Week 13 Recap

The regular season is over (unless you are in the Big 12 or Sun Belt). There is one more weekend before we find out who is going to the playoff. Next week is championship week and the last chance for teams to prove they should be in. There weren’t too many shakeups during rivalry week. Here is what happened to set up the final week of the season.

How I Fared: (16-5 this week, 58-37 overall)

Conference Overviews
SEC:
-Arkansas beat Missouri 28-3 to finish off the regular season. Alex Collins carried the ball 30 times for 130 yards and 3TDs. Brandon Allen didn’t throw a TD, but he didn’t need to. The Hogs had the ball for more than 40 minutes. It was sad to see Gary Pinkel lose his final game, but being an Arkansas fan, I was glad the Razorbacks won.
-South Carolina kept Clemson on their toes, but lost 32-37. The Gamecock’s final score came with just one second left on the clock. Perry Orth threw 3TDs for SCAR. South Carolina forced 3 Clemson turnovers in this game.
-Alabama beat Auburn 29-13 in the Iron Bowl to clinch the SEC West. Surprisingly, kicking worked in favor of the Tide in this game. Adam Griffith was 5/5 on field goals. Derrick Henry rushed for 271 yards and a TD, most likely securing the Heisman Trophy. Alabama went into halftime leading 12-6. Auburn’s only TD of the game looked a lot like Ricardo Louis’s catch against Georgia two years ago. Jason Smith tipped the ball to himself a couple times before securing the pass and scoring. The Tide outgained Auburn 465-260 in total offensive yards.
-Florida demonstrated why the SEC West feels the way it does about the SEC East with their 2-27 home loss to Florida State. The Gator’s offense hasn’t been the same since Will Grier’s suspension, but this was just sad. Florida punted 9 times. The Gators only had 2 drives of more than 10 plays, and each of them ended with missed FGs. Florida also had 5 3-and-outs.
-I thought the Egg Bowl would be a close, hard fought, down to the wire game. Then Ole Miss scored the first 21 points of the game. Chad Kelly threw 2TDs and rushed for another. Dak Prescott threw 2TDs, a pick 6, and also rushed for a score. Mississippi State got going in the second half, but it was a little too late to mount a comeback. This puts Ole Miss in good position to play in the Sugar Bowl.
-Georgia beat Georgia Tech 13-7 to finish the season 9-3. I guess 9 wins is a bad thing because the Bulldogs fired coach Mark Richt the next day. Before anyone starts yelling at me about why they fired him and stuff like that, know that I understand the reasoning behind the decision. Georgia has been a contender in the East almost every year but hasn’t won an SEC Championship since 2005. Maybe if Nick Chubb hadn’t gotten hurt, things would be different. Sony Michel rushed for 149 yards and a score for Georgia. After that, UGA was held to 2FGs.
-Kentucky blew a huge lead and lost 24-38 to Louisville to finish the season 5-7. The Wildcats went into halftime with a 24-7 lead, but were shut out in the second half. Kentucky scored 21 points in the first 10 and a half minutes of the game and it seemed like Louisville was going to get blown out. Kentucky seemed to let up a little and Louisville found some motivation in the second half. The game was tied going into the 4th quarter, but Louisville had all the momentum.
-Tennessee throttled Vanderbilt 53-28 in their final game. Josh Dobbs threw 2TDs and ran for another. Jalen Hurd rushed for 120 yards and a score and Cameron Sutton returned a punt for a TD. Kyle Shumur threw 3TDs and an INT. Ralph Webb rushed for 149 yards and Darrius Sims rushed for a score for the Commodores. The 28 points scored by Vanderbilt was their second highest total of the season (beat Austin Peay 47-7).
-LSU ended their regular season on a good note by beating Texas A&M 19-7. The Aggies were up 7-6 at halftime, but the second half was all LSU. Leonard Fournette carried the ball 32 times for 159 yards and a TD and Derrius Guice added another score on the ground. Texas A&M’s only score came on a TD pass from Kyle Allen to Ricky Seals-Jones. The Aggies turned the ball over 3 times, including an INT on the LSU 5-yard line and a fumble on the LSU 13. All of those Les Miles rumors ended quickly after the win. The LSU AD said they Miles would be their coach looking forward, which makes me think that Jimbo Fisher turned down the job. Why else would the AD let all of those rumors go unanswered for a week and then support him. I’m upset at the way the whole situation was handled, and I’m not even an LSU fan.
Next Week: 18Florida vs. 2Alabama

Big 10:
-Iowa beat Nebraska 28-20 to get to 12-0. Husker’s QB, Tommy Armstrong Jr., threw 4INTs in the game to help secure Iowa’s win. Jordan Canzeri rushed for 140 yards and 2 scores. CJ Beathard threw a TD and Parker Hesse had a 4-yard pick 6. Nebraska got the ball at the 50-yard line with just over 4 minutes left, but Armstrong threw and INT. Nebraska outgained the Hawkeyes 433-250 in offensive yards.
-Michigan State locked up the Big 10 East with a 55-16 rout of Penn State. Connor Cook threw 3TDs and the Spartans rushed for 3 as a team. Christian Hackenberg threw 2TDs and 2INTs (one pick 6). The Nittany Lions turned the ball over 4 times, but were only outgained 436-418 in total yards. Penn State was 4-5 on 4th down and MSU was 8-11 on 3rd down.
-Ohio State thumped Michigan 42-13, but it was most likely just a big win over their rival. Because Michigan State beat Penn State, Ohio State might just get bragging rights. JT Barrett threw a TD and also rushed for 139 yards and 3TDs. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 214 yards and 2 scores. The Buckeyes only led 14-10 at halftime. Michigan QB Jake Rudock was knocked out of the game by Joey Bosa in the 4th quarter.
-Northwestern used a 21-point first half to beat Illinois 24-14. Justin Jackson rushed for 172 yards and a TD on 37 carries for the Wildcats. Illinois needed a win to get to bowl eligibility.
-Indiana got their 6th win of the season by beating Purdue 54-36. Nate Sudfeld threw for 350 yards and 4TDs and also rushed for a TD. Devine Redding added 144 yards and a score on the ground for the Hoosiers. Austin Appleby was 36/57 for 332 yards, 2TDs, 2INTs, and also rushed for 2TDs. The Boilermakers turned the ball over 4 times and were outgained659-486 in offensive yards.
-Maryland mounted a huge comeback to beat Rutgers 46-41 and get their first Big 10 win of the season. The Scarlet Knights were up 31-13 going into the half. Chris Laviano threw 4TDs for Rutgers and Paul James rushed for another. Brandon Ross carried the ball 28 times for 173 yards and 3TDs for the Terps who rushed for a total of 401 yards and 6 scores. Maryland’s longest TD drive was 1:46. The quick-strike offense gave them the drives they needed to win. Rutgers could not get their offense moving on their final drive and turned the ball over on downs.
-Wisconsin scored 21 points in the second quarter to help them beat Minnesota 31-21. Mitch Leidner threw 3INTs for Minnesota. Joel Stave threw a pick 6. Dare Ogunbowale eushed for 155 yards and a score and Taiwan Deal rushed for 2TDs. The Golden Gophers turned the ball over 5 times and the Badgers turned those into 17 points.
Next Week: 5Michigan State vs 4Iowa

Pac 12:
-After the first half, it looked like Oregon would get a comfortable victory over Oregon State, but the Beavers made it a game in the second half, but Oregon won 52-42. Vernon Adams Jr. threw 3TDs to Bralon Addison (who also rushed for a TD) and RB Royce Freeman rushed for 167 yards and 2TDs. Ryan Nall rushed for 174 yards and a score and Seth Collins rushed for 3TDs. Victor Bolden returned a punt for a TD for the Beavers. Oregon State got within 3 points twice in the 4th quarter, but Oregon answered each time.
-Washington got their 6th win by beating rival Washington State 45-10. Luke Falk did not play for the Cougars in this game and he was clearly missed. Peyton Bender threw a TD and 2 pick sixes for Wazzu. Myles Gaskin rushed for 138 yards and 2 scores for the Huskies. The Cougars turned the ball over 7 times. It is hard to win games when your opponent scores 3 defensive TDs.
-Stanford beat Notre Dame 38-36 in one of the best games of the season. Kevin Hogan had a great senior night, throwin 4TDs and no INTs to help his team win. In a bizarre turn of events, Christian McCaffrey did not score in this game for the Cardinal. Conrad Ukropina only had one FGA in this game, and it was the 45-yard game-winner. After ND drove down the field to take the lead, Stanford was left with 30 seconds to get down the field and attempt a FG. A huge facemask penalty on ND and a huge pass to Devon Cajuste set up the final play. This was a great game.
-USC beat UCLA 40-21 to win the Pac 12 South. How often do teams who fire their coaches mid-season play for the conference championship? Cody Kessler threw 2TDs and rushed for another and Adoree’ Jackson returned a punt for a TD. Josh Rosen threw a TD and 2INTs and Paul Perkins rushed for 2TDs. USC scored the final 20 points of the game.
-Utah escaped Colorado with a 20-14 win. Travis Wilson threw a TD and Joe Williams carried the ball 34 times for 187 yards and a score. Cade Apsay and Jordan Gehrke each threw TDs for the Buffaloes. These two teams combined for 7 turnovers.
-California scored 38 points in the second half to get a 48-46 comeback win over Arizona State. Jared Goff was 30/51 for 542 yards and 5TDs for the Golden Bears. ASU’s Mike Bercovici threw for 395 yards and 4TDs, 3 of which went to Devin Lucien who ended up with 200 receiving yards. Sun Devil kicker Zane Gonzalez was 6/6 on FGs, but Cal’s kicker stole the show with the 26-yard game-winner as time expired. Cal outgained ASU 680-586 in offensive yards.
Next Week: 20USC vs 7Stanford

Big 12:
-Texas Tech beat Texas 48-45 in an exciting Thanksgiving night shootout. Patrick Mahomes threw for 372 yards and a TD and also rushed for a TD. DeAndre Washington rushed for 173 yards and 2TDs. Jakeem Grant rushed for a TD and caught a TD. Chris Warren III rushed for 276 yards and 4TDs for the Longhorns. Tyrone Swoopes added 2 more rushing scores for Texas. Texas was unable to recover the onside kick after their final TD. These two teams combined for 42 fourth quarter points. Texas Tech turned the ball over 4 times but was still able to pull off the victory.
-TCU beat Baylor 28-21 in 2OT in one of the ugliest games I’ve ever seen. The score was tied at 14 for the last 43 minutes of regulation. There was a combined 22 punts in this game and Baylor had more punts than completions. Trevone Boykin threw 2TDs and rushed for another. Chris Johnson threw a TD and Devin Chafin rushed for 119 yards and 2TDs and caught a TD. Baylor had 4th and 1 in the second OT, but couldn’t get a first down. The Bears turned the ball over 5 times.
-Oklahoma scored 30 in the second quarter to help them rout Oklahoma State 58-23. Baker Mayfield threw 2TDs and rushed for another. Joe Mixon rushed for 136 yards and 2TDs and Samaje Perine rushed for 131 yards and 2 scores. JW Walsh threw 2TDs and kicker Ben Grogan was 3/3 on field goals. This was a big game for Oklahoma because they don’t play this weekend. They are the (only) Big 12 Champs, and that will also help them keep their spot at 3 and I would be extremely surprised if they were somehow knocked out of the playoffs.
-West Virginia had no trouble with Iowa State, winning 30-6. Skyler Howard threw a TD and rushed for a TD for the Mountaineers. Kicker Josh Lambert was 3/3 on FGs. The Cyclones turned the ball over 3 times and were outgained 415-284 in yards.
-Kansas State kept their bowl hopes alive with their 45-14 win over Kansas. The Wildcats have one more game and need one more win to get to 6-6. Joe Hubener rushed for 2TDs and Winston Dimel rushed for 2 more. Kansas QB Ryan Willis threw 2TDs in the losing effort. Kansas finishes the season 0-12.
Next Week: Texas at 12Baylor, West Virginia at Kansas State

ACC:
-Miami almost blew a 23-3 lead to Pittsburgh, but was able to hold on to win 29-24. Brad Kaaya threw a TD and rushed for another, but the hero for the Hurricanes was kicker Michael Badgley who was 5/5 on FGs. Pitt was having success in the 4th quarter, but just didn’t have enough time to comeback. Pitt got the ball back with 6 seconds left, but couldn’t do what Miami did to Duke.
-Clemson held off upset-minded South Carolina to win 37-32. The final score is a little misleading because South Carolina’s final TD came with just 1 second remaining. Deshaun Watson had another big game, throwing a TD and rushing for 114 yards and 3TDs. Clemson fumbled 3 times to let South Carolina stay close. The Gamecocks were the only team to beat Clemson’s next opponent, North Carolina.
-Florida State embarrassed Florida 27-2 in the Swamp. Neither team’s offense looked very good, but at least the ‘Noles scored on offense. Sean Maguire threw a TD and Dalvin Cook rushed for 183 yards and 2 scores. Florida State was just 2-14 on 3rd down.
-North Carolina beat NC State 45-34, scoring 35 in the first quarter. Marquise Williams and Mitch Trubisky each threw TDs. Elijah Hood rushed for 220 yards and 2TDs and TJ Logan carried the ball 6 times for 100 yards and 2 more TDs. Jacoby Brissett provided most of the Wolf Pack’s offense, throwing 2TDs and rushing for 128 yards and 2 scores. UNC turned the ball over 3 times and NC State turned them into 13 points.
-Georgia Tech lost to Georgia 7-13 to close out a disappointing season. Justin Thomas threw a TD, but the Yellow Jackets turned the ball over 3 times. GT was outgained 402-276 in offensive yards.
-Louisville overcame a 3-24 first half deficit to beat Kentucky 38-24. Lamar Jackson threw a TD and rushed for 186 yards and another TD. Brandon Radcliff rushed for 2TDs for the Cardinals as well. Kyle Bolin was just 2/5 with 2INTs before the switch was made to Lamar Jackson at QB. He was only 8/21, but his rushing made up for it.
-Virginia Tech scored 17 points in the 4th quarter to beat Virginia 23-20. This means that Frank Beamer will get to coach one more game and keep the bowl streak going for a 23rd straight season. Michael Brewer threw 2TDs and kicker Joe Slye was 3/3 on FGs including the 41-yard game-winner with 1:48 remaining. Matt Johns threw a TD and Albert Reid rushed for 103 yards and a score for the Cavaliers. Kicker Ian Frye was 2/3 on FGs. Johns was picked off on Virginia’s final drive to secure the 6th win and bowl bid for the Hokies.
-Syracuse beat Boston College 20-17 on a last second field goal. Zack Mahoney threw a TD and Ervin Philips rushed for a TD. Cole Murphy kicked the game winner from 35 yards out and also hit a 49-yard FG in the game. BC’s Jeff Smith was 1/13 for 9 yards and 2INTs and also rushed for 117 yards. Tyler Rouse rushed for 111 yards and 2TDs. Kicker Colton Lichtenberg nailed a 43-yard FG with 2:42 remaining to tie the game. BC was penalized 11 times for 119 yards.
-Duke beat Wake Forest 27-21 to ensure a winning season. Thomas Sirk threw for 275 yards and 2TDs to Max McCaffrey (brother of Christian McCaffrey) and also ran for a score. Kicker Ross Martin was 2/3 on FGs. John Wolford threw for 338 yards, 2TDs, and 2INTs. Tyler Bell also rushed for a TD for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest was unable to recover their on-side kick after their final TD.
Next Week: 10North Carolina vs 1Clemson

Independents:
-Notre Dame lost to Stanford 36-38 in a great game. DeShone Kizer threw for 234 yards and a TD as well as rushing for 128 yards and a TD. Josh Adams rushed for 168 yards and a TD. CJ Sanders returned a kick 93 yards for a TD. Justin Yoon was 3/3 on FGs, but it wasn’t enough for the Fighting Irish.
-BYU was down 10-21 to Utah State with 3 minutes left before halftime, but ended up winning 51-28. Tanner Mangum threw 4TDs and Algernon Brown and Francis Bernard each rushed for a TD and caught a TD. The Cougars scored twice in the last 3 minutes of the first half, including a 37-yard fumble return TD as time expired.

American:
-UCF lost 3-44 to USF to finish the season 0-12. Quinton Flowers had another good game, throwing 3TDs and rushing for 2 more. USF outgained UCF 455-203 in total yards.
-Houston ended Navy’s hopes of a NY6 bowl game beating them 52-31. This win also sends Houston to the AAC Championship to play Temple. The winner of that game is almost 100% guaranteed a NY6 bowl berth. Gred Ward Jr. threw for 308 yards and 3TDs and rushed for another TD. Brandon Wilson rushed for 111 yards and 2TDs. Demarcus Ayers had 161 receiving yards and a TD and also threw a TD. Keenan Reynolds was 13/16 for 312 yards and a TD and also rushed for a score. Chris Swain added two more TDs on the ground.
-Tulsa scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to beat Tulane 45-34 and become bowl eligible. Dane Evans threw for 367 yards and 3TDs. The Golden Hurricane had two pick sixes to help life them over the Green Wave. Jordy Joseph threw for 343 yards and 4TDs. Tulane had a 34-24 lead with under 8 minutes left to play. The two pick sixes came on back to back drives after Tulsa cut the lead to 34-31.
-Temple didn’t have any trouble locking up their division with a 27-3 win over Connecticut. PJ Walker threw a TD and Jahad Thomas rushed for 119 yards and 2 scores for the Owls. Temple outgained UConn 321-138(still more than Ohio State had against Michigan State).
-Cincinnati denied East Carolina’s hopes of a bowl with a 19-16 win. Gunner Kiel threw a TD and Mike Boone rushed for a TD and Andrew Gantz kicked the game-winner from 42 yards out as time expired. Blake Kemp and James Summers threw TDs for the Pirates. Each kicker missed a PAT in this game.
-Memphis crushed SMU 63-0 behind Paxton Lynch’s amazing game. Lynch threw 7TDs (each to a different receiver) in the first half on just 9 completions. During this game, news broke that Memphis HC Justin Fuente would be the successor of Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech. SMU turned the ball over 5 times in the game and only racked up 97 yards despite having the ball for 31:56.
Next Week: 22Temple vs 19Houston

Mountain West:
-Boise State got a first half scare from San Jose State, but won 40-23. The Broncos scored 31 points in the second half. Brett Rypien threw 2TDs, Jeremy McNichols rushed for 192 yards and 2TDs and caught a TD, and Kelsey Young added another score. Kenny Potter threw for 336 yards and 3TDs and also threw 2INTs. Boise State barely outgained SJSU 497-474.
-Wyoming beat UNLV 35-28 thanks to a late score. Cameron Coffman threw 3TDs and Brian Hill carried the ball 35 times for 232 yards and a TD. Jacob Hollister caught the go-ahead 64-yard TD with 2:20 remaining. UNLV couldn’t move the ball on their final drive. Blake Decker threw 3TDs and Kurt Palandech rushed for another score.
-Utah State blew an early lead and lost 28-51 to BYU. Chuckie Keeton threw a TD and rushed for another. Jake Thompson misses 3FGs for the Aggies. Utah State saw a 21-10 lead evaporate in the final 3 minutes of the first half.
-Colorado State got by Fresno State 34-31. Nick Stevens threw a TD and Izzy Matthews rushed for 140 yards and a TD. Kevin Nutt Jr. returned a kick for a TD and Joe Hansley returned 2 punts for TDs. Fresno State rushed for 216 yards and 4TDs as a team with Marteze Waller’s 112 yards and TD leading the pack. The Rams had the ball for the final 5:03 of the game to beat the Bulldogs.
-New Mexico got another big conference win, this time by beating Air Force 47-35. Jhurell Pressley rushed for 170 yards and 3TDs for the Lobos who rushed for 377 yards and 6TDs as a team. Karson Roberts threw 3TDs to Timothy McVey who also rushed for 105 yards and 2 scores. Roberts also threw 3INTs, all in the second half.
-San Diego State wrapped up a perfect 8-0 in MWC play with a 31-14 win over Nevada. Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 154 yards and 2TDs and Chase Price rushed for 112 yards and a TD. The Wolf Pack turned the ball over 3 times. Nevada rushed for just 35 yards and SDSU rushed for 320 yards.
-Hawaii escaped a late rally by ULM to win 28-26. Ikaika Woolsey threw a TD and rushed for 2 more. Paul Harris carried the ball 27 times for 166 yards and a TD for the Rainbow Warriors. Earnest Carrington threw 2TDs and Lorenzo Jackson recovered a Hawaii fumble in the endzone with 3 minutes left, but ULM was unable to connect on the 2-point conversion attempt.
Next Week: Air Force vs San Diego State

MAC:
-Bowling Green had no trouble going on the road for their final game, winning 48-10 over Ball State. Matt Johnson threw 2TDs and rushed for another. Fred Coppet and Matt Domer each topped the 100-yard rush mark and had a TD. Travis Greene rushed for 97 yards and 2TDs. Riley Neal threw a TD for Ball State, but also threw 3INTs.
-Ohio upset Northern Illinois 26-21 on the road. Luckily for Northern Illinois, Western Michigan upset Toledo so NIU will still be playing in the MAC Championship. Both starting QBs got knocked out of this game after throwing TDs. Each backup came in and threw a TD for their team as well. Ohio kicker Josiah Yazdani was 4/5 on FGs to help put the Bobcats ahead. NIU scored late but was unable to recover the on-side kick.
-Western Michigan went on the road and beat 24th ranked Toledo 35-30. If Toledo had won this game, they would be playing for the MAC Championship against Bowling Green, a team they beat 44-28 2 weeks ago. Zach Terrell threw 2TDs and Tom Flacco and Jamauri Bogan each rushed for scores. Phillip Ely threw 2TDs and had help from Kareem Hunt’s 139 rush yards and TD. The Rockets scored with 1:18 remaining, but couldn’t get the 2-point conversion or recover the onside kick.
-Akron shut out Kent State 20-0. Thomas Woodson threw a TD to Newman Williams and Conor Hundley rushed for a TD. Kicker Robert Stein was 2/3 on FGs for the game. The Zips outgained Kent State 369-135 and had the ball for 40:59.
-Central Michigan scored 28 points in the 3rd quarter to beat Eastern Michigan 35-28. Cooper Rush threw for 391 yards and 2TDs and Romello Ross rushed for 3TDs on just 7 carries for 34 yards as well as catching a TD. Brogan Roback threw 2TDs and Darius Jackson caught a TD and rushed for another. Kyle Rachwal had a pick 6 for the Eagles. CMU had a huge edge in yards, outgaining EMU 583-330.
-Massachusetts ended Buffalo’s hope for a bowl game with a 31-26 win on the road. Marquis Young carried the ball 35 times for 240 yards and 3TDs for the Minutemen. Joe Licata threw a TD and Anthone Taylor and Jordan Johnson each had rushing TDs. Licata got picked off with 1:43 left to seal the UMass win.
Next Week: Bowling Green vs Northern Illinois (Fri)

C-USA:
-Western Kentucky scored 28 points in the 2nd quarter and beat Marshall 49-28 to advance to the CUSA Championship game. Brandon Doughty threw for 370 yards and 5TDs for the Hilltoppers and Anthony Wales rushed for 131 yards and a TD. Chase Litton threw 2TDs and 2INTs. Deandre Reaves returned a kick 97 yards for a score for the Thundering Herd. WKU outgained Marshall 546-273. Marshall also turned the ball over 4 times.
-Southern Miss scored 27 in the 4th quarter and beat Louisiana Tech 58-24. Nick Mullens threw for 386 yards and 3TDs and Ito Smith rushed for 169 yards and 3TDs. Devonta Foster returned one of LT’s 4INTs for a TD. Jeff Driskel threw for 355 yards, 3TDs, and 3INTs. The Bulldogs turned the ball over 7 times and rushed for a net of -2 yards.
-Old Dominion scored 21 points in the 3rd quarter, but it wasn’t enough and the Monarchs lost to FAU 31-33. Jay Warren rushed for 150 yards and a TD with Jaquez Johnson and Marcus Clark each adding scores on the ground. Kicker Greg Joseph was 4/5 on FGs, including 2 in the 4th quarter. Shuler Bentley threw 3TDs, all to Zach Pascal, and rushed for another for ODU. Old Dominion turned the ball over on downs with just under a minute left in the game.
-Middle Tennessee routed UTSA 42-7 to ensure a winning season for the Blue Raiders. Brent Stockstill threw a TD and Shane Tucker rushed for 2 scores. Kamani Thomas and Jordan Parker each rushed for TDs for MTSU as well. Alex Dale also had a pick 6. UTSA’s only TD came on a pass from Dalton Sturm to JaBryce Taylor.
-Rice and Charlotte were tied at 0 after the first half, but Rice found some offense and won 27-7. Jowan Davis and Driphus Jackson each rushed for TDs for the Owls and Luke Turner threw a TD to Cole Hunt. Matt Johnson threw a TD to Trent Bostick for the 49ers’ only score of the game.
-UTEP scored in the 4th quarter and was able to hold on to beat North Texas 20-17. Kavika Johnson threw a TD and rushed for another and Dashone Smith had a 65-yard pick 6. North Texas’s offense didn’t score a TD in this game. Tre Johnson returned a punt for a TD and Cortney Finney returned a fumble 13 yards for a score. UTEP was able to win despite turning the ball over 5 times.
Next Week: Southern Mississippi vs Western Kentucky

Sun Belt:
-Georgia State beat Troy 31-21 to keep their bowl hopes alive. Nick Arbuckle threw for 368 yards and 2TDs and rushed for another score. Glenn Smith also rushed for a score for the Panthers. Brandon Silvers threw 2TDs and Brandon Burks rushed for a TD. GAST outgained Troy 519-374 in offensive yards.
-Appalachian State got their 9th win of the season by beating ULL 28-7. Taylor Lamb threw a TD, Jalin Moore rushed for 104 yards and a TD, and Marcus Cox rushed for 2 scores. Jordan Davis rushed for the only Ragin’ Cajun TD.
-Georgia Southern beat South Alabama 55-17 thanks to a huge rushing performace by the Eagles. Georgia Southern rushed the ball 56 times for 489 yards and 6TDs, with Matt Breida leading the pack, racking up 187 yards and 2TDs. GASO outgained the Jaguars 542-136.
-Arkansas State beat New Mexico State 52-28, but scored 21 in the first quarter rather than the 3rd or 4th. Fredi Knighten threw for 367 yards and 2TDs and also rushed for a TD. Tres Houston and Dijon Paschal each topped 100 receiving yards and had TDs. Johnston White and Michael Gordon each rushed for TDs as well. Quanterio Heath had a 66-yard pick 6 and Blaise Taylor returned a punt for a TD. Andrew Allen threw 3TDs and 2INTs and Nick Jeanty also threw a TD and a pick. Jordan Bergstrom had 4 recptions for 110 yards and 2TDs. Arkansas State gained 605 yards in this game.
-Idaho beat Texas State 38-31 thanks to a late TD. Matt Linehan threw 2TDs, both to Deon Watson, and rushed for another. Elihjaa Penny rushed for 149 yards and 2TDs. Tyler Jones was responsible for all 4TDs for the Bobcats, throwing 2TDs and rushing for the other 2. Tyler Siudzinski rushed for 170 yards for Texas State as well. The Vandals’ game winning TD came with 1:02 left and Texas State was unable to answer.
-ULM went all the way to Honolulu and came up a 2-point conversion short of OT in their 26-28 loss to Hawaii. Earnest Carrington threw 2TDs for the Warhawks and Lorenzo Jackson recovered a fumble in the endzone with just over 3 minutes left but were unable to convert the two-point conversion to tie the game. They were also unable to recover the onside kick.
Next Week: GAST at GASO, TXST at ARST, NMSU at ULM, Troy at ULL, APP at USA

Top 25
1Clemson 37 South Carolina 32
2Alabama 29 Auburn 13
3Oklahoma 58 11Oklahoma State 23
4Iowa 28 Nebraska 20
5Michigan State 55 Penn State 16
9Stanford 38 6Notre Dame 36
19TCU 28 7Baylor 21 2OT
8Ohio State 42 10Michigan 13
13Florida State 27 12Flordia 2
14North Carolina 45 NC State 34
Houston 52 15Navy 31
16Northwestern 24 Illinois 14
17Oregon 52 Oregon State 42
18Ole Miss 38 21Mississippi State 27
Washington 45 20Washington State 10
USC 40 22UCLA 21
23Utah 20 Colorado 14
Western Michigan 35 24Toledo 30
25Temple 27 Connecticut 3

Stats and Scores from ESPN.com