QB Daniels returns as Georgia dominates
ATHENS, Ga. — Stetson Bennett passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns before giving way to former starter JT Daniels, leading No. 1 Georgia to a 43-6 win over Missouri on Saturday.
The game opened new questions for Georgia at quarterback while affirming the Bulldogs’ season-long defensive dominance. Missouri was held to 273 total yards in Georgia’s seventh game of the season allowing no more than 10 points.
Missouri’s Tyler Badie, the SEC’s leading rusher, was held to 41 yards on the ground.
Georgia (9-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) was impressive in scoring 40 unanswered points after Missouri’s early 3-0 lead. The Bulldogs began the day leading the nation with their average of 6.6 points allowed per game.
Georgia led 34-3 before Missouri freshman quarterback Tyler Macon’s 28-yard pass to Tauskie Dove set up a first down at the Georgia 3 in the final minute. The Georgia defense held on three plays from the 1.
Daniels, who opened the season as Georgia’s starter before suffering a lat injury, came off the sideline to make his first appearance since late September.
Bennett, making his fifth consecutive start, enjoyed one of his best games. The former walk-on completed 13 of 19 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels entered the game midway through the third quarter.
Daniels, making his first appearance since his start against Vanderbilt on Sept. 25, played as if he has fully recovered from the injury that forced him to miss a month. Daniels completed a fourth-down pass to tight end John FitzPatrick before completing a 7-yard scoring pass to Ladd McConkey for a 40-3 lead.
NO. 2 CINCINNATI 28, TULSA 20
CINCINNATI — Desmond Ridder threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns and Cincinnati held off Tulsa.
Alec Peirce had five catches for 113 yards and a touchdown to help the Bearcats (9-0, 5-0 American Athletic) extend the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to 25 games.
PURDUE 40, NO. 5 MICHIGAN STATE 29
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Aidan O’Connell threw for a career-best 536 yards, matched his career high with three touchdown passes and led Purdue past Michigan State, leaving the Big Ten without any unbeaten teams.
Purdue’s second major upset in four weeks could keep the conference out of the College Football Playoff for the third time in five years. The Boilermakers (6-3, 4-2), who won at then-No. 2 Iowa last month, are bowl-eligible for the first time in three years. They tied for the West Division lead and extended their FBS record for wins over top-five teams when unranked to 17.
NO. 6 OHIO STATE 26, NEBRASKA 17
LINCOLN, Neb. — C.J. Stroud threw for 405 yards and two touchdowns and Ohio State’s defense came up with a pair of stops after Nebraska pulled within six points.
The Buckeyes’ nation-leading offense managed only two field goals in the second half, allowing the Cornhuskers to make it a one-score game until Noah Ruggles kicked a 46-yard field goal with 1:29 left.
NO. 8 NOTRE DAME 34, NAVY 6
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jack Coan threw for 269 yards and a touchdown, Kyren Williams ran for two scores and Notre Dame shut down Navy’s triple-option attack.
Coan, a grad transfer from Wisconsin, completed 23 of 29 passes, with a 70-yard scoring pass to Kevin Austin late in the first half for the Irish (8-1, No. 10 CFP).
NORTH CAROLINA 58, NO. 10 WAKE FOREST 55
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Ty Chandler ran for career highs of 213 yards and four touchdowns and North Carolina overcame an 18-point deficit to beat Wake Forest, handing the Demon Deacons their first loss in a nonconference matchup of instate Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
Chandler’s big day included a 50-yard breakaway run with 1:12 left. That was the final blow for the Tar Heels (5-4) as they rallied from a huge third-quarter deficit to beat the Demon Deacons (8-1, No. 9 CFP) for the second straight year, following a 21-point comeback last year by erasing a 45-27 deficit with 7:38 left in the third.
NO. 11 OKLAHOMA ST. 24, WEST VIRGINIA 3
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Spencer Sanders threw two touchdown passes and Oklahoma State had eight sacks against West Virginia.
Oklahoma State (8-1, 5-1 Big 12, No. 11 CFP) has won seven straight over the Mountaineers (4-5, 2-4).
NO. 13 TEXAS A&M 20, NO. 12 AUBURN 3
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Micheal Clemons scored the game’s only touchdown on a 24-yard fumble return early in the fourth quarter, and Texas A&M beat Auburn.
Clemons’ scoop-and-score came after defensive tackle Jayden Peevy poked the ball away from scrambling Auburn quarterback Bo Nix. Clemons, a 6-foot-5, 270pound defensive end, picked up the ball and sprinted to the end zone, diving to the ground after he crossed the goal line.
TCU 30, NO. 14 BAYLOR 28
FORT WORTH, Texas — Chandler Morris threw for 461 yards and two touchdowns in his first start for TCU and the Horned Frogs beat Baylor in their first game without Gary Patterson on the sideline since 1997.
The Horned Frogs (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) snapped a three-game losing streak six days after the school and Patterson mutually agreed to immediately part ways before completing his 21st season as head coach. They had lost five of their previous six games and were 21-22 since the start of 2018.
NO. 15 MISSISSIPPI 27, LIBERTY 14
OXFORD, Miss. — Matt Corral threw for 324 yards and a touchdown to lead Mississippi past Liberty and former Rebels coach Hugh Freeze.
Corral completed 20 of 27 passes, including six completions of 20-plus yards.
NO. 17 BYU 59, IDAHO STATE 14
PROVO, Utah — Jaren Hall threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, and BYU demolished Idaho State.
Baylor Romney took over in the second half for Hall, who finished 2 yards shy of his fourth 300-yard performance in the last five games.
NO. 22 PENN STATE 31, MARYLAND 14
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Jahan Dotson caught 11 passes for a school-record 242 yards and three touchdowns, helping Penn State snap a three-game losing streak.
Sean Clifford threw for 363 yards for the Nittany Lions, including an 86-yard TD strike to Dotson that gave Penn State the lead with 13:55 to play. Dotson also caught scoring passes of 38 and 21 yards.
MEMPHIS 28, NO. 23 SMU 25
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Seth Henigan returned to throw for 392 yards and two touchdowns in Memphis’ victory over SMU.
After sitting out last week in a loss to UCF with a right shoulder injury, Henigan completed 34 of 53 passes, including touchdown strikes of 2 yards to Eddie Lewis and 27 yards to Javon Ivory for the Tigers (5-4, 2-3 American Athletic Conference).