OSU rolls by Indiana, but hit by injury
Ohio State, ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings, won big on Saturday but may have lost another star running back to an injury.
Miyan Williams has been carrying the running game with TreVeyon Henderson injured and already had 147 yards and a touchdown when he had to be carted to the locker room after being tackled late in the first half of Ohio State’s 56-14 rout of Indiana.
He returned to the sideline in the second half in street clothes with crutches.
“We’ll have to see, but it didn’t look like, based on what we saw here in the locker room, that it was going to be something that was going to be really long term,” coach Ryan Day said. “We’ll see how he feels overnight, and then you’re hoping to get (Henderson) back for next week.”
Freshman Dallan Hayden stepped into the No. 1 back role in the second half and carried 19 times for 102 yards and touchdown. Receiver Xavier Johnson lined up as a back and ripped off a 71-yard touchdown on his only carry.
Day said both are possibilities if Henderson and Williams can’t go next week, but the Buckeyes will be at a disadvantage if both experienced backs are still on the shelf for the showdown with No. 3 Michigan in two weeks.
C.J. Stroud threw five touchdown passes as the Buckeyes (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten, No. 2 CFP) got back on track after struggling to beat Northwestern on a windy day the previous week. They’d already piled up 377 yards by the time Williams left the game and finished with 662.
O’Connell, Durham shine as Purdue beats Illinois:
Aidan O’Connell passed for 237 yards and three scores, two to Payne Durham, and Purdue beat No. 21 Illinois 31-24 on Saturday to turn the Big Ten West race into a muddled mess.
The win gives the Boilermakers (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker over the Illini (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten), who were firmly in control until losing their last two games.
The Boilermakers finish the season with favorable matchups against Northwestern and at Indiana.
Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota are still alive in the division, too, entering Saturday with 3-3 records. The Badgers and Hawkeyes were playing each other.
Purdue scored on three-straight drives to take a 28-21 lead on Durham’s 13-yard touchdown reception with 13:13 left, finishing a drive that was aided by three Illinois penalties.
The Boilermakers gave O’Connell plenty of time and excellent protection all day, holding a highly rated Illinois defense zero sacks while getting to DeVito twice, including a costly 17-yard sack that took the wind out of an Illinois drive in the second half.
Vanderbilt stuns Kentucky to end 26-game SEC losing streak:
Mike Wright ran 59 yards for a touchdown and completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Will Sheppard with 32 seconds left for a 24-21 win over Kentucky on Saturday, snapping a 26-game Southeastern Conference losing streak.
Wright was named the Commodores’ starting quarterback to start the season but was benched following a 45-25 loss to Wake Forest September 10, Freshman AJ Swann started the last six games but was ruled out against Kentucky due to an injury.
“You got a bunch of guys that are fighting,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “We’re building a program, and building a program’s hard. It takes people that are aligned, doing the right things the right way. And that’s what these guys are doing. I’m glad they got rewarded today.”
Wright ran for 126 yards and a touchdown, and threw for 184 yards and another touchdown. Ray Davis added 126 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Commodores.
“There’s going to be a lot to clean up, but we like to learn from wins,” Lea said. “I’m proud of Mike. Mike’s had a tough year, personally a tough year. But he’s fought through that and stayed with his teammates and prepared every week. He’s made some big plays for us this season. He came out with a big run at the end to connect with Will Sheperd and I thought he did some really nice things to keep us in the game early.”
USC routs Colorado, but loses RB Dye to injury:
Everybody on Southern California’s sideline poured onto the Coliseum field to surround the cart transporting running back Travis Dye, whose collegiate career had just ended with one awkward tackle.
The Trojans then shook off that abrupt heartbreak and kept rolling toward their ultimate goals for a remarkable rebound season in which Dye has been a prime producer and an emotional leader.
“There’s no way we would be sitting here as a football team if it wasn’t for him,” coach Lincoln Riley said.
Caleb Williams passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for two more scores, and No. 8 USC overcame their top ball-carrier’s left leg injury in a 55-17 victory over Colorado on Friday night.