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Top 25 roundup: Texas A&M slams CFP door on No. 5 LSU

Nov 26, 2022; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Walter Nolen (88) and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (45) celebrate a defensive stop against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Devon Achane returned from a two-game absence due to injury to rush for 215 yards and two touchdowns, and Texas A&M upset No. 5 LSU 38-23 on Saturday night in College Station, Texas.

Conner Weigman threw two touchdown passes and the Aggies (5-7, 2-6 SEC) never trailed while ending a six-game conference losing streak.

John Emery Jr. rushed for three touchdowns for the Tigers (9-3, 6-2), who saw their College Football Playoff chances end. They will face No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 3.

Achane, who finished with 38 carries, ran 10 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to make it a 38-17 lead for the Aggies.

No. 1 Georgia 37, Georgia Tech 14

The Bulldogs started slowly before pulling away from the visiting Yellow Jackets, giving them consecutive undefeated regular seasons for the first time in school history.

Stetson Bennett went just 10-of-18 passing for 140 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs (12-0), who will face No. 5 LSU in the SEC title game on Dec. 3.

Yellow Jackets’ quarterback Zach Gibson went 19-of-35 passing for 191 yards, with Nate McCollum catching six passes for 65 yards. The Yellow Jackets (5-7) missed becoming bowl eligible for the fourth straight season after falling to their in-state rival for the fifth straight year and for the 18th time in the past 21 meetings.

No. 3 Michigan 45, No. 2 Ohio State 23

J.J. McCarthy threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns, added another score on the ground and the Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes at Columbus, Ohio.

Donovan Edwards added 216 yards rushing with two TDs as Michigan (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) defeated Ohio State (11-1, 8-1) at Ohio Stadium for the first time since 2000.

McCarthy’s 45-yard TD pass to Colston Loveland early in the third quarter gave the Wolverines the lead for good at 24-20. McCarthy followed that with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took 7:51 off the clock by running in from the 3 with 13:10 remaining in the game.

No. 4 TCU 62, Iowa State 14

Max Duggan threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns as the Horned Frogs walloped the Cyclones in the regular-season finale for both teams in Fort Worth, Texas.

Millard Bradford and Josh Newton returned interceptions for scores for TCU (12-0, 9-0 Big 12). Kendre Miller ran for 72 yards and two scores for the Horned Frogs, who won despite the absence of star receiver Quentin Johnston (ankle).

Hunter Dekkers passed for just 106 yards, with a TD and an interception for Iowa State (4-8, 1-8) before being forced from the game by an injury to his non-throwing shoulder early in the third quarter. The Cyclones will miss a bowl game for the first time since 2016.

No. 6 Southern Cal 38, No. 15 Notre Dame 27

Caleb Williams rushed for three touchdowns and passed for another, and the Trojans completed their best regular season since 2008 with a win over the Fighting Irish in Los Angeles.

The Trojans (11-1), already locked into next Friday’s Pac-12 Conference championship game, maintained their prospects of playing in the College Football Playoff with an emphatic win to cap the regular season.

USC jumped ahead less than five minutes into Saturday’s contest when Williams connected with Tahj Washington on an 11-yard touchdown, and the Trojans led from wire-to-wire thereafter. Notre Dame (8-4) threatened in the second quarter when Drew Pyne threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mayer.

No. 7 Alabama 49, Auburn 27

Behind four touchdowns from quarterback Bryce Young, the host Crimson Tide kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive by beating the rival Tigers in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Young passed for 343 yards and threw three touchdowns in the first half. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner also added 48 yards and a score on the ground in the opening half.

Jase McClellan, Ja’Corey Brooks and Traeshon Holden had touchdown receptions for the Crimson Tide (10-2, 6-2 SEC). Quarterback Robby Ashford had a touchdown pass to Ja’Varrius Johnson and tallied 121 yards and two rushing scores for the Tigers (5-7, 2-6). Tailback Jarquez Hunter recorded a team-high 134 rushing yards.

South Carolina 31, No. 8 Clemson 30

Spencer Rattler threw two touchdown passes to Antwane Wells Jr. and the defense had a tremendous second half as the visiting Gamecocks knocked off the Tigers.

A 40-game home-field winning streak came to a halt for the Tigers (10-2), who also no longer have a shot to make the College Football Playoff field. Rattler was 25-for-39 for 360 yards with two interceptions, while Wells finished with 131 receiving yards on nine catches. South Carolina (8-4) managed only 54 rushing yards.

D.J. Uiagalelei ran for a touchdown and threw for one, Will Shipley ran for a touchdown and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. returned an interception for a touchdown for Clemson’s big moments. South Carolina took its first lead on Mitch Jeter’s 35-yard field goal with 10:54 remaining.

No. 21 Oregon State 38, No. 9 Oregon 34

Isaiah Newell scored on two fourth-quarter touchdown runs — his only carries of the game — as the host Beavers rallied from a 21-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Ducks in Corvallis, Ore., and prevent them from clinching a berth in the Pac-12 Conference championship game.

Damien Martinez had his sixth consecutive 100-yard rushing game, gaining 103 yards before leaving with an apparent leg injury for the Beavers (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12), who clinched their first nine-win regular season since 2012.

A hobbled Bo Nix completed 27 of 41 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns for Oregon (9-3, 7-2). The Ducks were 0-for-5 on fourth-down attempts, with three of those coming in the fourth quarter.

No. 10 Tennessee 56, Vanderbilt 0

Jaylen Wright ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries to help the Volunteers close their regular season with a rout of the host Commodores in Nashville, Tenn.

Most of Wright’s yards came on touchdown runs of 83 and 50 yards.

The victory, coupled with multiple upsets of teams ranked ahead of the Volunteers (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) in the College Football Playoff poll, could put them in a better position to land a New Year’s Six Bowl or even keep alive very slim hopes of making the CFP.

The Commodores (5-7, 2-6) lost to Tennessee for the fourth consecutive time.

No. 11 Penn State 35, Michigan State 16

Sean Clifford threw four touchdown passes, including a pair of TD strikes late in the fourth quarter, as the Nittany Lions pulled away from the Spartans in University Park, Pa.

Clifford finished 19 of 24 for 202 yards without a turnover for Penn State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten). KeAndre Lambert-Smith (five catches, 83 yards) had a receiving touchdown and a passing score, while Theo Johnson hauled in two TD catches for the Nittany Lions.

Payton Thorne passed for a touchdown and ran for another for Michigan State (5-7, 3-6). Thorne finished 24 of 43 for 229 yards for the Spartans.

No. 12 Kansas State 47, Kansas 27

Deuce Vaughn had 229 total yards and a touchdown as the Wildcats defeated the Jayhawks to secure a bid in the Big 12 Championship Game on Dec. 3 against TCU.

K-State (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) defeated Kansas for the 14th straight season, while the Jayhawks (6-6, 3-6) lost for the sixth time in the last seven games. Kansas State took advantage of a KU turnover to open a 37-21 lead midway through the third quarter. Vaughn went around the left side on fourth-and-1 for the score.

Devin Neal rushed for two touchdowns for Kansas, and Jalon Daniels completed 20 of 32 passes for 168 yards.

No. 13 Washington 51, Washington St. 33

Michael Penix Jr. passed for 485 yards and three touchdowns and added two rushing scores to lead the visiting Huskies to an Apple Cup victory over the rival Cougars in Pac-12 play at Pullman, Wash.

Jalen McMillan caught six passes for 150 yards and one touchdown, and Rome Odunze had five receptions for 157 yards and scored two touchdowns — one receiving, one rushing — for Washington (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12). Wayne Taulapapa rushed for 126 yards and one score for the Huskies, who won their sixth consecutive game.

Cameron Ward completed 33 of 52 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score for the Cougars (7-5, 4-5), who had a three-game winning streak halted.

No. 14 Utah 63, Colorado 21

Cameron Rising was 17-for-19 passing for 234 yards and three touchdowns, Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed for 117 yards and three scores and the Utes beat the Buffaloes in Boulder, Colo.

Micah Bernard ran for 91 yards and a TD, Dalton Kincaid had five receptions for 102 yards and a score and Thomas Yassmin, Money Parks and Makai Cope had touchdown catches for the Utes (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12).

Alex Fontenot and Anthony Hankerson ran for touchdowns and Maddox Kopp was 15-for-28 passing for 123 yards and a TD to Frank Fillip for the Buffaloes (1-11, 1-8). Utah took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on TD runs by Bernard and Jackson, and the Utes opened a big lead in the second quarter.

No. 22 UCF 46, South Florida 39

Backup quarterback Mikey Keene tossed a touchdown pass with 20 seconds left and the Knights escaped with a victory over the host Bulls to clinch a berth in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

The Knights (9-3, 6-2 AAC) will play regular-season winner Tulane in New Orleans next Saturday. The Knights had to rally after squandering a 24-point lead in the third quarter.

Keene took over in the second half when starter John Rhys Plumlee left the game after apparently aggravating a hamstring injury. Plumlee rushed for 133 yards and was 9-of-9 passing for 73 yards and a score in the first half in leading UCF to a 28-0 lead midway through the second quarter and a 28-7 cushion at the break.

Kentucky 26, No. 25 Louisville 13

Will Levis tossed two touchdown passes, Chris Rodriguez Jr. set a record for 100-yard games and the Wildcats beat the Cardinals for the fourth straight time in the in-state rivalry in Lexington, Ky.

Levis was 11-for-19 for 188 yards with touchdown passes to Dane Key and Barion Brown. Rodriguez notched his program-best 20th 100-yard game by rushing 24 times for 120 yards, breaking the mark of 19 held by Benny Snell Jr. (2016-18). Matt Ruffolo kicked four field goals for Kentucky (7-5, 3-5 SEC).

Cardinals quarterback Brock Domann started but struggled, going 14-for-21 for 129 yards with a TD and interception. Malik Cunningham replaced him and went 3-for-6 for 16 yards and one interception for Louisville (7-5, 4-4 ACC).

–Field Level Media

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