Three of the College Football Playoff’s Top Four Teams Fall
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSNOV. 12, 2016
Chris Blewitt made a 48-yard field goal with six seconds left as visiting Pittsburgh stunned No. 3 Clemson 43-42, on Saturday, spoiling a record-setting day for quarterback Deshaun Watson and complicating the Tigers’ path back to the College Football Playoff.
It was the biggest win for the Panthers (6-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) since they knocked off No. 2 West Virginia, 13-9, in 2007.
Watson threw for an A.C.C. record 580 yards and three touchdowns for Clemson (9-1, 6-1, second in the playoff rankings). But his third interception gave Pitt the chance to rally from a 42-34 deficit. After Saleem Brightwell’s interception and 70-yard return, James Conner finished the drive with a 20-yard touchdown run.
The Panthers’ defense, which gave up 630 yards, rose when it counted and stopped Wayne Gallman short on third and fourth downs to regain possession with 58 seconds left. Two passes to Scott Orndoff put Pitt within range, and Blewitt nailed the kick to send the Panthers into a frenzy.
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“Our team had a lot of guts tonight,” Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi said.
The Panthers’ Nathan Peterman threw a career-best five touchdown passes and finished with 308 yards in the air. Conner rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also caught one of Peterman’s passes for a score.
Blewitt, a senior who had a kick blocked at the end of the first half, received a kiss on the cheek from Narduzzi as he was sent out for the final field-goal attempt.
“As soon as I saw the kick go up, I knew it was going in,” Orndoff said. “It was jubilation.”
Clemson had its offense going. Gallman ran for three touchdowns, and Mike Williams had 15 catches for 202 yards and a touchdown.
It was Clemson’s first loss at home since 2013, when Florida State, the eventual national champion, won, 51-14. It was also the Tigers’ first regular-season loss since November 2014 at Georgia Tech, a run of 23 straight games.
“Come Monday, we’ll start over because it’s a long season,” Watson said. “Get ready for Wake Forest.”
IOWA 14, MICHIGAN 13 The freshman Keith Duncan kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired, and host Iowa (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) stunned No. 2 Michigan (9-1, 6-1), which was third in the playoff rankings.
Akrum Wadley had 115 yards rushing for the Hawkeyes, who beat a top-five team for the first time in six years.
The Wolverines appeared to have the game wrapped up on Channing Stribling’s interception of Iowa quarterback C. J. Beathard with 1 minute 54 seconds left. But the Hawkeyes’ defense stuffed Michigan, and a face-mask penalty put Iowa at the Wolverines’ 36-yard line with 1:23 remaining.
U.S.C. 26, WASHINGTON 13 Sam Darnold threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns, and visiting Southern California (7-3, 6-2 Pacific-12) upset No. 4 Washington (9-1, 6-1), halting the Huskies’ 12-game winning streak and damaging their playoff hopes. Washington was fourth in the playoff rankings.
Darnold was outstanding against one of the top defenses in the Pac-12, showing why U.S.C. has surged since he became the starter. Darnold’s pass over linebacker D. J. Beavers and into the arms of tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe for an 8-yard touchdown strike in the opening moments of the fourth quarter gave the Trojans an 11-point lead that the Huskies could not overcome.
Ronald Jones II added 93 yards rushing and a touchdown. U.S.C. won its sixth straight game and kept alive its slim hopes of winning the Pac-12 South.
ALABAMA 51, MISSISSIPPI ST. 3 Jalen Hurts passed for career highs of 347 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards in less than three quarters, and No. 1 Alabama (10-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) routed visiting Mississippi State (4-6, 2-4).
The prolific performance by Hurts, a freshman, dispelled any concerns that the Crimson Tide would suffer a letdown after a bruising win at No. 19 Louisiana State. Instead, Hurts turned in his best game, and the defense denied the Bulldogs the end zone in nine trips across midfield.
LOUISVILLE 44, WAKE FOREST 12 Brandon Radcliff rushed for three touchdowns during Louisville’s 41-point second half, and the No. 5 Cardinals (9-1, 7-1 A.C.C.) roared past visiting Wake Forest (6-4, 3-3) despite a relatively quiet night for the Heisman Trophy candidate Lamar Jackson.
Louisville trailed, 12-0, behind three lost first-half fumbles before shutting down the Demon Deacons, holding them to just 37 yards after halftime. That opened the door for Radcliff to run for 141 yards and touchdowns of 55, 7 and 19 yards.
OHIO STATE 62, MARYLAND 3 J. T. Barrett accounted for four touchdowns, Curtis Samuel scored three times, and No. 6 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) enjoyed another lopsided victory, this one over host Maryland (5-5, 2-5).
Coming off a 62-3 rout of then-No. 10 Nebraska, the Buckeyes led by 21-3 after the first quarter and by 45-3 at halftime. Unlike last week’s game, this blowout was no surprise because it came against a struggling team with quarterback issues and a porous defense.
WISCONSIN 48, ILLINOIS 3 Corey Clement ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 7 Wisconsin (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) intercepted quarterback Jeff George Jr. four times in crushing visiting Illinois (3-7, 2-5).
Dare Ogunbowale added 103 yards on seven carries for the Badgers, who rushed for a season-high 363 yards as a team.
GEORGIA 13, AUBURN 7 Rodrigo Blankenship kicked two fourth-quarter field goals, and the defense of host Georgia (6-4, 4-4 SEC) shut down No. 8 Auburn (7-3, 5-2) in the second half to upset the Tigers.
The loss ended Auburn’s conference championship hopes and knocked the Tigers out of consideration for a spot in the playoffs.
OKLAHOMA 45, BAYLOR 24 Baker Mayfield passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score as No. 9 Oklahoma (8-2, 7-0 Big 12) defeated No. 25 Baylor (6-3, 3-3) in Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma won its seventh straight game over all and its 15th straight in Big 12 play. Joe Mixon finished with 187 yards from scrimmage, and Samaje Perine ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns after missing three games with a pulled leg muscle.
MISSISSIPPI 29, TEXAS A&M 28 Shea Patterson threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, Gary Wunderlich made a 39-yard field goal with 37 seconds left, and visiting Mississippi (5-5, 2-4 SEC) upset No. 10 Texas A&M (7-3, 4-3).
W. VIRGINIA 24, TEXAS 20 Kennedy McKoy ran for two touchdowns, and the defense of No. 11 West Virginia (8-1, 5-1) withstood a final pass attempt into the end zone to earn a tough road win over Texas (5-5, 3-4), keeping the Mountaineers’ Big 12 championship hopes alive.
PENN STATE, 45, INDIANA 31 Saquon Barkley ran for two go-ahead touchdowns in the fourth quarter, helping No. 12 Penn State (8-2, 6-1 Big Ten) thump host Indiana (5-5, 3-4).
OKLA. ST. 45, TEXAS TECH 44 Clayton Hatfield missed the extra point after Quinton White’s 1-yard scoring run for Texas Tech with 1:39 left, and No. 17 Oklahoma State (8-2, 6-1 Big 12) survived visiting Texas Tech (4-6, 2-5).
GEORGIA TECH 30, VA. TECH 20 Georgia Tech’s backup quarterback, Matthew Jordan, rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns to lead the visiting Yellow Jackets (6-4, 3-4 A.C.C.) to an upset of No. 18 Virginia Tech (7-3, 5-2).
L.S.U. 38, ARKANSAS 10 Derrius Guice rushed for a career-high 252 yards, Leonard Fournette added three touchdowns, and No. 19 Louisiana State (6-3, 4-2 SEC) improved to 4-1 under its interim coach, Ed Orgeron, with a road win over Arkansas (6-4, 2-4).
NEBRASKA 24, MINNESOTA 17 Tommy Armstrong Jr. led a 91-yard tiebreaking touchdown drive after being helped off the field with an ankle injury during the previous series, and Kieron Williams’s interception with 1:29 left secured a home victory for No. 21 Nebraska (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) against Minnesota (7-3, 4-3).
FLORIDA 20, S. CAROLINA 7 Austin Appleby threw two scoring passes, Jordan Scarlett ran for a career-high 134 yards, and No. 22 Florida (7-2, 5-2) beat visiting South Carolina (5-5, 3-5) and its former coach Will Muschamp, to move closer to clinching the SEC’s Eastern Division.
BOISE ST. 52, HAWAII 16 Brett Rypien passed for 338 yards and four touchdowns, and No. 24 Boise State (9-1, 5-1 Mountain West) pounded host Hawaii (4-7, 3-4).
