Marshall and App State pull off upsets
Steven Gilmore returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter and Khalan Labron ran for 163 yards as Marshall shocked No. 8 Notre Dame 26-21 Saturday, making Marcus Freeman the first Fighting Irish coach to lose his first three games.
Gilmore, the brother of Stephon Gilmore of the Indianapolis Colts, picked off a pass by Tyler Buchner with 4:35 left, raced to the end zone and then jumped into the stands where Marshall fans were already celebrating the victory.
Marshall, the first Sun Belt Conference team to play at Notre Dame Stadium, beat a team ranked in the top 10 for just the second time in school history. The Thundering Herd beat No. 6 Kansas State 27-20 in 2003.
Freeman, the 36-yearold first-time head coach who was promoted after Brian Kelly left for LSU, had lost a bowl game to Oklahoma State and at Ohio State last week. This one will go down much differently to hopeful Notre Dame fans.
The Irish had a streak of 42 straight wins against unranked opponents.
The Herd took a 19-15 lead with 5:16 remaining when Henry Colombi completed a 3-yard touchdown pass to Devin Miller. The score was set up by a 42-yard run by Laborn, who broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and juked Irish safety Brandon Joseph.
Any hope for a comeback by the Irish ended when Owen Porter intercepted a pass by backup Irish quarterback Drew Pyne with three minutes remaining. Pyne threw a TD pass with 14 seconds left to cut the lead to five.
Colombi was 16-of-21 passing for 145 yards and Marshall rushed for 221 yards on 49 carries.
Buchner was 18-of-32 passing for 201 yards with two interceptions. Buchner also led the Irish in rushing with 44 yards on 13 carries, Michael Mayer had eight catches for 103 yards.
Appalachian St. 17,
No. 6 Texas A&M 14: Chase Brice threw for 134 yards and a touchdown and Appalachian State took advantage of two turnovers to stun the host Aggies. Appalachian State won a week after scoring six touchdowns and 40 points in the fourth quarter in a 63-61 opening loss to
North Carolina.
Appalachian State (1-1) settled for a 29-yard field goal by Michael Hughes to take a 17-14 lead with about eight minutes left after Christian Wells was
Awide open but dropped a sure touchdown on third down.
No. 1 Alabama 20, Texas 19: Will Reichard kicked a 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, and the top-ranked Crimson Tide overcame a stifling defensive effort by the host Longhorns. Bryce Young was hit and harassed by the Texas defense for most of the game, but the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback put together a big fourth quarter. He had an off-balance touchdown pass and a 20-yard run to set up the winning kick. Texas lost quarterback Quinn Ewers to a shoulder injury in the first quarter but rode an inspired defense and four field goals from Bert Auburn to a late-game lead.
No. 2 Georgia 33, Samford 0: Stetson Bennett passed for 300 yards while throwing and running for touchdowns and the host Bulldogs’ rebuilt defense delivered another dominant performance, shutting out Samford.
No. 3 Ohio St. 45, Arkansas St. 12: C.J.
Stroud threw three touchdown passes to Marvin Harrison Jr., TreVeyon Henderson ran for another two scores, and the host Buckeyes raced past the Red Wolves.
No. 5 Clemson 35, Furman 12: DJ Uiagalelei threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and Will
AAAAShipley ran for a pair of scores in the host Tigers’ win over the Paladins.
No. 13 Utah 73, Southern Utah 7: Cameron Rising threw for 254 yards in the first half, Dalton Kincaid had 107 yards receiving and two touchdowns, and the host Utes ripped the Thunderbirds.
No. 16 Arkansas 44, South Carolina 30: Rocket Sanders ran for a careerhigh 156 yards with two TDs and KJ Jefferson ran for a score and threw for another in the fourth quarter as the host Razorbacks ripped the Gamecocks.
No. 18 N.C. State 55, Charleston Southern 3:
Devin Leary tied a school record by accounting for six touchdowns to help the host Wolfpack rout the Buccaneers.
Washington St. 17, No. 19 Wisconsin 14:
Nakia Watson scored two touchdowns against his former team as Washington State beat Wisconsin.
No. 23 Wake Forest 45, Vanderbilt 25: Sam Hartman passed for 300 yards and four touchdowns, and the Demon Deacons took down the host Commodores. Fifthyear quarterback connected on 18 of 27 passes after he missed Wake’s opener because of a blood clot. Hartman directed the Demon Deacons to 11 wins and a trip to the
ACC Championship
Game last season.
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