Saturday’s Top 25 College football Games
No. 1 Alabama 33, No. 6 Texas A&M 14
TUSCALOOSA, ALA.
Jonathan Allen returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter to help Alabama beat Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) moved on as the powerhouse league’s last unbeaten team, getting yet another in a long string of defensive scores. Allen, a lineman, scooped up the ball after Ryan Anderson knocked it loose from Keith Ford to finally build a cushion over the Aggies (6-1, 4-1), who led 14-13 well into the third. It was 20-14 when Allen extended Alabama’s streak to 10 games with a score on defense or special teams, half the duration of a winning streak now at 20 going into an open date. Alabama’s freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts then galloped 37 yards for another score, stepping out of a defender’s grasp and making a nifty move to get past another. The Tide was rolling again, a powerful encore to easy wins over ranked Tennessee and Arkansas teams. Alabama racked up five sacks of Trevor Knight, the quarterback who engineered Oklahoma’s Sugar Bowl upset over Alabama as a redshirt freshman with a 348-yard, four-touchdown performance.
No. 5 Washington 41, Oregon State 17
SEATTLE
Jake Browning threw three touchdowns passes to give him 26 for the season, added another rushing TD, and Washington used a big first half to roll past Oregon State. The Huskies (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12) won their 10th straight, a streak that started with a victory at Oregon State last season. It is Washington’s longest win streak since winning 12 straight in 2000-01. Browning was 14 of 28 for 291 yards. He threw touchdown passes of 19 yards to Aaron Fuller and 23 yards to Dante Pettis in the first quarter, and a 41-yarder to Pettis in the third quarter. John Roos had 115 yards receiving, and Pettis added 112 — both with four catches. Myles Gaskin had 128 yards on 18 carries against the undermanned Beavers (2-5, 1-3).
No. 7 Louisville 54, N.C. State 13
LOUISVILLE, KY.
Lamar Jackson broke Louisville’s single-season record with a hand in four first-half touchdowns, and the Cardinals had three interceptions. Jackson threw three touchdown passes and had a 36-yard scoring run, giving him 34 TDs with five games to play. Dave Ragone and Brian Brohm each had 33. Jackson had 359 of his 431 yards of offense by halftime. He threw TD passes of 74 yards to Jaylen Smith, 3 yards to Cole Hikutini and 16 yards to Jamari Staples. Jeremy Smith had two 1-yard scoring runs for Louisville (6-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) against the overmatched Tar Heels (4-3, 1-2). Blanton Creque had four field goals and six conversions to set a single-game school scoring record for a kicker with 18 points.
SMU 38, No. 11 Houston 16
DALLAS
Ben Hicks threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score and SMU stunned No. 11 Houston for its biggest victory since the pre-death penalty Pony Express era in the early 1980s. The Cougars (6-2, 3-2 American) lost for the second time after a 5-0 start that included a season-opening win over then-No. 3 Oklahoma that vaulted Houston into the Top 10. The last time the Mustangs (3-4, 1-2) beat a team ranked 11th or higher, they were No. 4 and finishing off a near-perfect 1982 season (11-0-1) with a 7-3 victory over sixth-ranked Pittsburgh in the Cotton Bowl. SMU tied No. 7 Texas A&M in 1994. Greg Ward Jr. couldn’t shake a persistent SMU pass rush or find receivers for big plays, finishing with 241 yards passing — almost 100 below his average — and just 3 yards rushing on 17 carries thanks to seven sacks.
No. 12 West Virginia 34, TCU 10
MORGANTOWN, W.VA.
Skyler Howard threw four touchdown passes and West Virginia’s improving defense held TCU scoreless in the second half. West Virginia (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) is off to its best start since winning its first seven games in 2006. Howard had first-half TD tosses of 10, 22 and 11 yards to stake West Virginia to a 21-10 lead. Howard finished 16 of 23 passing for 231 yards. West Virginia used scoring drives of 11 and 15 plays in the third quarter to eat up most of the clock. TCU (4-3, 2-2) had only five second-half possessions. Three ended in punts, Deante’ Gray fumbled away a kickoff and the final possession ended on downs.
No. 19 Utah 52, UCLA 45
PASADENA, CALIF.
Joe Williams rushed for a school-record 332 yards and four touchdowns in his second game back from retirement, and Utah held off pass-happy UCLA. Cory Butler-Byrd returned the opening kickoff for a 99-yard touchdown on a day of stunning superlatives for the Utes (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) in their second straight win at the Rose Bowl. Williams, who quit football last month before returning last week, broke off TD runs of 3, 43, 64 and 55 yards in the most prolific rushing performance ever by a UCLA opponent.
No. 20 Western Michigan 45, Eastern Michigan 31
KALAMAZOO, MICH.
Zach Terrell threw for 398 yards and three touchdowns and Western Michigan had 569 yards of total offense. Carrington Thompson had eight catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and Jarvion Franklin ran for 114 yards and a touchdown for the Broncos (8-0, 4-0 Mid-American). The game was the first at home as a nationally ranked team in school history. Brogan Roback threw for 319 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score for Eastern Michigan (5-3, 2-2).
No. 21 Auburn 56, No. 17 Arkansas 3
AUBURN, ALA.
Eli Stove broke free for a 78-yard touchdown run on Auburn’s first play, giving the Tigers momentum they never lost in a surprisingly dominant victory. Auburn held out starting running back Kerryon Johnson and still ran for 543 yards, a school record for a Southeastern Conference regular-season game. With former Auburn star Bo Jackson watching, Kamryn Pettway had 192 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Johnson ran well in pregame warmups but did not play after hurting his right ankle against Mississippi State on Oct. 8. Auburn (5-2, 3-1) has won four straight.
No. 22 North Carolina 35, Virginia 14
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.
Mitch Trubisky threw three touchdown passes and North Carolina limited Virginia to one trick-play touchdown until the fourth quarter. Trubisky hit Bug Howard for 40 yards on a trick play, Thomas Jackson for 10 yards and Austin Proehl for 46 yards for touchdowns for the Tar Heels (6-2, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). North Carolina won its seventh straight in the series and ninth true road game in a row.
No. 24 Navy 42, Memphis 28
ANNAPOLIS, MD.
Will Worth rushed for a career-high 201 yards and three touchdowns, and Navy ran over Memphis for its 14th consecutive home victory. Worth also completed three of four passes for 85 yards and two scores. The last Navy player to rush for 200 yards was Keenan Reynolds in 2014. The Midshipmen (5-1, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) gained a season-high 447 yards on the ground, averaging 6 yards per carry. The victory put Navy in sole possession of first place in the AAC West and served as a suitable encore for its 46-40 upset of defending league champion Houston two weeks ago.
Associated Press