Top 25 football:
Miami rallies for 15th straight win.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Malik Rosier threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score and No. 2 Miami pulled off its biggest comeback in five years, by holding off Virginia 44-28 on Saturday to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 15 games.
Jaquan Johnson had an interception return for a touchdown for Miami (10-0, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 3 CFP), which went on a 30-0 run in the second half to remain unbeaten.
The Hurricanes erased a pair of 14-point deficits, and had lost 15 consecutive games in which they trailed at any point by such a margin. But they got a pair of fourth-down stops in Virginia territory in the fourth quarter, and the Hurricanes finished their first 7-0 home regular season since 1988.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 56, MERCER 0
In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Jalen Hurts passed for 180 yards and three touchdowns in a little more than a quarter and Alabama beat FCS team Mercer.
The Crimson Tide (11-0, 7-0 SEC, No. 1 CFP) raced to a 35-0 halftime lead in what amounted to a tuneup for the team’s biggest game. Now, Alabama heads to No. 6 Auburn with the winner of the Iron Bowl facing No. 7 Georgia in the Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta.
The Bears (5-6) also lost to Auburn 24-10 early in the season, when the Tigers committed five turnovers.
NO. 3 OKLAHOMA 41, KANSAS 3
In Lawrence, Kan., Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns after getting dissed by the Kansas captains before kickoff.
Mayfield had tried shaking hands with Daniel Wise, Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Joe Dineen Jr. after the coin toss, but they stared stoically back at him. Mayfield quickly pulled his hand away, clapped a couple of times and set about burnishing his Heisman Trophy candidacy.
He threw TD passes to Rodney Anderson and Marquise Brown in the first half, then found Mark Andrews late in the third quarter, which prompted more insults between Mayfield and the Jayhawks.
NO. 4 CLEMSON 61, CITADEL 3
In Clemson, S.C., Kelly Bryant threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns and was out of the game before halftime for Clemson against the lower-division opponent.
After Bryant’s 14-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Chase on the offense’s 26th play, Clemson (101, No. 2 College Football Playoff) led 28-0. Bryant completed 17 of 22 passes.
NO. 5 WISCONSIN 24, NO. 19 MICHIGAN 10
In Madison, Wis., Alex Hornibrook threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Taylor in third quarter to break open a defensive slugfest, and Kendric Pryor scored on an end-around to help Wisconsin remain undefeated.
The Badgers (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 5 CFP) padded their playoff resume by winning a grinding, physical matchup against the Wolverines (8-3, 5-3, No. 24 CFP). Hornibrook finished 9 of 19 for 143 yards, but bounced back from an interception early in the third quarter with some of his best throws of the season. He connected with Taylor through a tight window in the end zone for a 14-10 lead with 3:31 left in the third quarter.
NO. 6 AUBURN 42, LOUISIANA-MONROE 14
In Auburn, Ala., Darius Slayton caught a 50-yard touchdown pass late in the first half and Auburn pulled away to set up next week’s visit from No. 1 Alabama.
Kam Martin scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, in the third quarter. Nick Ruffin scored on a 45-yard interception return in the fourth. Despite a sluggish first half, Auburn’s final production was still impressive: 317 yards rushing and 552 total yards.
NO. 7 GEORGIA 42, KENTUCKY 13
In Athens, Ga., Nick Chubb and Sony Michel led a dominant running game and Georgia bounced back from its first loss of the season.
In the final home game of their careers, Chubb and Michel went out with a bang on Senior Day between the hedges. Chubb rushed for 151 and two touchdowns, including a 55-yard burst down the sideline to seal the victory early in the fourth quarter. Michel rambled for 87 yards and three scores of his own, most notably a 37-yard TD that sent the Bulldogs into the half with a 21-6 lead.
NO. 8 OHIO STATE 52, ILLINOIS 14
In Columbus, Ohio, No. 8 Ohio State scored on its first six possessions — including J.T. Barrett’s 100th career touchdown pass — and the Buckeyes wrapped up the Big Ten East title.
Barrett, playing in his last game at Ohio Stadium, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score to help the Buckeyes (9-2, 7-1, CFP No. 9) dominate from the opening kick.
NO. 9 NOTRE DAME 24, NAVY 17
In South Bend, Ind., Brandon Wimbush threw for 164 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score as Notre Dame rallied in the rain and wind to beat Navy.
Wearing throwback uniforms with the name Rockne on the back of every player’s jersey and helmets designed to evoke the leather tops from the era of Knute Rockne, one of the Fighting Irish’s most famous names, Notre Dame (9-2, No. 8 College Football Playoff) kept its slim national championship hopes alive heading into the regular-season finale next Saturday at Stanford.
KANSAS STATE 45, NO. 10 OKLAHOMA STATE 40
In Stillwater, Okla., Byron Pringle caught three touchdown passes and returned a kickoff for another score to help Kansas State stun Oklahoma State.
Oklahoma State nearly erased a 29-point deficit in the second half, but Kansas State (6-5, 4-4 Big 12) held on to become bowl eligible for the eighth consecutive season.
NO. 11 TCU 27, TEXAS TECH 3
In Lubbock, Texas, true freshman quarterback Shawn Robinson ran for 84 yards and threw a key second-half touchdown in his first career start to help TCU to stay in contention for a spot in the Big 12 championship game.
Robinson, who won a Texas Class 6A state high school championship last season, filled in for Kenny Hill. The senior didn’t even make the trip to Lubbock because of an unspecified injury.
NO. 12 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 28, UCLA 23
In Los Angeles, Sam Darnold passed for 264 yards and ran for a touchdown and Southern California persevered for its third consecutive victory over crosstown rival UCLA.
Ronald Jones II rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and Michael Pittman Jr. returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown on a spectacular trick play in the first quarter of the regular-season finale for the Pac-12 South champion Trojans (10-2, 8-1).
NO. 13 PENN STATE 56, NEBRASKA 44
In State College, Pa., Saquon Barkley broke Penn State’s career touchdown record with three scores and had 208 of 224 total yards in the first half.
Barkley passed Lydell Mitchell for the record with his 39th touchdown.
NO. 14 UCF 45, TEMPLE 19
In Philadelphia, McKenzie Milton threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score and Central Florida stayed unbeaten heading into a showdown with rival USF.
The Knights (10-0, 7-0 American Athletic conference, CFP No. 15) turned three Temple turnovers inside the Owls 25 into 17 first-half points, taking a 31-10 lead when Gabriel Davis stretched across the goal line for a 5-yard touchdown reception with 2:36 left in the second quarter.
NO. 17 MISSISSIPPI STATE 28, ARKANSAS 21
In Fayetteville, Ark., Nick Fitzgerald threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Deddrick Thomas with 17 seconds remaining, and No. 17 Mississippi State survived a lackluster performance and four fumbles.
The Bulldogs (8-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) won at least eight games in a season for the fourth time in coach Dan Mullen’s nine years.
NO. 18 MEMPHIS 66, SMU 45
In Memphis, Tenn., Darrell Henderson rushed for 147 yards, including two long touchdowns, and Riley Ferguson threw for 320 yards and two scores to help Memphis wrap up the American Athletic Conference West Division championship.
Ferguson scored on three runs as Memphis (9-1, 6-1, No. 21 CFP) won its sixth straight and claimed a spot in the conference’s Dec. 2 championship game. Patrick Taylor had 112 yards rushing, while Anthony Miller had 163 yards receiving. Both scored two touchdowns each.
NO. 20 STANFORD 17, CALIFORNIA 14
In Stanford, Calif., Bryce Love ran for 101 yards and a touchdown despite missing most of the fourth quarter after aggravating an ankle injury, and Stanford kept its Pac-12 title hopes alive.
K.J. Costello completed 17 of 26 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown, Ben Edwards made a key interception in the fourth quarter and Cameron Scarlett rushed for 49 yards on the final drive in place of Love to help the Cardinal (8-3, 7-2 Pac-12) milk the clock and win its eighth straight Big Game.
NO. 21 LSU 30, TENNESSEE 10
In Knoxville, Tenn., Derrius Guice and Darrel Williams combined to run for 165 yards and three touchdowns and LSU beat Tennessee in stormy conditions.
Guice ran 24 times for 97 yards and one touchdown to help LSU win for the fifth time in its last six games. Williams rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.
NO. 22 MICHIGAN STATE 17, MARYLAND 7
In East Lansing, Mich., LJ Scott ran for 147 yards and a touchdown to lead Michigan State to a snowy victory over Maryland.
The Spartans (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten, No. 17 CFP) rushed for 271 yards, and that was about the only way they could move the ball in yet another Michigan State game affected by the elements. Quarterback Brian Lewerke was 2 of 14 for 20 yards, and one of his completions was a shovel pass late in the third quarter.
TEXAS 28, NO. 24 WEST VIRGINIA 14
In Morgantown, W.Va., Sam Ehlinger threw two touchdown passes and Texas became bowl eligible under first-year coach Tom Herman with victory over West Virginia.
The Longhorns (6-5, 5-3 Big 12) qualified for a bowl for the first time since 2014, which was former coach Charlie Strong’s first season.
WAKE FOREST 30, NO. 25 N.C. STATE 24
In Winston-Salem, N.C., John Wolford threw his third touchdown of the game to Tabari Hines with 8:03 remaining, and Wake Forest held on to upset North Carolina State.
Wolford finished 19 of 28 for 247 yards for the Demon Deacons (7-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). They have won three of four and had their first regularseason victory over a Top 25 opponent since 2011.