Harrison carries Ohio State in showdown
Wideout is the difference in win over Penn State
All-American Marvin Harrison made all the difference for No. 3 Ohio State in a pivotal Big Ten matchup, making 11 catches for 162 yards and a late touchdown as the Buckeyes beat No. 7 Penn State 20-12 on Saturday in Columbus.
The Buckeyes’ defense smothered Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten), extending Ohio State’s winning streak in the series to seven games.
Penn State needed 58 minutes to convert a third or fourth down and didn’t get into the end zone until 29 seconds were left in the game. Penn State failed to convert on its first 15 third-down attempts.
Kyle McCord was 22-for-35 for 286 yards as the Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0) put up 367 total yards, a season high against Penn State’s stingy defense.
The biggest moment for Penn State was fleeting.
Nittany Lions linebacker Curtis Jacobs stunned the Ohio Stadium crowd in the first half when he knocked the ball loose from McCord, scooped up the fumble and galloped 60 yards the other way for an apparent touchdown. However, the play was nullified because of a teammate was called for defensive holding of Harrison.
Five plays later Miyan Willams plunged in from 2 yards to give the Buckeyes the lead. Williams had 56 of Ohio State’s 79 rushing yards.
No. 6 Oklahoma 31, UCF 29: Dillon Gabriel threw three touchdown passes against his former team,
Oklahoma stopped a two-point attempt in the closing minutes and the Sooners held on to beat Central Florida in Norman.
Gabriel, who transferred before the 2022 season, connected on 25 of 38 passes for 253 yards.
Nic Anderson caught five passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and Drake Stoops caught seven passes for 60 yards and a score for the Sooners (7-0, 4-0 Big 12).
John Rhys Plumlee, who missed most of the past month with a leg injury, passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns for UCF. Javon Baker had five catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and RJ Harvey ran for 101 yards for the Knights (3-4, 0-4), who are still seeking their first Big 12 win.
No. 8 Texas 31, Houston 24: The
visiting Longhorns (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) repelled an upset bid by the Cougars (3-4, 1-3) with a late red-zone stop.
No. 9 Oregon 38, Washington State 24:
Bo Nix threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns while setting the NCAA record for most career starts. Nix started his 54th college game as the Ducks (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) became bowl-eligible with a victory over the Cougars (4-3, 1-3) after a disappointing 36-33 loss at rival Washington last weekend. Bucky Irving ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching a scoring pass from Nix, to keep Oregon undefeated at home.
No. 11 Alabama 34, No. 17 Tennessee 20:
Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns, Jihaad Camp
bell returned a fumble for a score in the fourth quarter and the Crimson Tide (7-1, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) uncorked 27 straight secondhalf points against the Volunteers (5-2, 2-2) in Tuscaloosa. Alabama turned in its most dominant half of the season against a border rival that had helped end ’Bama’s championship aspirations a year ago.
The comeback was fueled by big plays from Milroe and tailback Jase McClellan, plus a defense that smothered Joe Milton III and the Volunteers after the half.
No. 23 Tulane 35, North Texas 28:
The Green Wave (6-1, 3-0 American) led 28-7 before the Mean Green (3-4, 1-2) fought back to pull even, but Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt broke the tie via a 19-yard touchdown run with 2:34 remaining in the game.
Pratt was 15 of 21 for 194 yards passing and three touchdowns. Teammate Makhi Hughes had 121 yards and a TD on 20 carries, and Pratt ran for 70 yards on 15 tries.
UNT’s Chandler Rogers was 35 of 51 for 343 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 20 Missouri 34, South Carolina 12:
Cody Schrader ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns for host Missouri (7-1, 3-1 SEC), which sacked Spencer Rattler six times in beating the Gamecocks (2-5, 1-4). Missouri has seven victories in its first eight games for the first time since 2013. Brady Cook completed 14 of 24 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score, and Luther Burden III caught four passes for 90 yards and a TD. Rattler completed 23 of 40 passes for 217 yards, and fellow Gamecock Mitch Jeter converted four of five field goals.
Minnesota 12, No. 24 Iowa 10:
Dragan Kesich kicked four goals, including the go-ahead 31-yarder with 8:33 remaining, and the Golden Gophers (4-4, 2-2) upended the host Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-2) after Cooper Dejean’s late punt-return TD for Iowa was overruled upon replay review because of an invalid fair-catch signal.
Charlotte 10, East Carolina 7:
Jalon Jones ran for 127 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries as Charlotte (2-5, 1-2 American Athletic) won at East Carolina (1-6, 0-3).
Jones scored from the 1 to end an eight-play, 75-yard drive that took almost five minutes to make it a 10-0 advantage with 10:12 left in the third quarter. The Pirates got back in it when Alex Flinn threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Shane Calhoun with 13:14 remaining.