The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
No. 7 Cincy downs No. 9 Notre Dame
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for score late in the fourth quarter as No. 7 Cincinnati capitalized on its big opportunity and beat No. 9 Notre Dame 24-13 on Saturday in a game the Bearcats hope can be the centerpiece of their College Football Playoff résumé.
Cincinnati (4-0) wanted to use its first top-10 regular-season matchup as a statement game, heading into its American Athletic Conference schedule. No team from outside the Power Five conferences has ever reached the playoff. Never even came close.
To break that barrier Bearcats almost certainly needs to go undefeated, and this trip to Notre Dame (4-1) stood as the toughest test on the schedule. Not to mention the biggest stage they’ll appear on this season.
The Bearcats were not quite dominant, but they were plenty good enough in their first trip to South Bend since 1900 to snap Notre Dame’s 26-game home winning streak.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 42, NO. 12 OLE MISS 21
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for career highs of 171 yards and four touchdowns, and Alabama mostly throttled the nation’s top offense in a victory over Mississippi.
Bryce Young passed for a couple of touchdowns for the Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) but the ’Bama defense and ground game stole some of the thunder from a matchup of the two leading Heisman Trophy contenders coming into the game.
Alabama turned to Robinson to play keep away from Matt Corral and the offense of the Rebels (3-1, 0-1), who had breezed through three nonconference games before an open date.
The Tide’s fifth-year senior carried 36 times and picked up the first 100-yard game of his career.
NO. 2 GEORGIA 37, NO. 8 ARKANSAS 0
ATHENS, Ga. — Zamir White rushed for two touchdowns and recovered a blocked punt for another score, and Georgia pounded Arkansas on Saturday in the Bulldogs’ second consecutive shutout.
Georgia (5-0, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) raced to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter despite playing without quarterback JT Daniels, who was held out with a right lat injury.
STANFORD 31, NO. 3 OREGON 24, OT
STANFORD, Calif. — Tanner McKee threw a TD pass on an untimed down at the end of regulation to tie the game and another on the opening possession of overtime to lead Stanford past Oregon.
McKee came back after leaving for a play on the final drive of regulation with an injury to tie it on a 2-yard pass to Elijah Higgins after a holding penalty by Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) in the end zone extended the game one play.
McKee then gave the Cardinal (3-2, 2-1) the lead with a 14-yarder to John Humphreys in overtime. Stanford then forced Anthony Brown to throw an incomplete pass on fourthand-8 to seal its fourth win against an Oregon team ranked in the top 10 since 2009.
The Ducks appeared poised for their first 5-0 start in eight years when they rallied from 10 points down at halftime to take a 24-17 lead early in the fourth quarter on Brown’s second TD run of the game.
But then McKee delivered the big plays late and the Cardinal capitalized on three Oregon penalties on the game-tying 87-yard drive in the final 1:59 of regulation.
NO. 6 OKLAHOMA 37, KANSAS STATE 31
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Spencer Rattler threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, Oklahoma had two crucial calls overturned in its favor after video reviews, and the Sooners recovered an onside kick with just over a minute left to hold off Kansas State.
Kennedy Brooks added 91 yards rushing and a touchdown, and Jeremiah Hall reached the end zone twice, as the Sooners (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) overcame a slew of penalties on their offensive line to beat the Wildcats for the first time in three tries.
NO. 11 OHIO STATE 52, RUTGERS 13
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — C.J. Stroud threw for 330 yards and a career-high five touchdowns after sitting out a game to rest his shoulder and Ohio State won its 20th straight Big Ten game.
NO. 14 MICHIGAN 38, WISCONSIN 17
MADISON, Wis. — Cornelius Johnson of Greenwich caught both of Cade McNamara’s touchdown passes and Michigan remained unbeaten with a victory over Wisconsin, which lost starting quarterback Graham Mertz to a chest injury.
Wisconsin (1-3, 0-2 Big Ten) trailed 13-10 and had the ball to start the third quarter when Mertz was sacked by Daxton Hill on a third-and-9 play. Mertz and tight end Jake Ferguson both went to the locker room with chest injuries after that play, and neither returned to the game.
NO. 16 COASTAL CAROLINA 59, LA.-MONROE 6
CONWAY, S.C. — Grayson McCall threw for 212 yards on 13-of-13 passing with two touchdowns to Isaiah Likely as Coastal Carolina rolled to victory to start Sun Belt Conference play Saturday.
The Chanticleers (1-0 Sun Belt) started 5-0 for a second straight season and have won 16 of their past 17 the last two seasons.
NO. 24 WAKE FOREST 37, LOUISVILLE 34
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Nick Sciba kicked a 29-yard field goal with 22 seconds left and Wake Forest remained unbeaten.