OHIO STATE FALLS FOUR TO NO. 6 IN AP POLL AS BAMA REMAINS NO. 1
Buckeyes no longer undefeated after upset by Penn State.
Ohio State dropped four spots to No. 6 in The Associated Press college football poll after its first loss of the season, and Penn State moved into the rankings for the first time since 2011 after upsetting the Buckeyes.
Alabama is No. 1 again, receiving all but one of the 61 first-place votes from the media panel Sunday. Michigan moved up to No. 2, followed by Clemson, Washington and Louisville.
Baylor is eighth. Texas A&M slipped three spots to No. 9 after losing for the first time this season at Alabama. West Virginia (6-0) moved up two spots to No. 10. Oklahoma stayed 16th. Houston tumbled out of the rankings for the first time this season after getting routed by SMU.
Fresno State: Coach Tim DeRuyter has been fired after the Bulldogs dropped to 1-7 in his fifth season, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told the AP.
DeRuyter, 53, is 30-30 at Fresno State, but he went 20-6 his first two seasons and won two Mountain West titles with Derek Carr at quarterback. DeRuyter has two years left on a five-year contract that was worth $7.5 million.
The former defensive coordinator at Texas A&M was hired by Fresno State after he led the Aggies to a bowl victory as an interim head coach in the 2011 season.
Late Saturday
Penn State 24, Ohio State 21: Grant Haley returned a blocked field goal 60 yards for a touchdown with 4 minutes, 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter as the Nittany Lions (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) upset the Buckeyes (6-1, 4-1) for their biggest win in the post-Joe Paterno era.
Penn State took its first lead when Marcus Allen leaped high to block Tyler Durbin’s 45-yard field goal attempt and Haley made the scoop and sprint to the end zone.
Oklahoma 66, Texas Tech 59: Baker Mayfield passed for a school-record seven touchdowns and 545 yards to help the Sooners (5-2, 4-0 Big 12) beat the Red Raiders (3-4, 1-3) in a game that broke the NCAA record for combined offensive yards with 1,708. Mayfield completed 27 of 36 passes, with TD throws of 56, 49, 23, 23, 43, 34 and 15 yards.
Joe Mixon caught three touchdown passes and ran for two touchdowns, a 46-yarder and a 42-yarder. He finished with 263 yards rushing and 114 yards receiving. He’s the first Sooner to reach 200 yards rushing and 100 receiving in the same game.
Pat Mahomes threw for five touchdowns and 734 yards for Texas Tech. His passing yards tied the NCAA record set by Connor Halliday of Washington State against Cal in 2014.
SMU 38, Houston 16: Ben Hicks threw for three touchdowns and ran for another score as the Mustangs (3-4, 1-2) stunned the then-No. 11 Cougars (6-2, 3-2 American) for their first win over a ranked team in five years. Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. couldn’t shake a persistent SMU pass rush or find receivers for big plays, finishing with 241 yards passing — almost 100 below his average — and just 3 yards rushing on 17 carries, thanks to seven sacks.
UTEP 52, UTSA 49 (5 OT): Ryan Metz’s 6-yard TD pass to Warren Redix lifted the Miners (2-5, 1-3) over the Roadrunners (3-4, 2-2). It was the first five-overtime game in Conference USA’s history.