Pac-12 football: No. 6 Utah clinches Pac-12 South; No. 14 Oregon holds off Oregon State
Brant Kuithe scored three touchdowns and No. 6 Utah is locked up a spot in the Pac-12 championship game for the second consecutive season with a 45-15 victory over Colorado on Saturday night.
The Utes (11-1, 8-1, No 6 CFP) needed a quarter to get rolling in 25-degree temperatures, but romped to their eighth straight victory. Tyler Huntley was 14-for-17 for 165 yards and connected with Kuithe twice for touchdown receptions.
The Buffalo defense keyed on Zack Moss and made it tough to run between the tackles, but the all-time Utah rushing leader tallied 88 yards on 20 carries and scored on a 1-yard run to put the game away in the fourth quarter and set up Utah’s matchup against No. 14 Oregon on Friday in Santa Cara, California.
Auburn did the Utes a favor in the College Football Playoff race by outlasting No. 5 Alabama 48-45 on Saturday.
Steven Montez threw for 157 yards on 17-of-26 passing for Colorado, setting two major career records as he eclipsed Sefo Liufau on the Colorado passing (9,649 yards) and total offense (10,614 yards) lists in his final game.
No. 14 Oregon 24, Oregon State 10
Justin Herbert threw for 174 yards and a touchdown in his final game at Autzen Stadium and No. 14 Oregon held off Oregon State 24-10 on Saturday in the 123rd Civil War rivalry game.
Oregon (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12) wrapped up the regular season with a perfect record at home for the eighth time. The Ducks reached 10 wins overall for the first time since 2014.
Oregon State (5-7, 4-5) was denied a bid for bowl eligibility in coach Jonathan Smith’s second year. The Beavers haven’t made a postseason appearance since 2013.
Trailing 17-3 at the start of the fourth quarter, Oregon State closed the gap on Jermar Jefferson’s 19-yard touchdown run with 11:03 left.
No. 16 Notre Dame 45, Stanford 24
Ian Book threw for 255 yards and four touchdowns and No. 15 Notre Dame reached double-digit wins for the third straight season by beating Stanford 45-24 on Saturday.
Book threw two TD passes to Chase Claypool and also connected with Tony Jones Jr. and Tommy Tremble to help the Fighting Irish (10-2, No. 16 CFP) snap a five-game losing streak at Stanford Stadium. Notre Dame also put together three straight seasons of at least 10 wins for the second time in school history, having previously done it under Lou Holtz from 1991-93.
Davis Mills threw two TD passes for the Cardinal (4-8), who have lost four straight for the first time since 2007. Stanford also finished with its first losing record since 2008, ending a streak of 10 straight bowl bids.
Arizona State 24, Arizona 14
Eno Benjamin ran for 168 yards and two touchdowns, helping Arizona State grind out a victory over rival Arizona on Saturday night.
The Sun Devils (7-5, 4-5 Pac-12) started a chilly night in the desert slow before turning to their pounding ground game in the second half.
The Sun Devils ran the ball 20 of 21 plays on a pair of third-quarter scoring drives capped by Benjamin TD runs, turning a one-point halftime deficit to a 21-7 lead.
The Wildcats (4-8, 2-7) were hurt by miscues and missed opportunities to end a second straight season with a loss to their biggest rival.
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