Florida overcomes slow start to beat 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 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.
The Spartans rallied on Coghlin’s 44yard field goal after forcing a turnover one snap following Rocky Lombardi’s interception.
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).
The safety midway through the third quarter gave the Hoosiers a 9-3 lead, and Indiana extended the margin to 17-3 on the ensuring possession. Scott scored on a 1-yard plunge and backup quarterback Jack Tuttle completed his first throw of the day — a 2-point conversion to Peyton Hendershot. Tuttle also led the Hoosiers to two fourth-quarter scores after replacing injured starter Michael Penix Jr.
Maryland (2-2) was coming off a 21-day break stemming from a COVID-19 outbreak that caused the cancellation of two games.
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.
Texas State (2-10, 2-6) closed its sixth straight losing season. It was the secondmost points the Bobcats have allowed in regulation this season.
Texas State held a moment of silence for sophomore defensive back Khambrail Winters, who was fatally shot Tuesday in what the San Marcos Police Department said was a drug deal gone wrong.
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.
Hubbard was out with a right ankle injury. Brown has been fighting through injuries.
Spencer Sanders passed for 222 yards and ran for 78, and Tylan Wallace caught seven passes for 129 yards and a score for Oklahoma State (6-2, 5-2 Big 12).
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. MONROE, La. — Levi Lewis passed for
Lawrence, a 6-foot-6 junior with a powthree touchdowns and ran for two more in erful arm, deft touch and flowing hair, was less than three quarters, and Louisianaas crisp as ever in leading Clemson (8-1, 7-1 Lafayette routed winless Louisiana-MonAtlantic Coast Conference;roe.No.3CFP)a step closer to the league championship Running backs Trey Regas and Elijah
Mitchell each rushed for more than 90 game and a likely rematch with the unbeat
yards and scored one touchdown apiece for en Fighting Irish.
Louisiana-Lafayette (8-1, 6-1 Sun Belt). Bralen Trahan returned an interception 53 yards for a score during a second quarter in which ULL scored four straight touchdowns to blow the game open.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have won five straight since their lone loss to 16th-ranked and unbeaten Coastal Carolina, which is scheduled to host ULL in the Sun Belt title game on Dec. 19.
NO. 23 LOUISANA-LAFAYETTE 70, LOUISIANA-MONROE 20