Top-25 College Football Game Capsules

Starkville, MS (SportsNetwork.com) – Top-ranked Alabama gave Mississippi State several opportunities to pull off an upset Saturday night. The Bulldogs never embraced the chances. Instead, the Crimson Tide remained unbeaten on a track to their third consecutive BCS title game appearance with a 20-7 win at Davis Wade Stadium. AJ McCarron threw for 187 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Alabama (10-0, 7-0 SEC), which hosts FCS opponent Chattanooga next Saturday before a showdown at nationally-ranked Auburn in the Iron Bowl. T.J. Yeldon carried the ball 24 times for 160 yards for the two-time defending national champions. McCarron ended 18-of-32 in passing efficiency, but was picked off twice. Tyler Russell connected on 15-of-24 throws for 144 yards for Mississippi State (4-6, 1-5), which lost its third in a row. The Bulldogs have dropped 15 in a row against ranked teams. Russell, who started in place of an injured Dak Prescott, left the game with an apparent shoulder injury in the fourth quarter.

Final Score: (2) Florida State 59, Syracuse 3

Tallahassee, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Jameis Winston threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns while completing 19-of-21 passes in just over two quarters of action, as No. 2 Florida State completed its undefeated run through ACC play with a 59-3 demolition of Syracuse at Doak Campbell Stadium. James Wilder, Jr. paced the rushing attack with 52 yards and a pair of scores on only three carries for the Seminoles (10-0, 8-0 ACC), who have contests with Idaho and rival Florida standing in the way of a perfect season heading into the ACC Championship Game. Karlos Williams added 78 yards on four totes, while Kermit Whitfield posted a 74-yard TD run and Devonta Freeman contributed a score on the ground. Kelvin Benjamin racked up 66 yards and a touchdown on six receptions, while Nick O’Leary caught a TD pass from Sean Maguire, who took over early in the third quarter and ended up 3-of-5 for 21 yards. Terrel Hunt was 10-of-18 for 75 yards and was sacked three times for the Orange (5-5, 3-3), whose two-game win streak was halted in emphatic fashion. Drew Allen finished the contest 5-of-9 for 29 yards and one interception. Devante McFarlane gained 81 yards on 13 carries and George Morris added 67 yards on 21 rushes in defeat.

Final Score: (3) Ohio State 60, Illinois 35

Champaign, IL (SportsNetwork.com) – Ohio State beat Illinois 60-35 on Saturday in a game that was closer than the No. 3 Buckeyes probably hoped it would be. Two long touchdown runs by Carlos Hyde, both over 50 yards, turned a 12-point lead with four minutes left into a 25-point margin. Before those scores, which were separated by less than two minutes, Illinois had outscored the Buckeyes 21-12 in the second half. Hyde finished with 246 yards rushing on 24 carries and scored five total touchdowns for the Buckeyes (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten), who pushed their record to 21-0 under Urban Meyer. Braxton Miller was 13-of-29 for 150 yards and touchdown passes to Hyde and Corey “Philly” Brown and Bradley Roby returned an interception 63 yards for a score. The Buckeyes were a distant No. 3 in the latest BCS standings behind Alabama and Florida State. With Stanford and Baylor close behind, many have wondered if Ohio State’s weaker remaining schedule could mean it would be leaped in the standings. The Buckeyes are home against Indiana next Saturday before closing the regular season at Michigan. Illinois (3-7, 0-6) suffered its 20th straight loss in the Big Ten. Nathan Scheelhaase was 33-of-50 for 288 yards with touchdown passes to Steve Hull and Evan Wilson. The quarterback also ran for a touchdown, as did Josh Ferguson, and V’Angelo Bentley scored on a 67- yard punt return.

Final Score: (4) Baylor 63, Texas Tech 34

Arlington, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Bryce Petty threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as the fourth-ranked Baylor Bears posted a 63-34 victory over the free-falling Texas Tech Red Raiders at AT&T Stadium. Petty had 335 yards on 17-of-31 passing for Baylor (9-0, 6-0 Big 12), which is off to its best start in program history and extended its school-record winning streak to 13 games. Levi Norwood caught two of Petty’s touchdown passes and returned a punt for a score. He finished with 156 yards on seven receptions. Texas Tech (7-4, 4-4), losers of four straight, was strong out of the gate, but in the end, couldn’t keep pace with the high-powered Bears. Baker Mayfield completed 28-of-51 passes for 314 yards with four touchdowns and one interception for the Red Raiders.

Final Score: Southern California 20, (5) Stanford 17

Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – It was a gamble that may take the interim tag off Ed Orgeron. He has a valiant Marqise Lee to thank for that. Andre Heidari’s go-ahead 47-yard field goal with 19 seconds remaining lifted USC over No. 5 Stanford, 20-17, on Saturday night. Su’a Cravens intercepted Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan with 3:02 remaining and Cody Kessler went deep to Lee on the very next snap. Lee, who has been used sparingly the last two games due to a left knee injury, limped off the field following the play. USC faced a 4th-and-2 at the Stanford 48 with 1:23 left and Orgeron elected to go for it. A hurting Lee came back in for the play and hauled in a 13-yard slant to give the Trojans a vital first down before he hobbled off the field again. Heidari’s boot came six snaps later. Thrust into the head coaching role after Lane Kiffin was fired following a 3-2 start, Orgeron has helped the Trojans (8-3, 5-2 Pac-12) win five of their six games since taking over. Kessler completed 25-of-37 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown, Nelson Agholor had eight receptions for 104 yards and Lee caught six balls for 83 yards in the triumph.

Final Score: (6) Oregon 44, Utah 21

Eugene, OR (SportsNetwork.com) – Marcus Mariota threw for 288 yards with three touchdowns and Byron Marshall had 11 carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks defeated the Utah Utes , 44-21, at Autzen Stadium. Coming off of its first loss of 2013 at the hands of Stanford, Oregon (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12) shook off a sluggish start to outscore Utah 27-14 in the second half. Utah (4-6, 1-6) pulled to within three points after its first possession of the third quarter but Oregon’s De’Anthony Thomas returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown. The Ducks scored 27 unanswered points once Utah cut the lead to a field goal with just 10 minutes left in the third stanza. Utah’s Adam Schulz passed for 181 yards with one touchdown and an interception, while also rushing for 15 yards on five carries and a score. Bubba Poole led the Utes in rushing with 54 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.

Final Score: (7) Auburn 43, (25) Georgia 38

Auburn, AL (SportsNetwork.com) – Nick Marshall got to experience the SEC Championship Game during his brief time at Georgia. With the help of a miraculous play, he has Auburn one win from going there. The former Bulldogs cornerback and current Auburn quarterback’s 73-yard touchdown pass to Ricardo Louis with 25 seconds remaining added yet another chapter to the seventh-ranked Tigers’ storybook season, as well as a 43-38 triumph over No. 25 Georgia in a classic from Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn (10-1, 6-1 SEC), which went winless in conference play last season and was handed a 38-0 shellacking at home by the Bulldogs last November, set up a winner-take-all showdown with No. 1 Alabama for the SEC West title in the Iron Bowl in two weeks with its seventh consecutive victory — though the Tigers had to overcome three fourth-quarter touchdowns by Georgia that turned a 20-point deficit into a 38-37 lead entering the final minute. Faced with a 4th-and-18 from his own 27-yard line, Marshall — dismissed from the Bulldogs’ program in February of 2012 for a violation of team rules — sent a desperation heave down the middle of the field to Louis with a pair of Georgia defenders converging. Bulldogs safety Tray Matthews got his hands on the underthrown ball, but knocked it up into the air as Louis snared it before running in untouched for the startling go-ahead score. Marshall added a pair of rushing touchdowns and 89 yards on the ground in addition to completing 15-of-26 passes for 229 yards. Louis finished with 131 yards on four receptions, with Tre Mason rushing for 115 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries for Auburn. Aaron Murray threw for 415 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, the last a gutsy 5-yard run on fourth down with 1:49 to play, to nearly single-handedly lead Georgia (6-4, 4-3). The senior quarterback made good on 33-of-49 passing attempts with two scores and one interception.

Final Score: (11) South Carolina 19, Florida 14

Columbia, SC (SportsNetwork.com) – Elliott Fry kicked a pair of fourth-quarter field goals and Jimmy Legree came up with a key interception in the closing minutes as the 11th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Florida Gators, 19-14, at Williams-Brice Stadium. Bruce Ellington had four receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown for the Gamecocks. Connor Shaw completed 14-of-28 passes for 213 yards and Shon Carson ran for 102 yards on 13 carries as South Carolina (8-2, 6-2 SEC) extended its home winning streak to 16 games, breaking a school record. Redshirt freshman quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg, son of New York Jets offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, started his first game due to starter Tyler Murphy’s sore right shoulder. Mornhinweg went 10-of-13 for 107 yards, while Kelvin Taylor rushed for 96 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns. Florida (4-6, 3-5) has lost five straight games.

Final Score: (12) Oklahoma State 38, (23) Texas 13

Austin, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Clint Chelf threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as No. 12 Oklahoma State ran off a 38-13 win over 23rd-ranked Texas in a crucial Big 12 matchup. Oklahoma State (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) and Texas (7-3, 6-1) both have just one loss in the conference, while Baylor is undefeated, The Bears are playing Texas Tech later Saturday. Oklahoma State will host Baylor next Saturday in a game that could determine the fate of the conference. Chelf went 16-for-22 for 197 yards and one interception while adding 95 yards on 10 carries for the Cowboys, who also got an interception return for a touchdown from Justin Gilbert. Case McCoy had a tough day under center, as he was picked off three times while going 26-for-39 for 217 yards for the Longhorns, who saw Malcolm Brown score their only touchdown of the game as part of a 25-carry, 73-yard effort.

Final Score: (14) Michigan State 41, Nebraska 28

Lincoln, NE (SportsNetwork.com) – Jeremy Langford ran for 151 yards and three touchdowns and No. 14 Michigan State beat Nebraska, 41-28, on Saturday to remain in first place in the Big Ten Leaders Division. Langford might have carried the load, but the Spartans used a fake field goal in the fourth quarter to pull away. Punter Mike Sadler held on to the snap and picked up a first down with a short run, leading to Keith Mumphery’s 27-yard touchdown catch to turn a six-point lead into a 34-21 cushion. Langford’s third touchdown, on a 37-yard run, pushed it to 20 points and the Spartans beat the Cornhuskers for the first time in eight all-time meetings. Michigan State (9-1, 6-0 Big Ten) won its sixth straight game since its only loss Sept. 21 at Notre Dame and extended its lead in the division to two games over Nebraska and Minnesota. Connor Cook passed for 193 yards and the touchdown pass to Mumphery and R.J. Shelton rushed for a score in the win. Tommy Armstrong threw for 143 yards with long touchdown passes to Sam Burtch and Kenny Bell, but lost two fumbles that led to Michigan State touchdowns. The Spartans scored 17 points off Nebraska turnovers. Ameer Abdullah rushed for 123 yards and caught a touchdown pass from Ron Kellogg and Imani Cross ran for a 51-yard score for the Huskers (7-3, 4-2), who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Final Score: (15) UCF 39, Temple 36

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Shawn Moffitt made a 23-yard field goal as time expired to help the 15th-ranked UCF Knights sneak past the Temple Owls by a 39-36 margin on Saturday. It seemed like Temple was about to upset the Knights, who sit alone atop the American Athletic Conference, but J.J. Worton’s one-handed touchdown catch with just over a minute left tied the game. After forcing the Owls to punt, UCF took over at its own 30-yard line with 19 seconds remaining. Rannell Hall caught a 64-yard pass to put the Knights in field goal range. Blake Bortles spiked the ball with two seconds left and Moffitt split the uprights for the come-from-behind victory. Bortles completed 27-of-38 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns for the Knights (8-1, 5-0 AAC), who have won five in a row. He also carried the ball 11 times for 63 yards. Worton caught 10 passes for 179 yards and three scores, Hall hauled in nine passes for 159 yards and Storm Johnson carried the ball 14 times for 122 yards. P.J. Walker connected on 26-of-44 passes for 382 yards, four touchdowns and an interception for the Owls (1-9, 0-6), who have lost three in a row. He also carried the ball nine times for 41 yards and a score. Robbie Anderson caught eight passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in defeat.

Final Score: (17) Wisconsin 51, Indiana 3

Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) – Wisconsin hardly stopped running after James White broke free for the longest run in school history — a 93-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. What do you get when you pit the nation’s 10th-best rushing offense against one if its worst rushing defenses? How about 50 combined carries for 554 yards. White gained 205 yards on 20 carries — one of three Badgers to go over 100 — and No. 17 Wisconsin cruised to a 51-3 victory over Indiana on Saturday. Melvin Gordon ran for 146 yards and a touchdown, Corey Clement rushed for 108 and two scores and even wide receiver Jared Abbrederis got in on the action, reaching the end zone on two end-arounds totaling 86 yards. Joel Stave spent much of the day handing it off but also threw for 122 yards on 7-of-15 passing for the Badgers (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten), who have won five in a row since falling to Ohio State on Sept. 28. Nate Sudfeld was 9-of-22 for 99 yards and threw an interception that led to Wisconsin’s first touchdown. Stephen Houston rushed for 61 yards but lost a fumble that turned into Wisconsin’s second score. The Hoosiers (4-6, 2-4) still need two wins to become bowl-eligible — and it will be tough. They play No. 3 Ohio State on the road next week and finish the season at home against Purdue Nov. 30.

Final Score: (19) Louisville 20, Houston 13

Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) – Dominique Brown racked up 137 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries to lead No. 19 Louisville to a 20-13 victory over Houston on Saturday. Teddy Bridgewater went 19-of-29 passing for 203 yards, while DeVante Parker caught four passes for a game-high 72 yards for the Cardinals (9-1, 5-1 AAC), who have won three straight since their lone loss of the season against Central Florida. The 17th-ranked Knights, who rallied to beat Temple on Saturday, remain one- half game ahead of Louisville in the conference standings. John O’Korn completed 16-of-35 passes for 121 yards for the Cougars (7-3, 4-2), who have lost two straight. Kenneth Farrow scored Houston’s lone touchdown in defeat.

Final Score: (21) Arizona State 30, Oregon State 17

Tempe, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – Marion Grice had 24 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns as No. 21 Arizona State defeated Oregon State, 30-17, on Saturday night. The Sun Devils (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12) are one game ahead of UCLA and USC for first place in the Pac-12 South, but Arizona State travels to Pasadena next Saturday to tangle with the Bruins. Arizona State built a 20-3 halftime lead and was never threatened over the final 30 minutes. Jaelen Strong caught seven balls for 106 yards, while Taylor Kelly completed 22-of-37 passes for 183 yards with two interceptions for Arizona State, which has won five straight since falling to Notre Dame on Oct. 5. Sean Mannion was 31-of-46 for 320 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions for the Beavers (6-4, 4-3), who have dropped three consecutive tilts following a 6-1 start to the year.

Final Score: (22) Oklahoma 48, Iowa State 10

Norman, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – Damien Williams carried the ball 10 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 22 Oklahoma to a 48-10 victory over Iowa State and help the Sooners remain undefeated at home this season. Trevor Knight carried the ball 10 times for 123 yards and a touchdown, while Brennan Clay carried the ball seven times for 87 yards and a touchdown for the Sooners (8-2, 5-2 Big 12), who are coming off a big conference loss to Baylor, 41-12. Sam Richardson ran three times for 11 yards and scored the lone touchdown for the Cyclones (1-9, 0-7), who have now lost seven straight.

Final Score: Duke 48, (24) Miami-Florida 30

Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Brandon Connette ran for a career-high four touchdowns and threw for one score to lead the Duke Blue Devils to a 48-30 upset of the No.24 Miami Hurricanes. Duke (8-2, 4-2 ACC), which scored the game’s final 20 points, has won six straight and has its first eight-win season since 1994. If the Blue Devils win their last two games, they will capture the Coastal Division and face Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. This win was only the second time Duke beat Miami, with the first coming in the schools’ first meeting in 1976. Connette completed 5-of-9 passes for 81 yards while carrying the ball 11 times for 37 yards. Shaquille Powell, who ran for 59 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, added two catches for 23 yards and another score. Stephen Morris was 30-for-49 for 379 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Miami (7-3, 3-3), which has now lost three straight. Herb Waters had nine catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns.

Categorized in: NCAA Football