Sooners smash Cowboys for Big 12 crown, 38-20
NORMAN, Okla. — Baker Mayfield passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 7 Oklahoma defeated No. 11 Oklahoma State 38-20 on Saturday in a matchup that decided the Big 12 champion.
The Heisman Trophy candidate performed well throughout, despite finishing the game without top receiver Dede Westbrook, a Biletnikoff Award finalist. Westbrook caught four passes for 111 yards before being knocked out of the game on a crushing hit by Oklahoma State safety Jordan Sterns.
Samaje Perine rambled for 239 yards on 37 carries for the Sooners (10-2, 9-0 Big 12, No. 9 College Football Playoff), who won their 10th Big 12 title under coach Bob Stoops.
Mason Rudolph completed just 11 of 25 passes for 186 yards for Oklahoma State (9-3, 7-2, No. 10 CFP). His top target for the season, James Washington, caught just two passes for 50 yards on eight targets.
It was the second-straight time the teams met in the regular-season finale to determine the conference champion. Oklahoma beat the Cowboys 58-23 last season.
No. 14 West Virginia 24 Baylor 21
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Skyler Howard threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and West Virginia held on in the Big 12 regular-season finale for both teams.
Justin Crawford rushed for 209 yards to help the Mountaineers (10-2, 7-2) to their first 10win regular-season since 2007. They came from 11 points down in the first half to hand Baylor (66, 3-6) its sixth-straight loss after a 6-0 start.
Baylor held the momentum for nearly three quarters in the final regular-season game for acting coach Jim Grobe, but that changed on two plays.
Howard, having one of his worst games of the season, threw to Gary Jennings over the middle and he turned it into a 58yard scoring play. After Baylor got the ball back, Marvin Gross stripped quarterback Zach Smith, and Darrien Howard recovered for West Virginia. An unsportsmanlike penalty on Baylor gave the Mountaineers the ball at the Bears 6, and Howard scored on a 1-yard sneak on fourth down for a 24-14 lead.
Ga. Southern 28, Troy 24
STATESBORO, Ga. — Kevin Ellison threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more and Georgia Southern beat Troy.
Troy (9-3, 6-2) needed a victory to tie for what would have been their sixth Sun Belt championship but instead the Eagles (5-7, 4-4) snapped a four-game losing streak and beat the Trojans for the fourth-straight time.
The Eagles took a 28-24 lead with 9:46 left in the fourth quarter when Ellison connected with BJ Johnson on a 64-yard pass. Johnson caught the ball at the Troy 42, broke a tackle and raced to the end zone.
Kansas State 30, TCU 6
FORT WORTH, Texas — Jesse Ertz and Kansas State rushed to the end of coach Bill Snyder’s 25th regular season, and to another bowl game.
Ertz ran for a career-high 170 yards with a touchdown and Justin Silmon had 133 yards rushing with two touchdowns as the Wildcats won at TCU on a drizzly Saturday.
“We just did what we do. I don’t think there was any secret or anything new we threw at them,” said Ertz, the junior quarterback who also had an 83-yard scoring pass. “I’m just looking to go 9-4 and finish out strong.”
Snyder got his 201st victory in 25 seasons with the Wildcats (84, 6-3 Big 12), who next will play in their 20th bowl game — the 19th under Snyder. Kansas State appears headed to the Houston Bowl to play a Southeastern Conference team after winning five of its last six games.
No. 4 Washington 41 No. 9 Colorado 10
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Washington’s opportunistic defense and dominant running game most likely ended any debate about whether the Huskies’ weak nonconference schedule would keep them out of the College Football Playoff.
Taylor Rapp returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and Myles Gaskin ran for 159 yards to help No. 4 Washington strengthen its case for a playoff berth with victory over No. 9 Colorado in the Pac-12 championship game Friday night.
“We think we have a heck of a team and we think we belong in there,” coach Chris Petersen said. “I think they’ll do what they should do, which is the right thing. … These guys have done everything they’re supposed to do.”
With the Huskies (12-1, No. 4 CFP) only narrowly ahead of two-loss Michigan in the latest playoff rankings, there were some questions about whether could be passed by the Wolverines or even the eventual Big Ten champion for the final playoff spot because of a nonconference schedule of Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State.
But the Huskies dominated the Buffaloes (10-3, No. 8 CFP) much more thoroughly than Michigan did in September in the most convincing closing argument possible. Now they need to just wait for the final verdict to come in today before begin preparations for the playoff.
The Huskies broke open a close game when Rapp intercepted Sefo Liufau’s passes on the first two drives of the second half for a touchdown and to set up a field goal that made it 24-7.
Washington rolled from there to its first conference title since 2000.
No. 13 Western Michigan 29 Ohio 23
DETROIT — Robert Spillane intercepted a pass with 51 seconds remaining, and No. 13 Western Michigan remained undefeated, holding off Ohio Friday night to win its first Mid-American Conference title since 1988.
The Broncos (13-0, No. 17 CFP) led 23-7 at halftime, but Ohio rallied and had the ball in WMU territory in the final minute when Spillane intercepted Greg Windham’s pass over the middle. Spillane immediately took a knee at his own 30, then was mobbed by his teammates as a Ford Field crowd full of Broncos fans roared.
Ohio (8-5) never led and didn’t do much on offense until the final quarter, but the Bobcats still came achingly close to their first MAC championship since 1968.
Instead, WMU became the first undefeated team to win the MAC title game since Marshall in 1999. The question is whether the Broncos have done enough to make it to the Cotton Bowl. WMU is trying to earn the Group of Five bid to a New Year’s Six bowl.
Western Michigan’s Corey Davis had eight catches for 144 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Butch Hampton kicked five field goals, the last a 34-yarder that gave the Broncos a 29-23 lead with 1:24 remaining.
The crowd of 45,615 was easily a record for a MAC title game.
Temple 34, No. 20 Navy 10
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Phillip Walker threw two touchdown passes, Temple’s defense stuffed Navy’s running game and the Owls claimed their first American Athletic Conference title.
After Temple (10-3) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, protecting the 21-0 lead became substantially easier when No. 20 Navy (93, No. 19 CFP) lost standout quarterback Will Worth to a second-quarter ankle injury.
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said Worth is done for the season, along with running backs Toneo Gulley and Darryl Bonner, both of whom left with first-half injuries.
Although the defeat took Navy out of the running for the Cotton Bowl, the Midshipmen are expected to play in the Armed Forces Bowl after facing Army on Saturday.
The Owls extended their winning streak to seven and earned their first league title since finishing atop the Middle American Conference in 1967.
“It showed we have a really good team that is capable of doing a lot of good things,” said Walker, who went 16 for 25 for 199 yards.
Temple lost to Houston in last year’s AAC Championship game. This time, the Owls dominated from the outset.