TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL FROM SATURDAY

No. 1 Alabama 58, Tennessee 21

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.

Tua Tagovailoa threw touchdown passes to four receivers and No. 1 Alabama started fast again in a victory over Tennessee. Alabama had touchdowns on its first four possessions while outscoring Tennessee 28-0 and outgaining the Volunteers 217-6 in the opening period. Alabama has outscored opponents 165-31, and Tennessee has been outscored 69-16 in first quarters this season. Tagovailoa went 19 of 29 for 306 yards before leaving midway through the third quarter with Alabama ahead 51-14. He took a big hit on his final play of the day, a 51-yard touchdown pass to Henry Ruggs III. Earlier, Tagovailoa connected on touchdown passes to Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle and Irv Smith Jr. Tennessee quarterback Keller Chryst went 9 of 15 for 164 yards with two touchdown passes after replacing starter Jarrett Guarantano, who got hit by linebacker Mack Wilson midway through the second quarter and never took another snap.

No. 3 Clemson 41, No. 16 North Carolina State 7

CLEMSON, S.C.

Trevor Lawrence threw for a career-high 308 yards, Travis Etienne rushed for three touchdowns and No. 3 Clemson turned an expected Atlantic Coast Conference showdown with No. 16 North Carolina State into a rout. The Tigers (7-0, 4-0) opened with seven straight wins for the third time in four seasons in topping the Wolfpack (5-1, 2-1) for the seventh consecutive season. It was the ACC’s first matchup of undefeated teams this deep in a season since 2013, a game that also took place in Death Valley. But unlike five years ago when the 6-0 Tigers were pummeled by eventual national champ Florida State 51-14, it was Clemson who took control early and never gave the Wolfpack a chance to rally. North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finley came in leading the ACC at more than 324 yards passing a game. He managed just 156 yards passing with two interceptions and a fumble. The Wolfpack avoided their first shutout in four years on Reggie Gallaspy’s 9-yard TD run to start the fourth quarter. Lawrence completed 26 of 39 passes and his long TD throw.

No. 5 LSU 19, No. 22 Mississippi St. 3

BATON ROUGE, LA.

Michael Divinity Jr.’s interception set up Nick Brossette’s short touchdown run, Cole Tracy kicked four field goals, and No. 5 LSU beat No. 22 Mississippi State. Still, the Tiger Stadium crowd left angry after LSU’s top linebacker, Devin White, was ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter, meaning he will not be eligible to play in the first half of the Tigers’ upcoming showdown with unbeaten and top-ranked Alabama. White appeared to lower his head as he leveled quarterback Nick Fitzgerald a moment after he released a pass that was intercepted by defensive back Kristian Fulton. The targeting penalty wiped out the turnover, and LSU’s celebrations also drew two flags for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in 45 yards in penalties on one play. Fitzgerald rushed for 131 yards for Mississippi State (4-3, 1-3), but completed just 8 of 24 passes for 59 yards. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow completed 16 of 28 passes for 129 yards and was intercepted in the end zone by Louisiana native Cameron Dantzler.

No. 9 Oklahoma 52, TCU 27

FORT WORTH, TEXAS

Kyler Murray threw four touchdowns, Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon both had 100-yard rushing games with scores and ninth-ranked Oklahoma rebounded from its only loss this season by beating TCU. The Sooners (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) won their 18th consecutive true road game, never trailing after scoring touchdowns on each of their first four drives in their first game since losing to Texas two weeks ago. Brooks ran for 168 yards on 18 carries with an early 21-yard TD. Sermon ran 17 times for 110 yards and scored twice before walking gingerly off the field after being tended to by trainers with about 81/2 minutes left. Murray completed 19 of 24 passes for 213 yards, and two of his TDs were to Lee Morris (9 and 27 yards) on his only catches. The Frogs were within 31-27 midway through the third quarter when Cole Bunce kicked his second 41-yard field goal, but they didn’t score again.

No. 10 UCF 37, East Carolina 10

GREENVILLE, N.C.

Darriel Mack Jr. stepped in for Heisman Trophy hopeful McKenzie Milton and rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, and No. 10 UCF forced five turnovers in beating East Carolina for its 20th straight victory. Nate Evans returned a fumble 94 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown with 10:07 left, Greg McCrae added a 74-yard TD run and the Knights (7-0, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) turned all those takeaways into 24 points. Receiver Quadry Jones threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Killins on a trick play. Mack was 12 of 20 for 69 yards but was more dangerous with his legs, rushing 7 yards for an early touchdown. Freshman Holton Ahlers was 29 of 53 for 406 yards with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Trevon Brown, and added 69 yards rushing in his first start. But his fumble while attempting a jump pass inside the 5-yard line was returned by Evans for the game-sealing score.

No. 25 Washington State 34, No. 12 Oregon 20

PULLMAN, WASH.

Gardner Minshew threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Dezmon Patmon in the back of the end zone with 3:40 left and No. 25 Washington State beat No. 12 Oregon. Minshew was 39 of 51 for 323 yards and four touchdowns. Down 27-0 at the half, Oregon pulled to 27-20 on Adam Stack’s 23-yard field goal with 6:38 left. The Cougars got a huge play on the next drive from Travell Harris when he stole a pass from Oregon’s Jevon Holland for a 37-yard gain into Oregon territory. Minshew then hit Harris for 11 yards to convert fourth-and-6 and, two plays later, Minshew hit Patmon for the touchdown that finally put away the Ducks. Justin Herbertwas 25 of 44 for 270 yards and a TD.

No. 14 Kentucky 14, Vanderbilt 7

LEXINGTON, KY.

Benny Snell Jr. rushed for 169 yards, including the go-ahead 7-yard run with 8:04 remaining that helped No. 14 Kentucky pull away for a victory over Vanderbilt. The Wildcats (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) clinched bowl eligibility for a third consecutive season and stayed in contention in the East division. But it took linebacker Kash Daniel’s fourth-down forced fumble that Quinton Bohanna recovered at the 20 midway through the fourth quarter to jump-start Kentucky from game-long inconsistency. The Commodores converted a first-quarter takeaway into Kyle Shurmur’s 29-yard TD pass to C.J. Bolar, but that was their only lead as they rushed for just 68 yards.

No. 15 Washington 27, Colorado 13

SEATTLE

Jake Browning threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Fuller on fourth down with less than four minutes remaining, and No. 15 Washington held off Colorado. Washington’s four-year starting quarterback had an unremarkable game up until the Huskies (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) needed a big play. Rather than trying for a long field goal, Browning and the Huskies’ offense stayed on the field. Facing a Colorado blitz, Browning found Fuller on a quick slant with nothing but the end zone ahead. Salvon Ahmed and Kamari Pleasant both scored on touchdown runs in the first half for the Huskies. Colorado quarterback Steven Montez threw for 144 yards. Browning was 15 of 25 for 150 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Temple 24, No. 20 Cincinnati 17, OT

PHILADELPHIA

Anthony Russo threw a tying, 20-yard touchdown pass with 49 second left to Brandon Mack, and then a 25-yard TD to Isaiah Wright in overtime as Temple handed No. 20 Cincinnati it first loss. Russo was 20 for 41for 237 yards passing, with three touchdown passes and three interceptions for the Owls (5-3, 4-0 American). He led a seven-play, 75-yard drive in the closing minutes to tie the game with the TD to Mack. Cincinnati (6-1, 2-1) got a first down on its first play of overtime, but an errant snap behind quarterback Desmond Ridder left the Bearcats with second-and-21 and a personal foul pushed them even further back. Ridder was intercepted on third-and-36 by Shaun Bradley to end the game. Temple receiver Randall Jones caught five passes for 67 yards and scored a touchdown. Cincinnati’s Michael Warren II and Charles McClelland combined for 202 yards on the ground. Warren had 132 yards on 25 carries and scored a 24-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Ridder was 14 for 33 for 111 yards.

No. 21 South Florida 38, UConn 30

TAMPA, FLA.

Johnny Ford rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 21 South Florida shrug off a slow start to remain unbeaten with a victory over Connecticut. Ford scored on runs of 15, 15 and 43 yards. Blake Barnett threw for one TD and ran for another for USF. Jordan Cronkite finished with 103 yards on 16 attempts. Kevin Mensah rushed for 120 yards and two TDs for UConn (1-6, 0-4), which also got 197 yards and two touchdowns on the ground from quarterback David Pindell. Randall St. Felix, who had two receptions for 123 yards, turned a quick sideline throw in front of the USF bench into a 75-yard on the first play from scrimmage of the second half.

Associated Press