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NCAAF roundup: NC State knocks off No. 12 Florida State

[September 25, 2017] The Sports Xchange

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Ryan Finley threw a pair of touchdowns as North Carolina State upset No. 12 Florida State 27-21 on Saturday.

Finley completed 22 of 32 passes for 230 yards. He threw a 71-yard TD strike to Jakobi Meyers late in the first half and a 14-yard TD pass Jaylen Samuels with 9:16 remaining in the fourth quarter. Meyers caught five passes for 112 yards while Samuels totaled 12 catches on 64 yards for North Carolina State (3-1, 1-0 ACC).

James Blackman made his debut as quarterback for Florida State (0-2, 0-1), which played for the first time in 21 days after Hurricane Irma postponed its previous two games. He finished 22 of 38 for 378 yards while Auden Tate contributed nine catches for 138 yards before getting hurt early in the third quarter.

No. 1 Alabama 59, Clemson 0

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Top-ranked Alabama generally wins football games because it's bigger, stronger, faster and more prepared than its opponents. Those, and a phenomenal rushing attack, were the reasons the Crimson Tide went to Vanderbilt Stadium and pounded the Commodores.

Running back Damien Harris rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns as the Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 SEC) lit up the nation's No. 1 defense for 677 yards while holding the Commodores to just 78. Fresh off an upset of then-No. 18 Kansas State last week, the Commodores were overmatched from the beginning. Vanderbilt (3-1, 0-1) had more penalties (five) than first downs (three).

Leading by 31 points at halftime, the Crimson Tide went for the throat in the third quarter. Harris scored his third touchdown on a 2-yard run and true freshman backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes to make it 52-0.

No. 2 Clemson 34, Boston College 7

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson scored four fourth-quarter touchdowns to break a tie and defeat Boston College.

The No. 2-ranked Tigers improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Eagles (1-3, 0-2) tied the game on a 1-yard run by freshman running back AJ Dillon with 3:30 left in the third quarter, and it appeared the defending national champions were in for a down-to-the wire battle.

But sparked by junior quarterback Kelly Bryant and freshman running back Travis Etienne, Clemson reeled off 27 unanswered points to defeat the Eagles for a seventh consecutive season. Both Bryant and Etienne posted the first 100-yard rushing games of their careers. Bryant had 106 yards on 22 carries and scored his sixth and seventh touchdowns of the season. Etienne added 113 yards on nine carries and scored on runs of 50 and 10 yards.

No. 3 Oklahoma 49, Baylor 41

WACO, Texas -- Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a long touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeff Badet and running back Trey Sermon broke loose for a long touchdown run to propel third-ranked Oklahoma past Baylor.

Baylor (0-4, 0-1), overcame an early 14-point deficit and took the lead over Oklahoma late in the third quarter. But Mayfield's 48-yard touchdown pass to Badet took the lead back for Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) with 55 seconds left in the third quarter.

On the Sooners' next offensive series, Sermon sliced through the Baylor defense for a 34-yard touchdown run that put Oklahoma ahead 42-31 with 10:31 left. The Sooners piled up 342 rushing yards. Oklahoma running back Abdul Adams ran for 164 and a touchdown and Sermon added 157 and two scores.

No. 5 USC 30, California 20

BERKELEY, Calif. -- USC took advantage of six California turnovers as the fifth-ranked Trojans broke away from a halftime tie to defeat California.

While winning its first road game of the season, USC (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) won its 13th straight game dating to last season, and beat Cal (3-1, 0-1) for the 14th consecutive time. Sam Darnold completed 26 of 38 passes for 223 yards and two scores, but he also threw his seventh interception of the season to go along with his nine TD passes.

Ross Bowers was 22 of 50 for 303 yards and a touchdown, but he threw four interceptions along with the critical fumble. Patrick Laird added 82 yards on the ground for the Bears, and wide receiver Kanawai Noa caught six passes for 110 yards.

No. 16 TCU 44, No. 6 Oklahoma State 6

STILLWATER, Okla. -- No. 16 TCU to win its first Big 12 Conference game in the state of Oklahoma, upsetting No. 6 Oklahoma State.

TCU (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) used a balanced offense and took advantage of four Cowboys turnovers, three by quarterback Mason Rudolph, who saw his Heisman Trophy candidacy likely took a hit. Horned Frogs running back Darius Anderson rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns, including a 42-yard scoring romp to clinch the outcome with 2:37 remaining. TCU quarterback Kenny Hill played efficiently, completing 22 of 33 passes for 228 yards with a touchdown.

Rudolph, who entered the game as one of the nation's top-rated quarterbacks, finished 22 of 41 for 398 yards with two TDs, but lost a fumble and tossed two interceptions for Oklahoma State (3-1, 0-1).

No. 8 Michigan 28, Purdue 10

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Fifth-year senior quarterback John O'Korn, a transfer from Houston, came off the bench during the first quarter when starter Wilton Speight was injured and led No. 8 Michigan to a come-from-behind victory against Purdue.

O'Korn, through Michigan's first three games, had completed his one pass attempt for 37 yards. After Speight's head injury with 5:06 left in the opening period, O'Korn led four touchdown drives, completing 18 of 26 passes for 270 yards and one touchdown.

Chris Evans' 49-yard touchdown run with 6:46 to play -- his second TD of the afternoon -- completed a 21-0 Michigan second-half blitz and helped the Wolverines (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) remain unbeaten. Evans rushed 14 times for 97 yards.

No. 10 Ohio State 54, UNLV 21

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Quarterback J.T. Barrett threw for five touchdown passes as No. 10 Ohio State rolled to a non-conference victory over UNLV.

Barrett reached five TD passes and completed 12 of 17 passes for 209 yards before giving way to backup Dwayne Haskins, who threw two more touchdown passes. Barrett, a senior, moved past Bobby Hoying into second place in Ohio State career passing yards.

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Haskins finished 15 of 23 for 228 yards as Ohio State (3-1) set a school record with seven different receivers catching a touchdown pass. Thirteen players caught at least one pass and nine had two or more receptions as the Buckeyes piled up 664 total yards. UNLV (1-2) running back Lexington Thomas rushed for two second-half touchdowns, including a 55-yard score.

No. 11 Georgia 31, No. 17 Mississippi State 3

ATHENS, Ga. -- No. 11 Georgia scored two second-half touchdowns and to a victory over No. 17 Mississippi State.

Georgia's defense made the game a nightmare for Mississippi State and quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who completed just 14 of 29 passes and with a pair of interceptions for 89 yards as Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC) limited Mississippi State (3-1, 1-1) to 280 yards and zero touchdowns. Dan Mullen's squad entered the game as the leading offensive team in the SEC, averaging 47.7 points through its first three contests.

Individually, Georgia freshman quarterback Jake Fromm enjoyed his best game in three starts, completing 9 of 12 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Nick Chubb, meanwhile, enjoyed another customary solid game, rushing for 81 yards and two scores, including a 28-yarder on the opening possession of the third quarter that extended Georgia's lead to 21-3.

No. 13 Virginia Tech 38, Old Dominion 0

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- No. 13 Virginia Tech used a dominating defensive performance to dispatch visiting Old Dominion.

The Hokies (4-0) outgained the Monarchs 583-149 in securing their second shutout in their last three games. ODU (2-2) was held scoreless for the first time since a 49-0 loss to Appalachian State in 2005.

Despite throwing his first career interception, Hokies freshman quarterback Josh Jackson had another stellar start, passing for 298 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 29 yards. He completed 20 of 30 passes.

No. 14 Miami 52, Toledo 30

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Junior quarterback Malik Rosier passed for a career-high 333 yards -- 189 in a big third quarter -- and junior running back Mark Walton rushed for a career-high 204 yards to lead No. 14 Miami over Toledo.

Rosier completed 11 of 14 passes in the third quarter, including a 10-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dayall Harris and a 55-yarder to receiver Braxton Berrios to set up another score, to rally the Hurricanes (2-0) from a 16-10 halftime deficit.

Rosier hit Berrios with a 19-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and tight end Christopher Herndon with a 2-yarder on the ensuing series before capping his evening with a 23-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Logan Woodside passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns for the Rockets (3-1), two in the fourth quarter.

No. 15 Auburn 51, Missouri 14

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Running back Kerryon Johnson rushed for five touchdowns -- four in the first half -- and No. 15 Auburn rolled past Missouri.

Johnson battled a hamstring injury that caused him to miss Auburn's previous two games, but he finished with 48 of Auburn's 263 rushing yards. Auburn (3-1, 1-0 SEC) opened the second half with back-to-back touchdown drives to put Missouri away. Johnson scored on 1-yard plunge and quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Nate Craig-Meyers to put Auburn in command 45-7.

Stidham completed 13 of 17 passes for 218 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Missouri (1-3, 0-1) lost its third straight game and struggled on both sides of the ball.

No. 18 Washington State 45, Nevada 7

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Luke Falk threw for 478 yards and five touchdowns and No. 18 Washington State rolled over Nevada.

Thirteen players caught a pass for the Cougars (4-0). Falk, who was 36 of 47, was replaced by backup Tyler Hilinski in the fourth quarter after Washington State built a 45-0 lead. Senior running back Jamal Morrow rushed for a game-high 73 yards and also caught four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars.

Nevada (0-4) struggled to move the ball. Blake Wright had a team-best 37 yards on five carries and Wyatt Demps caught six passes for 39 yards.

No. 19 Louisville 42, Kent State 3

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Lamar Jackson threw two touchdowns as No. 19 Louisville easily rolled past Kent State.

The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner opened the game with a 69-yard completion to Jordan Davis. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 299 yards along with a rushing touchdown as Louisville (3-1) scored 21 points in the first quarter.

Kent State (1-3), which lost starting quarterback Nick Holley to an ACL tear last week, attempted only five passes, completing two for 11 yards. Dustin Crum ran 18 times for 62 yards for the Golden Flashes, who gained just 150 total yards.

No. 25 LSU 35, Syracuse 26

BATON ROUGE, La. -- No. 25 LSU nearly blew an 18-point second-half lead, but wide receiver D.J. Chark raced 20 yards on a jet sweep for a touchdown with 1:52 left to help the Tigers hold off over Syracuse.

LSU (3-1) was a heavy favorite but had its hands full with Syracuse, which rolled us 265 yards passing in a quick-tempo offense led by quarterback Eric Dungey. Dungey completed 32 of 53 passes for 265 yards and one score, and he ran 22 yards for a touchdown that narrowed the deficit to 28-26 with 5:40 left.

But after LSU recovered an onside kick, starting quarterback Danny Etling returned to the game and engineered a 56-yard drive to put the game away. Running back Darrel Williams was the key player on the drive, racing 25 yards to the Syracuse 28 against a blitz. Williams finished with 92 yards rushing and 50 yards on three catches.

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