Trask, Florida overcome slow start, drop Kentucky

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s Kyleto-Kyle connection returned in a big way after a two-week hiatus and put the sixthranked Gators on the verge of the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Kyle Trask found Kyle Pitts for three touchdowns, including a 56-yarder in which the star tight end ran away from a cornerback, and Florida overcame a sluggish start to beat Kentucky 34-10 on Saturday.

It was Pitts’ first game since suffering a concussion and breaking his nose on a hit against Georgia. Trask wasted little time reconnecting with his favorite and most talented target.

Trask has 34 TD passes this season, moving him past 2007 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and into a tie for third on the school’s single-season list. Only Danny Wuerffel (39 in 1996, 35 in 1995) is ahead of him. Rex Grossman also had 34 in 2001.

Trask did break one of Wuerffel’s records Saturday. He became the first player in school history with at least three TD passes in eight consecutive games, topping Wuerffel’s mark of seven set in 1996.

Trask is on pace to pass Wuerffel for TDs, too, and it could happen in his final two regular-season games. More importantly for Trask and the Gators (7-1), though, is they can clinch the East Division with a victory at Tennessee next week. The Wildcats are 3-6.

NO. 1 ALABAMA 42, NO. 22 AUBURN 13

TUSCLAOOSA, Ala. — Mac Jones passed for 302 yards and five touchdowns, highlighted by two long ones to DeVonta Smith, and Alabama rolled over rival Auburn without coach Nick Saban.

The Crimson Tide (8-0, No. 1 playoff rankings) continued a dominating march through a schedule of all-Southeastern Conference games even minus its six-time national champion coach on the sideline.

Saban tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and watched the game feed from home, witnessing the usual array of big plays with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian running the show.

The result was much of the same against the Tigers (5-3), who suffered the secondmost lopsided loss of Gus Malzahn’s coaching tenure. The only bigger margin was Alabama’s 52-21 win in the 2018 Iron Bowl.

NO. 4 CLEMSON 52, PITTSBURGH 17

CLEMSON, S.C. — Trevor Lawrence threw for 403 yards and two touchdowns in his first game in five weeks — and likely last one at Death Valley — as Clemson throttled Pittsburgh.

Lawrence hadn’t seen the field on game day since beating Syracuse on Oct. 24. He tested positive for the coronavirus the following week and missed Clemson’s next two games, including its only loss this season — a 47-40 double OT defeat at No. 2 Notre Dame.

A healthy, eager Lawrence expected to play last week, but a positive test from a Clemson offensive lineman on the Friday before the game led to a postponement at Florida State just hours before kickoff.

Lawrence, a 6-foot-6 junior with a powerful arm, deft touch and flowing hair, was as crisp as ever in leading Clemson (8-1, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference; No. 3 CFP) a step closer to the league championship game and a likely rematch with the unbeaten Fighting Irish.

Cornell Powell had five catches for 176 yards, including a 43-yard TD catch off a flea-flicker pass from Lawrence. Powell also had an incredible, one-handed grab on a 70-yard pass to the Pitt 5 that set up Chez Mellusi’s 2-yard TD run for a 38-3 lead.

MICHIGAN STATE 29, NO. 11 NORTHWESTERN 20

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Matt Coghlin made a tiebreaking 48-yard field goal with 3:35 left, and Michigan State handed Northwestern its first loss of the season.

The Wildcats (5-1, 5-1) were coming off a 17-7 victory over Wisconsin that put them in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff. That prospect likely was dashed with the loss to the Spartans, but they remain in control of the Big Ten West.

The Spartans (2-3, 2-3) lost a 17-0 lead, but went back ahead by forcing three turnovers in the fourth quarter and making the most of two big kicks by Coghlin.

Northwestern grabbed a 20-17 lead early in the fourth on Cam Porter’s 3-yard run.

NO. 12 INDIANA 27, MARYLAND 11

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Stevie Scott III had three touchdown runs and Indiana had three interceptions, three sacks and a game-changing safety.

Freshman Tim Baldwin Jr. ran for a season-high 106 yards for the Hoosiers (5-1).

NO. 16 COASTAL CAROLINA 49, TEXAS STATE 14

SAN MARCOS. Texas — C.J. Marable ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns and Coastal Carolina wrapped up the Sun Belt Conference East Division title.

The Chanticleers (9-0, 7-0) had 572 yards of offense in extending their winning streak to 10 games. They moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision three seasons ago.

NO. 21 OKLAHOMA STATE 50, TEXAS TECH 44

STILLWATER, Okla. — Dezmon Jackson rushed for career highs of 235 yards and three touchdowns and Oklahoma State bounced back from a disappointing loss to rival Oklahoma.

Jackson had 36 carries in part because the top two backs, Chuba Hubbard and LD Brown, did not play. The Cowboys still ran for a season-high 317 yards.

NO. 23 LOUISANA-LAFAYETTE 70, LOUISIANA-MONROE 20

MONROE, La. — Levi Lewis passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more in less than three quarters, and LouisianaLafayette routed winless Louisiana-Monroe.