College football: No. 24 Utah upsets No. 4 Oregon in 38-7 victory

SALT LAKE CITY — Britain Covey returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half, giving Utah 14 points in 27 seconds and a 28-0 lead, and the No. 24 Utes ended No. 4 Oregon’s College Football Playoff hopes with a 38-7 victory Saturday night.

Tavion Thomas ran for 94 yards and three touchdowns to help the Utes (8-3, 7-1 Pac-12) wrap up a share of the Pac-12 South title and a spot in the conference championship game. Utah has won four in a row.

Thomas has run for a Utah-record 17 touchdowns this season. The previous mark was 15, shared by Zack Moss and John White IV.

Cameron Rising threw for 178 yards. His top target, Brant Kuithe, piled up 118 yards on five catches for just the second 100-yard game of his career. Covey had 191 all-purpose yards.

Anthony Brown threw for 231 yards and a touchdown for Oregon (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12, No. 3 CFP). Oregon rushed for 63 yards and had 294 yards of offense.

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On its only scoring drive of the first quarter, Utah ran the ball 11 times on 13 plays — culminating in a burst up the middle for 10 yards from Thomas.

Rising found a rhythm on Utah’s next scoring drive. He completed three straight passes to open the drive and capped it off by dancing across the goal line on a 1-yard run in the second quarter.

His biggest pass in the first half — a 49-yard catch and run by Kuithe — set up a 4-yard scoring run by Thomas that put Utah ahead 21-0 with 27 seconds left in the half.

The Utes forced another Oregon punt 16 seconds later, and Covey returned it for the TD to make it 28-0.

Oregon finally got on the board in the third quarter when Devon Williams reeled in a 36-yard catch. Utah ended any possibility of a comeback when Thomas sprinted 5 yards for his third touchdown. Jadon Redding tacked on a 26-yard field goal to put the Utes up 38-7 midway through the fourth quarter.

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UCLA shakes off early miscues and pulls away for a 62-33 win over rival USC

UCLA shook off two early interceptions and a string of penalties, rolling to a 62-33 road win over rival USC at the Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

Nov. 20, 2021

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Standout defensive tackle Jordan Davis scored his first career touchdown and Georgia’s defense was again dominant in allowing only 126 yards — 68 rushing on 31 carries and 58 passing.

Davis, a leader of Georgia’s top-ranked defense, scored on a 1-yard plunge out of the Bulldogs’ jumbo package in the first quarter for the game’s first touchdown.

Davis had previously played in the jumbo package as a blocker, but fans roared in anticipation when the 6-foot-6, 340-pound tackle shifted to the backfield. Davis was stopped on his first run from the 2. Fans again cheered when he was given a second carry and scored from the 1.

Georgia (11-0) was as dominant as expected against Charleston Southern (4-6), the Football Championship Subdivision team from the Big South. The Buccaneers fell to 0-25 all-time against FBS teams.

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Bryce Young passed for a school-record 559 yards and five touchdowns and Alabama clinched a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

The Crimson Tide (10-1, 7-1, No. 2 CFP) won its 15th consecutive game against the Razorbacks (7-4, 3-4), thanks largely to the Young-to-Jameson Williams deep connection that continues to be the ultimate offensive bailout.

Alabama set up a date with No. 1 Georgia in Atlanta on Dec. 4 after a visit to rival Auburn.

This one wasn’t settled until Arkansas’s onside kick went out of bounds with 1:02 left.

The Razorbacks had stayed alive with Raheim Sanders’ 17-yard touchdown catch from K.J. Jefferson, but took nearly five minutes to get there.

Young completed 31 of 40 passes to keep himself squarely in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Williams caught eight passes for 190 yards with touchdowns of 79, 32 and 40 yards.

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Desmond Ridder threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and even caught a TD pass in the Bearcats’ win over Southern Methodist.

Alec Pierce had a pair of TD catches for the Bearcats (11-0, 7-0 American Athletic). They extended the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to 26 games and keep alive hopes of becoming the first non-Power 5 team to reach the College Football Playoff.

SMU (8-3, 4-3) managed 199 yards of offense after averaging 498 through the first 10 games.

Tanner Mordecai, the AAC offensive player of the week last week for the fourth time this season, had only 63 yards passing and was sacked three times.

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C.J. Stroud threw for six touchdowns and nearly 400 yards in the first half and No. 5 Ohio State made it look easy in a blowout win.

Stroud finished 32 for 35 against the Spartans’ sketchy pass defense, which had allowed more yards through the air than any in major college football,

Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III, the nation’s leading rusher, was turned into a nonfactor by the Buckeyes. Walker had six carries for 25 yards.

By the time Stroud took a seat late in the third quarter, the redshirt freshman piled up 432 yards for the Buckeyes (10-1, 8-0 Big Ten, CFP No. 4), who polished their College Football Playoff resume and served warning to No. 8 Michigan ahead of the rivalry game next week that will determine the Big Ten East title.

The Buckeyes’ top three receivers all eclipsed the 100-yard mark and caught touchdown passes. Chris Olave had seven catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Garrett Wilson grabbed seven for 126 and a pair of scores, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 10 receptions for 105 yards and a TD.

Michigan State dropped to 9-2 and 6-2 in the Big Ten.

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Jack Coan threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns in a little more than a half and Notre Dame had two defensive touchdowns in winning its sixth straight game.

Coan, a grad transfer from Wisconsin, completed 15 of 20 passes. He had first-half touchdown strikes of 52 yards to Michael Mayer and 20 yards to Logan Diggs as the Irish took a 45-0 halftime. Coan exited after one series in the third quarter and was replaced by true freshman Tyler Buchner, who ripped off a 68-yard run on his first play.

With Coan directing the offense, and the Irish defense hounding Georgia Tech quarterback Jordan Yates all afternoon, coach Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish (CFP No. 8) improved to 10-1, reaching the 10-win level for the fifth straight season by outgaining coach Geoff Collins’ Yellow Jackets (3-8) by a 514-224 yardage margin.

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Mike Sainristil made a one-handed catch in the end zone for a second-quarter touchdown, Hassan Haskins scored two TDs of his own, and Michigan did its part to raise the stakes of next weekend’s showdown with Ohio State.

The Wolverines (10-1, 7-1, No. 6 CFP) host the Buckeyes next week, and the winner will go to the Big Ten title game. Michigan hasn’t won the conference since 2004 and hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 2011.

If the Wolverines were looking ahead to that matchup, it didn’t affect their play much this weekend. Maryland (5-6, 2-6) didn’t reach the end zone until Michigan was up 31-3 in the third quarter. Donovan Edwards had 10 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown for the Wolverines.

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Oklahoma State beat Texas Tech to wrap up its first spot in the Big 12 championship game, completely throttling an offense that hadn’t been shut out since 1997.

The Cowboys have allowed only one offensive touchdown over their past four games, but this was their first shutout on the road since 1995.

Spencer Sanders threw a touchdown and ran for another score, and Tanner Brown kicked three field goals for the Cowboys (10-1, 7-1, CFP No. 9). The defense limited Texas Tech (6-5, 3-5), which had scored in 302 consecutive games, to 108 total yards that included a 25-yard pass on the final drive.

With Bedlam at home next Saturday against 12th-ranked Oklahoma, the Cowboys are already assured of playing in the Big 12 title game Dec. 4 at AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. Still to be determined is if they will be the home or visiting team, and who they will play.

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Matt Corral threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns in his home finale and Mississippi beat Vanderbilt.

Ole Miss (9-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) never trailed, with Corral throwing an 8-yard scoring pass to Jerrion Ealy in the opening minutes en route to a 24-9 halftime lead.

Corral completed 27 of 36 passes, including a 10-yard touchdown strike to Dontario Drummond early in the second quarter. The Rebels led 31-9 in the fourth quarter on an 8-yard touchdown run by Henry Parrish Jr.

Rocko Griffin ran for 117 yards and touchdown for Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7).

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Blake Shapen was sharp in place of injured quarterback Gerry Bohanon, and Baylor’s defense simply smothered Kansas State’s offense.

Shapen was 16 of 21 for 137 yards after Bohanon left shortly before halftime with a hamstring injury. The redshirt freshman got some help from Trestan Ebner, who ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, and Tyquan Thornton, who had five catches for 75 yards, as the Bears (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) won their fourth straight over Kansas State.

The Wildcats (7-4, 4-4) muffed a punt that led to the game’s first points, and Chris Tennant missed a 39-yard field goal that would have made it a one-possession game with 10 minutes to go.

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Kobe Pace ran for a career-high 191 yards and two touchdowns as Clemson won its 13th straight over Wake Forest, delaying the Demon Deacons’ run to the ACC Atlantic title.

Will Shipley gained 112 yards with two touchdowns and also threw a 2-yard jump pass TD to Davis Allen for the Tigers (8-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their 34th straight at home. Clemson also kept its hopes of a seventh straight trip to the ACC title game alive with the stunning rout of Wake Forest (9-2, 6-1).

The Demon Deacons entered the game averaging 44.7 points and 498 yards a game. They left with a season low in points and had only 36 yards rushing.

Wake Forest remains in the divisional driver’s seat and can make its first championship game appearance in 15 years by beating Boston College on Nov. 27.

For the Tigers to reach the title game, they would need Wake Forest to lose to BC and have No. 25 North Carolina lose one of its final two games.

D.J. Uiagalelei completed 11 of 19 passes for 208 yards. Object Beaux Collins, Uiagalelei’s teammate at St. John Bosco High, had four catches for 137 yards.

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Caleb Williams passed for a touchdown and ran for another while Jalen Redmond returned a fumble for another score for Oklahoma.

Kennedy Brooks ran for 115 yards for the Sooners (10-1, 7-1 Big 12, No. 13 CFP), who bounced back from a loss to Baylor and solidified their chances of reaching the Big 12 title game. They also kept alive their slim College Football Playoff hopes.

Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar, playing in his hometown of Norman, Okla., had career highs of 12 catches and 152 yards. Brock Purdy passed for 281 yards and a touchdown for Iowa State (6-5, 4-4), which was eliminated from the Big 12 title race.

BYU quarterback Jaren Hall passes against Georgia Southern on Saturday.

(Paul Abell / Associated Press)

Jaren Hall had 211 of his 312 yards passing in the first half, Jakob Robinson picked off two passes in the second half and BYU beat Georgia Southern.

Tyler Allgeier, the nation’s seventh-leading rusher, finished with 126 yards on 26 carries to help the Cougars (9-2) win their fourth straight game.

Before a near capacity crowd at 25,000-seat Paulson Stadium, Georgia Southern (3-8) fell short in its attempt to beat the highest-ranked team to visit Statesboro. The Eagles had played eight previous games against ranked opponents, beating Appalachian State in 2018 and 2019.

UTSA quarterback Frank Harris is pressured by UAB linebacker Charlie Benton, left, and linebacker Kyle Harrell during the first half Saturday.

(Eric Gay / Associated Press)

Frank Harris threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Oscar Cardenas with three seconds left, rallying No. 15 University of Texas-San Antonio to a wild victory over the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

The Roadrunners (11-0, 7-0) defeated the reigning three-time Conference USA West champion Blazers (7-4, 5-2) to clinch their first division title.

Trailing much of the game, the Roadrunners got the ball back with 1:09 left after stuffing the Blazers a yard short of a first down on third-and-4 at the UAB 42.

Following a punt, Harris drove UTSA 77 yards on seven plays. The winning touchdown came after Harris fumbled the snap and had his pass tipped by UAB linebacker Noah Wilder before Cardenas caught it in the back of the end zone.

Harris completed 25 of 35 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns. The senior set the school single-season record with 21 touchdown passes on his first TD Saturday.

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Devon Achane and Isaiah Spiller combined for three touchdowns before halftime as the Aggies cruised to the win.

Texas A&M easily bounced back from last week’s loss at Ole Miss. Prairie View (7-3), an FCS school that plays in the SWAC, just couldn’t keep up with the Aggies (8-3).

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Charlie Jones had a 100-yard kickoff return for Iowa’s first touchdown and the Hawkeyes went on to beat Illinois.

Iowa (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) was trailing Illinois (4-7, 3-5) 10-0 in the first quarter when Jones took the kick near the right corner of the end zone and ran through a hole on the left side for the score.

Iowa wide receiver Arland Bruce IV had a 2-yard run for a touchdown and Caleb Shudak kicked four field goals, including a 51-yarder in the second quarter. Linebacker Jack Campbell added a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:36 to play.

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Braelon Allen rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns, including a tiebreaking 53-yarder with 3:50 remaining, to help the Badgers earn their seventh consecutive victory.

Nebraska drove to Wisconsin’s 11-yard line in the final minute but ended up losing the ball on downs at the 21. Faion Hicks broke up Adrian Martinez’s fourth-down pass to Zavier Betts with four seconds left.

The Badgers (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten, No. 15 College Football Playoffs) handed Nebraska (3-8, 1-7) its fifth straight loss and moved a step closer to playing for a conference title.

Wisconsin will clinch its fourth Big Ten championship game appearance in the last six years if it wins its regular-season finale at Minnesota. Wisconsin is tied with No. 18 Iowa for first place in the West but owns the tiebreaker advantage because it beat the Hawkeyes 27-7 on Oct. 30.

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Kenny Pickett threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns — all of them to Jordan Addison — in his final game at Heinz Field and the Panthers claimed their second Coastal title in four years.

The Panthers (9-2, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) earned a trip to Charlotte on Dec. 4. Addison’s four scores tied a school record and boosted his season total to 15, tops in FBS. Pitt needed every single one of them.

The Cavaliers (6-5, 4-3) kept hanging around until Addison outjumped a defender for a ball and raced the rest of the way for a 63-yard touchdown with 2:10 remaining. Addison, a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award given to the best wide receiver in the country, finished with 14 receptions for 202 yards.

Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Levi Lewis scrambles against Liberty on Saturday.

(Kendall Warner / Associated Press)

Levi Lewis threw for 166 yards and three touchdowns, Louisiana-Lafayette had five takeaways and seven sacks and the Ragin’ Cajuns capped the nonconference portion of their schedule with a victory.

Louisiana-Lafayette (10-1) won its 10 straight game since a season-opening loss at Texas. Liberty dropped to 7-3.

Lewis completed one of his first eight passes, then connected on 13 of 17 attempts with touchdown strikes of 4, 15 and 2 yards. He has thrown 10 touchdown passes to one interception in his last four games.

Louisiana-Lafayette contained Liberty quarterback Malik Willis and prevented him from getting into a rhythm. Willis completed 14 of 34 passes for 162 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

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Devin Leary threw for two touchdowns, Zonovan Knight returned a kickoff for a touchdown and North Carolina State beat Syracuse to keep its hopes alive for an Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

After neither team scored in the first 22 minutes, the Wolfpack (8-3, 5-2, No. 20 CFP) scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams in a matter of less than 3 1/2 minutes. It was all part of N.C. State’s 28-point burst in the last 6:14 of the first half.

Syracuse (5-6, 2-5) needs to beat Pittsburgh next week to secure bowl eligibility.