San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Buckeyes unstoppable against Michigan St.
C.J. Stroud lit up No. 7 Michigan State early and gave his coach the rare luxury of being able to let his mind wander to next week’s showdown with Michigan.
Stroud tied a school record with six touchdown passes, all in the first half, as No. 5 Ohio State bolted to a 49-point halftime lead en route to a startling 56-7 rout Saturday that eliminated the Spartans from the Big Ten East race.
Next up: the annual rivalry game against No. 8 Michigan that may end up determining the winner of the division.
“We’ve got everything riding on this thing coming up right around the corner,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “And I got to tell you, the game wasn’t even over yet and I was thinking about it. There’s just so much going on here.”
Day should savor this one for at least a minute.
Stroud, who threw his first collegiate football pass less than three months ago, was 32 for 35 for 432 yards against the Spartans’ sketchy pass defense, which had allowed more yards through the air than any in major college football.
The redshirt freshman completed 17 straight passes, setting an Ohio State record, and positioned himself as maybe the Heisman Trophy favorite heading into the championship stretch of the season.
“My O-line did a great job the whole game,” he said. “I was back there chilling, in a sense.”
This is Stroud’s third 400yard game in 10 career starts and his fourth game with at least five touchdown passes.
“You can see our capability,” Day said. “We’re playing really good football, clean football. We have a high ceiling.”
The Buckeyes scored on all seven first-half possession before backing off.
“We got blasted,” Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. “We were not able to eliminate the explosive plays on defense and were not able to execute on offense.”
Michigan State Heisman hopeful Kenneth Walker III, the nation’s leading rusher, was turned into a nonfactor by the Buckeyes. Walker, who rolled his ankle a week earlier in a win over Maryland, had six carries for 25 yards.
“He’s a little banged up right now, so we’re gonna use the guys who can go,” Tucker said.
The Buckeyes’ top three receivers eclipsed the 100-yard mark and caught touchdown passes. Chris Olave had seven catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Garrett Wilson grabbed seven for 126 and a pair of scores, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 10 receptions for 105 yards and a TD.
#1 Georgia 56, Charleston Southern 7: Standout defensive tackle Jordan Davis scored his first career touchdown and Georgia’s defense was again dominant at home. Davis, a 6-foot-6, 340 pound tackle who’s a leader of Georgia’s top-ranked defense, scored on a 1-yard plunge out of the Bulldogs’ jumbo package in the first quarter for the game’s first touchdown. Davis was stopped on his first run from the 2, but fans again cheered when he was given a second carry and scored from the 1. Georgia (11-0) was as dominant as expected against Charleston Southern (4-6), the Football Championship Subdivision team from the Big South.
#2 Alabama 42, #21 Arkansas 35:
Bryce Young passed for a schoolrecord 559 yards and five touchdowns and the host Crimson Tide (10-1, 7-1, No. 2 CFP) won to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game. Alabama won its 15th consecutive game against the Razorbacks (7-4, 3-4), thanks largely to the Young-toJameson Williams deep connection that continues to be the ultimate offensive bailout. Williams had eight catches for 190 yards with TDs of 79, 32 and 40 yards. Alabama set up a date with No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta on Dec. 4 after a visit to rival Auburn.
#3 Cincinnati 48, SMU 14: Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and even caught a TD pass to help the host Bearcats roll. Alec Pierce had two TD catches for Cincinnati (11-0, 7-0 American Athletic), which kept alive hopes of becoming the first non-Power 5 team to reach the College Football Playoff. SMU (8-3, 4-3) managed 199 yards of offense after averaging 498 through the first 10 games. #6 Notre Dame 55, Georgia Tech
0: Jack Coan threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns in a little more than a half and the host Fighting Irish (10-1, #8 CFP) had two defensive touchdowns in winning their sixth straight game. Notre Dame won the yardage battle 514-224 against the Yellow Jackets (3-8), hounding quarterback Jordan Yates all day.
#8 Michigan 59, Maryland 18: Mike Sainristil made a one-handed catch in the end zone for a second-quarter touchdown, Hassan Haskins scored two TDs and the visiting Wolverines did their part to raise the stakes of next weekend’s showdown with Ohio State. Michigan (10-1, 7-1, No. 6 CFP) hosts the Buckeyes next weekend, and the winner will go to the Big Ten title game. Michigan hasn’t won the conference since 2004 and hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 2011. Maryland (5-6, 2-6) didn’t reach the end zone until Michigan was up 31-3 in the third quarter. Donovan Edwards had 10 catches for 170 yards and a TD for Michigan.
#11 Baylor 20, Kansas St. 10: Blake Shapen was sharp in place of injured quarterback Gerry Bohanon, and visiting Baylor’s defense smothered Kansas State’s offense. Shapen was 16-for-21 for 137 yards after Bohanon left shortly before halftime with a hamstring injury. The redshirt freshman got some help from Trestan Ebner, who ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, and Tyquan Thornton, who had five catches for 75 yards, as the Bears (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) won their fourth straight over Kansas State (7-4, 4-4).
#12 Oklahoma 28, Iowa St. 21:
Caleb Williams passed for a touchdown and ran for another, Jalen Redmond returned a fumble for a score and the host Sooners (10-1, 7-1 Big 12, No. 13 CFP) bounced back from a loss to Baylor and solidified their chances of reaching the Big 12 title game. Tight end Charlie Kolar, playing in his hometown, had career highs of 12 catches and 152 yards for Iowa State (6-5, 4-4), which was eliminated from the Big 12 title race.
Clemson 48, #13 Wake Forest 27:
Kobe Pace ran for a career-high 191 yards and two touchdowns and the host Tigers won their 13th straight over Wake Forest (9-2, 6-1), delaying the Demon Deacons’ run to the ACC Atlantic title. Will Shipley gained 112 yards with two TDs and threw a 2-yard jump pass for a score to Davis Allen for the Tigers (8-3, 6-2), who won their 34th straight at home. Clemson kept hopes of a seventh straight trip to the ACC title game alive.
#14 BYU 34, Georgia Southern 17:
Jaren Hall had 211 of his 312 yards passing in the first half, Jakob Robinson picked off two passes in the second half and the visiting Cougars (9-2) won their fourth straight game. Tyler Allgeier, the nation’s seventhleading rusher, finished with 126 yards on 26 carries for BYU. Georgia Southern (3-8) fell short in its attempt to beat the highest-ranked team to visit Statesboro, Ga. #15 Texas-San Antonio 34, UAB 31: Frank Harris threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Oscar Cardenas with three seconds left to lift the host Roadrunners. UTSA (11-0, 7-0) beat the reigning three-time Conference USA West champion Blazers (7-4, 5-2) to clinch their first division title. The winning touchdown came after Harris fumbled the snap and had his pass tipped by linebacker Noah Wilder before Cardenas caught it in the back of the end zone.
#16 Texas A&M 52, Prairie View 3:
Devon Achane and Isaiah Spiller combined for three touchdowns before halftime for the host Aggies (8-3). Prairie View (7-3), an FCS school that plays in the SWAC, just couldn’t keep up. Texas A&M led 38-0 after a dominant first half by Achane and Spiller. It also limited Prairie View to 2 yards passing before the break.
#18 Iowa 33, Illinois 23: With the Hawkeyes trailing 10-0 at home, Charlie Jones had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown en route to the victory. Wide receiver Arland Bruce IV had a 2-yard run for a touchdown and Caleb Shudak kicked four field goals for Iowa (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten). Illinois (4-7, 3-5) scored on its opening possession, a 6-minute drive, but had just 9 yards on 10 plays in its next three possessions.
#19 Wisconsin 35, Nebraska 28:
Braelon Allen ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns, including a tiebreaking 53-yarder with 3:50 left — as the host Badgers (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten, No. 15 CFP) outlasted the Cornhuskers for their seventh consecutive victory. Nebraska (3-8, 1-7) drove to Wisconsin’s 11 in the final minute but lost the ball on downs at the 21.
#20 Pittsburgh 48, Virginia 38:
Kenny Pickett threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns, all of them to Jordan Addison, in his final game at Heinz Field, and the Panthers (9-2, 6-1) claimed their second ACC Coastal title in four years. The Panthers earned a trip to Charlotte, N.C., for the title game on Dec. 4. Addison’s four scores tied a school record and boosted his season total to 15, tops in FBS. Pitt needed every one of them. The Cavaliers (6-5, 4-3) kept hanging around until Addison outjumped a defender for a ball and raced the rest of the way for a 63-yard touchdown with 2:10 remaining. Addison finished with 14 receptions for 202 yards.
#22 La.-Lafayette 42, Liberty 14:
Levi Lewis threw for 166 yards and three touchdowns and the visiting Ragin’ Cajuns (10-1) had five takeaways and seven sacks in a nonconference win over the Flames (7-3). Lewis completed one of his first eight passes, then connected on 13 of 17 attempts with touchdown strikes of 4, 15 and 2 yards. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes to one interception in his last four games.
#25 NC State 41, Syracuse 17:
Devin Leary threw for two touchdowns, Zonovan Knight returned a kickoff for a touchdown and the host Wolfpack kept their hopes alive for an ACC championship. After neither team scored in the first 22 minutes, the N.C. State (8-3, 5-2, No. 20 CFP) scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams in a matter of less than 3 1⁄2 minutes. It was all part of N.C. State’s 28-point burst in the last 6:14 of the first half. Syracuse (5-6, 2-5) must beat Pittsburgh next week for bowl eligibility.