The march toward the College Football Playoff continued without interruption on Saturday for No. 3 Ohio State, while No. 12 Oregon's march began in convincing fashion. The Buckeyes let Rutgers score some points but never truly sweated the outcome of a 49-27 win over the Scarlet Knights, while the Ducks bounced back from an early deficit for a solid 35-14 win over Stanford in the season-opener for both as the Pac-12 began play on Saturday.
Oregon's ability to run the football was an especially encouraging sign as the Ducks are replacing their entire starting offensive line from last season's team that won the Rose Bowl. The Ducks averaged 6.7 yards per carry against Stanford, led by junior running back CJ Verdell's 105 yards on 20 carries. In total, Oregon ran the ball 40 times in their first game under first-year offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. Oregon plays at Washington State next week.
Meanwhile, Ohio State showed its aerial might again as Justin Fields continued his Heisman Trophy bid with another nearly flawless outing. The junior quarterback completed 24 of 28 passes for 314 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions, bringing his season total to 11 touchdowns and no interceptions. In his 17 total games with Ohio State, Fields has now thrown 52 touchdowns and only three interceptions. The Buckeyes will try and improve to 4-0 at Maryland next week.
No. 13 Indiana 38, No. 23 Michigan 21 -- Recap
No. 20 USC 28, Arizona State 27 -- Box score
No. 22 Texas 17, West Virginia 16 -- Box score
No. 19 Oklahoma 62, Kansas 9 -- Box score
No. 6 Cincinnati 38, Houston 10 -- Box score
No. 8 Florida 44, No. 5 Georgia 28 -- Recap, takeaways
No. 14 Oklahoma State 20, Kansas State 18 -- Box score
No. 7 Texas A&M 48, South Carolina 3 -- Box score
No. 3 Ohio State 49, Rutgers 27 -- Box score
No. 4 Notre Dame 47, No. 1 Clemson 40 (2OT) -- Recap, takeaways
No. 12 Oregon 35, Stanford 14 -- Box score
Check out the complete Week 9 scoreboard
This catch put Baylor in position to potentially tie it late vs. No. 17 Iowa State. But an interception shortly after ended the Bears' comeback. Gutty 38-31 win for the Cyclones and Brock Purdy after they trailed 14-0 early during a disastrous first half for Purdy.
Greg Schiano really wanted to cover the spread against his old squad. The number of trick plays he's used that have actually worked in this game is really impressive. 42-21 Ohio State early in the fourth.
Stanford scored first, but it's been all Ducks since then.
Most underrated player in the country continues to shine. But just as it looks No. 17 Iowa State may be pulling away, Baylor strikes back for a long TD to come within 38-31 midway through the fourth quarter.
Rutgers has a shot at covering the 39-point spread after all, courtesy of this big man TD. Ohio State leads it 35-9 midway through the third quarter.
No. 17 Iowa State has scored 21 unanswered going into the fourth quarter against Baylor.
Kellen Mond is now Texas A&M's all-time leader in passing touchdowns. A&M is abusing South Carolina 41-0 early in the fourth quarter. Far and a way the most impressive performance of the season for Texas A&M. The Aggies' blundering 17-12 win over Vanderbilt seems like a long, long time ago now as they will improve to 5-1 with games against Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU and Auburn remaining.
Clemson outgaining Notre Dame 260-245 but trails 23-13 at halftime. Just six rushing yards for Clemson.
No. 12 Ducks up 14-7 on Stanford at halftime.
Brock Purdy salvaging a horrific performance by keeping No. 17 Iowa State in it against Baylor.
Ohio State not showing an abundance of sympathy for former defensive coordinator Greg Schiano as the Buckeyes lead 35-3 at halftime. Justin Fields is 15-of-17 for 232 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs
Just an abysmal first half for Iowa State QB Brock Purdy: 6-of-12, 56 yards, 0 TDs, 3 INTs. Baylor leads 21-10.
The Aggies dominated the first half, outgaining South Carolina 248-68 as they took a 21-0 lead. Three touchdowns for Kellen Mond.
This catch by Mycah Pittman sparked an Oregon scoring drive that tied the game at 7-7.
Oklahoma State comes from behind and outscores Kansas State 20-6 in the second half to survive and advance. After being shut out in the first half, the Pokes got things going with LD Brown, who eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground. However, it was a Will Howard fumble in the fourth quarter that was returned for a touchdown that ended up being the difference. It wasn't Oklahoma State's sharpest day offensively, but they're 5-1 heading into Bedlam on Nov. 21.
OUCH!
Check out this stiff arm from Ohio State's Garrett Wilson. Sheesh!
Backup quarterback Jack West leads the Cardinal on a 9-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to put Stanford up 7-0 late in the first quarter vs. No 12 Oregon. Starter Davis Mills is out due to COVID-19 protocol.
The Scarlet Knights went back to the lateral after last week's ridiculous multi-lateral TD that was called back. Rutgers hanging tough early as a 39-point underdog. Just 7-3 Ohio State late in the first quarter.
The Cougars are no problem for Cincinnati as the Bearcats improve to 6-0 behind a dominant two-way effort. The offense racks up 510 yards, and the defense forces seven Houston punts + two turnovers. ECU, UCF, Temple and Tulsa are all that stand between Cincy and an undefeated regular season.
Lot of people looked at this as a potential trap game for the No. 7 Aggies. But they are taking care of business early vs. South Carolina, leading 14-0 midway through the second quarter. If A&M holds on, it's likely to move up in the rankings following Georgia's second loss.
After posting a goose egg in the first half, Oklahoma State has crawled back into this game and taken the lead as we end the third quarter in Manhattan. Running back LD Brown has been the main source of offense with 10 carries for 93 yards. The start of the fourth will be a big moment for K-State to respond. They're not built to come from behind if Oklahoma State gets late momentum.
Near the top of my list of guys who don't get enough national love: Iowa State running back Breece Hall. He gets the Cyclones on the board after 14-point underdog Baylor took a 14-0 lead.
The Gators keep their SEC title and College Football Playoff hopes alive with a convincing win over a Georgia team that led 14-0 early. The Bulldogs were shorthanded, but still a remarkable effort for Florida's offense as Kyle Trask goes 30-of-43 for 474 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT. He's gotta be up there with Fields and Lawrence in the Heisman conversation.
Seems like a fitting encapsulation of the Illinois season thus far.
Well the Thundering Herd didn't quite cover the 44.5 point spread. But it's hard to be disappointed about a 51-10 victory. Running back Brendan Knox went over 100 yards for the fifth straight game as Marshall improved to 6-0. MTSU, Charlotte, Rice and FIU are the final four scheduled games on Marshall's schedule.
