Pitts scores 3 TDs in return, No. 6 Florida tops Kentucky
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Kyle Pitts was feeling a little jittery before his first game in three weeks.
His chest “got hot” and his heart started beating fast. Once he stepped on the field and saw one-on-one coverage, his eyes had to widen as well.
Pitts scored three touchdowns in his return from a concussion and a broken nose — all on perfect passes from Heisman Trophy front-runner Kyle Trask — and No. 6 Florida overcame a sluggish start to beat Kentucky 34-10 Saturday in the Swamp.
The Gators (7-1 Southeastern Conference) avenged a home loss to the Wildcats (3-6) two years ago and put themselves on the verge of returning to the SEC title game for the first time since 2016. Pitts and Trask look every bit ready for the big stage.
“It was just getting back in the groove and playing how I’ve been playing,” Pitts said.
The junior tight end missed the last 10 quarters following a vicious hit against Georgia that knocked his helmet so sideways that his face mask fractured his septum. He had surgery and sat out two full games. Trask wasted little time reconnecting with his favorite and most talented target.
They misfired on Florida’s opening down, but Trask found Pitts for a 56-yard touchdown four plays later. Pitts ran away from starting cornerback Kelvin Joseph on the score.
“He causes a lot of mismatches for defenses and chaos in the back end trying to guard him,” Trask said.
Pitts now has 11 touchdowns in 5 1/2 games.
“He’s such a dynamic playmaker,” coach Dan Mullen said. “He can turn some smaller gains into some pretty explosive, big plays. I think he does an amazing job of doing that. He creates matchup problems for you. He’s hard to deal with one on one, and if you get him one on one, we can take advantage of it.”
Trask’s three touchdown passes gave him 34, moving him past 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 threw 34 in 2001.
Trask did break one of Wuerffel’s records Saturday. He became the first player in school history with at least three touchdown passes in eight consecutive games, topping Wuerffel’s mark of seven set in 1996. Trask is on pace to pass Wuerffel for touchdowns, too, and it could happen in his final two regular-season games. More importantly for Trask and the Gators, though, is clinching the East with a victory at Tennessee.
“The sky’s the limit,” Trask said. “We have huge goals for this team.”
The Wildcats (3-6) kept Florida’s high-scoring offense in check for the first half, thanks partly to a fumble and a dropped third-down pass.
Kadarius Toney turned the game by taking advantage of a huge mistake by All-American punter Max Duffy. Kicking from their own 10-yard line, the Wildcats called for a kick left, but Duffy shanked it right.
Kentucky’s coverage unit surrounded Xzavier Henderson on one side while Toney caught the ball on the other with no one around him. He went untouched for a 50-yard score that put the Gators up 14-10 with 42 seconds left.
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No. 4 Clemson 52, Pittsburgh 17
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-overtime defeat at No. 2 Notre Dame.
A healthy, eager Lawrence expected to play last weekend, 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.
Lawrence, a 6-foot-6 junior with a powerful arm, deft touch and flowing hair, was as crisp as ever in leading Clemson (8-1, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) a step closer to the league championship game and a likely rematch with the unbeaten Fighting Irish.
Cornell Powell had five catches for 176 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown off a flea-flicker pass from Lawrence. Powell also had an incredible, one-handed grab on a 70-yard pass to the Pitt 5 that set up Chez Mellusi’s 2-yard scoring run for a 38-3 lead.
The Panthers (5-5, 4-5) were the last team to win at Clemson, 43-42 in 2016. But Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett threw four interceptions, three in the first eight minutes that all led to Clemson touchdowns, and the Panthers could not recover as the Tigers won their 28th straight at home.
› 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 with a victory.
The Wildcats (5-1 Big Ten) were coming off a 17-7 victory over Wisconsin that put them in contention for a spot in the 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) 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 44-yard field goal after forcing a turnover one snap after Rocky Lombardi’s interception.
› No. 12 Indiana 27, Maryland 11
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Stevie Scott III ran for three touchdowns, and Indiana had three interceptions, three sacks and a game-changing safety in a Big Ten win over the Terrapins (2-2).
Freshman Tim Baldwin Jr. ran for a season-high 106 yards for the Hoosiers (5-1), who have won four straight at home.
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.
› No. 16 Coas. Carolina 49, Texas State 14
SAN MARCOS. Texas — C.J. Marable ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns as Coastal Carolina wrapped up the Sun Belt Conference East Division title with a victory over Texas State.
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 second-most 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.
Coastal took command early at Bobcat Stadium, scoring touchdowns on its first two possessions route to a 35-7 lead at the half.
› No. 21 Okla. State 50, Texas Tech 44
STILLWATER, Okla. — Dezmon Jackson rushed for career highs of 235 yards and three touchdowns as Oklahoma State bounced back from a disappointing loss to rival Oklahoma to beat Texas Tech.
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.
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), which remained in the running for a spot in the Big 12 title game.
Alan Bowman passed for 384 yards and three touchdowns, Erik Ezukanma caught seven passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns, and SaRodorick Thompson ran for 133 yards and two scores for Texas Tech (3-6, 2-6) which gained 639 yards.
› No. 23 La.-Lafayette 70, La.-Monroe 20
MONROE, La. — Levi Lewis passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more in less than three quarters, and Louisiana-Lafayette routed winless Louisiana-Monroe.
Running backs Trey Regas and Elijah Mitchell each rushed for more than 90 yards and scored a touchdown apiece for 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.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have won five straight since their lone loss to Coastal Carolina, which is scheduled to host them in the Sun Belt title game Dec. 19.
Jeremy Hunt had one touchdown passing and one rushing for Monroe (0-9, 0-6).
› Missouri 41, Vanderbilt 0
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Sarah Fuller made history, but her barrier-breaking kickoff was the only highlight for Vanderbilt as Missouri dominated the Commodores.
She never got the chance to attempt a PAT or field goal, as the Tigers (4-3 SEC) rarely allowed the Commodores (0-8) to cross midfield.
Larry Rountree rushed 21 times for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Connor Bazelak completed 30 of 37 passes for 318 yards. Running back Tyler Badie had seven catches for 102 yards and scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter. Freshman quarterback Brady Cook got his first snaps of the year in mopup time and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Damon Hazelton.
› Ole Miss 31, Mississippi State 24
OXFORD, Miss. — Matt Corral threw for two touchdowns as Ole Miss raced to a 14-0 first quarter lead and held off a late Mississippi State surge to defeat the Bulldogs in the Egg Bowl.
Ole Miss (4-4) snapped a two-game losing streak in the rivalry, erasing last year’s painful one-point loss after Elijah Moore drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the end zone, pushing back a PAT that failed in the final seconds.
Saturday, Moore responded with 12 receptions for 139 yards, including four catches to convert on third and fourth downs. Freshman Will Rogers threw three touchdown passes for Mississippi State (2-6, 2-6).