Top-25 College Football Game Capsules

Tuscaloosa, AL (SportsNetwork.com) – Alabama was not caught looking ahead to next week’s showdown at Auburn. The top-ranked Crimson Tide thrashed FCS foe Chattanooga, 49-0, on Saturday. AJ McCarron threw two touchdown passes on his way to becoming Alabama’s winningest quarterback. He earned his 36th win, breaking a tie with Jay Barker. McCarron had 171 yards on 13-of-16 passing before he was removed after leading the Crimson Tide (11-0) on a touchdown drive to begin the third quarter. Kenyan Drake had 77 yards on 11 carries and was one of four players to score a rushing touchdown. The Crimson Tide and Tigers will clash in the Iron Bowl on Nov. 30, with the winner clinching the SEC Western Division title. The Alabama defense suffocated Chattanooga, holding the Mocs (8-4) to 175 total yards and eight first downs. Terrell Robinson completed 10-of-15 passes for 82 yards with one interception.

Final Score: (2) Florida State 80, Idaho 14

Tallahassee, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Jameis Winston threw four touchdown passes as No. 2 Florida State routed Idaho, 80-14, at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles remained one of six unbeaten teams in the nation, but Winston’s status remains uncertain as many lingering questions have yet to be answered in his sexual assault case. A decision on whether to charge the Heisman Trophy candidate with a crime is expected to be made sometime next week. A DNA analysis confirmed that the sample Winston provided to law enforcement matched the DNA found in the underwear of the accuser in Winston’s sexual assault investigation, according to a report by ESPN on Wednesday. The DNA finding doesn’t prove that Winston is guilty and Winston’s lawyer, Tim Jansen, claims the sex between his client and the alleged victim was consensual. Despite the allegations, Winston remained his gregarious self. He completed 14-of-25 passes for 225 yards for the Seminoles (11-0), who will play Florida next Saturday in their regular-season finale. The 80 points scored broke the school record of 77 set in 1995. Devonta Freeman carried the ball 11 times for 129 yards and a touchdown, Karlos Williams added 114 rushing yards and two scores on 10 totes, while Kenny Shaw caught five passes for 107 yards and two touchdown in the triumph. Dezmon Epps had seven receptions for 126 yards for Idaho (1-10).

Final Score: (11) Oklahoma State 49, (3) Baylor 17

Stillwater, OK (SportsNetwork.com) – Oklahoma State likely shattered Baylor’s national championship hopes Saturday night as the 11th-ranked Cowboys throttled the third-ranked Bears, 49-17, at Boone Pickens Stadium. Clint Chelf completed 19-of-25 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns, and also had a rushing score. Kye Staley added a pair of rushing scores for the Cowboys (10-1, 7-1 Big 12), who have rattled off seven straight wins since falling to West Virginia on Sept. 28. Chelf also had a 48-yard reception and Tracy Moore finished with five catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. Oklahoma State, which beat then-nationally ranked Texas on Nov. 16, now has the inside track to the Big 12 crown and will need either a win over No. 22 Oklahoma on Dec. 7 or a Baylor loss to either TCU or Texas to claim the conference’s automatic BCS Bowl bid. Heisman Trophy candidate Bryce Petty completed just 28-of-48 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (9-1, 6-1), who had won 13 straight games dating back to last season. Shock Linwood, starting in place of an injured Lache Seastrunk, rushed for just 29 yards on 14 carries and fumbled twice in the setback.

Final Score: (4) Ohio State 42, Indiana 14

Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – Braxton Miller accounted for 304 yards and four touchdowns, as No. 4 Ohio State claimed their second straight Big Ten Leaders Division crown with a 42-14 drubbing of Indiana on Saturday. Unlike last season, though, the Buckeyes (11-0, 7-0 Big Ten) will be appearing in the Big Ten title game after establishing a new program record for consecutive wins with their 23rd straight victory. Ohio State was ineligible for the conference championship game last season due to NCAA sanctions. Miller completed 11-of-17 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns with one interception while adding 144 yards and two scores on 13 carries for the Buckeyes, who will take on Legends Division champion Michigan State in the Big Ten title game on Dec. 7 after wrapping up their regular-season slate with a road test against Michigan next week. Carlos Hyde rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 18 totes in the win. Nate Sudfeld struggled under center for the Hoosiers (4-7, 2-5), completing 25-of-41 passes for 224 yards and a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Kofi Hughes hauled in a game-high nine passes for 120 yards for Indiana, which has lost 18 straight meetings with Ohio State.

Final Score: Arizona 42, (5) Oregon 16

Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – Ka’Deem Carey marched his way into the record books, rushing for 206 yards and scoring four times on 48 carries, as Arizona knocked off No. 5 Oregon, 42-16, on Saturday. Carey set a new school record for career rushing scores (49), surpassing the old record of 48 first set by Art Luppino from 1953-56, and also boosted his program-best rushing yardage to 3,913 and eclipsing the mark previously held by Trung Canidate (1996-99). B.J. Denker contributed 178 yards and two TDs on 19-of-22 efficiency and 102 rushing yards on 14 carries for the Wildcats (7-4, 4-4 Pac-12), who bested their conference foes for the first time since 2007 and picked up one of the biggest wins for the program in recent memory. Nate Phillips and Terrence Miller added receiving scores for Arizona, which knocked off a top-5 opponent for the first time since taking down the Ducks six years ago. Marcus Mariota completed 27-of-41 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns, but was picked off twice for the Ducks (9-2, 6-2), who stumbled to their second loss in three weeks and fell into second place in the North Division after Stanford completed its 63-13 demolition of California.

Final Score: (7) Clemson 52, Citadel 6

Clemson, SC (SportsNetwork.com) – Tajh Boyd was 21-of-28 passing with 288 yards and five touchdowns, powering the seventh-ranked Clemson Tigers to a 52-6 rout of the Citadel Bulldogs. Martavis Bryant, Mike Williams, Sammy Watkins, Stanton Seckinger, Daniel Rodriguez and Roderick McDowell each caught a touchdown pass for Clemson (10-1), which has won four straight. Ben Dupree carried the ball 23 times for 69 yards and Darien Robinson had 17 carries for 45 yards for the Bulldogs (5-7), who had a three-game win streak snapped.

Final Score: (8) Missouri 24, (24) Ole Miss 10

Oxford, MS (SportsNetwork.com) – Henry Josey ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns to help No. 8 Missouri move one win away from an SEC East title with a 24-10 decision over 24th-ranked Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. James Franklin, back from a three-game absence caused by a shoulder injury, threw for 142 yards with an interception on a 12-of-19 completion rate, but the Tigers’ ground game and defense played the biggest roles in Missouri’s third triumph over a ranked conference opponent this season. Missouri (10-1, 6-1 SEC) rushed for 260 yards, with Marcus Murphy adding 67 and a touchdown on 16 carries, and thwarted a number of scoring chances by the inefficient Rebels throughout the contest. The Tigers will clinch a spot opposite the Alabama/Auburn winner in the SEC Championship Game if they defeat visiting Texas A&M next Saturday. Should the Aggies prevail, South Carolina would claim the East by virtue of its earlier win over Missouri. Bo Wallace went 26-of-42 for 244 yards with an interception for Ole Miss (7-4, 3-4), which had a three- game win streak halted. Donte Moncrief finished with 115 yards on six catches in the loss.

Final Score: (18) LSU 34, (9) Texas A&M 10

Baton Rouge, LA (SportsNetwork.com) – Zach Mettenberger had two touchdown passes, Terrence Magee added a score on the ground and the 18th-ranked LSU Tigers stymied the visiting No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies, 34-10. Mettenberger completed 11-of-20 passes for 193 yards and Magee rushed 13 times for 149 yards. Jeremy Hill had 76 yards on 14 carries for LSU (8-3, 4-3 SEC). Johnny Manziel attempted 41 passes, but completed only 16 of them. He finished with 224 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Texas A&M (8-3, 4-3), which had a pair of streaks come to an end. The Aggies had scored at least 40 points in 13 straight games and had totaled at least 500 yards in each of their last nine contests. They registered 299 yards on Saturday.

Final Score: (10) Stanford 63, California 13

Stanford, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Kevin Hogan threw for five touchdowns and No. 10 Stanford clinched a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game following a 63-13 rout of the California Golden Bears. Hogan completed 17-of-26 passes for 329 yards, Ty Montgomery had five receptions for 160 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a score. The five TDs matches a school record. Stanford (9-2, 7-2 Pac-12) clinched a share of the Pac-12 North title. That’s because Oregon lost at Arizona on Saturday, 42-16. The Cardinal hold the tiebreaker over the Ducks by virtue of a 26-20 win on Nov. 7. Stanford has one regular season game left, next Saturday at home against Notre Dame. The Cardinal will play Arizona State in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Sun Devils beat UCLA, 38-33, Saturday. Jared Goff completed 10-of-19 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. Maurice Harris had two catches for 50 yards and a touchdown for California (1-11, 0-9), which lost its final 10 games of the season.

Final Score: (12) South Carolina 70, Coastal Carolina 10

Columbia, SC (SportsNetwork.com) – Dylan Thompson threw for two touchdowns and Brandon Wilds rushed for two scores as the No. 12 South Carolina Gamecocks destroyed the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, 70-10, at Williams-Brice Stadium. Thompson entered the game after Connor Shaw went 8-of-11 for 115 yards with a touchdown and rushed for 39 yards and a score. Thompson passed for 140 yards. Shaq Roland, Nick Jones, and Pharoh Cooper all caught touchdowns. Mike Davis, the SEC’s leading rusher, sat out with a sprained ankle, but South Carolina (9-2, 6-2 SEC) still ran for 352 yards. Cooper ran for 81 yards with a rushing touchdown, while Jamari Smith led all South Carolina rushers with 103 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. The Gamecocks extended their home winning streak to a school-record 17 games. Alex Ross threw for 168 yards on 15-of-25 efficiency with a touchdown and an interception. Lorenzo Taliaferro hauled in Coastal Carolina’s (10-2, 4-1 Big South) only touchdown.

Final Score: (13) Michigan State 30, Northwestern 6

Evanston, IL (SportsNetwork.com) – Jeremy Langford rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns while Connor Cook added a pair of scoring strikes to help No. 13 Michigan State claim the Big Ten Legends Division crown with a 30-6 victory over Northwestern on Saturday at Ryan Field. Langford carried the ball 25 times and added a pair of catches for 35 yards, while Cook completed 16-of-24 passes for 293 yards for the Spartans (10-1, 7-0 Big Ten), who secured a berth in the Big Ten title game with their seventh straight victory. The Spartans will take on No. 4 Ohio State in the conference title game on Dec. 7. The undefeated Buckeyes buried Indiana on Saturday to secure the Leaders Division. Northwestern starting quarterback Kain Colter completed his first two passes before leaving the game with a right arm injury after catching a pass and taking a hard hit from safety Isaiah Lewis, who was issued a personal foul for targeting and ejected from the game after video review. Backup Trevor Siemian struggled to get Northwestern’s offense going, completing just 25- of-43 passes for 227 yards with two interceptions for the Wildcats (4-7, 0-7), who have lost seven straight games.

Final Score: (19) Arizona State 38, (14) UCLA 33

Pasadena, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Taylor Kelly threw one touchdown and ran for another as No. 19 Arizona State survived a furious second-half rally by 14th-ranked UCLA to hold on for a 38-33 win and grab the Pac-12 South Division title. The win punched Arizona State’s (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12) ticket to the Pac-12 championship game against Stanford on Dec. 7. A win against Arizona next week, or a Stanford loss to Notre Dame, will give the Sun Devils home field advantage for the championship game. Kelly passed for 225 yards on 20-of-27 attempts, and carried the ball 22 times for 99 yards for the Sun Devils, who have reeled off six straight wins to carry the division. Brett Hundley had a pair of touchdown passes with an interception along with 253 yards on 18-of-26 attempts for the Bruins (8-3, 5-3), who had won three straight coming into the game.

Final Score: (15) Fresno State 69, New Mexico 28

Fresno, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Derek Carr added 527 yards and a school- record seven touchdown passes to his Heisman candidacy, while his No. 15 Fresno State Bulldogs took another step towards sewing up a BCS bowl berth with a 69-28 rout of New Mexico. Carr completed 27-of-37 attempts in perhaps his final game at Bulldog Stadium, with top targets Davante Adams and Josh Harper also putting up huge numbers to help Fresno State (10-0, 7-0 MWC) remain unbeaten and clinch a spot in the Mountain West championship game. Adams hauled in four of Carr’s TD tosses while racking up 246 yards on nine receptions, while Harper totaled 161 yards and three touchdowns on 10 grabs. Isaiah Burse added six catches for 112 yards for the Bulldogs, who amassed a school-record 820 total yards en route to extending their regular-season win streak to 15 games. Jhurell Presley accumulated 87 yards and a touchdown on just four carries for New Mexico (3-8, 1-6). Clayton Mitchem went 8-of-11 for 157 yards in the loss.

Final Score: (16) Wisconsin 20, Minnesota 7

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – James White rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown as the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 20-7, in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s axe. Joel Stave threw for 127 yards on 16-of-26 efficiency with a touchdown and an interception. Jared Abbrederis led all receivers with 67 yards on seven receptions and a touchdown as the Badgers (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten) extended their winning streak to six games. Philip Nelson completed only 7-of-23 passes for 83 yards and David Cobb rushed for 68 yards on 17 carries. Minnesota’s (8-3, 4-3) only score came on an interception returned for a touchdown by Aaron Hill in the second quarter as the Golden Gophers lost for the first time in five games.

Final Score: (21) Louisville 24, Memphis 17

Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) – Teddy Bridgewater completed 26-of-36 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown in the 21st-ranked Louisville Cardinals’ 24-17 victory over the Memphis Tigers. Bridgewater, who played through a lower back injury in the second half, carried the ball 10 times for 17 yards. Dominique Brown carried the ball 17 times for 54 yards and a score for the Cardinals (10-1, 6-1 AAC), who finish the regular season at Cincinnati on Dec. 5. Paxton Lynch connected on 11-of-23 passes for 144 yards, one touchdown and an interception for the Tigers (3-7, 1-5), who had a two-game winning streak snapped. Lynch also carried the ball eight times for 26 yards and a score.

Final Score: (22) Oklahoma 41, Kansas State 31

Manhattan, KS (SportsNetwork.com) – Brennan Clay rushed for 200 yards on 31 carries with two touchdowns as the No. 22 Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Kansas State Wildcats, 41-31, at Bill Snyder Stadium. Redshirt freshman Trevor Knight started in place of the concussed Blake Bell and threw for 171 yards with a touchdown and interception. Knight also carried the ball 14 times for 82 yards and touchdown for the Sooners (9-2, 6-2 Big 12), who won their second straight game. Jalen Saunders led Oklahoma receivers with 95 yards on seven catches and Sterling Shepard caught a touchdown. Bob Stoops won his 158th game as the Sooners head coach, passing Barry Switzer as the winningest coach in school history. Tyler Lockett caught three touchdowns with 278 receiving yards and 162 yards as a kick returner for the Wildcats (6-5, 4-4). Lockett set a school record for most receiving yards in a game, breaking his record of 237 yards on September 21 against Texas. Jake Waters completed 17-of-29 passes for 348 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Final Score: (23) Southern California 47, Colorado 29

Boulder, CO (SportsNetwork.com) – Javorius Allen rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns to boost No. 23 Southern California to a 47-29 win over Colorado. Cody Kessler completed 19-of-28 passes for 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Trojans (9-3, 6-2 Pac-12), who won their fifth straight game and moved to 8-0 all-time against the Buffaloes. The Trojans were denied a chance at the Pac-12 South title following Arizona State’s victory at UCLA earlier Saturday. Sefo Liufau connected on 17-of-33 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Colorado (4-7), which has lost four of its last five games.

Final Score: (25) Duke 28, Wake Forest 21

Winston-Salem, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Anthony Boone threw three touchdown passes, and the 25th-ranked Duke Blue Devils moved closer to securing a spot in the ACC Championship Game with a 28-21 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Boone had 256 yards on 24-of-29 passing and added 57 yards rushing for Duke (9-2, 5-2 ACC), which tied the school record for wins in a season, last accomplished in 1941. If the Blue Devils, who have won seven straight games for the first time since the 1994 squad opened 7-0, close out the regular season with a victory over North Carolina next week, they’ll lock up the Coastal Division crown and play Florida State in the conference title game. Jamison Crowder was Boone’s favorite target, hauling in 10 passes for 121 yards and two scores. Tanner Price had a touchdown pass and ran for another score in Wake Forest’s (4-7, 2-6) fourth straight loss.

Categorized in: NCAA Football