QB O’Connell, WR Bell carry Purdue past No. 2 Iowa, 24-7
IOWA CITY, IOWA » Aidan O’Connell threw for 375 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, David Bell had a career-best 240 yards receiving and Purdue continued its recent mastery over No. 2 Iowa with a 24-7 victory Saturday.
The Boilermakers (42, 2-1 Big Ten) have won four of their last five games against the Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1). The loss ended Iowa’s 12-game winning streak.
Purdue beat its highest-ranked opponent on the road since 1974 at No. 2 Notre Dame. It was the second time in four seasons Purdue has knocked off a No. 2-ranked team. The Boilermakers won at home over a second-ranked Ohio State in 2018.
O’Connell was 30-of-40 passing with two touchdowns and ran for a score. He got the most work on a day when Purdue used backup quarterbacks Jack Plummer and Austin Burton in select situations. All three were in on different plays during the Boilermakers’ first-quarter drive that ended with O’Connell’s 6-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
O’Connell threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to TJ Sheffield in the final minute of the first half to give Purdue a 14-7 halftime lead. He threw a 21-yard TD pass to Bell in the fourth quarter. Bell had 11 receptions. He has a combined 37 catches for 558 yards and five touchdowns against Iowa in three seasons.
The Hawkeyes’ only score was a 3-yard touchdown run by Ivory Kelly-Martin in the second quarter, and Iowa had just 271 yards of offense. Iowa scored its fewest points at home since a 13-7 loss to Nebraska in
2012.
NO. 1 GEORGIA 30, NO. 11 KENTUCKY, 13 » With Georgia playing its first game as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team since 2008, Stetson Bennett tossed three touchdown passes and the Bulldogs got another stifling defensive effort in a victory over No. 11 Kentucky.
Bennett, starting his third straight game in place of injured JT Daniels, hooked up with freshman tight end Brock Bowers on a pair of scores.
The senior quarterback was 14 of 20 for 250 yards in another solid performance with Daniels watching from the sideline for the Bulldogs (7-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference),
Bowers, who has emerged as one of Georgia’s most dynamic offensive weapons in his first college season, had five receptions for 101 yards. NO. 12 OKLAHOMA STATE 32, NO. 25 TEXAS 24 » Tanner Brown’s fourth field goal gave No. 12 Oklahoma
State its first lead and Spencer Sanders’ scrambling 10yard touchdown run with 2:18 to play capped a victory over Texas to keep the Cowboys undefeated.
Texas built leads of 17-3 and 24-13 behind three touchdowns from Bijan Robinson before Oklahoma State’s defense and punishing run game behind Jaylen Warren took over for the Cowboys (6-0, 3-0 Big 12).
Texas (4-3, 2-2) surrendered a big lead in a tough loss for the second straight week. The Longhorns led Oklahoma 28-7 before losing 55-48 last week.
NO. 3 CINCINNATI 56, UCF 21 » Jerome Ford rushed for a career-high 189 yards and four touchdowns, helping Cincinnati roll past UCF. NO. 10 MICHIGAN STATE 20, INDIANA 15 » Matt Coghlin’s 51-yard field goal to open the second half gave Michigan State the lead and Payton Thorne’s 12-yard touchdown pass provided the margin the Spartans
needed to hold off Indiana.
AUBURN 38, NO. 17 ARKANSAS 23 » Bo Nix threw for 292 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, Auburn’s defense contributed a touchdown and a key fourth down stop in the third quarter and the Tigers beat Arkansas.
BAYLOR 38, NO. 19 BYU 24 »
Abram Smith ran for 188 yards with three touchdowns, Baylor linebacker and part-time fullback Dillon Doyle scored on both of his offensive touches and the Bears beat future Big 12 foe and 19th-ranked BYU.
LSU 49, NO. 20 FLORIDA 42 »
Tyrion Davis-Price ran for an LSU-record 287 yards and had three touchdowns and the Tigers’ banged-up defense came up with four interceptions against Florida.
NO. 21 TEXAS A&M 35, MISSOURI 14 » Texas A&M’s running back duo of Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane combined for 292 rushing yards and three touchdowns to power the Aggies past Missouri.