing leader Bijan Robinson was limited to 43 yards on 17 carries, well below his 132 yards a game average with a 2.5 yard-per-carry that was the lowest in his career.
MIAMI 38, NO. 17 PITTSBURGH 34
PITTSBURGH — Miami freshman Tyler Van Dyke outdueled Kenny Pickett, throwing for 426 yards and three touchdowns in the Hurricanes; victory over Pittsburgh,
Van Dyke completed 31 of 41 passes to help Miami (4-4, 2-2 ACC) beat a ranked opponent for the second consecutive week.
Pickett bolstered his Heisman resume by throwing for a school-record 519 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw his second and third interceptions of the season, both of which led to huge momentum shifts.
Pitt (6-2, 3-1) remains in control of its destiny in the ACC Coastal Division but any remote shot at crashing the College Football Playoff is long gone.
HOUSTON 44, NO. 19 SMU 37
HOUSTON — Marcus Jones returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown with 17 seconds remaining to lift Houston past SMU for the Cougars’ seventh consecutive victory.
After the Mustangs (7-1, 3-1 American Athletic) tied it at 37 on a 45-yard field goal by Blake Mazza with 30 seconds left, Jones took the kickoff a the goal line and broke several tackles before breaking loose for the Cougars (7-1, 4-1).
Tanner Mordecai had one last chance to tie it in the final seconds, but his pass into the end zone was knocked down.
Houston’s Clayton Tune threw for a career-high 412 yards and four touchdowns, Nathaniel Dell caught nine passes for 165 yards and three scores.
WEST VIRGINIA 38, NO. 22 IOWA STATE 31
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Jarret Doege threw three touchdown passes, Leddie Brown ran for two scores and West Virginia beat Iowa State.
West Virginia (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) came alive on offense after averaging 20 points in its first four conference games.
Iowa State (5-3, 3-2) was missing leading tackler Mike Rose because of an undisclosed injury and the league’s top defense gave up a season-high 492 yards. The linebacker had started all 45 previous games in his career.
Doege completed 30 of 46 passes for 370 yards. Breece Hall rushed for 167 yards, including a 70-yard scoring run on Iowa State’s third play from scrimmage.