Cincy makes its case vs. Irish
No. 2 Dawgs blast No. 8 Hogs
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for score late in the fourth quarter as No. 7 Cincinnati capitalized on its big opportunity and beat No. 9 Notre Dame 24-13 Saturday in a game the Bearcats hope can be the centerpiece of College Football Playoff resume.
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Cincinnati (4-0) wanted to use its first Top 10, regularseason matchup as a statement game, heading into its American Athletic Conference schedule. No team from outside the Power Five conferences has ever reached the playoff. Never even came close.
To break that barrier Bearcats almost certainly needs to go undefeated and this trip to Notre Dame (4-1) stood as the toughest test on the schedule. Not to mention the biggest stage they’ll appear on this season.
The Bearcats were not quite dominant, but they were plenty good enough in their first trip to South Bend since 1900 to snap Notre Dame’s 26-game home winning streak.
Cincinnati took advantage of three turnovers by Notre Dame in the first half to jump out to 17-0 lead.
No. 1 Alabama 42, No. 12 Ole Miss 21 — Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for career highs of 171 yards and four touchdowns, for the Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) but the ’Bama defense and ground game stole some of the thunder from a matchup of the two leading Heisman Trophy contenders coming into the game.
Alabama turned to Robinson to play keep away from Matt Corral and the offense of the Rebels (3-1, 0-1).
No. 2 Georgia 37, No. 8 Arkansas 0 — Zamir White rushed for two touchdowns and recovered a blocked punt for another score in the Bulldogs’ second consecutive shutout.
Georgia (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) raced to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter despite playing without quarterback JT Daniels, who was held out with a right lat injury.
Stetson Bennett filled in for Daniels and passed for only 72 yards as the Bulldogs relied on their running game and top-rated defense to beat Arkansas (4-1, 1-1).
Stanford 31, No. 3 Oregon 24 — Tanner McKee threw a TD pass on an untimed down at the end of regulation to tie the game and another on the opening possession of overtime to lead Stanford. McKee came back after leaving for a play on the final drive of regulation with an injury to tie it on a 2-yard pass to Elijah Higgins after a holding penalty by Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) in the end zone extended the game one play.
McKee then gave the Cardinal (3-2, 2-1) the lead with a 14-yarder to John Humphreys in overtime.
No. 6 Oklahoma 37, Kansas State 31 — Spencer Rattler threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, Oklahoma had two crucial calls overturned in its favor after video reviews, and the sixthranked Sooners (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) recovered an onside kick with just over a minute left to hold off the Wildcats (3-2, 0-2).
No. 11 Ohio State 52, Rutgers 13 — C.J. Stroud threw for 330 yards and a career-high five touchdowns and No. 11 Ohio State won its 20th straight Big Ten game. Ohio State (4-1, 2-0) has beaten Rutgers (3-2, 0-2) eight times in as many games.
No. 14 Michigan 38, Wisconsin 17 — Cornelius Johnson caught both of Cade McNamara’s touchdown passes and Michigan remained unbeaten while Wisconsin lost starting quarterback Graham Mertz to a chest injury. Wisconsin (1-3, 0-2 Big Ten) trailed 13-10 and had the ball to start the third quarter when Mertz was sacked by Daxton Hill on a third-and-9 play. Mertz and tight end Jake Ferguson both went to the locker room with chest injuries after that play, and neither returned to the game. The Wolverines (5-0, 2-0) won at Madison for the first time since 2001.
No. 16 Coastal Carolina 59, Louisiana Monroe 6 — Grayson McCall threw for 212 yards on 13-of-13 passing with two touchdowns to Isaiah Likely for the Chanticleers (5-0, 1-0 Sun Belt). McCall was already the FBS leader in completion percentage and had little trouble against the Warhawks (2-2, 1-1).
No. 24 Wake Forest 37, Louisville 34 — Nick Sciba kicked a 29-yard field goal with 22 seconds left for Wake Forest (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference). Louisville (3-2, 1-1) got a final drive with a chance to tie and no timeouts, but the Cardinals’ desperate, lateral-filled play never got across midfield before Wake Forest’s Rondell Bothroyd recovered the loose ball to end this one after time had expired.
Harvard 38, Holy Cross 13 — Jake Smith passed for three touchdowns and Khalid Thomas had two interceptions for Harvard (3-0). Aaron Shampklin rushed for 72 yards and Aidan Borguet added 59 yards and a score for Harvard, which entered second among all FCS teams in rushing offense at 289 yards. Matthew Sluka was intercepted twice for Holy Cross (3-2) and Marco Siderman once.
Toledo 45, UMass 7 — Bryant Koback rushed for two touchdowns and the Toledo defense set up three quick scores. The Rockets (3-2) blasted ahead 31-0 at halftime, fueled by three oneplay drives following turnovers. The Rockets piled up 455 yards while their defense held the Minutemen (0-5) to 134 with four turnovers and a 1-for-11 showing on third down.
Pitt 52, Georgia Tech 21 — Kenny Pickett passed for 389 yards and four touchdowns for Pittsburgh (4-1, 1-0 ACC). The Panthers intercepted the first two passes by Georgia Tech (2-3, 1-2) quarterback Jeff Sims, with linebacker John Petrishen returning the second 33 yards for a touchdown to help the Panthers to a 42-14 lead by halftime.
Yale 34, Lehigh 0 — Backup Nolan Grooms threw for two touchdowns, Mason Tipton caught three passes for 122 yards and a score, and Yale (2-1) cruised to its first shutout since 2017. Lehigh (0-5) is on a 12-game losing streak dating to 2019 — tying the program’s longest from 1925-26.
Rhode Island 27, Stony Brook 20 — Andre Blackett stuffed Ty Son Lawson on a fourthand-1 play from the 2-yard line in overtime to secure Rhode Island’s first-ever win over Stony Brook. The Rams (4-0, 2-0) broke a seven-game skid against Stony Brook (1-4, 0-2) after seven losses since joining the Colonial Athletic Association. Rhode Island, ranked 23rd in the FCS coaches’ poll, missed field goals of 45 and 51 yards on their last two possessions of regulation.
North Carolina 38, Duke 7 —
Sam Howell threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns and North Carolina held the coveted Victory Bell for a third straight year. The Tar Heels (3-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) jumped ahead with a pair of explosive plays in the first half.
The Blue Devils (3-2, 0-1 ACC) punted nine times, turned the ball over twice and converted just 2 of 15 third downs.
Princeton 24, Columbia 7 —
Collin Eaddy ran for 103 yards and two TDs for the Tigers (3-0, 1-0 Ivy League), who never trailed against Columbia (2-1, 0-1).
Duquesne 37, Merrimack 14 — Darius Perrantes threw for four touchdowns, and Duquesne’s defense registered four interceptions.
The Dukes (3-1, 1-0 Northeast Conference) closed the door on Merrimack (3-2, 0-1) in the third with a pair of touchdowns.
James Madison 23 New Hampshire 21 — Cole Johnson threw three touchdown passes and Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey intercepted a pass with 1:45 for James Madison, the second-ranked FCS team. The Dukes (4-0, 2-0 Colonial Athletic Association) led 17-7 at halftime as Johnson hit Reggie Brown for a touchdown in the closing seconds. However Randall Harris picked of Johnson in the opening minutes of the third quarter and returned it 18 yards for the Wildcats (3-2, 2-1).