San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Miami comeback stuns Florida St.
N’Kosi Perry threw four touchdown passes and No. 17 Miami pulled off its biggest comeback ever against Florida State by rallying from 20 points down to top the visiting Seminoles 28-27 on Saturday night.
Brevin Jordan’s 41-yard touchdown grab with just under 12 minutes left put the Hurricanes (5-1, 2-0 ACC) ahead for good, as Miami rallied from a 27-7 second-half deficit. The win was Miami’s first at home over Florida State (3-3, 1-3) since 2004, snapping a six-game slide in South Florida against its archrival.
“Florida State came in here and took control of this game,” Miami coach Mark Richt said. “We found a way to fight back ... somehow, we gutted it out.”
Perry’s numbers weren’t great — 13-for-32, 204 yards — but he made some big throws when they mattered most. The go-ahead score to Jordan came one play after Perry threaded a 32-yard throw to Jeff Thomas on 3rdand-10, meaning in the span of about a half-minute the Hurricanes went 73 yards for the lead.
Deondre Francois completed 15 of 30 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns with one interception for the Seminoles, who were held to 200 yards of offense. He’s been in three games at Hard Rock Stadium, winning two, with all three decided by one point.
D.J. Matthews tiptoed down the left sideline early in the third quarter for a 74-yard punt return touchdown, putting Florida State up 27-7. But Gerald Willis III picked up a fumble to set up a 20-yard drive that saw Perry connect with Darrell Langham on a fourth-down throw for a score. Francois threw an interception two plays later, and the Hurricanes cashed in on their next snap when Perry and Jeff Thomas hooked up for a 17-yard score.
#1 Alabama 65, Arkansas 31: Tua Tagovailoa passed for 334 yards and four TDs and the visiting Crimson Tide (6-0, 3-0 SEC) ran their winning streak against the Razorbacks (1-5, 0-3) to 12. It took just one play for Alabama to set the tone as Tagovailoa hit tight end Irv Smith Jr. on a pass across the middle that Smith took 76 yards to the end zone and a 7-0 lead 21 seconds into the game.
#2 Georgia 41, Vanderbilt 13: Jake Fromm threw three TD passes, including a 75-yarder to Terry Godwin to lead the host Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0 SEC). Georgia trailed for the first time this season following a field goal by the Commodores (3-3, 0-2), but Fromm responded with the long scoring pass to Godwin 15 seconds later.
#3 Ohio State 49, Indiana 26: Dwayne Haskins Jr. passed for 455 yards and six touchdowns and the host Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) pulled away in the fourth quarter. Ohio State came from behind twice in the first half to take a 28-20 lead at the half and then kept the Hoosiers (4-2, 1-2) at bay in the second half despite the gritty play of Peyton Ramsey, who threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns.
#4 Clemson 63, Wake Forest 3: Travis Etienne rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns, and the host Tigers (6-0, 3-0 ACC) ran for 471 yards in a rout of the Demon Deacons (3-3, 0-2). Three Clemson players had at least 100 yards rushing, the first time the Tigers have done that since 2006. In addition to Etienne — who scored on runs of 59, 3 and 70 yards — Lyn-J Dixon rushed for 163 yards and Adam Choice had 128. Dixon had touchdown runs of 65 and 52 yards, and Choice had a 64-yard TD run.
#22 Florida 27, #5 LSU 19: Lamical Perine scored twice on short runs and the host Gators (5-1, 3-1 SEC) survived another nail-biter in the series. Brad Stewart’s 25-yard interception return for a TD sealed the win over the Tigers (5-1, 2-1).
#6 Notre Dame 45, #24 Virginia Tech 23: Dexter Williams had three touchdown runs, including a 97-yarder as the visiting Irish (6-0) beat the Hokies (3-2). Notre Dame’s defense also provided a highlight, as Khalid Kareem stripped quarterback Ryan Willis on a scramble and Julian Love returned the fumble 42 yards for a touchdown. Before breaking the game open, Notre Dame also sacked Willis for an 11-yard loss after Virginia Tech drove to the 19, and stopped the Hokies on three tries from the 1-yard line.
Mississippi State 23, #8 Auburn 9: Nick Fitzgerald ran for 195 yards and two touchdowns and the host Bulldogs (4-2, 1-2 SEC) had a dominant defensive performance against the Tigers (4-2, 1-2). Mississippi State came into the game giving up just 13.4 points per game.
#9 West Virginia 38, Kansas 22: Will Grier threw four touchdown passes, and committed four turnovers, for the Mountaineers (5-0, 3-0 Big 12), who have won their first five games for the second time in three seasons. All three of Grier’s interceptions occurred when West Virginia had driven inside the Kansas 15-yard line. The visiting Jayhawks (2-4, 0-3) entered the game leading the Big 12 with eight interceptions.
#12 Central Florida 48, SMU 20: McKenzie Milton threw for 278 yards and two TDs to help the host Knights (5-0, 2-0 American Athletic) extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 18. Central Florida also got two TD runs from Otis Anderson and one from Trysten Hill, a 315-pound defensive tackle who lined up as a fullback on 4th-and-goal at the 1
against the Mustangs (2-4, 1-1).
Texas A&M 20, #13 Kentucky 14: Trayveon Williams flipped into the end zone on a 10-yard run in overtime to lift the Aggies (4-2, 2-1 SEC) at home. Miles Butler missed a 43-yard field goal to start overtime for the Wildcats (5-1, 3-1), with the ball bouncing back off the crossbar, and Texas A&M won it on Williams’ TD run four plays later.
#15 Michigan 42, Maryland 21: Shea Patterson threw for 282 yards and three TDs for the host Wolverines (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten), who scored 24 straight points to take control. The Terrapins (3-2, 1-1) went ahead on Ty Johnson’s 98-yard kickoff return with 1:10 left in the first half, but they didn’t score again until early in the fourth quarter.
#16 Wisconsin 41, Nebraska 24: Jonathan Taylor ran for 221 yards and three TDs, including a career-best 88-yarder in the fourth quarter, and the punishing ground game of the Badgers (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) wore down the visiting Cornhuskers (0-5, 0-3).
Northwestern 29, #20 Michigan St. 19: Clayton Thorson threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns and the visiting Wildcats (2-3, 2-1 Big Ten) won despite a second-half slip and gaining just 8 yards on the ground. The Spartans (3-2, 1-1) entered with the nation’s top-ranked run defense, but Northwestern moved the ball consistently through the air.
#23 North Carolina State 28, Boston College 23: Reggie Gallaspy ran for 104 yards and two TDs and the Wolfpack (5-0, 2-0 ACC) held on after squandering most of a big second-half lead. Down 28-3, the visiting Eagles (4-2, 1-1) responded with 20 straight points, with one of the scores coming on the return of a blocked punt with 3:33 left.
Iowa State 48, #25 Oklahoma State 42: Third-string quarterback Brock Purdy completed 18 of 23 passes for 318 yards and four TDs to help lead the visiting Cyclones (2-3, 1-2 Big 12). Tyler Cornelius was 19-for-33 passing for 289 yards and four touchdowns for the Cowboys (4-2, 1-2).