Duck fails: Utes crush CFP hopes
Britain Covey returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half, giving Utah 14 points in 27 seconds and a 28-0 lead, and the No. 23 Utes ended No. 3 Oregon’s College Football Playoff hopes with a 38-7 victory Saturday night.
Tavion Thomas ran for 94 yards and three touchdowns to help the Utes (8-3, 7-1 Pac-12) wrap up a share of the Pac-12 South title and a spot in the conference championship game. Utah has won four in a row.
Thomas has run for a Utah-record 17 touchdowns this season. The previous mark was 15, shared by Zack Moss and John White IV.
Cameron Rising threw for 178 yards. His top target, Brant Kuithe, piled up 118 yards on five catches for just the second 100-yard game of his career. Covey had 191 all-purpose yards.
Anthony Brown threw for 231 yards and a touchdown for Oregon (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12, No. 3 CFP). Oregon rushed for 63 yards and had 294 yards of offense.
Oregon finally got on the board in the third quarter when Devon Williams reeled in a 36-yard catch.
Aside from a 50-yard catch by Kris Hutson, the Ducks did hardly anything noteworthy against Utah’s defense until the third quarter. Oregon’s inability to move the chains kept it off the board in the first half and ultimately crushed the Ducks’ hopes of going to the College Football Playoff.
Tigers continue dominance over Deacons:
At last, Clemson looked like the powerhouse it was supposed to be this season.
Kobe Pace ran for a career-high 191 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers won their 13th straight over No. 10 Wake Forest, delaying the Demon Deacons’ run to the ACC Atlantic title with a 48-27 victory Saturday.
It sure took a while for the Tigers (8-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) to play up to their preseason billing. But everything clicked, like so many other times, against Wake Forest (9-2, 6-1), which has not won at Death Valley since 1998.
Sooners still in Big 12 hunt: Oklahoma’s imperfect season still could end with a Big 12 championship, and possibly more.
Caleb Williams passed for a touchdown and ran for another, Jalen Redmond returned a fumble for a score, and No. 13 Oklahoma beat Iowa State 28-21 on Saturday.
Kennedy Brooks ran for 115 yards for the Sooners (10-1, 7-1 Big 12), who bounced back from a loss to Baylor and solidified their chances of reaching the Big 12 title game and winning a seventh straight conference title. They also kept alive their slim College Football Playoff hopes and did their part to set up a showdown with No. 9 Oklahoma State next Saturday to close the regular season.
Ridder does it all: Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes, ran for another and even caught a TD pass to help No. 5 Cincinnati roll SMU 48-14 on Saturday.
Alec Pierce had a pair of TD catches for the Bearcats (11-0, 7-0 American Athletic). They extended the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to 26 games and keep alive hopes of becoming the first non-Power 5 team to reach the College Football Playoff. SMU (8-3, 4-3) managed 199 yards of offense after averaging 498 through the first 10 games.
Georgia rolls: As the leader of the nation’s top defense, Jordan Davis has produced enough highlights to receive some Heisman Trophy hype.
Davis made another memory in his farewell to Sanford Stadium.
The standout defensive tackle scored his first career touchdown and No. 1 Georgia was again dominant in a 56-7 rout of Charleston Southern on Saturday.
Davis began the day among the seniors honored in a pregame ceremony. He ended it directing the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band. He was presented a red uniform jacket as an honorary member of the band.
“If today was not my favorite memory, I don’t know what to tell you,” Davis said.
Shapen leads Baylor to victory: Blake Shapen was sharp in place of injured quarterback Gerry Bohanon, and Baylor’s defense simply smothered Kansas State’s offense, helping the No. 11 Bears beat the Wildcats 20-10 on Saturday night.
Shapen was 16 of 21 for 137 yards after Bohanon left shortly before halftime with a hamstring injury. The redshirt freshman got some help from Trestan Ebner, who ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, and Tyquan Thornton, who had five catches for 75 yards, as the Bears (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) won their fourth straight over Kansas State.
Allen carries Badgers: Braelon Allen rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns — including a tiebreaking 53-yarder with 3:50 remaining — to help No. 15 Wisconsin outlast Nebraska 35-28 for its seventh consecutive victory Saturday. The Badgers (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten) handed Nebraska (3-8, 1-7) its fifth straight loss and moved a step closer to playing for a conference title.