Spartans stun Ohio State with FG at gun
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Playing without its star quarterback, Michigan State put the defending national champions on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff race.
Michael Geiger kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired and No. 9 Michigan State, playing without injured Connor Cook, beat No. 2 Ohio State 17-14 Saturday to snap the Buckeyes’ 23-game winning streak.
On a rainy and windy day at Ohio Stadium, the Spartans (10-1, 6-1 Big Ten) took control of the Big Ten East, put themselves into the thick of the playoff hunt and very likely ended the Buckeyes’ chances to repeat as national champs.
Ohio State (10-1, 6-1) managed just 132 yards against a rugged Spartans defense and lost for the first time to a Big Ten team in the regular season since Urban Meyer became coach four seasons ago. The Rose Bowl might be the best that the Buckeyes can do now.
Without Cook, the Spartans completed one pass in the second half, but they gave Geiger a chance to win it with 3 seconds left and the 5-foot-8 junior curved it through.
The Buckeyes started the season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, an overwhelming favorite to win another national title. They had more quarterbacks then they knew what to do with, one of the best running backs in the country and a defense with potential All-Americans at every level. Ohio State sputtered some through 10 games but was never really challenged. At least not like this.
The Spartans relish the role of underdog like no powerhouse program in the country and it seemed to fuel them in the Horseshoe. They were 13-point underdogs coming into the game and you probably could have gotten another touchdown from the oddsmakers when Michigan State took the field for its first drive without Cook.
“The one thing that made a difference … this game we got to be the chaser,” Spartans coach Mike Dantonio said. “So we could chase this game, so we could play with emotion.”
No. 1 Clemson 33 Wake Forest 13
CLEMSON, S.C. — Deshaun Watson and No. 1 Clemson enjoyed another big day and kept on track for the College Football Playoff with a victory over Wake Fores.
Watson threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth, leading the Tigers (11-0, 8-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) to their seventh-straight game with more than 500 yards.
Watson started the scoring with a 3-yard run, then connected on TD passes of 44 yards to Charone Peake, 11 yards to Deon Cain and 47 yards to
Germone Hopper.
The Tigers gained 506 yards against a Wake Forest defense that held Notre Dame to 282 yards a week earlier.
All that stands in the way of a perfect, 12-0 regular season for Clemson is next week’s game at arch rival South Carolina, which lost to FCS opponent Citadel earlier Saturday.
No. 6 Iowa 40, Purdue 20
IOWA CITY, Iowa — C.J. Beathard threw three touchdown passes and No. 6 Iowa beat Purdue to clinch a share of the Big Ten West title and a spot in the conference-championship game.
LeShun Daniels Jr. ran for two TDs for the Hawkeyes (11-0, 7-0 Big Ten, No. 5 CFP). They will play at Nebraska next week in search of their first 12-0 regular season.
Purdue cit it 20-13 in the third quarter, but Beathard’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Henry Krieger-Coble with 8:40 left sealed yet another victory for the Hawkeyes.
Austin Appleby had 259 yards passing for Purdue (2-9, 1-6).
No. 12 North Carolina 30 Virginia Tech 27, OT
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Marquise Williams hit Quinshad Davis with a 5-yard pass in overtime and No. 12 North Carolina spoiled retiring coach Frank Beamer’s final home game at Virginia Tech.
The Tar Heels (10-1, 7-0 ACC, No. 17 CFP) won their 10th in a row and wrapped up the Coastal Division title after blowing a 14-point lead in the final threeminutes of regulation.
Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4) tied it on Michael Brewer’s 4-yard, fourth-down pass to Isaiah Ford with 1:07 remaining, but the Hokies had to settle for a field goal to begin the overtime.
Connecticut 20 No., 13 Houston 17
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Noel Thomas caught two touchdown passes, including a 45-yarder on a trick play in the fourth quarter, and UConn beat No. 13 Houston.
The Huskies held the previously unbeaten Cougars to 318 yards of offense, almost 200 below their season average.
Houston quarterback Kyle Postma, playing in place of Heisman hopeful Greg Ward Jr., threw for 185 yards and a touchdown.
Ward came in during Houston’s last drive, but was intercepted by Jamar Summers and Connecticut (6-5, 4-3 American Athletic Conference) ran out the clock.
No. 14 Michigan 28 Penn State 16
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Jake Rudock threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns and No. 14 Michigan beat Penn State to stay in contention to play for the Big Ten title.
Rudock was 25 of 38 and connected with Jake Butt and Amara Darboh for touchdowns. Sione Houma and De’Veon Smith also ran for touchdowns for the Wolverines (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 12 CFP).
Rudock connected with Butt on a 26-yard pass to open the scoring and hit Darboh on an 11-yard route in the second quarter.
Houma scored from a yard out in the third quarter and Smith added another 1-yard touchdown with 5:12 to play.
Christian Hackenberg passed for 137 yards and was sacked four times.
He threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Saeed Blacknall in the second quarter. Tyler Davis made three field goals — from 23, 24 and 18 yards for Penn State (7-4, 4-3).
No. 16 Florida State 52
Chattanooga 13
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sean Maguire threw two touchdown passes and Dalvin Cook had his seventh 100-yard rushing game and added two more scores as No. 16 Florida State cruised past Chattanooga.
Maguire was 12 of 17 for 152 yards in two-plus quarters, while Cook had 15 carries for 106 yards in a game that was more like a warmup for next week’s game against rival, No. 8 Florida.
Florida State (9-2) scored on eight straight drives against Chattanooga (8-3), a team that has clinched d a spot in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
UCLA 17, No. 18 Utah 9
SALT LAKE CITY — UCLA’s Josh Rosen threw for 220 yards and a touchdown and the Bruins beat No. 18 Utah to move one game closer to the Pac-12 championship game.
The Bruins can earn a berth in the conference title game for the first time since 2012 with a win over crosstown rival USC next week. UCLA hasn’t won the Pac-12 since 1998.
Rosen, UCLA’s freshman star, completed 15 of 30 passes and had a 122.6 quarterback rating. Paul Perkins added 98 rushing yards and a touchdown while Jordan Payton had a game-high 105 receiving yards.
Utah’s Travis Wilson threw for 110 yards and rushed for 67 while Joe Williams, who took over for Booker, ran for 121 yards.
No. 20 Northwestern 13 No. 21 Wisconsin 7
MADISON, Wis. — Justin Jackson ran for 139 yards and a touchdown, and No. 20 Northwestern used a goal-line stand to hold off 21st-ranked Wisconsin.
The Wildcats (9-2, 5-2 Big Ten) moved into a tie for second in the West Division with the Badgers (8-3, 5-2), who had won five in a row.
With 1:47 left, Joel Stave drove the Badgers from the 26 to the Northwestern 1. But Stave was forced to leave before Wisconsin’s final play from scrimmage after getting hurt on a sack.
Bart Houston’s pass to the end zone sailed just out of reach of Tanner McEvoy on fourthand goal from the 11 with 2 seconds left, sealing the win for Northwestern.
Jackson had 35 carries on a chilly day, including an 8-yard touchdown run in the first quarter set up by one of five turnovers for Wisconsin.
No. 23 Oregon 48 No. 22 USC 28
EUGENE, Ore. — Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 407 yards and six touchdowns and the No. 23 Oregon Ducks defeated No. 22 USC for their fifth-straight victory.
The Ducks (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12) have not dropped a game since Adams returned from a finger injury he sustained in the season opener against Eastern Washington. It was the third game since coming back that he’s thrown for 300 or more yards and at least four scores.
Royce Freeman rushed for 147 yards in his seventh-straight game going above the 100-yard mark for the Ducks, who awaited the outcome of Saturday night’s game between Stanford and California to see if they were still alive for the Pac-12 North title.
The Trojans (7-4, 5-3) were still vying for a spot in the conference championship game, but no longer controlled their own destiny in the Pac-12 South.