Quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Jordan James rushed for a touchdown as part of his 117 yards, leading No. 1 Oregon to a 38-17 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday.
Noah Whittington added two rushing touchdowns for the Ducks (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten), as Oregon built an 18-point lead at halftime and remained in control in the second half. The Ducks lost top wide receiver Tez Johnson to an upper-body injury early in the game, and a fumble on special teams led to Michigan’s first touchdown. But Oregon overcame those and dominated on both sides of the ball.
Oregon is 9-0 to open the season for the first time since 2012 and third time in program history. The Ducks improved to 8-1 in games as the country’s top-ranked team.
Oregon scored four touchdowns on five first-half possessions, the last of the four on Gabriel’s 23-yard touchdown run. The Ducks’ first touchdown appeared to be an incomplete 2-yard pass to Evan Stewart, but the play was not reviewed.
Gabriel, a Heisman Trophy contender, completed 22 of 34 pass attempts for 294 yards.
Davis Warren was 13-of-23 for 165 yards with two touchdown passes for Michigan (5-4, 3-3). His 6-yard touchdown pass to Peyton O’Leary on third-and-goal midway through the third quarter made it 28-17.
Oregon’s defense had allowed nine total points in the past two games, but the Wolverines found some success moving the ball. But Michigan couldn’t limit Oregon’s offense, and an illegal formation penalty as Oregon was set to punt the ball in the third quarter gave the Ducks possession again.
That drive produced Atticus Sappington’s 26-yard field goal with 36 seconds to play in the third quarter for a 31-17 lead.
Michigan had a chance to make it a one-score game midway through the fourth quarter, but a trick play on fourth-and-5 from the Ducks’ 10-yard line fell incomplete for a turnover on downs with 7:24 to play. Oregon then drove 90 yards for a game-sealing touchdown, a 2-yard run from James.
Texas Tech topples No. 11 Iowa State with 12-play drive in final minutes
Texas Tech defeated No. 11 Iowa State 23-22 on Saturday in Ames, Iowa, after a fourth-quarter comeback orchestrated by quarterback Behren Morton.
Tahj Brooks crossed the goal line on the game-winning touchdown for the Red Raiders (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) with 19 seconds remaining to cap a 12-play, 71-yard drive. With Morton lined up as a receiver on second-and-goal, Brooks caught a direct snap and ran into the right side of the end zone.
Morton threw for 237 yards on 21-of-40 passing, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Both touchdown passes went to Josh Kelly, who had 127 receiving yards on eight receptions.
The Cyclones (7-1, 4-1), undefeated and averaging 25.1 penalty yards per game entering the day, were dealt their first loss, committing eight penalties for 59 yards in the process.
On one penalty, Morton’s pass was intercepted by Jontez Williams, but an illegal hands to the face flag on Tyler Onyedim kept the ball in the Red Raiders’ hands. Morten led Texas Tech for nine more plays in the drive, ending with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kelly.
Even so, it looked like Iowa State had its second straight fourth-quarter comeback when Rocco Becht found Carson Brown for a 44-yard touchdown with 2:11 remaining in the game. But that left Texas Tech plenty of time to run a successful two-minute offense.
After Texas Tech’s game-winning drive, Iowa State had a chance to get into field-goal range for a game-winning kick. On the final play, the Cyclones tried to use laterals to keep the game going after the clock hit zero, but couldn’t convert on the play, giving the Red Raiders the victory.
Becht had 299 yards of passing with two touchdowns and an interception. Jayden Higgins was Iowa State’s top receiver on the day, catching 10 passes for 140 yards with a touchdown.
South Carolina rolls, hands Texas A&M 1st SEC loss
Raheim Sanders rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns Saturday night while adding another 92 yards on five receptions as South Carolina handed No. 10 Texas A&M its first Southeastern Conference loss 44-20 in Columbia, S.C.
The Aggies (7-2, 5-1) saw their seven-game win streak end, and the lopsided result threw the SEC race into chaos. Five teams have one conference loss and four others have two. Texas A&M and Georgia are tied for first place in the conference.
Sanders snapped a 20-20 tie with 9:19 left in the third quarter, zipping 52 yards for the score that put the Gamecocks (5-3, 3-3) ahead for good. Alex Herrera added a 43-yard field goal on South Carolina’s next possession.
Its defense made the lead stick, holding the Aggies scoreless in the second half. Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers added the clinching touchdown on a short pass to tight end Joshua Simon, who ran 57 yards, with 3:24 remaining in the game.
Sellers completed 13 of 27 passes for 244 yards and two scores while adding 106 yards and a touchdown on 15 rushes. South Carolina rolled up 530 total yards in beating a ranked team for the first time in two years.
Marcel Reed, who ran for three touchdowns in Texas A&M’s 38-23 win over LSU last week, threw for 206 yards on 18-of-28 passing with a touchdown and an interception.
But the Aggies didn’t score again after taking a 20-17 lead on Reed’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Jabre Barber with 1:08 left in the first half.
The Gamecocks set the tone early, taking a 14-0 lead less than seven minutes into the game. Sellers peeled off a 23-yard scoring jaunt to cap a game-opening 75-yard drive. On South Carolina’s next possession, Sellers threw a 15-yard touchdown strike to Simon at the 8:24 mark.
Texas A&M responded with 52- and 55-yard field goals from Randy Bond, then answered Herrera’s 25-yard field goal with Amari Daniels’ 56-yard scoring run with 7:29 left in the first half.
Herrera drilled a 44-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to even the score at halftime.
No. 2 Georgia downs Florida
Carson Beck completed 25 of 40 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns while also throwing three interceptions as No. 2 Georgia beat Florida 34-20 in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday.
Nate Frazier ran for a team-high 82 yards and a touchdown, while Dominic Lovett caught seven passes for 52 yards and a score, as the Bulldogs (7-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) won their fourth straight.
Florida (4-4, 2-3) dropped its second game in three tries, and lost quarterback DJ Lagway to a hamstring injury in the second quarter. Lagway completed 2 of 6 passes for 47 yards and a score before backup Aidan Warner came in, completing 7 of 22 passes for 66 yards and an interception. Ja’Kobi Jackson led the Gators with 12 carries for 74 yards and a score.
Trailing 13-6 at halftime, Beck was intercepted on Georgia’s opening drive of the second half by Jack Pyburn at the 50-yard line. After forcing a Florida punt, the Bulldogs scored their first touchdown of the game on Frazier’s game-tying two-yard score with 7:01 left in the third quarter.
Florida then lined up for Trey Smack’s go-ahead 50-yard field goal attempt, but a poor snap was recovered by Georgia’s Jalon Walker at the Florida 36-yard line. Following the turnover, it took Georgia just three plays to take the lead, as Beck found Cash Jones for a 22-yard score with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter.
After four straight punts, Florida tied the game on Jackson’s 15-yard touchdown run with 7:29 left in the fourth. Georgia then went up again, as Beck’s ten-yard touchdown pass to Lovett gave the Bulldogs a 27-20 lead at the 4:01 mark.
Warner then threw a costly interception on the ensuing play, as CJ Allen picked off the pass and returned it to the Florida 14-yard line.
Two plays later, Dwight Phillips Jr. ran in a four-yard score with 3:03 left.
Georgia opened the scoring with Peyton Woodring’s 23-yard field goal at the 2:10 mark of the first quarter. Following a Florida punt, Beck threw his first interception with 14:02 left in the second quarter, as Devin Moore picked off the Bulldogs at Georgia’s 43-yard line.
Lagway wasted no time, finding Aidan Mizell on a 43-yard passing touchdown on the ensuing play.
Beck was then intercepted again, this time by Aaron Gates, who returned the pick to the Gators’ 49-yard line.
Florida added a score on Smack’s 32-yard field goal, extending the Gators’ lead to 10-3 at the 7:22 mark of the second quarter. Each team’s final drive finished with field goals, as Woodring’s 53-yarder cut the deficit to 10-6 with 43 seconds left.