Penn State title hopes gone for good?
After winning their first seven games of the season and building a resume as a championship contender, Penn State has fallen to earth.
Matt Coghlin kicked a 34yard field goal as time expired to give No. 24 Michigan State a 27-24 victory over No. 7 Penn State on Saturday night in East Lansing, Mich., in a game that was delayed nearly 31⁄2 hours by severe weather in the second quarter.
It was the second straight tough loss for Penn State (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten), which fell 39-38 at Ohio State last weekend and may have had its national title hopes crumble for good Saturday. Now it’s Michigan State — which went 3-9 last season — that will take its improbable division title hopes into a showdown at Ohio State next weekend.
Brian Lewerke threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns for the Spartans (7-2, 5-1), and Michigan State was aided at the end by a roughing the passer call on Penn State’s Marcus Allen. Lewerke was hit by Allen on a third-down pass that fell incomplete in the final minute. The penalty moved the ball to the Penn State 22, and the Spartans were able to run the clock down before Coghlin’s winning kick.
The redshirt freshman made the kick, then ran back down the field and slid across it on his stomach while his teammates joined him in celebration.
Trace McSorley threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns for Penn State, but Nittany Lions star Saquon Barkley was held in check. He had 0 yards rushing in the first half and finished with only 63. McSorley threw three interceptions.
#1 Alabama 24, #19 LSU 10: Jalen Hurts passed for a touchdown and ran for a score and the host Crimson Tide sweated out a bruising victory over the Tigers. Alabama (9-0, 6-0 SEC) had to withstand a rare challenge this season from a league opponent, managing it with big plays from the defense and a handful of timely ones from Hurts. LSU (6-3, 3-2) kept getting defensive stops in the fourth quarter but couldn’t muster a threat. The Tigers had to punt twice and then managed to squeeze out only a couple of first downs after taking over at their own 8 with 4:39 left.
#2 Georgia 24, S. Carolina 10: Jake Fromm completed 16 of 22 passes for 196 yards with scoring throws of 10 yards to Javon Wims and 20 yards to Mecole Hardman and also had the final block to clear the way for Sony Michel to score on a direct-snap, 8-yard run in the first quarter for the host Bulldogs (9-0, 6-0 SEC), who have won their first nine games for the first time since 1982. The Bulldogs needed a Mississippi win over Kentucky on Saturday to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game. The
San Jose St. falls
Rashaad Penny ran for 234 yards and two touchdowns and San Diego State had 648 total yards to help the visiting Aztecs cruise to a 52-7 win over San Jose State on Saturday night.
Tre Walker hit Justin Holmes for a 54-yard touchdown for San Jose State (1-9, 0-5 Mountain West) on its opening drive of the second half, but Penny raced 64 yards to make it 42-7 just 13 seconds later. Gamecocks (6-3, 4-3) saw their three-game winning streak snapped. Nick Chubb ran for 102 yards on 20 carries for Georgia.
#4 Wisconsin 45, Indiana 17: Jonathan Taylor rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown and Alec Ingold had three scores to help the visiting Badgers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) extend the nation’s second-longest winning streak to 10 and their school record for consecutive Big Ten victories to 12. The Hoosiers (3-6, 0-6), who led 10-0, cut it to 24-17 on Richard Lagow’s 17-yard pass to Simmie Cobbs Jr. with 4:12 left in the third. But Joe Ferguson picked off Lagow’s passes in Indiana territory on each of the Hoosiers’ next two drives. Ingold capped both ensuing drives with 1-yard TD plunges to seal the win. #5 Notre Dame 48, Wake Forest 37: Brandon Wimbush passed for a career-high 280 yards, ran for two touchdowns and shook off an injury as the host Fighting Irish (8-1) won their seventh straight. Notre Dame running back Josh Adams missed the second half because of a concussion. The Irish totaled season highs in passing (340) and total yards (720) to set up a showdown with No. 9 Miami. The Demon Deacons (5-3) did not go down without a fight, piling up 587 yards in offense against a defense directed by former Demon Deacons coordinator Mike Elko. #6 Clemson 38, #20 N.C. State 31: Tavien Feaster ran for an 89-yard touchdown to end the third quarter and K’Von Wallace picked off a Ryan Finley pass on the game’s final play to help the Tigers (8-1, 6-1 ACC) hold off the host Wolfpack (6-3, 4-1). Feaster’s run up the middle gave Clemson a 31-21 lead entering the fourth, then the Tigers had to hang on in the final seconds as the Wolfpack got one more shot to tie the game in the final minute. The Tigers are on course for a third straight trip to the College Football Playoff.
#8 Oklahoma 62, #11 Oklahoma St. 52:
Baker Mayfield passed for a school-record 598 yards and the visiting Sooners (8-1, 5-1) outlasted the Cowboys (7-2, 4-2) in one of the highest-scoring games in the history of the rivalry. Mayfield threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score to outduel Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph in a battle of two Heisman Trophy contenders. #9 Miami 28, #13 Virginia Tech 10: Malik Rosier threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Travis Homer had a 64-yard touchdown run and the Hokies moved to the brink of clinching what would be its first spot in an ACC championship game. Braxton Berrios and Christopher Herndon IV had touchdown catches for Miami (8-0, 6-0), which extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 13 games. Visiting Virginia Tech (7-2, 3-2) got a touchdown run from quarterback Josh Jackson, who was 20for-32 passing for 197 yards.
#10 TCU 24, Texas 7: Kyle Hicks ran for two touchdowns and the Horned Frogs rebounded from their only loss, staying tied for the Big 12 lead and in contention for a playoff. In a game dominated by two of the Big 12’s best defenses, Hicks had 41 yards rushing on 11 carries. That included his 1-yard TD to end host TCU’s opening drive of the game and his 14-yard score that put the Horned Frogs (8-1, 5-1) up 17-0 early in the second quarter. Texas (4-5, 3-3) managed only 263 total yards in its biggest losing margin in coach Tom Herman’s first season.
W. Virginia 20, #14 Iowa St. 16: Will Grier threw two touchdown passes and Justin Crawford broke out of a three-game slump with 102 yards rushing as the Mountaineers (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) became bowl eligible and knocked the Cyclones (6-3, 4-2) out of a four-way tie for first place. Iowa State trailed 20-0 late in the second quarter and never recovered in their first loss on the road. Grier had scoring passes of 10 yards to David Sills and 55 yards to Ka’Raun White. Grier finished 20 of 25 for 316 yards, his eighth 300yard performance of the season. #15 Central Florida 31, SMU 24: McKenzie Milton threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score, Adrian Killins Jr. rushed for two more touchdowns and the Knights remained undefeated. UCF (8-0, 5-0 American) remained the only undefeated team in the Group of Five, keeping it on track to play in a major New Year’s Day bowl game if it can win out. Host SMU’s best opportunity at an upset fizzled with 5:10 remaining when wideout Trey Quinn dropped a pass on fourth-and-3 that would have given the Mustangs (6-3, 3-2) a first down deep in UCF territory. #16 Auburn 42, Texas A&M 27: Jarrett Stidham threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns and the visiting Tigers (7-2, 5-1 SEC) pulled away in the second half against the Aggies (5-4, 3-3). Kerryon Johnson added 145 yards rushing and a touchdown and provided a highlight-reel play with a nifty one-handed catch for an 11-yard gain on third down in the fourth quarter.
#21 Mississippi St. 34, Massachusetts 23: Nick Fitzgerald ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns to help the host Bulldogs (7-2), who trailed 20-13 at halftime, escape. Mississippi State scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 27-20 advantage. The Minutemen (2-7) pulled to 27-23 on a short field goal in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t move the ball in the final minutes.
Army 21, Air Force 0: Quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for a careerhigh 265 yards and the Black Knights (7-2) ended the Falcons’ 306-game scoring streak. Air Force (4-5) had the fifth-longest scoring streak all-time in the FBS. Army took a big step in their quest to capture the Commander-inChief’s Trophy for the first time since 1996.
JUNIOR COLLEGES
CCSF 58, De Anza 0: Quarterback Sean Duffy, starting in place of Zach Masoli, threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns for visiting CCSF (6-3, 3-1 Bay 6). The Rams held De Anza (1-8, 1-3) to 90 yards of offense. CCSF concludes its regular season at home at 1 p.m. Saturday against Contra Costa College.