Top-25 College Football Game Capsules

DeKalb, IL (SportsNetwork.com) – Jordan Lynch rushed for a whopping 321 yards with three touchdowns as No. 18 Northern Illinois closed out a perfect regular season with a 33-14 win over Western Michigan on Tuesday. A dark horse Heisman candidate, Lynch carried the ball 27 times and broke his own NCAA FBS record for rushing yards by a quarterback, and also went 5-for-17 for 39 yards and a touchdown for the Huskies (12-0, 8-0 MAC), who clinched the West Division and will play either Bowling Green or Buffalo in the MAC championship game on Dec. 6. NIU has won 25 straight conference games and 26 straight games at home, both of which are the nation’s longest. Dareyon Chance and Antoin Scriven each had a rushing touchdown for the Broncos (1-11, 1-7), who closed out their first season under P.J. Fleck with three straight losses.

(Thursday, November 30th)

Final Score: (12) Oregon 36, Oregon State 35

Eugene, OR (SportsNetwork.com) – Marcus Mariota’s touchdown pass to Josh Huff with 29 seconds left lifted 12th-ranked Oregon to a 36-35 win over Oregon State in the 117th installment of the Civil War. Victor Bolden broke off a 25- yard touchdown run to put the Beavers in front 35-30 with 1:38 left. Mariota then completed four of his next five passes to get the Ducks deep into the Oregon State zone. After his pass on 2nd-and-5 fell incomplete, Thomas Tyner broke off a seven-yard rush to give Oregon a fresh set of downs. Two plays later, Mariota found Huff in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown completion to give Oregon (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12) the decisive margin. Oregon State (6-6, 4-5) hasn’t taken down Oregon since 2007 when it beat the Ducks, 38-31, in overtime.

Final Score: (15) LSU 31, Arkansas 27

Baton Rouge, LA (SportsNetwork.com) – Freshman Anthony Jennings’ first-career touchdown pass to Travin Dural with 1:15 remaining proved to be the difference in No. 15 LSU’s 31-27 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 18th annual battle for the Golden Boot. Jennings, who took over for starter Zach Mettenberger after the senior went down with a left knee injury midway through the fourth, led a 99-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes to keep “The Boot” in Baton Rouge for another season. LSU (9-3, 5-3 SEC) has taken down Arkansas (3-9, 0-8) in three straight meetings. The Tigers began the decisive drive from inside their own 1-yard line after a 65-yard Sam Irwin-Hill punt with just over three minutes left pinned them deep. Jennings did a quick sneak for two yards before completing passes to Dillon Gordon and Jarvis Landry for first downs. Jennings then scampered 21 yards into Arkansas territory before unleashing a throw down the field on 3rd-and-10 for a wide open Dural, who hauled in the 49-yard touchdown to the delight of the home crowd. Arkansas picked up a quick first down on its final drive but Dwayne Thomas sacked Brandon Allen and forced a fumble, which Jermauria Rasco pounced on to seal the win and a perfect home record for LSU.

Final Score: San Jose State 62, (16) Fresno State 52

San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – David Fales completed 37-of-45 passes for 547 yards and six touchdowns to lead the San Jose State Spartans to a 62-52 upset over No. 16 and previously unbeaten Fresno State to essentially eliminate the Bulldogs from going to a BCS bowl. Chandler Jones caught eight passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns, Kyle Nunn had 10 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns and Tyler Winston caught 10 balls for 164 yards and a TD for the Spartans (6-6, 5-3 MWC), who snapped a three-game losing streak. Derek Carr was 38-for-50 with 519 yards, six touchdowns and an interception and DeVante Adams caught 13 passes for 264 yards and three scores for the Bulldogs (10-1, 7-1).

Final Score: (17) UCF 23, South Florida 20

Orlando, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Blake Bortles threw a go-ahead 52-yard touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman with 4:50 left in the fourth quarter, and Jordan Ozerities came up with a game-sealing interception as 17th-ranked UCF upended a pesky South Florida team, 23-20, to claim a share of the American Athletic Conference championship. The Knights (10-1, 7-0 AAC), winners of seven in a row, have just one conference game left, next Saturday at SMU. Bortles completed 17-of-26 passes for 219 yards with a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions, and the Knights overcame several turnovers to avoid the upset.

Categorized in: NCAA Football