Auburn holds 4B The Sentinel- Record, Monday, November 3, 2014 on at Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. — Cassanova McKinzy recovered a fumble in the end zone to preserve No. 4 Auburn’s 35-31 victory over No. 7 Mississippi on Saturday night in what amounted to the first College Football Playoff knockout game.
The Tigers (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 3 CFP) got a reprieve after Rebels receiver Laquon Treadwell lost the ball at the end of a tackle-breaking catch-and-run to the end zone with 1:30 left. It was ruled a touchdown, but the replay official determined he lost the ball before crossing the goal line.
Auburn milked a minute off the clock before Ole Miss (7-2, 4-2, No. 4 CFP) got the ball back at its 49 with 26 seconds left and no timeouts. Bo Wallace, who had fumbled at Auburn’s 6 on the previous drive, threw three straight incompletions before a final desperation play went nowhere.
The Tigers gained 507 yards against the nation’s top scoring defense, the only unit that hadn’t given up 20 points in a game coming into this SEC West clash. An Ole Miss offense held to seven points in a loss to No. 16 LSU matched them nearly yard for yard, gaining 492.
Marshall completed 15 of 22 passes for 254 yards with an interception that was Senquez Golson’s nation-leading ninth. Marshall ran and passed for two touchdowns. Cameron Artis- Payne turned in another workhorse game, gaining 143 yards on 27 punishing carries.
Wallace was 28-of-40 passing for 341 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 59-yard run and scored on a 3-yarder early in the fourth quarter for a 31-28 lead.
Auburn answered with Artis-Payne’s 6-yard touchdown run with 10:23 left.
No. 5 Oregon 45, Stanford 16
EUGENE, Ore. — Marcus Mariota threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores in Oregon’s victory over Stanford.
Thomas Tyner returned from an injury to run for two touchdowns to help the Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12, No. 5 CFP) snap a two-game losing streak to the Cardinal.
Stanford’s defense had not allowed an opponent more than 30 points in a string of 31 games, the longest streak in the nation. The Cardinal (5-4, 3-3) had allowed just four total rushing touchdowns through the season’s first eight games; Oregon finished with four.
All of Stanford’s losses have come to ranked teams.
No. 6 Notre Dame 49, Navy 39
LANDOVER, Md. — Everett Golson became the first player in Notre Dame history to throw for three touchdowns and run for three scores, and the Fight Irish beat Navy after blowing a 21-point lead.
After scoring touchdowns on their first four possessions, the Fighting Irish (7-1, No. 10 CFP) appeared on their way to an easy victory. Navy then scored 24 straight points to move ahead 31-28 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter.
Golson put Notre Dame back in front with a 3-yard burst into the end zone, and Tarean Folston’s 25-yard touchdown run made it 42-31 with 12:22 remaining.
Two missed field goals by the Irish kept Navy’s hopes alive. The Midshipmen (4-5) took advantage by scoring a touchdown and 2-point conversion to close to 42-39 with 4:18 remaining, but the onside kick failed and Golson wrapped it up with an 8-yard TD run with 1:27 to go.
No. 11 Kansas St. 48, Oklahoma St. 14
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Jake Waters threw two touchdown passes, Charles Jones ran for a pair of scores and Kansas State shut down Oklahoma State’s slumping offense.
Curry Sexton had nine catches for 159 yards and a touchdown, and Tyler Lockett had six receptions for 94 yards and a score, helping the Wildcats (7-1, 5-0, No. 9 CFP) remain the lone unbeaten team in the Big 12 heading into next week’s showdown at 10th-ranked TCU.
After marching for a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, Oklahoma State ( 5- 4, 3-3) never threatened on offense again. The Cowboys managed only a pick-six by Ramon Richards in the fourth quarter in losing their third straight game for the first time since the 2005 season.
The second-largest crowd in Kansas State history, an overflow gathering of 53,746 fans, was dumbstruck for all of 12 seconds — the amount of time it took Morgan Burns to return the ensuing kickoff for a matching touchdown. Burns bobbled the kickoff at first, but quickly picked it up and found a clean lane, running almost untouched 86 yards for the score.
No. 13 Ohio St. 55, Illinois 14
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Curtis Sam-
OLE MISERY: uel ran for two touchdowns and J.T. Barrett hit Devin Smith on two scoring passes — all in the first half — and Ohio State extended its Big Ten winning streak to a record-tying 20.
The Buckeyes ( 7-1, 4- 0, No. 16 CFP) won their sixth in a row — five by lopsided scores. Now they head into the game of the year in the conference, at defending champion Michigan State next week.
Donovonn Young’s 5-yard run late in the third quarter broke up the shutout for the Illini (4-5, 1-4).
Barrett, nursing a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee and wearing a brace, left at halftime with the Buckeyes up 31-0. He completed 15 of 24 passes for 167 yards.
He gave way to Cardale Jones, who lofted a picture-perfect 27-yard TD pass to Dontre Wilson and also hit Michael Thomas on a 19-yard scoring pass.
No. 25 UCLA 17, No. 14 Arizona 7
PASADENA, Calif. — Brett Hundley passed for 189 yards and ran for 131 more, and UCLA pulled its season back from the brink with a dominant defensive performance against Arizona.
Paul Perkins rushed for a touch- down and Hundley threw a 70-yard TD pass to Jordan Payton during the decisive third quarter. The Bruins (72, 4-2 Pac-12, No. 22 CFP) stayed in the Pac-12 South race with their first home victory in nearly two months.
Anu Solomon went 18 for 48 for 175 yards on a nightmarish offensive night for the Wildcats (6-2, 3-2, No. 12 CFP), who couldn’t score in the final 57 minutes.
Cayleb Jones caught a TD pass on Arizona’s opening drive.
No. 15 Arizona St. 19, No. 18 Utah 16, OT
TEMPE, Ariz. — Zane Gonzalez kicked a 36-yard field goal in overtime and Arizona State overcame an uneven performance to take control of the Pac-12 South.
Utah (6-2, 3-1, No. 17 CFP) had the ball first in overtime and had to call a timeout just before Andy Phillips attempted a 35-yard field goal to avoid a delay penalty. Phillips pushed that attempt wide right and did the same thing when it counted.
Arizona State (7-1, 5-1, No. 14 CFP) managed just a couple of yards on its overtime drive, but Gonzalez made his kick count, driving the ball through the uprights to send the Sun Devils charging onto the field.
The victory, combined with Arizona’s loss to UCLA, gives Arizona State a one-game lead in the Pac-12 South and keeps the Sun Devils’ College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Tennessee 45, South Carolina 42, OT
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Joshua Dobbs threw a 9-yard pass to Jason Croom with 11 seconds left to tie the game at 42 before Aaron Medley’s 32-yard field goal in overtime lifted Tennessee to its first Southeastern Conference win 45-42 over South Carolina on Saturday night.
The Vols (4-5, 1-4 SEC) trailed 4228 with 4:52 remaining after Brandon Wilds’ 70-yard scoring run. But the Gamecocks struggling defense, which gave up double-digit, fourth-quarter leads in losses to Missouri and Kentucky, did it again.
Dobbs’ 3-yard TD run drew the Vols within a score with 1:50 left before his tying touchdown pass a series later.
South Carolina’s Dylan Thompson was sacked twice in overtime and the Gamecocks (4-5, 2-5) badly missed a desperation, 58-yard field goal.
Dobbs threw for two touchdowns and ran for three others.