No. 2 Clemson tops Wake Forest as Bryant injured
CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant threw for 200 yards and a touchdown before leaving with an ankle injury as the second-ranked Tigers defeated Wake Forest 28-14 on Saturday to move to 6-0 for a third straight season.
There was no immediate word on the severity of Bryant’s injury. He left the game in the third quarter after Travis Etienne’s 1-yard touchdown run put Clemson ahead 21-0. Trainers looked at Bryant’s ankle and took him into the sideline medical tent. Bryant tested his legs with a few short jogs once he came out and remained on the sidelines with teammates.
Bryant did not re-enter the game as Clemson (6-0, 4-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) beat the Demon Deacons (4-2, 1-2) for a ninth straight time.
Bryant, smiling, walked in a black, protective boot — complete with an orange Tiger paw logo — around his left ankle. “Got the win so I’m, great,” Bryant said with a smile.
He said he got hit on his ankle. Bryant said he’ll be in treatment all week to prepare for Syracuse on Friday night.
Bryant’s 28-yard scoring pass to Deon Cain got the Tigers started. Etienne, a freshman, had 67 yards rushing along with his touchdown. Adam Choice added a rushing TD and Cannon Smith added a 13-yard touchdown catch from thirdstring passer Hunter Johnson.
No. 1 Alabama 27, at Texas A&M 19: Damien Harris ran for 124 yards and a touchdown, and Jalen Hurts had a touchdown pass and ran for another score to help top-ranked Alabama remain undefeated.
The Aggies (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference), who entered the game as 26 1/2 point underdogs, made the game interesting, but in the end freshman quarterback Kellen Mond was simply too inexperienced to help them topple a team as talented as Alabama.
No. 4 Penn State 31, at Northwestern 7: Trace McSorley threw for 245 yards and a touchdown and Saquon Barkley ran for two scores in the second half for Penn State.
McSorley completed 25 of 34 passes. He threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to backup quarterback Tommy Stevens in the second quarter and added a 5-yard scoring run in the fourth.
No. 6 Georgia 45, Vanderbilt 14: Nick Chubb ran for two touchdowns and 138 yards, and Georgia routed Vanderbilt despite missing three players from the Bulldogs’ stingy defense.
Georgia (6-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) is off to its best start since 2005 when the Bulldogs won their first seven games and longest winning streak since reaching the SEC championship in 2012. The Bulldogs also avenged a 17-16 loss to Vanderbilt last year by beating the Commodores for the 20th time in the past 23 games in this series.
Michigan State 14, at No. 7 Michigan 10: Brian Lewerke ran for a touchdown and threw for a score in the first half and Michigan State held on to beat Michigan .
The Wolverines had the ball with a chance to drive for a go-ahead TD, but a heave from the Spartans 37 as time expired hit the turf near the goal line.
The Spartans (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) have beaten Michigan eight times in a 10-year stretch for the first time in a series that dates to 1898.
No. 8 Wisconsin 38, at Nebraska 17: Freshman Johnathan Taylor rushed for a season-high 249 yards and two touchdowns to lead a punishing ground game that helped Wisconsin wear down Nebraska in the second half.
The Badgers (5-0, 2-0) beat the Huskers (3-3, 2-1) for the fifth straight time and took sole possession of first place in the Big Ten West.
At No. 9 Ohio State 62, Maryland 14: J.T. Barrett threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in the first half, and Ohio State had its most dominant defensive effort in nearly 60 years.
The stingy Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) held Maryland (3-2, 1-1) to 66 total yards — their fewest yards allowed since yielding 60 against Indiana in 1960.
At No. 10 TCU 31, No. 23 West Virginia 24: Kenny Hill avoided a defender in the backfield and lunged forward through two more for a 3-yard touchdown run with 2:53 left and TCU remained the Big 12’s only undefeated team. Hill also threw a 45-yard touchdown pass and was on the receiving end of a 48-yard score for the Frogs (5-0, 2-0). His winning TD run came only five plays after an apparent interception was reversed on a replay review.
No. 12 Miami 24, At Florida State 20: Malik Rosier threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Langham with 6 seconds remaining as Miami beat Florida State to end a seven-game losing streak in the series.
Rosier, who came into the game leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing efficiency, had a rough start as he completed only four of his first 16 passes. The junior found a rhythm in the second half and finished 19 of 44 for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
At No. 13 Auburn 44, Mississippi 23: Kerryon Johnson rushed for a careerhigh 204 yards and three touchdowns for Auburn.
Johnson and the Tigers (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) continued a recent tear with their third straight lopsided win over a league team. Johnson, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter, has 11 touchdown runs during that hot streak after missing two games with a right hamstring injury.
No. 19 Virginia Tech 23, at Boston College 10: Josh Jackson threw for 322 yards and a touchdown and Virginia Tech bounced back from a loss to defending national champion Clemson.
Sean Savoy had nine catches for 139 yards and a score after No. 1 receiver Cam Phillips went out with an apparent leg injury in the first quarter. Savoy went 53 yards on a slant pattern to open the scoring midway through the first quarter, and the Hokies (5-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed.
No. 22 Notre Dame 33, at North Carolina 10: Josh Adams ran for 118 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown dash for Notre Dame. Deon McIntosh added 124 yards rushing and two scores for the Fighting Irish (5-1).
No. 25 UCF 51, at Cincinnati 23: McKenzie Milton threw a career-high five touchdown passes — four in the first half — and Tre’Quan Smith scored four times as UCF rolled to a storm-shortened victory in the Knights’ first game as a ranked team since 2013.
UCF (4-0, 2-0 American Athletic) has opened the season with four wins for the first time since 1988, when the Knights were in Division II.
— Wire services