Nate Boerkircher caught a go-ahead 11-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds to go, and No. 16 Texas A&M held on for a 41-40 win over No. 8 Notre Dame in a Saturday night thriller in South Bend, Ind.
Marcel Reed completed 17 of 37 passes for 360 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Texas A&M (3-0). Le’Veon Moss rushed for three touchdowns for the Aggies, who knocked off a ranked opponent on the road for the first time since 2014, ending a 13-game skid.
CJ Carr completed 20 of 32 passes for 293 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Notre Dame (0-2). Jadarian Price (68 rushing yards) ran for two touchdowns and Jeremiyah Love (94 rushing yards, 53 receiving yards) notched one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown.
The score was tied at 34-all when Love burst across the goal line for a 12-yard rushing score with 2:53 to go. The Fighting Irish lined up for an extra-point attempt but holder Tyler Buchner fumbled the snap and threw an errant pass to keep the score at 40-34.
That left the door open for Texas A&M to put together the game-winning drive.
No. 1 Ohio State 37, Ohio 9
Julian Sayin threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns to help the Buckeyes overcome their red-zone flubs and defeat the Bobcats in Columbus on Saturday.
The Buckeyes reached the red zone on each of their first three possessions, but managed just six points on those trips. With OSU leading just 16-9 in the third quarter, Sayin created separation with touchdown passes to Jeremiah Smith (nine catches for 153 yards) and Carnell Tate (five catches for 101).
Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro was injured early in the second quarter but returned on the first drive of the third quarter, and on the second play back threw a 67-yard touchdown to Chase Hendricks. He finished the game 6 of 13 for 94 yards.
No. 2 Penn State 52, Villanova 6
Nicholas Singleton ran for two touchdowns and Drew Allar threw for 209 yards and a touchdown as the Nittany Lions cruised against the visiting Wildcats.
Allar finished 16-of-29, Kaytron Allen ran for a team-high 86 yards and Singleton ran 20 times for 84 yards for the Nittany Lions (3-0), while Trebor Pena chipped in 60 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches.
Villanova quarterbacks Pat McQuaide and Tanner Maddocks combined to go 13-of-27 for 96 yards with an interception each. Maddocks got the Wildcats (1-1) on the scoreboard with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Binkowski on the final play of the game.
No. 3 LSU 20, Florida 10
Garrett Nussmeier threw a touchdown pass, Dashawn Spears returned one of five Tigers interceptions for a touchdown in a victory over the Gators in Baton Rouge, La.
Nussmeier completed 15 of 27 passes for 220 yards with an interception, and LSU (3-0, 1-0 SEC) managed just 316 total yards and 10 first downs, but that was good enough because of the defense.
DJ Lagway threw all five of the interceptions, completing 33 of 49 for 287 yards and a touchdown for the Gators (1-2, 0-1). Florida reached the Tigers’ territory on seven possessions, but four of them ended with interceptions.
No. 4 Oregon 34, Northwestern 14
Quarterback Dante Moore completed 16 of 20 passes for 178 yards with a touchdown, helping the Ducks defeat the Wildcats in Evanston, Ill.
Jayden Limar and two other running backs added touchdown runs for the Ducks (3-0). Oregon’s prolific offense was slowed somewhat by the Wildcats’ efforts to run the ball often to try to control the game clock and keep the high-scoring Ducks off the field, but Northwestern (1-2) didn’t get much going on offense until the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt.
The Ducks defense forced two turnovers on downs and had two takeaways on interceptions, one for linebacker Bryce Boettcher that led to Limar’s first quarter touchdown. Ducks running back Dierre Hill Jr. took his first carry of the game 66 yards for a touchdown, while Dashun Reeder had a 79-yarder late in the fourth for the Wildcats.
No. 5 Miami 49, No. 18 South Florida 12
Carson Beck threw three touchdown passes and Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for two more to lead the Hurricanes to a victory over the Bulls in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The Hurricanes (3-0) jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter behind a pair of touchdown passes from Beck to Joshua Moore. Fletcher ran for 120 yards on 16 carries while Beck completed 23 of 28 passes for 340 yards and threw his first two interceptions at Miami.
USF (2-1) quarterback Byrum Brown completed 20 of 36 passes for 274 yards, one touchdown on a 12-yard connection with Christian Neptune, and one interception. The Bulls cut the deficit to 14-6 before a weather delay that lasted nearly two hours before the Hurricanes pulled away for a 28-6 halftime lead.
No. 6 Georgia 44, No. 15 Tennessee 41 (OT)
Josh McCray ran in the game-winning 1-yard touchdown in overtime to give the visiting Bulldogs a win in Knoxville — their ninth straight win over the Volunteers.
Gunner Stockton threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns and added another on the ground for Georgia (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) while Joey Aguilar threw for 371 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions for Tennessee (2-1, 0-1), which had its best chance to score its first win over Georgia since 2016. Chris Brazzell II had six catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
After Max Gilbert — who had missed a potential go-ahead 43-yard field goal in the final seconds of regulation — made a 42-yard field goal to begin overtime, Nate Frazier ran for 21 yards to begin Georgia’s possession. Two plays later, McCray broke the plane of the end zone to win the game.
No. 7 Texas 27, UTEP 10
Arch Manning overcame some early struggles, scoring on a pair of first-half touchdown runs and adding a short touchdown pass in the fourth quarter as the Longhorns did enough to beat the Miners in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns’ much ballyhooed quarterback completed only 11 of his 25 passes for 114 yards and was intercepted once. Even with Manning’s struggles, Texas (2-1) was too much for the Miners. The Longhorns finished with a 340-259 edge in total yardage, with 226 of Texas’ yards coming on the ground.
Malachi Nelson passed for 209 yards to lead UTEP (1-2), which has never beaten Texas in seven games between the teams.
No. 9 Illinois 38, Western Michigan 0
Luke Altmyer threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a score while Kaden Feagin added 100 rushing yards and a score as the Illini pulled away from the visiting Broncos in Champaign.
After scoring just 10 first-half points, the Illini pulled away by scoring on their first three possessions of the second half on a Feagin 3-yard run, an Altmyer 2-yard run and an Altmyer 6-yard pass to Ashton Hollins.
Western Michigan outgained Illinois in the first half, but managed just 71 second-half yards. The Broncos played two quarterbacks but neither could get them into the end zone. Broc Lowry completed 10 of 16 passes for 78 yards, while Brady Jones was 3 of 8 for 13 yards. The Illini notched three sacks and recorded nine tackles for loss.
Vanderbilt 31, No. 11 South Carolina 7
Diego Pavia completed 18 of 25 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns to help the Commodores post an impressive upset in Columbia, SC., over the host Gamecocks, who lost star quarterback LaNorris Sellers to injury.
Pavia also threw an interception for the Commodores (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference), who snapped a 16-game losing streak against South Carolina, earning their first win over the Gamecocks since September 2008.
Sedrick Alexander ran 13 times for 41 yards and a score for Vanderbilt, which won its conference opener for the first time since 2011.
Sellers — a potential Heisman Trophy candidate — exited in the second quarter and did not return after taking a hit to the head from Langston Patterson. Sellers was 6-for-7 passing with 94 yards and an interception before the hit, which earned Patterson an ejection for targeting.
Georgia Tech 24, No. 12 Clemson 21
Aidan Birr hit a 55-yard field goal as time expired to help the Yellow Jackets upset the Tigers in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Haynes King completed 20 of 28 passes for 211 yards and added 101 yards and a score on the ground for Georgia Tech (3-0, 1-0 ACC).
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik completed 15 of 26 passes for 207 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while rushing for 62 yards and a score. Adam Randall rushed for 80 yards and a score, Bryant Wesco Jr. caught seven passes for 126 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers (1-2, 0-1 ACC), who trailed by 13 points in the first half.
No. 13 Oklahoma 42, Temple 3
John Mateer threw for 282 yards and a touchdown and ran for 63 yards and another score to lead the Sooners over the Owls in Philadelphia. Freshman running back Tory Blaylock also rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
The Sooners (3-0) outgained the Owls 515-104, holding Temple to just 26 yards rushing. Oklahoma had 29 first downs to just seven for the Owls. Isaiah Sategna led the Sooners with seven catches for 97 yards.
Temple (2-1) quarterback Evan Simon came into the game leading the nation in passing efficiency but was just 13 of 25 for 75 yards in the loss.
No. 14 Iowa State 24, Arkansas State 16
Rocco Becht was 14-of-25 passing for 265 yards, a touchdown and an interception to help the Cyclones escape with a win over the Red Wolves in Jonesboro, Ark.
Carson Hansen rushed for 116 yards on 18 carries and Xavier Townsend caught three passes for 92 yards to lead Iowa State (4-0), which rushed for 187 yards and had 452 total yards. Abu Sama’s fourth-quarter touchdown gave the Cyclones some cushion after a pair of field goals had cut their lead to just one point.
Jaylen Raynor went 19-of-33 passing for 222 yards and one interception and also rushed for 83 yards and a score on 16 carries to lead Arkansas State (1-2), which got to the brink of the end zone late in the fourth quarter before turning it over on downs. ASU kicker Clune Van Andel was 3-for-3 on field goals.
No. 17 Ole Miss 41, Arkansas 35
Trinidad Chambliss passed for 353 yards and one touchdown and rushed for two scores in his first major college start to help the Rebels win a shootout against the Razorbacks in Southeastern Conference play at Oxford, Miss.
Chambliss drew the start because Austin Simmons is dealing with an ankle injury. The transfer from Division II Ferris State completed 21 of 29 passes and rushed for 62 yards on 15 attempts for the Rebels (3-0, 2-0 SEC). Harrison Wallace III caught six passes for 92 yards and one touchdown for Ole Miss. De’Zhaun Stribling also caught a scoring pass and Kewan Lacy ran for one for the Rebels.
Taylen Green completed 22 of 35 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 111 yards and one score for Arkansas (2-1, 0-1). Mike Washington rushed for two touchdowns, Braylen Russell rushed for one and O’Mega Blake caught one for the Razorbacks.
No. 19 Alabama 38, Wisconsin 14
Ty Simpson completed 24 of 29 passes and established career bests of 382 yards and four touchdowns to help the Crimson Tide roll to an easy victory over the Badgers.
Ryan Williams returned from a one-game absence due to a concussion to make five catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns for Alabama (2-1). Germie Bernard also scored two touchdowns — one receiving, one rushing — as Alabama coasted to its second straight victory.
Vinny Anthony II returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown for Wisconsin (2-1). Danny O’Neill again started in place of injured Billy Edwards Jr. (knee) and completed 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
No. 20 Utah 31, Wyoming 6
Devon Dampier threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns to help the Utes pull away in the second half for a victory over the Cowboys in Laramie.
Dampier added 86 yards on the ground, pacing a third straight game for the Utes with at least 200 rushing yards. Utah (3-0) finished with a season-high 311 rushing yards and averaged 6.9 yards per carry. For the Utes, it was their highest single-game total on the ground since churning out 352 rushing yards in a 55-3 win over Arizona State in 2023.
Kaden Anderson threw for 108 yards and an interception for Wyoming, which suffered its fifth straight loss to Utah and ninth in the last 10th meetings between the two former conference rivals. The Cowboys (2-1) committed two turnovers and avoided a shutout on Terron Kellerman’s 15-yard run with 4:23 left.
No. 21 Texas Tech 45, Oregon State 14
A lengthy lightning delay couldn’t hinder the high-powered offensive attack of the Red Raiders and Behren Morton as they stumped the struggling Beavers in Lubbock, Texas.
Morton had a career day, finishing with a career-high 464 yards in three quarters. He added four touchdown passes and completed 23 of his 35 attempts with an interception as the only blemish. Coy Eakin and Terrance Carter Jr. torched the Oregon State secondary, with Eakin finishing with six catches for 139 yards and Carter Jr. hauling in six as well for 102 yards. They had a touchdown apiece.
After a nearly two-and-a-half hour lightning delay that paused the game after six plays, Morton came out firing for the Red Raiders (3-0) on the third play back with a perfectly thrown ball in the corner of the end zone to Eakin for 38 yards as the Red Raiders would build a 45-0 lead over the Beavers (0-3).
No. 23 Michigan 63, Central Michigan 3
Bryce Underwood was 16-of-25 passing for 235 yards, a touchdown and an interception to lead the Wolverines to a rout of the in-state foe Chippewas in Ann Arbor. Underwood also was effective with his legs, rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
Justice Haynes rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and Semaj Morgan caught four passes for 69 yards and a touchdown as well for Michigan (2-1), which had eight rushing touchdowns.
Angel Flores rushed for 76 yards on nine carries in defeat for Central Michigan (1-2).
No. 24 Auburn 31, South Alabama 15
Quarterback Jackson Arnold produced three touchdowns, Jeremiah Cobb rushed for over 100 yards and scored, and the Tigers earned a homecoming win over the Jaguars.
Arnold rushed for 50 yards on 10 attempts and scored twice in the first half. He completed 13 of 24 passes for 142 yards and a score. Cobb carried 19 times for 119 yards to eclipse the century mark for the second straight week.
For the Jaguars (1-2), Bishop Davenport completed 18 of 26 passes for 170 yards and two TDs, one to Jeremy Scott and the other to Devin Voisin.
No. 25 Missouri 52, Louisiana 10
Ahmad Hardy rushed for 250 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries Saturday as the Tigers hammered the visiting Ragin’ Cajuns.
Hardy scored on runs of 7, 71 and 7 yards for the Tigers (3-0), while quarterback Beau Pribula threw for 174 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, two through the air. Backup running back Marquise Davis added 113 yards and a score on 20 carries as Missouri outgained the Ragin’ Cajuns 606-121.
Most of Louisiana’s offense came on one play, an 84-yard touchdown run in the second quarter by Zylan Perry. The Ragin’ Cajuns (1-2) used two quarterbacks and neither was effective. Starter Daniel Beale hit 1 of 8 passes for 5 yards and backup Lunch Winfield was 1 of 6 for minus-1 yard.
