Walker, Michigan St. rally
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Kenneth Walker earned the right to stump for Heisman Trophy votes and humbly refused, shaking off questions about the coveted award as if they were linebackers trying to tackle him.
Walker ran for 197 yards and five touchdowns, helping No. 8 Michigan State top No. 6 Michigan 37-33 for a thrilling comeback win on Saturday.
“I don’t feel like it was a Heisman moment,” said Walker, who started the day leading the nation in rushing and finished it with 1,194 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. “But it was just a great team win.”
The Wake Forest transfer had a lot to do with it.
The Spartans (8-0, 5-0 Big
Ten) trailed by nine at halftime and 30-14 with 6:47 left in the third quarter before rallying as Walker boosted his chances of being selected college football’s most outstanding player.
Walker’s fifth touchdown — a 23-yard run — lifted the Spartans to a 37-33 lead with 5:08 remaining. He had 8.6 yards a carry, an average that spiked thanks to his 58-yard touchdown that helped the Spartans pull into a 30-all tie early in the fourth quarter.
The Wolverines (7-1, 4-1) forced a final punt and had the ball at their 33 with 1:15 and no timeouts left.
After a roughing-the-passer penalty gave them the ball at midfield, Michigan State cornerback Charles Brantley sealed the victory by picking off a floating pass from Cade McNamara.
McNamara threw for 383 yards and two touchdowns, but his interception was costly, as was freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s lost fumble on an attempted handoff in the fourth quarter.
NO. 1 GEORGIA 34, FLORIDA 7
In Jacksonville, Fla., the Bulldogs’ top-ranked defense dominated the Gators, scoring three touchdowns off turnovers in a 12-play sequence that turned “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” into another lopsided affair.
Georgia (8-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) won its 12th consecutive game since getting steamrolled in Jacksonville a year ago.
Florida (4-4, 2-4) managed no points, 11 first downs and 214 yards through three quarters and looked like its decades-old, NCAA-record scoring streak might be in jeopardy down the stretch.
NO. 2 CINCINNATI 31, TULANE 12
Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown pass to tight end Josh Whyle, and the Bearcats won in New Orleans to remain undefeated.
Jerome Ford rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown — his 14th this season — for Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference). The Bearcats briefly trailed in the second quarter and led by just two points at halftime.
NO. 5 OHIO ST. 33 NO. 20 PENN ST. 24
In Columbus, Ohio, C.J. Stroud passed for 305 yards and a touchdown, and TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 152 yards and a score as the Buckeyes (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) beat the Nittany Lions (5-3, 2-3) for the fifth straight time.
NO. 7 OREGON 52, COLORADO 29
In Eugene, Ore., Anthony Brown was 25-of-31 for 307 yards and three touchdowns, and Byron Caldwell had seven carries for 127 yards and a touchdown for the Ducks (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12), who jumped out to a 31-14 halftime lead and cruised.
WISCONSIN 27, NO. 9 IOWA 7
Graham Mertz scored on two quarterback sneaks and threw a touchdown pass to help the Badgers beat the Hawkeyes in Madison, Wis., for their fourth consecutive victory.
Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) forced three turnovers, had six sacks and limited Iowa to 24 yards rushing on 30 carries.
Iowa (6-2, 3-2) has been outscored 51-14 in its last two games after being ranked second in the nation a couple of weeks ago.
NO. 18 AUBURN 31 NO. 10 OLE MISS 20
In Auburn, Ala., Bo Nix passed for 276 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores for the Tigers (6-2, 4-1 SEC), whose defense made a number of big stops against the Rebels (6-2, 3-2).
NO. 11 NOTRE DAME 44 NORTH CAROLINA 34
In South Bend, Ind., Kyren Williams raced 91 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and the Fighting Irish (7-1) held off Sam Howell and the upset-minded Tar Heels (4-4) in a game that had over 1,000 yards in offense.
MISSISSIPPI ST. 31 NO. 12 KENTUCKY 17
In Starkville, Miss., Dillon Johnson ran for two touchdowns and the Bulldogs (5-3, 3-2 SEC) scored 14 points off four turnovers by the Wildcats (6-2, 4-2 SEC).
NO. 13 WAKE FOREST 45, DUKE 7
In Winston-Salem, N.C., Sam Hartman was 24-of-37 for 402 yards and three touchdowns for the Demon Deacons (8-0, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).
MIAMI 38, NO, 17 PITTSBURGH 34
Miami freshman Tyler Van Dyke outdueled Kenny Pickett, throwing for 426 yards and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes (4-4, 2-2 ACC) beat the Panthers (6-2, 3-1 ACC). Pickett bolstered his Heisman résumé by throwing for a school-record 519 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw his second and third interceptions of the season.