BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Justice Ellison ran for 105 yards and two first-half touchdowns and No. 16 Indiana continued its…
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Justice Ellison ran for 105 yards and two first-half touchdowns and No. 16 Indiana continued its best start in 57 years with a 56-7 rout of Nebraska on Saturday, matching the Hoosiers’ most lopsided Big Ten win in program history.
Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke injured his right (throwing) hand and was on the sideline in street clothes in the second half. Tayven Jackson replaced him for the rest of the game.
The Hoosiers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) have yet to trail this season and each victory has been by double digits. The 49-point margin of victory was the biggest in conference play since a 49-0 win at Minnesota in 1945. The last time Indiana started with seven consecutive wins was 1967, when it opened 8-0.
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti is the first coach in program history to win his first seven games. He’s never had a losing season in 14 years as a head coach.
No. 6 MIAMI 52, LOUISVILLE 45
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Ajay Allen followed Cam Ward’s fourth touchdown pass with a 2-yard, go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter, Damien Martinez added a 30-yard insurance TD run with 4:05 remaining and No. 6 Miami held off Louisville for a wild victory.
A series recently defined by high scoring added its most exciting chapter thanks to Ward, who completed a bunch of explosive plays on the way to a school-record sixth consecutive 300-yard passing performance. More importantly, the Hurricanes (7-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) are off to their best start since beginning 10-0 in 2017.
The Hurricanes withstood several Louisville rallies from double-digit deficits, the last of which was Tyler Shough’s 4-yard TD pass to Duke Watson that tied the game at 38 early in the fourth. Ward followed by hitting Samuel Brown for 59 yards, setting up Allen’s go-ahead score with 11:17 remaining.
Martinez’s bullish TD run provided a cushion, though Shough’s 4-yard scoring pass to Ja’Corey Brooks with 54 seconds left got them within a touchdown. Ward knelt three times to close out the thrilling road win and reclaim the Schnellenberger Trophy.
No. 8 LSU 34, ARKANSAS 10
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Caden Durham ran for 101 yards and three touchdowns, Damian Ramos made a career-best four field goals, and No. 4 LSU handled Arkansas.
The Tigers (6-1, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) continued their stranglehold over the Razorbacks in the Battle for The Golden Boot series, securing their eighth win in the last nine meetings. LSU has won five consecutive games in Fayetteville dating back to 2016.
Whit Weeks, the SEC’s leading tackler entering the weekend, helped provide the Tigers some breathing room late in the third quarter when he deflected and intercepted a Taylen Green pass inside the Arkansas 5. Durham scored on a two-yard run on the next play.
Ramos, whose 20-yard kick lifted LSU over the Razorbacks in 2023, connected on field goals of 33, 33, 47 and 48 yards. His last attempt pushed him to 12 of 14 this season.
No. 10 CLEMSON 48, VIRGINIA 31
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Cade Klubnik threw for 308 yards and three touchdowns as No. 10 Clemson overcame a slow start to win its sixth straight with a victory over Virginia.
Tight end Olsen Patt-Henry had two TD catches and Phil Mafah ran for two short scores as the Tigers (6-1) improved to 5-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, won for the 11th time in 12 games and defeated the Cavaliers (4-3, 2-2 ACC) for a seventh straight time.
The only downside for the Tigers is that the victory came at the expense of former Clemson receiver and Dabo Swinney’s longtime offensive assistant in Cavaliers coach Tony Elliott, who returned to Death Valley for the first time since taking the Virginia job three seasons ago.
When it ended, Swinney and Elliott shared a long hug before heading to the locker room.
No. 11 TENNESSEE 24, No. 7 ALABAMA 17
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chris Brazzell II made a diving 16-yard touchdown catch from Nico Iamaleava midway through the fourth quarter as No. 11 Tennessee beat No. 7 Alabama.
Dylan Sampson rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns for the Volunteers (6-1, 3-1 Southeastern Conference). The victory keeps Tennessee in the hunt for a College Football Playoff spot.
The Crimson Tide (5-2, 2-2) have their work cut out for them the rest of the season. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe struggled, connecting on 25 of 44 passes for 239 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Alabama rushed for just 89 yards compared to Tennessee’s 214.
No. 12 NOTRE DAME 31, GEORGIA TECH 13
ATLANTA (AP) — Riley Leonard bolstered No. 12 Notre Dame’s playoff hopes by rushing for two touchdowns and the Fighting Irish defense was dominant after a slow start in a win over Georgia Tech.
Jeremiyah Love added a TD run and defensive back Adon Shuler scored on a 36-yard interception return for Notre Dame (6-1). The Fighting Irish held Georgia Tech (5-3) to 64 rushing yards.
Leonard ran for 51 yards as Notre Dame extended its winning streak to five games. Leonard completed 20 of 29 passes for 203 yards with an interception in the game played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
With Haynes King held out with a shoulder injury, quarterback Zach Pyron was sharp early in his first start for Georgia Tech since his 2022 freshman season.
Pyron completed his first nine passes, including six completions on a touchdown drive. Jamal Haynes’ 1-yard scoring run as time expired in the first quarter gave the Yellow Jackets a 7-0 lead. Notre Dame led 31-7 before Pyron’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Chase Lane with 33 seconds remaining.
No. 17 KANSAS ST. 45, WEST VIRGINIA 18
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Avery Johnson threw three touchdown passes, Marques Sigle returned an interception for a touchdown and No. 17 Kansas State West Virginia.
The Wildcats (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) are off to their best start since 2014.
Kansas State’s DJ Giddens scored on runs of 1 and 18 yards. The Big 12 rushing leader was held to a season-low 57 yards. But Johnson picked apart West Virginia’s injury-depleted secondary, finishing 19 of 29 for a career-high 298 yards.
Johnson slipped from the grasp of West Virginia defensive lineman Sean Martin and threw an 11-yard pass to Ty Bowman on fourth down to keep a third-quarter drive alive that ended with Johnson finding Garrett Oakley for a 16-yard score.
No. 19 MISSOURI 21, AUBURN 17
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Brady Cook returned from an injury to lead No. 19 Missouri to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the go-ahead run by Jamal Roberts with 46 seconds to go, as the Tigers escaped with a victory over Auburn.
Cook appeared to hurt his ankle on the opening series and did not return until late in the third quarter, by which point Auburn had taken a 17-3 lead. But he promptly hit Theo Wease Jr. with a 72-yard pass to set up Marcus Carroll’s touchdown run, then led an even more dramatic drive with time running out in the fourth quarter.
Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC) took over at its own 5-yard line with 4:26 to go. Cook converted one third down with his legs, then hit Luther Burden III on fourth-and-5 for another first down. He hit Wease later in the drive on third-and-10 and found Mekhi Miller inside the 10-yard line with just over a minute to go, setting up Roberts’ touchdown run.
Cook finished with 194 yards passing in less than two quarters of play, while the Missouri defense repeatedly shut down Auburn (2-5, 0-4) when it had a chance to put the game away to ensure its fourth consecutive loss.
No. 22 ILLINOIS 21, No. 24 MICHIGAN 7
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Luke Altmyer threw for a touchdown and ran for another, leading No. 22 Illinois to a victory over No. 24 Michigan.
Tanner Arkin caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Altmyer in the second quarter and raced 36 yards on a fake punt in the third to set up Altmyer’s 1-yard TD run.
Illinois (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) beat Michigan for the first time since 2009. The Illini had lost six straight to the Wolverines (4-3, 2-2). Michigan has lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2020.
Jabe Jacas had 13 tackles, including six solo and 2.5 of the Illini’s six sacks of Jack Tuttle.
Altmyer was just 9-of-18 passing for 80 yards. He also ran for 48 yards on 10 carries.
Tuttle, Michigan’s third starting quarterback this season, was 20 of 32 for 208 yards. Kalel Mullings rushed for 87 yards on 19 carries.
No. 23 ARMY 45, EAST CAROLINA 28
WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Bryson Daily rushed for a career-high five touchdowns and set Army’s single-season record for rushing TDs, helping the No. 23 Black Knights beat East Carolina.
Daily had 171 yards on 31 carries in his sixth straight 100-yard rushing game. The senior, who also threw a touchdown pass, has 19 rushing TDs on the season. Mike Mayweather, Carlton Jones and Trent Steelman shared the previous record of 17.
The Black Knights (7-0, 6-0 American Athletic Conference) extended the nation’s longest win streak to 11 games.
No. 25 NAVY 51, CHARLOTTE 17
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Cornerback Dashaun Peele became the first Navy player to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game, Blake Horvath threw three scoring passes and the No. 25 Midshipmen routed Charlotte.
Navy improved to 6-0 for the first time since 1979 and is 4-0 in the American Athletic Conference. The Midshipmen are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2019. Charlotte dropped to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Peele had a 61-yard return and an 84-yarder. Navy forced five turnovers, its most since 2019.
Horvath was 7 of 13 for 117 yards. He has 10 touchdown passes this season, three shy of the school record set by Ricky Dobbs in 2010.
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