Michael Penix Jr. threw four touchdown passes as Washington defeated No. 11 Michigan State 39-28 Saturday in Seattle, giving the Huskies their first home victory against a ranked nonconference Power Five opponent since 2001.
Three of those TD passes went to Ja’Lynn Polk.
Washington (3-0) scored touchdowns on four of its five first-half possessions, with the other ending on a goal-line stand by Michigan State (2-1), to take a 29-8 lead.
Penix completed 24 of 40 passes for 397 yards despite misfiring on his final five attempts. Polk had six catches for 153 yards.
Michigan State’s Payton Thorne was 30-of-42 passing for 323 yards, with three TDs and one interception. Keon Coleman had nine receptions for 116 yards and two TDs but the Spartans’ usually prolific rushing attack was limited to 42 yards on 29 attempts.
No. 1 Georgia 48, South Carolina 7
Stetson Bennett passed for two touchdowns and also rushed for one as the top-ranked Bulldogs rolled to an easy victory over the Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C.
Brock Bowers caught five passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns and added one score on the ground as the defending national champions were dominant for the third straight game. Bennett completed 16 of 23 passes for 284 yards before leaving with Georgia ahead by 38 midway through the third quarter.
Spencer Rattler was 13-of-25 passing for 118 yards and two interceptions for South Carolina (1-2, 0-2), which lost its second straight game.
No. 2 Alabama 63, Louisiana-Monroe 7
The Crimson Tide scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams in the first quarter to roll to a victory over the visiting Warhawks in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Bryce Young went 13-of-18 passing for 236 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions as the Crimson Tide (3-0) earned their 55th straight win over a nonconference regular-season opponent.
Jahmyr Gibbs had four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 36 yards on four carries, while Roydell Williams ran for 58 yards and a score on eight carries.
No. 3 Ohio State 77, Toledo 21
C.J. Stroud threw for 367 yards and five touchdowns in less than three quarters as the Buckeyes rolled to victory over the visiting Rockets in Columbus.
Ohio State (3-0) and Stroud had a game’s worth of offense by halftime, piling up a 42-14 lead on Toledo (2-1) by scoring on all six possessions and generating 441 total yards. In the opening half, Stroud completed 18 of 20 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns apiece to Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming.
Stroud finished 22 for 27 with 367 yards while Emeka Egbuka led the Ohio State receivers with seven catches for 116 yards and a score. Harrison added 102 yards on six catches. Ohio State’s 763 total yards were the second-most in program history to 766 vs. Bowling Green on Sept. 3, 2016.
No. 4 Michigan 59, UConn 0
Blake Corum scored five rushing touchdowns, four in the first half, and the Wolverines overwhelmed the Huskies in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Corum tied school records for rushing touchdowns in a game and in a half. He finished with 71 yards on 12 carries for the Wolverines (3-0) as they wrapped up their nonconference schedule.
J.J. McCarthy, named the team’s No. 1 quarterback after last week’s win over Hawaii, completed 15 of 18 passes for 214 yards. Ronnie Bell led the receiving corps with seven receptions for 96 yards.
No. 5 Clemson 48, Louisiana Tech 20
Will Shipley rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns to help the Tigers register a victory over the visiting Buldogs in nonconference play.
DJ Uiagalelei passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers (3-0). Phil Mafah and Kobe Pace rushed for touchdowns, and Beaux Collins and Antonio Williams caught scoring passes for Clemson.
Malcolm Greene, R.J. Mickens and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. had interceptions for the Tigers, who forced four turnovers while extending their school-record home winning streak to 36 games.
No. 6 Oklahoma 49, Nebraska 14
Dillon Gabriel threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score as the Sooners blew out the Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was the Sooners’ biggest scoring output ever in Lincoln.
After Oklahoma struggled early on both sides, the Sooners (3-0) took control and dominated the rest of the way in a renewal of the longtime Big Eight rivalry, outgaining Nebraska 580-327, including 312-163 on the ground.
It was the first game for Nebraska under Mickey Joseph, who was named the Cornhuskers’ interim head coach earlier in the week after Scott Frost was fired. The Cornhuskers forced the Sooners to punt on the game’s first drive, then needed less than two minutes to drive 77 yards to take an early 7-0 lead on Casey Thompson’s 32-yard pass to Trey Palmer.
No. 7 USC 45, Fresno State 17
Austin Jones and Travis Dye each eclipsed 100 yards rushing to fuel a balanced offense, and the Trojans overwhelmed the visiting Bulldogs in Los Angeles.
The Trojans (3-0) surpassed 500 yards of total offense for the third time in as many games, piling up 517. But while quarterback Caleb Williams stole the show in USC’s first two outings with his passing, the Trojans’ run game took center stage against the Bulldogs.
Jones went for 110 yards while Dye added 102, marking the first time since November 2018 two USC ball carriers reached 100 yards in the same contest. Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener finished 10-of-18 passing for 117 yards, with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Erik Brooks and an interception.
No. 8 Oklahoma State 63, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7
Spencer Sanders ignited the Cowboys with four early touchdown passes in a rout of the visiting Golden Lions in Stillwater, Okla.
Sanders finished 13 of 16 for 242 yards before giving way to Gunnar Gundy, who threw two more scoring strikes as the Cowboys (3-0) outgained the Golden Lions (2-1) by a 538-230 margin. Braydon Johnson caught four balls for 86 yards and two TDs for the hosts, while Ollie Gordon led the rushing attack with 65 yards and a touchdown on just three carries.
Pine Bluff quarterbacks Skyler Perry, Jalen Macon and Chancellor Edwards combined to go 16 of 41 for 149 yards. Perry found Raequan Prince for the Golden Lions’ only touchdown of the game.
No. 9 Kentucky 31, Youngstown State 0
Will Levis threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Wildcats posted their first shutout in 13 years with a victory over the Penguins in Lexington, Ky.
Levis completed 27 of 35 passes for 377 yards in the Wildcats’ first win as a top-10 team since 1977. Dane Key had six receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown for Kentucky (3-0), while Tayvion Robinson made six catches for 66 yards. Kavosiey Smoke rushed for 66 yards and a score on 18 carries.
Demeatric Crenshaw completed just 7 of 21 passes for 120 yards and an interception for the overmatched Penguins (2-1). The Penguins’ best chance to score came midway through the third quarter. They drove to the 2-yard line before Crenshaw was intercepted in the end zone by Carrington Valentine.
No. 10 Arkansas 38, Missouri State 27
KJ Jefferson threw for 385 yards and two touchdowns to help the Razorbacks avoid a major upset and rally to beat the Bears in Fayetteville, Ark.
Matt Landers led all Arkansas receivers with seven catches for 123 yards as the Razorbacks (3-0) amassed 597 total yards of offense.
The game marked by the return of former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, who coached a game in Fayetteville for the first time since 2011 when his four-year stint as the Razorbacks coach ended. Petrino’s Bears (2-1) jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter after quarterback Jason Shelley’s 24-yard touchdown run.
No. 25 Oregon 41, No. 12 BYU 20
Quarterback Bo Nix’s first career game with three rushing touchdowns and a spirited effort on defense led the Ducks past the Cougars in Eugene, Ore.
Nix completed 13 of 18 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns to go with 35 yards rushing, and Oregon (2-1) outgained BYU (2-1) 439 to 366 in total offense in building a 38-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall was 29 of 41 for 305 yards and two touchdown passes.
No. 24 Texas A&M 17, No. 13 Miami 9
Quarterback Max Johnson, making his first start of the season, passed for 140 yards and one touchdown as the Aggies defeated the Hurricanes at College Station, Texas.
Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was held in check, completing 21 of 41 passes for 217 yards. He had no touchdown passes or interceptions. Miami (2-1) was dominated on special teams as the Canes lost a fumble on a punt return, missed one field goal and had another one blocked.
Texas A&M (2-1), coming off a shocking home loss to Appalachian State, got 130 scrimmage yards from Devon Achane. He rushed for 88 yards and caught four passes for 42 yards and one touchdown. Johnson, playing in place of the benched Haynes King, completed 10 of 20 passes and had no turnovers.
No. 14 Utah 35, San Diego State 7
Cameron Rising threw four touchdowns as the Utes cruised to a win over the visiting Aztecs in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Rising completed 18 of 30 passes for 224 yards while Tavion Thomas added 59 yards and a touchdown on the ground for Utah (2-1).
In what was a brutal night offensively for the Aztecs (1-2), quarterbacks Braxton Burmeister, Kyle Crum and Will Haskell combined for just 60 yards and one touchdown through the air on 7-for-21 passing.
No. 15 Tennessee 63, Akron 6
Hendon Hooker tossed two touchdown passes to Jalin Hyatt, and Dylan Sampson and Jaylen Wright each rushed for a pair of scores to lift the Volunteers past the visiting Zips in Knoxville, Tenn.
Hooker completed 14 of 18 passes for 298 yards, and Hyatt reeled in five catches for a career-high 166 yards. Joe Milton III relieved Hooker and connected on a 57-yard touchdown pass to Ramel Keyton and a 38-yard scoring strike to Walker Merrill. Tayven Jackson added a rushing touchdown for the Volunteers, who have started the season 3-0 for the first time since winning their first five contests in 2016.
DJ Irons completed 32 of 44 passes for 241 yards for the Zips (1-2), who have been outscored 115-6 in their last two games.
No. 16 NC State 27, Texas Tech 14
Demie Sumo-Karngbaye piled up 147 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns as the Wolfpack overcame some blown offensive chances to defeat the Red Raiders in Raleigh, N.C.
Defensive back Aydan White scored on an 84-yard interception return for the Wolfpack (3-0) and had one of the team’s four sacks of Texas Tech quarterback Donovan Smith. White also intercepted reserve quarterback Behren Morton in the final minute.
Smith went 21-of-36 passing for 214 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed three yards for a score. Myles Price made four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown for Texas Tech (1-2).
No. 17 Baylor 42, Texas State 7
Freshman Richard Reese racked up 156 yards and three touchdowns and Blake Shapen added scores running and passing as the Bears reeled off 28 unanswered points over the final 31 minutes and rolled to a win over the Bobcats in Waco, Texas.
Baylor (2-1) bounced back after a double-overtime loss at BYU last Saturday with an easy victory over its Lone Star State rival 125 yards to the south. Reese, in his first start for the Bears, also caught a 17-yard pass from Shapen, who finished with 184 yards passing in a workmanlike performance.
Texas State’s Ashtyn Hawkins hauled in 13 receptions for a career-high 114 yards in the loss. Layne Hatcher completed 24 of his 36 passes for 186 yards for the Bobcats (1-2), who managed only seven points from six trips into Baylor territory.
No. 18 Florida 31, South Florida 28
Trevor Etienne scored on a 3-yard run with just over five minutes left to cap a 28-yard drive following Tre’Vez Johnson’s interception and the Gators held on for a win over the Bulls in Gainesville, Fla.
The Bulls (1-2) reached Florida’s 19-yard line in the final minute, but an errant snap on second down backed them up to the 33, and then a mishandled snap foiled Spencer Shrader’s 49-yard field-goal try that could have sent the game to overtime.
The Gators (2-1) saw an 11-point halftime lead wiped out when the Bulls’ Gerry Bohanon and Michel Dukes each scored a touchdown to put USF up 28-24 before Etienne’s score. Montrel Johnson Jr. led the Gators in rushing with 103 yards, 62 coming on a scoring dash in the second quarter. Anthony Richardson threw for 112 yards and two picks.
No. 19 Wake Forest 37, Liberty 36
The Demon Deacons’ Justice Ellison scored on a 1-yard run with 3:39 remaining to break a tie and No. 19 Wake Forest still needed to stop the visiting Flames’ two-point conversion play to hold on for a victory in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Liberty gambled after scoring with 1:11 left, but the decision backfired.
The Demon Deacons (3-0), who were playing on homecoming, survived to set up next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference showdown with visiting Clemson. Kaidon Salter’s 18-yard pass to Demario Douglas on fourth-and-4 allowed Liberty to have a chance for a go-ahead play.
No. 20 Ole Miss 42, Georgia Tech 0
Ole Miss running backs Zach Evans, Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV each had two rushing touchdowns as the Rebels walloped the host Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.
Evans, a transfer from TCU, posted a game-high 134 yards on 18 rushes for Ole Miss (3-0). True freshman Judkins went for 98 yards on 19 carries. Bentley added 27 yards on eight attempts.
Georgia Tech (1-2) struggled offensively and saw Jeff Sims go 18-for-32 for 161 yards. In 16 carries, he was left with -2 yards as Ole Miss notched seven sacks.
No. 21 Texas 41, UTSA 20
Bijan Robinson ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns and Jahdae Barron returned an interception 44 yards for another score as the Longhorns came from behind to beat the Roadrunners in Austin, Texas.
Robinson, the Longhorns’ preseason All-America running back, scored on runs of 3, 41 and 78 yards, the latter being the longest in his career, to help Texas (2-1) shrug off a loss to then-No. 1 Alabama on Sept. 10 and outplay the Roadrunners after halftime.
Hudson Card, drawing the start at quarterback for the injured Quinn Ewers, passed for 161 yards and a TD and ran for 35 more yards for Texas. Frank Harris threw for 222 yards for UTSA but none of his 24 completions were for more than 13 yards. Harris was forced from the game early in the fourth quarter one series after a sack that was flagged for targeting.
No. 22 Penn State 41, Auburn 12
Nicholas Singleton ran for 124 yards and scored two of the visiting Nittany Lions’ five rushing touchdowns as they capitalized on four Tigers turnovers to earn a win.
Penn State (3-0) defeated Auburn (2-1) for the second consecutive season and leads the all-time series 3-1. The Tigers had their 17-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents snapped, while the Nittany Lions won their 15th straight regular-season game against a nonconference opponent.
Tigers quarterback T.J. Finley completed 11 of 19 passes for 152 yards, no touchdowns and an interception before leaving with a shoulder injury. Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford completed 14 of 19 passes for 178 yards and moved into second place in passing yards in school history with 8,512. He trails only Trace McSorley (9,899).
No. 23 Pittsburgh 34, Western Michigan 13
Nate Yarnell completed 9 of 12 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown to lead the Panthers to a road win over the Broncos in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Yarnell was filling in for starter Kedon Slovis, who suffered an injury last week against Tennessee.
Israel Abanikanda rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries for Pittsburgh (2-1).
–Field Level Media
