Nix leads Auburn to upset win

Three plays were all it took for Auburn. Strip-sack score. Fourth-down stop. Long touchdown pass.

The Tigers turned a three-point deficit into an 11-point lead in the span of 3:03 and staved off Arkansas’ attempted comeback to upset the No. 17 Razorbacks 38-23 on Saturday.

Auburn’s Derick Hall sacked and stripped KJ Jefferson in the Arkansas end zone and teammate Marcus Harris pounced on the fumble to give the Tigers a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter. On the ensuing drive, Jefferson marched the Razorbacks 45 yards, but on fourth-and-3 from the Auburn 30, he gained just a yard on a keeper.

One play later, Bo Nix found Demetris Robertson over the top for a 71-yard touchdown for Auburn.

“It was huge. Obviously the play of the game. Those back-to-back were important,” Nix said. “That just carried us on throughout the game into the fourth quarter when we got a chance to run the ball.”

Nix, less than a month after being benched in a 10-point win over Georgia State, had his best game of the season. He went 21 for 26 for 292 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for another 42 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown with 2:30 left that provided the game’s final score.

Jefferson did what he could to keep Arkansas around, throwing for 228 yards and two touchdowns and running for another 66 yards.

Arkansas outgained Auburn 460 yards to 427. The Razorbacks had more first downs, a better third-down conversion rate and fewer penalties. But Auburn’s big plays made the difference.

“You score on defense you should have a really good shot at the game,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin said. “To be on the road and to win, going into a bye week, all these things are big for our program. There were things we’ve all been working on that fell into place today. I am excited. I enjoyed that game.”

Texas A&M runs all over Missouri:

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher warned his team all week that it couldn’t afford a letdown after its upset of top-ranked Alabama. His message got through, as the 21st-ranked Aggies buried Missouri early in a 35-14 victory Saturday.

“We preached it, preached it, preached it, yelled it, preached it, yelled it, preached it,” Fisher said.

Missouri’s run defense, which ranks last in the nation, has been the cure for many hangovers this season. Texas A&M’s running back duo of Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane took full advantage of the porous defense. Spiller rushed 20 times for 168 yards and one touchdown, and Achane added 16 carries for 124 yards and two scores for the Aggies (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference).

“We didn’t want to be a one-hit wonder,” Spiller said.

Georgia PAT streak ends:

No. 1 Georgia’s record extra-points streak of 363 ended Saturday when Jack Podlesny missed a PAT against Kentucky.

After the Bulldogs scored a touchdown to increase their lead to 30-7, Podlesny was wide right with the kick.

That snapped an NCAA-record streak that stretched to 2014 and involved six kickers. Podlesny had been perfect on 71 PATs before his miss.

Gophers take advantage of missed opportunities by Cornhuskers:

Tanner Morgan threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns and Bryce Williams rushed for 127 yards and another score on Saturday as Minnesota defeated Nebraska 30-23.

The Gophers dominated the first half, taking a 21-9 lead behind near-perfect passing from Morgan. But Nebraska (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten) flipped the script in the second half, forcing two interceptions to get back into the game. However, a number of missed opportunities prevented the Huskers from taking the lead and allowed Minnesota (4-2, 2-1) to hang on.

“Little details got us beat,” Nebraska head coach Scott Frost said. “I know the guys are kind of tired of hearing that. I’m tired of saying that, but that’s what it is. We got to do little things a little bit better and get this much better.”

Given short fields twice in the third quarter after Minnesota punts, the Huskers drove deep into Gophers territory but came up empty both times.

Columbia gets No. 400:

Dante Miller rushed for a career-high 187 yards on 16 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown, and Columbia beat Pennsylvania 23-14 on Saturday for the 400th victory in program history.

Hall sets FBS mark:

Drew Plitt passed for 207 yards and a touchdown, Justin Hall rushed for two scores and Ball State eked out a 38-31 win against Eastern Michigan on Saturday.

Hall, with 10 catches for 58 yards for Ball State, notched his 301st career reception to lead all active FBS receivers. He has caught a pass in an FBS-leading 50 straight games.