Vols put streak to rest
Tennessee rallies, breaks 11-year losing skid to Florida
This time, Tennessee delivered the comeback.
And in the process, the Volunteers took out 11 years’ worth of frustration on Florida.
Joshua Dobbs accounted for five second-half touchdowns Saturday, and No. 14 Tennessee erased a 21point deficit to beat No. 19 Florida 3828 in Knoxville and end their 11-game losing streak in the annual series.
This marks the first time Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC) has beaten Florida (3-1, 1-1) since 2004. The Volunteers had lost to Florida by one point each of the last two years despite leading in the fourth quarter of both games.
Tennessee silenced the Gators by reeling off 38 consecutive points.
“I just kept looking at their body language on the sideline, and it was bad,” said Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett, who recorded two sacks. “I think they worried about talking too much (rather than) focusing on playing football, and it showed at the end.”
Tennessee safety Todd Kelly Jr. added that “it just looked like we took their soul, really.”
Dobbs went 16 of 32 for 319 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Trailing 21-0 early against the nation’s top-ranked defense, Tennessee stormed back and pulled ahead for good 24-21 with 12:45 left on Dobbs’ 67-yard completion to a wide-open Jauan Jennings.
Florida quarterback Austin Appleby, starting in place of Luke Del Rio, the son of Raiders coach Jack Del Rio, who injured his left knee last week, threw three touchdown passes and one interception.
Tennessee has now won 10 straight games over the past two seasons.
Time is on Auburn’s side
Daniel Carlson kicked six field goals, and host Auburn (2-2, 1-1 SEC) beat No. 18 LSU (2-2, 1-1) 18-13 after officials ruled Danny Etling’s apparent last-gasp scoring pass came after time expired.
Etling rolled to his right and found D.J. Shark in the back of the end zone on a 15-yard pass, setting off a celebration by LSU players. Officials ruled time expired before Etling took the snap.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever come as close to winning a game and finishing second as today,” LSU coach Les Miles said.
The celebration shifted to the Auburn sideline when officials announced the decisive ruling.
It was an important win for Auburn (2-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) and coach Gus Malzahn, who faced increased criticism following losses to Top 25 opponents Clemson and Texas A&M.
“We knew the referee was not going to blow a whistle,” Miles said. “He was going to raise a hand and drop it and the clock was going to start. We were trying to get off the play as fast as we could.”
LSU star running back Leonard Fournette had 16 carries for 101 yards.
LSU center Ethan Pocic said he it was “unbelievable” to briefly believe his team won.
“One second you do but then one second you don’t, but that’s college football,” Pocic said.
Protests gain steam
Football players for Michigan and Michigan State along with a group of students at North Carolina raised their fists during the national anthem Saturday.
The gestures at the games come following a week punctuated by riots in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the killing of an unarmed black man in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The University of Michigan is 6 miles from Eastern Michigan University, where chanting students marched on the field Friday night after the school’s 27-24 victory over Wyoming. The students were protesting racist graffiti on the campus earlier in the week.
“We have great respect for our students engaged in the constructive efforts underway to address the issues we face,” Eastern Michigan president James Smith said in a statement Saturday.
Before North Carolina hosted Pittsburgh, students wearing black shirts remained seated with fists raised. Some 60 to 70 black and white students participated.
Well-grounded Wolverines
De’Veon Smith led an overwhelming ground game with 107 yards rushing and a touchdown and Karan Higdon ran for two scores as fourthranked Michigan routed Penn State 49-10 in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
The Wolverines (4-0) had six touchdowns on the ground and finished with 326 yards rushing. Wilton Speight threw one touchdown pass. Penn State (2-2) has lost three straight to the Wolverines.
Duke’s kicker gets one right
Duke coach David Cutcliffe need not have worried about AJ Reed’s confidence. After the freshman missed his first three college field goal attempts, Cutcliffe talked this week about being concerned about Reed’s body language after his miss against Northwestern last week. He opted against trying for a field goal with the score tied at 28 early in the fourth quarter, explaining afterward he didn’t think a field goal would be enough.
But fourth-and-goal with the ball on the 1-yard line, Notre Dame (1-3) with no timeouts and 1:27 on the clock, Cutliffe said he didn’t hesitate to turn to Reed.
“They (teammates) were all telling me that they had my back and that they knew I was going to get it done for them,” Reed said. He made the kick for the 38-35 win at South Bend.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said afterward that nearly every position will be up for grabs and said he might consider playing quarterback Brandon Wimbush, who he had hoped to redshirt.
Key numbers
Lamar Jackson, Louisville, accounted n for 479 yards and seven TDs, helping the No. 3 Cardinals breeze past Marshall 59-28.
Dalvin Cook, Florida State, n rushed for a career-high 267 yards and two TDs, helping the 13th-ranked Seminoles rout South Florida 55-35.
Drew Lock, Missouri, threw for n 402 yards and a school record-tying five TD passes in a 79-0 rout of Delaware State. The points were a school record for the Tigers.
Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina, n threw for career highs of 453 yards and five TDs to lift the Tar Heels to a 37-36 victory over Pittsburgh.
The Nittany Lions are 0-7 against n Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State under coach James Franklin.