Klubnik and Clemson rally to beat Syracuse
CLEMSON, S.C. — DJ Uiagalelei tapped backup Cade Klubnik on the helmet and gave him a final piece of advice before the freshman headed to the field with No. 5 Clemson down 21-10 in the third quarter.
“You're ready for this,” Uiagalelei said.
Clemson's starter was right. Klubnik, the five-star newcomer, led the fifth-ranked Tigers to two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 27-21 win over No. 14 Syracuse on Saturday.
Will Shipley ran for two touchdowns and a career-high 172 yards as the Tigers (8-0, 6-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their 14th straight overall — but not without a big-time scare from the Orange (6-1, 3-1).
Uiagalelei was picked off twice and had a fumble Ja'Had Carter returned 90 yards for a touchdown as Clemson trailed 21-10 at the half.
The Tigers caught fire with the five-star Klubnik behind center. He led a 15-play, 80-yard series that ended with Phil Mafah's 1-yard TD run on fourth-and-goal to cut the deficit to 21-16.
After a Syracuse punt, the Tigers and Klubnik got going again. He started with an 11-yard run before Shipley burst through the line for the goahead, 50-yard touchdown run for a 22-21 lead. Clemson went for two and Klubnik escaped one tackler in the backfield before finding Joseph Ngata for the final points.
Klubnik punched the air and Death Valley erupted in a frenzy.
“Just excited to get my moment,” Klubnik said. “It was awesome — such a great environment today.”
NO. 2 OHIO STATE 54, IOWA 10
C.J. Stroud overcame a slow start to throw four second-half touchdown passes, and the defense for the host Buckeyes took advantage of six Iowa turnovers to key the rout.
Tanner McCallister had two interceptions and Tommy Eichenberg had a pick-6 as Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) took advantage of an inept Iowa offense to consistently start drives with good field position.
Miyan Williams rushed for a first-half touchdown, and Stroud threw to Marvin Harrison, Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Mitch Rossi for second-half touchdowns.
Noah Ruggles contributed four field goals.
NO. 3 TENNESSEE 65 UT MARTIN 24
Tight end Princeton Fant ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead the host Volunteers over the FCS Skyhawks.
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker completed 18 of 24 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns. Jalin Hyatt caught seven passes for 174 yards and two scores for the Vols (7-0).
Dresser Winn threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns for UT Martin (4-3).
LSU 45, NO. 7 MISSISSIPPI 20
Jayden Daniels ran for three touchdowns and passed for two scores as the host Tigers roared back from an early two-touchdown deficit to hand the Rebels their first loss this season.
The performance gave the dynamic Daniels the LSU record for touchdowns rushing by a quarterback in a season with nine. He finished with 258 yards passing and 121 yards rushing without a turnover.
Rebels running back Quinshon Judkins rushed for two TDs and helped Ole Miss to a 17-3 second-quarter lead.
LSU (6-2, 4-1 SEC) outscored Ole Miss (7-1, 3-1) 41-3 the remainder of the game and finished with 500 total yards to 404 for coach Lane Kiffin's vaunted Mississippi offense.
NO. 10 OREGON 45, NO. 9 UCLA 30
Bo Nix threw for 278 yards and five touchdowns as the host Ducks handed the Bruins their first loss of the season.
The win extended Oregon's winning streak at Autzen Stadium to 23 games, matching a school record. The Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) have won six straight since a season-opening loss to Georgia and are the lone remaining undefeated team in Pac-12 Conference play.
The loss snapped a ninegame overall winning streak for the Bruins, who have not won in Eugene since 2004. UCLA (6-1, 3-1) hasn't defeated the Ducks since 2017.
Nix, a transfer from Auburn, has thrown for 17 touchdowns and rushed for eight this season. He completed 21 of 28 passes, eight to Troy Franklinfor 132 yards and two scores.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns and Zach Charbonnet rushed for 136 yards and a score for the Bruins.
NO. 13 WAKE FOREST 43 BOSTON COLLEGE 15
Sam Hartman threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score as the host Demon Deacons won their third straight.
All of Hartman's touchdown throws — including two each to Taylor Morin and Jahmal Banks — were to receivers already in the end zone. He completed 25 of 40 passes for 313 yards for the Demon Deacons (6-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Phil Jurkovec threw for a touchdown and ran for another for Boston College (2-5, 1-4), which hasn't defeated a top 25 opponent since 2018.
NO. 25 TULANE 38, MEMPHIS 28
Michael Pratt threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Tyjae Spears ran for 125 yards and another score as the host Green Wave celebrated their first Top 25 ranking since 1998. The Green Wave (7-1, 4-0 American Athletic) scored on three of their first four possessions and took a 35-0 lead into the second half before the Tigers rallied.
Seth Henigan had 257 of his 312 passing yards in the second half for the Tigers (4-4, 2-3), finishing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Eddie Lewis caught two touchdown passes, finishing with three receptions for 94 yards.