Top-25 College Football Game Capsules

Tuscaloosa, AL (SportsNetwork.com) – The Alabama defense picked off Dak Prescott three times and the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide took down the top- ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs, 25-20, in a key SEC West showdown. With the victory, Alabama (9-1, 6-1 SEC) is virtually guaranteed to move up in the College Football Playoff rankings. They were fifth coming into the game. Blake Sims completed 19-of-31 passes for 211 yards and one touchdown for the Crimson Tide, who have won seven straight against Mississippi State. T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry each scored a touchdown on the ground for Alabama, which has won 14 straight at home. Amari Cooper caught eight passes for 88 yards and a score. Prescott, a Heisman Trophy candidate, connected on 27-of-48 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs (9-1, 5-1), who had a 12-game winning streak snapped. He also carried the ball 22 times for 82 yards.

Final Score: (2) Florida State 30, Miami-Florida 26

Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – It once again was anything but easy, but Florida State survived yet another close call with a stirring second-half comeback. Dalvin Cook rushed for two touchdowns, including a 26-yarder with 3:05 remaining that capped a furious rally and kept the second-ranked Seminoles’ unbeaten streak intact with a thrilling 30-26 victory over Miami- Florida. Florida State (10-0, 7-0 ACC) fell behind 16-0 early in the second quarter and trailed the highly charged Hurricanes 23-7 late in the first half before fighting back for its 26th consecutive win behind another clutch performance from Jameis Winston and a defense that shut down Miami over the last two quarters. Winston helped the Seminoles overcome the deficit by throwing a touchdown pass to Karlos Williams in the third quarter and amassing 304 yards with one interception on a 25-of-42 completion rate. Cook finished with 92 yards on just seven carries in Florida State’s fifth triumph this season in which it was down at the half. Brad Kaaya passed for 316 yards for Miami (6-4, 3-3), but 240 of them came before halftime and the Hurricanes mustered just a field goal over the final 30 minutes.

Final Score: (5) TCU 34, Kansas 30

Lawrence, KS (SportsNetwork.com) – Trevone Boykin threw for 330 yards and a touchdown, Aaron Green ran for a pair of scores filling in for B.J. Catalon and the fifth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs staved off the upset-minded Kansas, 34-30. TCU ripped off 17 consecutive points after Kansas went up 27-17 midway through the third quarter to pull out the win. Boykin was 26-of-36 with an interception, Green carried the ball 19 times for 128 yards and caught four passes for 26 yards and Ty Slanina had six receptions for 95 yards and a score for TCU (9-1, 6-1), which has won five straight since its lone loss at Baylor on Oct. 11. Mike Cummings was 19-of-37 for 332 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, Jimmay Mundine posted seven catches for 137 yards and a score and Nigel King added 128 yards and a touchdown on five receptions for the Jayhawks (3-7, 1-6), who picked up their first conference win last week against Iowa State.

Final Score: Oregon State 35, (7) Arizona State 27

Corvallis, OR (SportsNetwork.com) – Jordan Villamin’s 67-yard touchdown put Oregon State ahead and Michael Doctor’s late 35-yard interception return sent the Beavers to a 35-27 upset of No. 7 Arizona State on Saturday. Terron Ward rushed for 148 yards and a score on 19 carries and Storm Woods added a touchdown and 125 yards on 11 totes for Oregon State (5-5, 2-5 Pac-12), which snapped a four-game skid. Sean Mannion completed 19-of-33 passes for 251 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, Villamin finished with 127 yards on four catches and Victor Bolden hauled in seven passes for 72 yards and a score in the win. Taylor Kelly threw for 264 yards on a 22- of-44 completion rate with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Sun Devils (8-2, 5-2), who were coming off a 55-31 win over Notre Dame.

Final Score: (8) Ohio State 31, Minnesota 24

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – J.T. Barrett accounted for 389 yards and four touchdowns and No. 8 Ohio State held off upset-minded Minnesota, 31-24, on a snowy Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. Barrett set the Ohio State record for touchdowns in a season with 38, breaking the mark set last year by the man he replaced — the injured Braxton Miller. The freshman QB threw for 200 yards and three scores and added 189 yards and a TD on the ground for the Buckeyes (9-1, 6-0 Big Ten), who avoided a letdown following their upset win over Michigan State last week. These teams can meet again in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes control their fate in the East Division, and Minnesota (7-3, 4-2) still has a chance in the West with road games against Nebraska and Wisconsin remaining. Senior David Cobb carried the Golden Gophers’ offense with 145 rushing yards and three touchdowns in his last home game, while Mitch Leidner completed just 7-of-19 passes for 85 yards and two interceptions in the frigid conditions.

Final Score: (16) Georgia 34, (9) Auburn 7

Athens, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – Todd Gurley looked sharp in his return from a four-game suspension, but left with a left knee injury late in the fourth quarter of No. 16 Georgia’s 34-7 win over ninth-ranked Auburn. Gurley took a handoff to the left side of the line with just over five minutes left and made a cut to his right off of his left leg before immediately grabbing at his knee. He was helped to the sideline and did not return. Gurley carried the ball 29 times for 138 yards and one touchdown for the Bulldogs (8-2, 6-2 SEC), who have won two in a row since a loss to Florida on Nov. 1. Nick Chubb rushed for 144 yards and two scores on 19 carries. Hutson Mason completed 10-of-19 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown for Georgia. Nick Marshall connected on 11-of-23 passes for 112 yards and an interception for the Tigers (7-3, 4-3), who have lost two straight. Cameron Artis-Payne carried the ball 20 times for 86 yards and a score.

Final Score: (22) Wisconsin 59, (11) Nebraska 24

Madison, WI (SportsNetwork.com) – Melvin Gordon bolstered his Heisman Trophy candidacy with a record 408 yards rushing and No. 22 Wisconsin ran away with a 59-24 win over No. 11 Nebraska in a key Big Ten West showdown on Saturday. Gordon, already the nation’s leading rusher entering play, ripped off seven runs of at least 26 yards and broke future NFL great LaDainian Tomlinson’s FBS record for rushing yards in a game. He and the Badgers (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) both overcame ball security issues in the first half to score 56 straight points after trailing 17-3, picking up their fifth consecutive win. Nebraska (8-2, 4-2) and senior running back Ameer Abdullah, whose own Heisman bid is probably over, had a three-game winning streak snapped despite having a bye week to get ready for Gordon and the Badgers. Wisconsin took a one-game lead over Nebraska and Minnesota in the Big Ten West division with two regular- season games remaining against Iowa and Minnesota, which fell to Ohio State on Saturday.

Final Score: (12) Michigan State 37, Maryland 15

College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) – Connor Cook threw for 240 yards, Jeremy Langford had two rushing touchdowns and 12th-ranked Michigan State posted a 37-15 win over Maryland in the first meeting between the teams since 1950. Langford had 138 yards on 25 carries and capped his performance with a 25-yard score that put the Spartans up 30-7 about midway through the fourth quarter. Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown answered by throwing a 31-yard touchdown pass to Juwann Winfree, but Nick Hill sealed the win with a 33-yard TD run after Michigan State recovered an onside kick. The Spartans (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) bounced back from last week’s disappointing home loss to Ohio State and won a school-record ninth straight conference road game. Brown finished with 246 passing yards and two touchdowns, but he had three interceptions, one of which was returned for a score. Maryland (6-4, 3-3) was held to 11 first downs and six rushing yards.

Final Score: Northwestern 43, (15) Notre Dame 40 (OT)

South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) – Northwestern trailed by 11 points late in regulation but rallied to force overtime and stunned No. 15 Notre Dame, 43-40. The Irish (7-3) made countless mistakes for the second straight week. After having their title hopes dashed by turning the ball over five times at Arizona State, the Fighting Irish committed four turnovers Saturday, including a fumble while trying to run the clock out with 1:28 remaining in regulation. Three straight Everett Golson incompletions on the first possession of overtime preceded Kyle Brindza pulling a field goal try wide left. Jack Mitchell, who forced OT with a 45-yard field goal with 19 seconds to go, calmly nailed a 41-yarder to snap Northwestern’s (4-6) four-game skid. Justin Jackson led the Wildcats with 149 rushing yards and a score, while Trevor Siemian threw for 284 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Golson threw three touchdown passes — all to William Fuller — and had a long TD run, but the embattled QB lost a fumble, threw an interception and completed just 21-of-40 passes for 287 yards.

Final Score: (17) Arizona 27, Washington 26

Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – Casey Skowron hit two field goals in the fourth quarter, including a 47-yard attempt as time expired to give No. 17 Arizona a 27-26 victory over Washington on Saturday. Nick Wilson totaled 104 yards rushing and scored twice on 30 attempts for the Wildcats (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12), who have won two in a row since a loss at UCLA. It took the edge off a subpar performance from Anu Solomon, who completed only 17 of his 39 passes for 242 yards and two interceptions. Samajie Grant totaled 85 yards on four catches for Arizona, which also got an 18-yard touchdown on a fake field goal by Skowron. Cyler Miles passed for 223 yards on 20-of-29 attempts for the Huskies (6-5, 2-5), who skidded to their fourth loss in five. Dwayne Washington led the way with 148 yards and a pair of scores on 19 totes, while Joshua Perkins caught a TD pass from Marvin Hall in defeat.

Final Score: (24) Georgia Tech 28, (18) Clemson 6

Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) – Jamal Golden and Chris Milton returned interceptions for touchdowns, leading 24th-ranked Georgia Tech to a 28-6 victory over No. 18 Clemson on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Clemson quarterback DeShaun Watson returned to the starting lineup after missing three games with a broken bone in his throwing hand, but the freshman left the contest late in the first quarter with a left knee injury. The Yellow Jackets (9-2, 6-2 ACC) dominated from there in their final league game and won their fourth straight to remain in the hunt for the ACC Coastal Division crown. Clemson (7-3, 6-2) also concluded its ACC slate and had a six-game winning streak stopped, handing the conference’s Atlantic Division crown to Florida State ahead of its big game with Miami-Florida on Saturday night.

Final Score: Virginia Tech 17, (19) Duke 16

Durham, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Three Duke turnovers led to three Virginia Tech scores and the Hokies pulled off a 17-16 upset of the 19th-ranked Blue Devils on Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium. Michael Brewer threw a pair of touchdown passes, including a 15-yard strike to Bucky Hodges for the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter, as the Hokies (5-5, 2-4 ACC) snapped a three-game losing streak. Anthony Boone was intercepted twice and completed just 18-of-40 passes for 181 yards for Duke (8-2, 4-2), which had a four- game winning streak stopped and lost for the first time since a 22-10 setback at Miami-Florida in late September.

Final Score: Arkansas 17 (20) LSU 0

Fayetteville, AR (SportsNetwork.com) – Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins each ran for a touchdown as Arkansas snapped its 17-game SEC losing streak with an emphatic 17-0 shutout of No. 20 LSU on Saturday. Arkansas’ last win against a conference opponent came in a 49-7 win over Kentucky on Oct. 13, 2012. Brandon Allen threw for 169 yards on 16-of-27 passing, Williams rushed for 55 yards on 18 carries and Collins compiled 46 yards on 16 totes for the Razorbacks (5-5, 1-5 SEC), who also won the Battle for the Boot, a rivalry between the two teams for a gold boot, which is in the shape of Arkansas and Louisiana. Anthony Jennings completed 12-of-22 passes for 87 yards and Terrance Magee ran for 24 yards on seven totes as the Tigers (7-4, 3-4) compiled just 123 yards of total offense. LSU, which entered the game 25-1 when following a loss under head coach Les Miles, lost its second game in a row after dropping a 20-13 decision to Alabama in overtime. The Tigers were also without running back Kenny Hilliard, who suffered a shoulder injury against the Crimson Tide.

Final Score: (21) Marshall 41, Rice 14

Huntington, WV (SportsNetwork.com) – Rakeem Cato threw touchdown passes to four different receivers and 21st-ranked Marshall stayed unbeaten with a 41- 14 drubbing of Rice in a rematch of last year’s Conference-USA title game. Marshall (10-0, 6-0 C-USA) avenged its loss to Rice last December and stayed on course for a perfect season. The Thundering Herd went 13-0 back in 1999 with Chad Pennington under center, and they will be favorites in their final two regular season games against UAB and Western Kentucky. Cato, who broke Pennington’s school record for career touchdown passes, completed 23- of-37 attempts for 297 yards with an interception, while Devon Johnson ran for 199 yards and a score in the convincing victory. Rice (6-4, 4-2) watched its six-game winning streak come to a crashing halt thanks to a grand total of 180 yards of offense. Driphus Jackson completed just 11-of-23 passes for 99 yards.

Final Score: (25) Utah 20, Stanford 17 (2-OT)

Stanford, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Travis Wilson’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Kenneth Scott in the second overtime lifted No. 25 Utah to a 20-17 win over Stanford on Saturday. Wilson had a rushing touchdown in the second quarter that tied the score at 7-7, where it remained at the end of regulation. He found Kaelin Clay wide open behind cornerback Terrence Alexander for a 25-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to give Utah a lead for the first time. Stanford came back with a play fake that set up Kevin Hogan’s 14-yard pass to Austin Hooper on the left side to tie the score — the Cardinal’s first points since they scored on the game’s opening drive. Jordan Williamson’s 51-yard field goal in the second overtime gave Stanford a 17-14 lead after Hogan’s overthrown pass was nearly picked off by Dominique Hatfield, whose feet were just out of bounds on the left sideline.But Utah picked up a first down on Wilson’s 10-yard pass to Westlee Tonga and won the game three plays later when Scott slid between two defenders for his catch in the end zone. It was Utah’s third overtime game of the season (2-1) and second win in double-overtime.

Categorized in: NCAA Football