Wolverines run wild to roll by PSU
Michigan’s massive offensive line opened huge holes and its speedy running backs took full advantage.
Donovan Edwards ran for a go-ahead, 67-yard touchdown and Blake Corum had a 61-yard run for a score on consecutive snaps in the third quarter as the fifthranked Wolverines pulled away and beat No. 10 Penn State 41-17 on Saturday.
“I can’t remember back-to-back touchdown runs like that,” coach Jim Harbaugh said.
The Wolverines (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) finished with 418 yards rushing, gaining 7.6 yards per carry, against a team that was giving up fewer than 80 yards rushing per game to rank among college football’s leaders.
Penn State coach James Franklin lamented that his undersized defensive line did not disrupt the running game.
“Everyone thinks they’re Aaron Donald now and they’re not,” Franklin said.
Michigan was dominant for much of the first half, but led by just two points because it settled for field goals after stalling at the 5 twice and at the 11 once.
Despite having only one first down, the Nittany Lions (5-1, 2-1) took a 14-13 lead late in the first half after scoring two touchdowns in a 1-minute, 44-second span. Penn State went ahead again after the opening drive of the third quarter, but Edwards answered with a 67-yard run on the next play. Edwards darted to the right behind excellent blocking to get to the sideline and used his speed on a cutback that gave the Wolverines a 24-17 lead with a 2-point conversion.
“Seeing the gap open up like it did, I knew it was going to be his big gain, but his cut at the end was just crazy,” Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy said.
On the ensuing drive, Franklin went for it on fourth-and-6 from the Michigan 39 and asked Sean Clifford to attempt a difficult pass to Parker Washington downfield toward the sideline that fell incomplete.
“You get to a point form a score perspective, you’re trying to win the game,” Franklin said.
On the next play, Corum sprinted through a huge hole for a 61-yard run that gave the Wolverines a two-touchdown lead midway through the third.
Texas rallies to beat Iowa State: Quinn Ewers threw for three touchdowns, linebacker Jaylan Ford produced two turnovers, and No. 22 Texas rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Iowa State 24-21 on Saturday.
Ewers’ third touchdown, a 3-yard pass to Xavier Worthy, put Texas up for good with 4:43 remaining.
Ford ended Iowa State’s chance to re-take the lead, recovering a fumble by Cyclones quarterback Hunter Dekkers deep in Texas territory with 2:28 to play. Moments earlier, it looked like Iowa State might move back in front, but spectacular receiver Xavier Hutchinson dropped a pass at the Longhorns 9-yard line.
Syracuse remains perfect: Garrett Shrader hit Oronde Gadsden II with a pair of touchdown passes, Sean Tucker scored on a 25-yard run late, and No. 18 Syracuse beat No. 15 North Carolina State 24-9 on Saturday to remain unbeaten and become eligible for the postseason.
Syracuse (6-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) started a season with six wins for just the third time since 1935, taking advantage of the absence of the Wolfpack’s injured star quarterback, Devin Leary. Hurt last week in a win over Florida State, Leary was declared out for the rest of the season before the game. The preseason conference player of the year suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will undergo surgery next week in Florida. He’s expected to make a full recovery.
Georgia rolls: Stetson Bennett threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns — his first scoring passes in nearly a month — and Georgia stamped its return to No. 1 with a 55-0 rout of Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Georgia (7-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) led 28-0 at halftime and blew out the Commodores after three straight weeks of rather lackluster performances.
Sooners end three-game skid: Dillon Gabriel certainly looked all healed up.
The Oklahoma quarterback passed for 403 yards and two touchdowns in his first game back after a concussion, and the Sooners defeated No. 19 Kansas 52-42 on Saturday to end their three-game losing streak. Gabriel was injured in the second quarter of Oklahoma’s loss to TCU on October 1, and the team’s offense had sputtered in nearly seven quarters without him heading into the Kansas game. But a week after the Sooners were held to 195 yards against Texas, Oklahoma (4-3, 1-3 Big 12) exploded for 701 yards against the Jayhawks.
Rebels hold off Auburn: Jaxson Dart is warming up to the idea of being a running quarterback.
Dart ran for 115 yards, one of three Mississippi 100-yard rushers, and the ninth-ranked Rebels rolled up 448 on the ground in a 48-34 victory over Auburn Saturday. It was the first time since 1976 the Rebels had three 100-yard rushers in a game.