Nix, Ducks take Pac-12 lead
Auburn transfer shines in victory over UCLA
EUGENE, Ore. — Bo Nix made Oregon’s win over UCLA look nearly effortless. He said it felt that way, too.
Nix threw for 283 yards and five touchdowns and No. 10 Oregon handed No. 9 UCLA its first loss of the season with a 45-30 victory Saturday in a highly anticipated showdown for the top of the Pac-12 standings.
The win extended Oregon’s winning streak at Autzen Stadium to 23 games, matching a school record. It is the third-best active home streak in the nation. The Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) have won six straight since a seasonopening loss to Georgia and are the lone remaining undefeated team in Pac-12 conference play.
The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Bruins, who have not won in Eugene since 2004. UCLA (6-1, 3-1) hasn’t defeated the Ducks since 2017.
Nix, a transfer from Auburn, is a mobile threat who has thrown for 17 touchdowns and rushed for eight this season. His favorite target on Saturday was Troy Franklin, who had eight catches for 132 yards and two scores.
NO. 2 OHIO STATE 54, IOWA 10: In Columbus, Ohio, C.J. Stroud overcame a slow start to throw four second-half touchdown passes and Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) took advantage of six Iowa turnovers to key the rout.
NO. 3 TENNESSEE 65, UT MARTIN 24: In Knoxville, Tenn., tight end Princeton Fant ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead Tennessee (7-0) over the FCS Skyhawks (4-3).
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker completed 18 of 24 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns. No. 5 CLEMSON 27, No. 14 SYRACUSE 21: In Clemson, S.C., freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik rallied to two fourth-quarter touchdowns after replacing mistake-prone starter DJ Uiagalelei and the Tigers (8-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their ACC-record setting 38th straight game at home, by beating the Orange (6-1, 3-1).
NO. 6 ALABAMA 30, NO. 24 MISSISSIPPI ST. 6: In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Bryce Young passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns and Alabama’s defense continued its domination of Mississippi State.
The Tide (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) rebounded from their first loss of the season, a 52-49 defeat to No. 3 Tennessee.
LSU 45, NO. 7 MISSISSIPPI 20: In Baton Rouge, La., Jayden Daniels ran for three touchdowns and passed for two scores as LSU (6-2, 4-1 SEC) roared back from an early two-touchdown deficit to hand Mississippi (7-1, 3-1) its first loss this season.
NO. 8 TCU 38, NO. 17 KANSAS ST. 28: In Fort Worth, Texas, Max Duggan threw for 280 yards with three touchdowns and Kendre Miller ran for 153 yards and two scores as TCU again rallied from a big early deficit to take over sole possession of first place in the Big 12 Conference.
Duggan’s 55-yard strike to Quentin Johnston late in the third quarter put the Horned Frogs (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) ahead to stay. The Frogs have won four consecutive games over ranked opponents. Last week, TCU overcame a 17-point deficit to beat then-No. 8 Oklahoma State. Kansas State (5-2, 3-1) had a 28-10 lead Saturday.
NO. 11 OKLAHOMA STATE 41, NO. 20 TEXAS 34: In Stillwater, Okla., Spencer Sanders passed for 391 yards and two touchdowns, including the 41-yard game-winner to Bryson Green with just over three minutes remaining as Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) bounced back from a double-overtime loss to TCU the previous week. Bijan Robinson ran for 140 yards and a touchdown and caught a 41-yard touchdown pass for Texas (5-3, 3-2).
NO. 13 WAKE FOREST 43, BOSTON COLLEGE 15: In Winston-Salem, N.C., Sam Hartman threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score as Wake Forest (6-1, 2-1 ACC) won its third straight. Boston College (2-5, 1-4) hasn’t defeated a top 25 opponent since 2018.
NO. 21 CINCINNATI 29, SMU 27:
In Callas, Ryan Coe kicked a schoolrecord five field goals, including a season-long 52-yarder and Cincinnati (6-1, 3-0 American) broke up a two-point play by SMU (3-4, 1-2) in the closing minutes to hold on.
NO. 25 TULANE 38, MEMPHIS 28:
In New Orleans, Michael Pratt threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Tyjae Spears ran for 125 yards and another score as Tulane (7-1, 4-0 American Athletic) celebrated its first Top 25 ranking since 1998.
Mountain West
NOTRE DAME 44, UNLV 21: In South Bend, Ind., Mike Mayer caught six passes for 115 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown, Isaiah Foskey blocked two punts to set up a touchdown and a field goal and Notre Dame (4-3) earned just its second victory in four home games.
Courtney Reese led the Rebels (4-4) with 142 yards rushing on 11 carries, including runs of 74 and 47 yards to set up UNLV’s first two touchdowns.
COLORADO STATE 17, HAWAII 13: In Fort Collins, Colo., Avery Morrow ran 26 times for 147 yards and two second-half touchdowns to lead Colorado State (2-5, 2-1) over Hawaii (2-6, 1-2).
State
WESTERN COLORADO 20, NM
HIGHLANDS 13: In Las Vegas, N.M., Cowboy receiver C.J. Sims caught seven passes for 120 yards, but the Cowboys (3-4, 3-3 RMAC) were shut out in the second half of the loss to the Mountaineers (5-3, 5-1).
WESTERN OREGON 46, EASTERN N.M. 7: In Monmouth, Ore., Howard Russell’s 3-yard first-quarter touchdown run was the lone score for Eastern New Mexico (2-6, 1-5 Lone Star).