What happened Saturday, Sept. 20, in college football: Scores and 3 big things
The top cluster survives varying degrees of threats, a 14-game streak is over, and the declaration of the Big Ten’s demise was a bit premature. Full FBS scores and recap links below.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
At least one of the nation's current top five teams will not be making the College Football Playoff, but all four survived tough tests against power-conference competition this week. (No. 5 Auburn kicked things off Thursday night, traveling to Manhattan and beating No. 20 Kansas State, 20-14.)
No. 1 Florida State and No. 22 Clemson delivered on the game everyone wanted to see last season, when these were two top-five teams, but it took the increasingly bizarre situation involving Heisman-winning quarterback Jameis Winston to see it. The Seminoles' offense struggled without their signal-caller, but Jimbo Fisher's squad was able to fight back -- something they haven't had to do much of in the past two seasons -- and grab the overtime victory.
No. 2 Oregon traveled to face Washington State, a team winless against FBS competition this season, and never once held a lead of more than seven points on its way to a hard-fought 38-31 victory. The Ducks' defense struggled to contain Connor Halliday (436 passing yards, four touchdowns), but Marcus Mariota was even better. The junior completed 21 of 25 passes for 329 yards and five touchdowns while also running for 58 yards.
No. 3 Alabama hosted Florida in Tuscaloosa, and while the 42-21 final score may not look all that close, this was a one-possession game well into the second half. The Tide were sloppy (four turnovers, 11 penalties), but they still did their thing: Alabama had 646 yards on the day, the most Florida has ever given up to an opponent. Lane Kiffin, make all the faces you want.
And No. 4 Oklahoma traveled to Morgantown to take on West Virginia, one of the season's early success stories. The Mountaineers and quarterback Clint Trickett looked strong against Alabama and Maryland, losing the former and winning the latter, and Trickett was able to throw for 376 yards against the vaunted Sooners' defense. Oklahoma's ground game was too much, however -- three second-half touchdowns from Samaje Perine (34 carries, 242 yards) sealed it for the Sooners, who came away with the 45-33 win.
2. 1999.
Derick E. Hingle, USA Today
That little “No. 8” next to LSU’s name doesn’t automatically make this a big win. Mississippi State still almost lost to LSU. The Tigers might not be all that good this year anyway.
Objections noted and overruled.
Mississippi State last beat LSU 15 years earlier, during the Tigers’ slumping finale of the Gerry DiNardo era. That game was also in Starkville. And those Bulldogs only won by one point.
Saturday, MSU went into Death Valley and beat an LSU still coached by Les Miles and still staffed by blue-chips, albeit young ones, 34-29. Dan Mullen’s crew outgained the Tigers by 140 yards and led 34-10 in the fourth, before a hellacious rally. We can question how far short of the Miles standard this year’s edition is, but 302 yards rushing on a John Chavis defense is a thing to be commemorated even if the veteran coordinator’s fielding 10 players per snap. (He wasn’t.)
After six years, Mullen finally has his first big win against the SEC West's ruling party. After an offseason of outlandish Heisman expectations, quarterback Dak Prescott put up 373 total yards and three total scores under the lights at Tiger Stadium, where no one's supposed to total much of anything. Josh Robinson ran for a combined 201. MSU's 570 total yards is the most Chavis' unit -- which entered the day on a nine-quarter shutout streak -- has given up since he arrived in 2009. And the experienced MSU defense held the Tigers to their lowest rushing total, 89, since Alabama and Georgia last season.
No one’s asking you to just let the Bulldogs have their moment. Because here’s the thing: this morning, it’s already theirs.
3. Attaway, Big Ten!
Jasen Vinlove, USA Today
Two weeks ago, the Big Ten failed so grandly we reviewed its weekend as if it were a disaster movie and urged it to spend its fat pile of money on actual football things. While that last one’s still a valid concern, let’s marvel at the old conference’s comeback.
Except f- no, no, now’s not the time.
Indiana won at the home of the reigning SEC East champion, a team I (Kirk) personally overrated just a week earlier, apparently. Iowa won at Pitt, which was becoming the ACC Coastal favorite. Maryland won by 14 at former conference rival Syracuse. Nebraska’s 4-0 after a heated battle with Miami.
I know. We’ll get to it.
Illinois and Rutgers survived feisty Texas State and Navy, respectively. Wisconsin obliterated Bowling Green, which had beaten Indiana days earlier.
Shh, shh, not now.
And everyone else handled business against lesser competition.
Okay, fine. Almost everyone.
The conference’s only blemish came by way of one of its two most esteemed institutions. Michigan lost by 16 at home to Utah, with the insults-to-injury of seeing a few hundred Utes fans completely establish dominion over the Big House after a two-hour weather delay and a Utah player swipe Desmond Howard’s moment. While the Utes have been an underrated program for at least a year and a half now, the Wolverines’ failure becomes even more stark when cast against the glorious day the rest of its league had.
We wondered earlier this month whether nine regular-season wins would save Brady Hoke’s job. With a 2-2 record and games at Michigan State and at Ohio State among the eight left, it’s hard to think we’ll find the answer to that specific question.
But enough about Grandpa Blue. Everybody else is happy. Let it ring:
Every FBS score
No. 1 Florida State 23, No. 22 Clemson 17 (OT) (recap)No. 2 Oregon 38, Washington State 31 (recap)No. 3 Alabama 42, Florida 21 (recap)No. 4 Oklahoma 45, West Virginia 33 (recap)No. 5 Auburn 20, No. 20 Kansas State 14 (Thursday) (recap)No. 6 Texas A&M 58, SMU 6 (mid-blowout reaction)Mississippi State 34, No. 8 LSU 29 (recap)No. 11 Michigan State 73, Eastern Michigan 14 (recap)No. 13 Georgia 66, Troy 0 (recap)No. 14 South Carolina 48, Vanderbilt 34 (recap)Indiana 31, No. 18 Missouri 27 (recap)No. 19 Wisconsin 68, Bowling Green 17 (recap)No. 21 BYU 41, Virginia 33 (recap)No. 24 Nebraska 41, Miami 31 (recap)Arizona 49, California 45 (HAIL MARY)Arkansas 52, Northern Illinois 14 (recap)Arkansas State 21, Utah State 14 (OT) (recap)Boise State 34, Louisiana-Lafayette 9 (reaction)Boston College 40, Maine 10 (recap)Buffalo 36, Norfolk State 7 (recap)Cincinnati 31, Miami (Ohio) 24 (recap)Colorado 21, Hawaii 12 (recap)Duke 47, Tulane 13 (recap)East Carolina 70, North Carolina 41 (recap)Fresno State 56, Southern Utah 16Georgia Southern 28, South Alabama 6 (recap)Georgia Tech 27, Virginia Tech 24 (recap)Houston 47, UNLV 14Illinois 42, Texas State 35 (recap)Iowa 24, Pittsburgh 20 (recap)Kansas 24, Central Michigan 10 (recap)Louisville 34, Florida International 3 (recap)Marshall 48, Akron 17 (recap)Maryland 34, Syracuse 20 (recap)Memphis 36, Middle Tennessee 17Minnesota 24, San Jose State 7 (recap)NC State 42, Presbyterian 0 (recap)New Mexico 38, New Mexico State 35North Texas 77, Nicholls State 3 (recap)Northwestern 24, Western Illinois 7 (recap)Northwestern State 30, Louisiana Tech 27 (recap)Ohio 36, Idaho 24 (recap)Old Dominion 45, Rice 42 (recap)Oregon State 28, San Diego State 7 (recap)Penn State 48, UMass 7 (recap)Purdue 35, Southern Illinois 13 (recap)Rutgers 31, Navy 24 (recap)Southern Miss 21, Appalachian State 20Temple 59, Delaware State 0Toledo 34, Ball State 23 (recap)UCF 41, Bethune-Cookman 7USF 17, Connecticut 14 (Friday) (recap)Utah 26, Michigan 10 (recap)Wake Forest 24, Army 21 (recap)Washington 45, Georgia State 14 (recap)Western Michigan 45, Murray State 14 (recap)Wyoming 20, Florida Atlantic 19 (recap)
See More:
