COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Blake Corum scored twice in the first half, Mike Sainristil intercepted two passes, and No. 2 Michigan —- playing again without suspended coach Jim Harbaugh — became the first college football program to win 1,000 games, beating Maryland 31-24 on Saturday.
The Wolverines (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) remained unbeaten in their final tune-up before next weekend’s showdown against No. 3 Ohio State, but it wasn’t easy. Maryland (6-5, 3-5) rallied from a 23-3 second-quarter deficit and had the ball down five on multiple occasions in the fourth quarter.
The last of those chances came after Tommy Doman’s punt pinned the Terrapins at their own 1-yard with 4:10 to play. Taulia Tagovailoa threw incomplete under pressure in the end zone, the ball falling well short of where receiver Tai Felton was. Officials conferred and called intentional grounding for a safety that made it 31-24 and gave the Wolverines the ball back.
Corum converted a fourth-and-short run, and after a measurement and a review Michigan could finally exhale.
APPALACHIAN STATE 26, No. 18 JAMES MADISON 23
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) — Kaedin Robinson’s toe barely touched the goal line before the football squirted out, scoring the winning touchdown in overtime as Appalachian State beat previously unbeaten James Madison.
James Madison jumped ahead in overtime when Camden Wise booted a 25-yard field goal, giving the Dukes a 23-20 lead. But on third down from the 8 yard line, Appalachian State’s Joey Aguilar tossed a strike to Robinson, who made the catch at the 5 and broke two tackles before stepping on the goal line for the winning TD, just before losing control of the ball.
The loss ended James Madison’s 10-game winning streak this season and 13-game run overall, and comes three days after the Dukes (10-1, 6-1 Sun Belt) had their appeal for a waiver that would allow them to be invited to a bowl game without extenuating circumstances denied by the NCAA. The Virginia Attorney General hired a law firm that is arguing for JMU’s inclusion in bowl consideration based on its record, national ranking and success in its two-year process reclassifying from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Bowl Subdivision, the game’s top tier.
No. 1 GEORGIA 38, No. 21 TENNESSEE 10
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Carson Beck threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns to lead Georgia to a win over Tennessee.
Dillon Bell caught five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown, and also threw an 18-yard TD pass to Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint for the Bulldogs (10-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference). Rosemy-Jacksaint caught seven passes for 91 yards and two TDs.
Georgia became the first team to go unbeaten in the SEC three years in a row since the league went to an eight-game schedule in 1992.
Jaylen Wright broke through the middle of the line and went 75 yards for a touchdown on the Volunteers’ (7-4, 3-4) first snap of the game. He finished with 90 yards rushing.
No. 3 OHIO STATE 37, MINNESOTA 3
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns and Kyle McCord passed for 212 yards and two scores, leading Ohio State to a win over Minnesota.
Next up for the Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) is a trip to Ann Arbor to face second-ranked Michigan (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, CFP No. 3) next Saturday. The Wolverines beat Maryland 31-24 on Saturday.
Henderson turned a 13-point halftime into a 20-point lead 12 seconds into the third quarter, scoring on a career-best 75-yard run on the opening play of the half.
After a Minnesota (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) turnover, the Buckeyes scored again — 55 seconds later — when Marvin Harrison Jr. grabbed a 4-yard TD pass to extend the lead to 27-0.
No. 4 FLORIDA STATE 58, NORTH ALABAMA 13
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State lost star quarterback Jordan Travis to a leg injury in the first quarter, yet rallied behind backup Tate Rodemaker and beat North Alabama.
Travis suffered what appeared to be a major injury to his left knee/leg on a run up the middle late in the first quarter. After an air cast was placed on the leg, Travis was carted off. There was no official update from Mike Norvell on Travis’ injury at halftime, although the coach told the CW Network at the intermission that “obviously it didn’t look good.”
Rodemaker completed 13 of 23 passes for 217 yards with touchdown passes to Keon Coleman and Caziah Holmes as the Seminoles (11-0) won their 17th straight game while trying to maintain the No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff standings.
Noah Walters completed 13 of 26 passes with touchdown throws to Takairee Kennebrew, his 10th of the season, and J.J. Evans for UNA (3-8).
No. 6 OREGON 49, ARIZONA STATE 13
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Bo Nix threw for 404 yards and a career-high six touchdowns, Patrick Herbert and Troy Franklin both caught two touchdown passes and Oregon rolled to a win over Arizona State.
The Ducks buried the Sun Devils with an avalanche of offense on the way to a 42-0 lead, scoring touchdowns on their first six drives and gaining 444 total yards. Nix — a Heisman Trophy candidate — had touchdown passes of 23, 49, 16, 45, 71 and 16 yards.
All that happened in just the first two quarters.
The pace slowed considerably after the halftime break, but the Ducks still cruised to victory. Franklin caught eight passes for 128 yards and became the school’s single-season leader for yards receiving with 1,221. Nix completed 24 of 29 passes.
Oregon (10-1, 6-2 Pac-12) came into the game with the nation’s No. 1 offense, averaging more than 46 points per game.
No. 8 ALABAMA 66, CHATTANOOGA 10
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Jalen Milroe passed for 197 yards and three touchdowns before sitting out the second half of Alabama’s rout of Chattanooga.
The Crimson Tide (10-1, No. 8 CFP) won their ninth straight game but got a breather from Southeastern Conference opponents against the Mocs (7-4), an FCS team.
Milroe led Alabama to a 38-7 halftime advantage to continue his own personal hot streak, including 13 total touchdowns in the past three games. He completed his first 10 passes, with throws of 56 and 44 yards to Jermaine Burton, and finished 13 of 16. Burton caught three passes for 105 yards, all by halftime, after sitting out the Kentucky game with an illness.
It was the most points Alabama scored since a 66-3 win over Western Carolina in 2019.
No. 9 LOUISVILLE 38, MIAMI 31
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jack Plummer threw three touchdown passes, the last of them a 58-yarder to Kevin Coleman with 4:17 remaining, and Louisville clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game by beating Miami.
Coleman ended up wide open after Miami defenders Te’Cory Couch and Jaden Davis collided at full speed as the play was developing, and he went down the right sideline with the go-ahead score for the Cardinals (10-1, 7-1 ACC, No. 10 CFP).
Louisville made the ACC championship game for the first time after 10 years in the league and will play Florida State in Charlotte on Dec. 2 for the title.
Miami had a 4th-and-goal from the Louisville 3 with 1:29 left, but Tyler Van Dyke’s pass sailed just out of Jacolby George’s reach in the end zone. The Hurricanes had one last chance and Van Dyke’s deep pass was batted around and caught by Xavier Restrepo at the 5-yard line, but he was tackled with no time left.
Mark Fletcher rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns for Miami (6-5, 2-5 ACC).
No. 12 PENN STATE 27, RUTGERS 6
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Kaytron Allen ran for two touchdowns, Alex Felkins kicked a pair of field goals and Penn State pulled away from Rutgers after quarterback Drew Allar left with an apparent injury.
Allen finished a 15-play, scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and added another short, bruising scoring run up the middle early in the fourth to seal Penn State’s 17th-straight win over Rutgers.
Jai Patel booted a pair of first-half field goals, including a 35-yarder to cap Rutgers’ opening possession, but Penn State’s defense shut the Scarlet Knights (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) out the rest of the way.
The Nittany Lions (9-2, 6-2) forced three turnovers including a strip sack and fumble recovery by Chop Robinson late in the third quarter that helped set up Allen’s second touchdown run.
No. 13 MISSISSIPPI 35, LOUISIANA-MONROE 3
OFXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Jaxson Dart threw for three touchdowns on three consecutive third-quarter series as Mississippi used a strong second half to defeat Louisiana-Monroe.
Ole Miss (9-2, 5-2 SEC, No. 13 CFP) struggled to a 7-3 halftime lead over the Sun Belt Conference Warhawks (2-9, 0-8) before Dart capped consecutive touchdown drives of 78, 60 and 60 yards to build a 28-3 cushion.
Dart finished 24 of 31 passing for 310 yards, including touchdown passes of 13, 2 and 58 yards to Tre Harris, Caden Prieskorn and Dayton Wade, respectively. Wade finished with seven receptions for 108 yards as nine different Rebels caught a pass.
No. 14 OKLAHOMA 31, BYU 24
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Oklahoma forced three turnovers and scored 21 points off those takeaways and edged BYU, despite playing the second half without quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel threw for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he suffered a head injury just before halftime. Gavin Sawchuk led the Sooners on the ground with 107 yards, including the go-ahead 16-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2 Big 12, No. 14 in CFP) kept alive its hopes for reaching the Big 12 Championship Game.
Aidan Robbins ran for a season-high 182 yards to lead BYU. Jake Retzlaff threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had a pair of fumbles and an interception for the Cougars (5-6, 2-6 Big 12).
No. 19 ARIZONA 42, No. 16 UTAH 18
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Noah Fifita threw for two touchdowns and Arizona used a fast start beat Utah for its first five-game winning streak in nine years.
The Wildcats (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12, No. 17 CFP) manhandled the two-time reigning Pac-12 champions from the opening drive, building a 28-0 lead by the first play of the second quarter.
Utah (7-4, 4-4) tightened up after that despite playing without three of its best defensive players, but Arizona’s defense was just as good in the final Pac-12 game at Arizona Stadium.
The Wildcats intercepted passes by Bryson Barnes twice in their own end and forced a turnover on downs near midfield to beat four AP Top 25 teams in a season for the first time since 1989.
No. 17 TULANE 24, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 8
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Michael Pratt threw for three touchdowns in his South Florida homecoming to lead Tulane to a victory over Florida Atlantic.
Pratt, who attended high school in Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach, completed 21 of 28 passes for 252 yards to help Tulane (10-1, 7-0, No. 24 CFP) stay atop the American Athletic Conference.
Tulane extended its winning streak to nine games, but recent victories haven’t come easily. Saturday marked the first time in five games the Green Wave won by more than one score.
Even without injured starting wide receivers JhaQuan Jackson and Lawrence Keys, Pratt easily dissected the FAU (4-7, 3-4) defense.
No. 20 NOTRE DAME 45, WAKE FOREST 7
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Sam Hartman tormented his former team, passing for 277 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 20 Notre Dame to a win over Wake Forest.
Notre Dame (8-3) improved to 6-0 all-time vs. Wake Forest (4-7).
Transferring from Wake Forest to Notre Dame for the 2023 season, Hartman leads all active FBS quarterbacks in career touchdowns (132) and passing yardage (15,516).
Hartman moved into fourth place on the all-time NCAA career TD list with his four-TD performance against Wake Forest. He passed Colt Brennan (Hawaii, 2005-2007), Rakeem Cato (Marshall, 2011-2014) and Baker Mayfield (Texas Tech/Oklahoma, 2013, 2015-17), who were all tied with 131.
CLEMSON 31, No. 22 NORTH CAROLINA 20
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Cade Klubnik threw for 219 yards and a touchdown and Clemson’s defense held high-scoring North Carolina to its fewest points this season.
The revived Tigers (7-4, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their third straight and beat a ranked opponent for the second time in that stretch following their 31-23 win over then-No. 12 Notre Dame on Nov. 4.
Excited fans, mostly students, twice rushed onto the field before the final seconds ticked off and drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. No matter, Clemson ran out the clock moments later the celebration was on in the season’s final home game.
North Carolina (8-3, 4-3) looked like it might reach its 40-point a game average in the first quarter when it put up 198 yards. But the usually sure-handed tailback Omarion Hampton — he had no fumbles this season — coughed up the ball twice close to the goal line to end drives.
No. 23 KANSAS STATE 31, KANSAS 27
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Will Howard threw two touchdown passes and ran for the go-ahead score, and Kansas State took advantage of two special teams blunders by rival Kansas as the Wildcats rallied to beat the Jayhawks for their 15th straight win in the Sunflower Showdown.
D.J. Giddens added 102 yards rushing and a score for the reigning Big 12 champions, who kept alive their chances of defending the title in part by turning a blocked extra point into a 2-point return and a muffed punt into the go-ahead TD with 10:22 to go.
The Wildcats (8-3, 6-2, No. 21 CFP) allowed Kansas (7-4, 4-4, No. 25) to march right back down the field, led by former walk-on Cole Ballard under center. But the Jayhawks’ drive stalled at the Kansas State 11, and Ballard was picked off in the end zone by Marques Sigle on fourth down to turn the ball over with just more than five minutes left.
No. 24 OKLAHOMA STATE 43, HOUSTON 30
HOUSTON (AP) — Alan Bowman threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns, Ollie Gordon II rushed for 164 yards and three second-half touchdowns and Oklahoma State kept its hopes of reaching the Big 12 Championship game alive with a win over Houston.
Bowman completed 29 of 43 passes and threw touchdown passes of 23 and 21 yards. Brennan Presley caught a career-high 15 passes for 189 yards. His reception total was the second most in a game for an Oklahoma State player — Alex Lloyd caught 16 back in 1949.
Oklahoma State (8-3, 6-2 Big 12) entered the day in a four-way tie for second place in the conference, one game behind Texas. The Cowboys bounced back from a stunning loss to UCF by outgaining the Cougars 501 yards to 393.
No. 25 LIBERTY 49, UMASS 25
LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — Kaidon Salter threw for 225 yards, rushed for 118 and accounted for four touchdowns Saturday as Liberty defeated UMass.
Salter averaged better than 20 yards per pass while completing 11 of 16. He tossed touchdowns of 13 of 5 yards to Austin Henderson and scored on runs of 1 and 12 yards.
The Flames (11-0) struck early, scoring on four straight first-half drives to take a 28-0 lead.
Taisun Phommachanh threw for 239 yards on 22-of-38 passing for UMass (3-8),
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
