Florida knocks No. 9 Ole Miss out of College Football Playoff contention

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — DJ Lagway threw two touchdown passes, Montrell Johnson ran for 127 yards and a score, and Florida upset No. 9 Mississippi 24-17 on Saturday to knock the Rebels out of College Football Playoff contention.

The Gators (6-5, 4-4 Southeastern Conference), who topped LSU last week, beat ranked teams in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2008 and became bowl eligible. The late-season spurt provided another vote of confidence for coach Billy Napier, who is expected back for a fourth season.

Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3), which entered the day as a 10-point favorite, lost for the first time in four games and surely will drop out of the 12-team playoff picture. The Rebels ranked ninth in the latest CFP and needed only to avoid stumbling down the stretch against Florida and lowly Mississippi State to clinch a spot in the playoff field.

But coach Lane Kiffin’s team failed to score in three trips inside the red zone and dropped countless passes in perfect weather.

No. 2 OHIO ST. 38, No. 5 INDIANA 15

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score and No. 2 Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana.

All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 in a wild one back on Oct. 12.

The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1, No. 5 CFP) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defense that sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times.

Howard finished 22 for 26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a TD.

No. 3 TEXAS 31, KENTUCKY 14

AUSTIN, Texas — Quinn Ewers threw two first-half touchdown passes to Gunnar Helm and No. 3 Texas beat Kentucky to stay tied for first in the Southeastern Conference in the Longhorns’ first year in the league.

Quintrevion Wisner ran for 158 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown for Texas (10-1, 6-1, No. 3 CFP). The Longhorns can earn a berth in the SEC title game when they face No. 15 Texas A&M next week as that rivalry resumes after a 12-year break.

Texas’ final home game of the regular season also looked like it could be Ewers’ last home game in burnt orange if the Longhorns don’t host a College Football Playoff game. A three-year starter who decided against going to the NFL after last season, Ewers has a year of college eligibility remaining but took part in Texas’ senior day pregame celebrations.

Ewers was 20-of-31 passing for 191 yards in an uneven performance to push his record to 24-7 as as starter.

No. 4 PENN ST. 26, MINNESOTA 25

MINNEAPOLIS — Drew Allar passed for 244 yards and a touchdown, rushed for a score and completed a late fourth-down conversion to help No. 4 Penn State fend off Minnesota and stay on track for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Tyler Warren had eight receptions for 102 yards for the Nittany Lions (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 4 CFP), who dodged the upset on an afternoon when three other teams in the projected 12-team playoff were beaten.

Dragan Kesich’s third field goal of the game with 5:48 left brought the Gophers (6-5, 4-4) within one after they had first-and-goal from the 7.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck trusted his defense enough to elect to kick, and the strategy almost paid off until tight end Luke Reynolds ran 32 yards on a fake punt to make up for two special teams gaffes by Penn State in the first half.

No. 6 NOTRE DAME 49, No. 19 ARMY 14

NEW YORK — Jeremiyah Love scored three touchdowns, tying a school record with his 11th straight game with a rushing TD, and No. 6 Notre Dame ended No. 18 Army’s 13-game winning streak with a victory at Yankee Stadium.

In a game scheduled as a 100th anniversary tribute to Notre Dame’s “Four Horsemen,” Love put on a pretty good one-man show. The sophomore had TD runs of 68 and 14 yards, finishing with 130 yards on seven carries, and leaped over a defender at the goal line to finish a 6-yard scoring pass from Riley Leonard.

Leonard threw for two TDs and Jadarian Price ran for two scores for the Irish (10-1), who won their ninth straight to improve their College Football Playoff chances. Notre Dame was No. 6 in those rankings this week and looks every bit like a national title contender, allowing 14 or fewer points in six straight games.

Army quarterback Bryson Daily ran for 139 yards and both touchdowns, giving him 23 on the ground this season. The loss by the Black Knights (9-1) left No. 1 Oregon as the only unbeaten team in FBS. Army came in leading the nation with 334.9 yards rushing per game but managed only 207 against Notre Dame.

No. 8 GEORGIA 59, UMass 21

ATHENS, Ga. — Carson Beck threw four touchdown passes, Nate Frazier ran for 136 yards with three scores and No. 8 Georgia overwhelmed Massachusetts as the Bulldogs tried to protect their College Football Playoff hopes.

Georgia (9-2, No. 10 CFP) needed the big offense from Beck and Frazier to rescue a defense that gave up 226 rushing yards. UMass (2-9) played its first game under interim coach Shane Montgomery, the offensive coordinator who retained his play-calling duties after replacing fired coach Don Brown on Monday.

Jalen John led the Minutemen with 107 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Georgia extended its streak of consecutive home wins to 30, the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

No. 10 TENNESSEE 56, UTEP 0

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Nico Iamaleava threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 10 Tennessee to a victory over UTEP.

The Volunteers (9-2) overcame a sluggish start to roll up the impressive win. Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter, but Tennessee found its rhythm. Grad student receiver Bru McCoy, who hadn’t caught a touchdown pass this season, had two. Peyton Lewis also ran for two scores.

Tennessee’s defensive line, which had no sacks in last week’s loss to Georgia, had three against the Miners.

UTEP (2-9) struggled with two missed field goals and three turnovers.

Tennessee’s offense came alive with 28 points in the second quarter. In the final four drives of the quarter, Iamaleava completed 11 of 12 passes for 146 yards and touchdowns to Squirrel White, Ethan Davis and McCoy.

No. 11 MIAMI 42, WAKE FOREST 14

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Cam Ward passed for 280 yards and threw two touchdowns to Jacolby George on another record-breaking day, Mishael Powell ran an interception back 76 yards for a touchdown and No. 11 Miami pulled away late to beat Wake Forest.

The Hurricanes (10-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 8 College Football Playoff) can clinch a berth in the ACC title game with a win at Syracuse next weekend.

Ward completed 27 of 38 passes, plus ran for a score. He broke two more single-season Miami records, both of which had been held for 40 years by Bernie Kosar — most passing yards in a season and most completions in a season.

Ward now has 3,774 yards on 268 completions this season. Kosar threw for 3,642 yards on 262 completions in 1984.

Demond Claiborne had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5). Claiborne also rushed for 62 yards for the Demon Deacons, and starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier was 8 of 14 passing for 86 yards and a touchdown.

No. 12 BOISE ST. 17, WYOMING 13

LARAMIE, Wy. — Ashton Jeanty rushed for 169 yards and a touchdown to lead No. 12 Boise State to a win over Wyoming and a berth in the Mountain West Conference title game.

The Broncos (10-1 overall, 7-0) will play in the conference championship game for the seventh time in the eight seasons against an opponent to be determined and kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Boise State was the provisional No. 4 seed in the playoff in this week’s rankings.

Boise State finished the Mountain West unbeaten, extended its winning streak to nine games and beat Wyoming (2-9, 2-5) for the eighth straight time, dating to 2016.

Wyoming, which entered as a heavy underdog, gave the Broncos plenty of problems and held a 13-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

But Boise State’s Jambres Dubar scored on a 2-yard run with just over five minutes left to play and the Broncos defense came up with one final stop to seal the win.

No. 13 SMU 33, VIRGINIA 7

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 323 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, and No. 13 SMU clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game by routing Virginia.

Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte each had two sacks to help the Mustangs (10-1, 7-0, No. 13 CFP) extend their winning streak to eight. They would earn an automatic bid into the expanded College Football Playoff by beating 11th-ranked Miami or 17th-ranked Clemson in the ACC title game on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

SMU had to get there first, and Jennings led the way again, bouncing back from an interception and a fumble to complete 25 of 33 passes to six different receivers, including TD tosses to Jordan Hudson and Matthew Hibner. Brashard Smith provided a little balance on offense, running for 63 yards and his 13th touchdown of the season.

SMU’s defense overwhelmed UVa’s offensive line, sacking Anthony Colandrea nine times and allowing the Cavaliers (5-6, 3-4) just 173 yards. Special teams contributed, too, with Roderick Daniels Jr. returning a punt 48 yards and Collin Rogers making two field goals.

No. 21 ARIZONA ST. 28, No. 14 BYU 23

TEMPE, Ariz. — Cam Skattebo ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns, Sam Leavitt threw for 247 yards and a score, and No. 21 Arizona State held on in the final minutes to beat No. 14 BYU.

The tight finish was capped by a bizarre final minute, including a premature field storming by Arizona State’s fans.

Javan Robinson’s interception with 1:04 left looked as if it would close it out for Arizona State, but the Sun Devils stalled on the ensuing offensive drive. Leavitt threw the ball out of bounds on fourth down and Arizona State’s student section — believing the game was over — rushed the field.

But officials ruled that there was 1 second left and BYU had a shot at the Hail Mary attempt.

It took several minutes to clear thousands of fans from the field before Jake Retzlaff’s deep pass fell incomplete a few yards short of the end zone.

KANSAS 37, No. 16 COLORADO 21

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Devin Neal ran for 207 yards and three touchdowns, caught four passes for 80 yards and another score, and led Kansas to a victory over No. 16 Colorado that dealt a big blow to the Buffaloes’ hopes of playing for the Big 12 title.

Jalon Daniels threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, and the Jayhawks (5-6, 4-4) scored on every offensive series but their last, keeping Colorado stars Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy candidate Travis Hunter standing on the sideline.

Sanders finished with 266 yards passing and three touchdowns, setting the Colorado single-season record with 30 TD passes, while Hunter finished with eight catches for 125 yards and two scores. But the two-way standout did little on defense — nor did anyone else wearing all-white uniforms — as the Jayhawks beat a ranked team for a school-record third straight week.

Now, the Buffaloes (8-3, 6-2 Big 12, No. 16 CFP) need to beat Oklahoma State and get some help to play for a championship in their return to the Big 12, and earn the league’s guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff.

No. 17 CLEMSON 51, THE CITADEL 14

CLEMSON, S.C. — Cade Klubnik threw for three touchdowns, backup running back Jay Haynes scored twice on the ground and defensive tackle Payton Page had a 57-yard pick-6 score as No. 17 Clemson routed The Citadel to move to 39-0 all-time against FCS opponents.

The Tigers (9-2) won their third straight and still held on to feint hopes of reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and the College Football Playoff.

Clemson, which finished ACC play at 7-1 with last week’s 24-20 win at Pittsburgh, needs No. 11 Miami to lose at Syracuse next week to play for a league crown for the eighth time in 10 seasons.

Clemson cranked it up early in this one, looking a lot like the offense that averaged better than 48 points during a six-game win streak earlier this season instead of the one that had not surpassed 24 points in any of its past three contests.

No. 19 SOUTH CAROLINA 56, WOFFORD 12

COLUMBIA, S.C. — LaNorris Sellers threw for 307 yards with three touchdowns and just four incompletions to lead No. 19 South Carolina to a win over Wofford.

It wasn’t the cleanest game for the Gamecocks (8-3, 5-3 SEC, No. 18 CFP) with two turnovers, foolish penalties and missed assignments, but they finished the game without any major injuries and let their starters take off most of the fourth quarter.

The redshirt freshman Sellers just keeps growing into one of the league’s best quarterbacks. He completed 23 of his 27 passes to nine different receivers. And when something wasn’t there, Sellers tucked the ball away and ran, averaging better than 4 yards on his 13 carries.

Raheim Sanders ran for 72 yards while Dalevon Campbell caught five passes for 120 yards for the Gamecocks.

No. 22 IOWA ST. 31, UTAH 28

SALT LAKE CITY — Carson Hansen ran for two touchdowns, including a 3-yard run with 1:31 left, to rally No. 22 Iowa State to a victory over Utah.

Rocco Becht threw for 256 yards and a touchdown to lead Iowa State, and Jayden Higgins paced the Cyclones with 155 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. Iowa State (9-2, 6-2 Big 12, No. 22 CFP) kept its hopes of reaching the Big 12 title game alive with a second straight win.

Isaac Wilson led Utah with 74 yards on 8-of-8 passing before exiting with an injury late in the third quarter. Luke Bottari, who was fifth on the depth chart when the season started, finished the game and totaled 102 yards on offense.

Utah (4-7, 1-7) tallied only 99 yards of offense through the first three quarters before rallying in the fourth to set up a close finish. The Utes have lost seven straight games and are guaranteed to finish a season below .500 for the first time since 2013.

No. 24 ILLINOIS 38, RUTGERS 31

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run, 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds left, sending No. 24 Illinois to a wild victory over Rutgers.

Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) was down 31-30 when it sent long kicker Ethan Moczulski out for a desperation 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds to go. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then called for a timeout right before Moczulski’s attempt was wide left and about 15 yards short.

After the missed field goal was waved off by the timeout, Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent his offense back on the field. Altmyer hit Bryant on an in cut on the left side at the 22, and he continued across the field and scored untouched in a game that featured three lead changes in the final 3:07.

Rutgers (6-5, 3-5) gave up a safety on the final kickoff return, throwing a ball out of bounds in the end zone as players passed it around hoping for a miracle touchdown.

Altmyer was 12-of-26 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant finished with seven receptions for 197 yards.

OREGON ST. 41, No. 25 WASHINGTON ST. 38

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Everett Hayes kicked a 55-yard field goal with 20 seconds left and Oregon State snapped a five-game losing streak with a victory against No. 25 Washington State in what was essentially this season’s Pac-12 championship.

Ben Gulbranson, who missed last week’s shutout loss at Air Force, threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Beavers (5-6). Trent Walker Jr. caught 12 passes for 136 yards.

It was the second straight loss for the Cougars (8-3), who were coming off a 38-35 setback last weekend to New Mexico that dashed the Cougars’ hopes of possibly earning an at-large bid to the 12-team College Football Playoff. Washington State was as high as No. 18 in the CFP rankings before the loss.

The Beavers and the Cougars were the two teams remaining in the Pac-12 this season after realignment last year. While the two teams had a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for this season, they did not figure into that league’s standings.