Top 25 roundup: No. 14 Texas A&M sinks No. 8 LSU, goes atop SEC

Backup quarterback Marcel Reed rushed for three second-half touchdowns on Saturday night and No. 14 Texas A&M took sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference with a 38-23 win over No. 8 LSU in College Station, Texas.

Reed scored on a pair of 8-yard runs in the third quarter after relieving starter Conner Weigman, giving the Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC) the lead for good at 21-17.

Reed added a 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, then answered a Tigers score with his fourth straight touchdown march. Le’Veon Moss made it 35-23 with 8:09 left on a 3-yard TD run, his second score of the night.

Randy Bond added a 26-yard field goal with 3:44 remaining to cap Texas A&M’s seventh straight win.

Garrett Nussmeier completed 25 of 50 passes for 405 yards and two touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions for the Tigers. LSU (6-2, 3-1) saw its six-game winning streak end.

No. 1 Oregon 38, No. 20 Illinois 9

Dillon Gabriel threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth in the first half as the Ducks blew by the Fighting Illini in Eugene, Ore.

In addition to leading Oregon (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) to its first win as the nation’s No. 1 team since Dec. 4, 2010, Gabriel climbed into second place on the FBS’ all-time charts for passing touchdowns (143) and passing yards (17,236). The Ducks rolled up 527 total yards, including 363 in the first half.

Illinois (6-2, 3-2) never found its footing in its first game against a No. 1 team since 2007. Quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 17 of 35 passes for 161 yards and his second and third interceptions of the season. Aidan Laughery rushed for 69 yards.

No. 3 Penn State 28, Wisconsin 13

Starting quarterback Drew Allar exited the game with an apparent injury, but backup Beau Pribula completed 11 of 13 passes and tossed a touchdown to help the Nittany Lions beat the Badgers in Madison, Wis.

Penn State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) remained undefeated behind a stingy defense and an offensive attack that came alive in the second half.

Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2) got its lone touchdown of the game from running back Tawee Walker, who ran for 59 yards on 22 carries. Braedyn Locke completed 22 of 42 passes for 217 yards.

No. 4 Ohio State 21, Nebraska 17

Will Howard had three touchdown passes, including a late, go-ahead score, as the Buckeyes rallied to defeat the Cornhuskers in Columbus, Ohio.

Howard’s 9-yard TD pass to Quinshon Judkins with 6:04 to play gave the Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) the lead after the offense had stalled in the third quarter with 23 total yards and no first downs. Jordan Hancock sealed the win with an interception at the Ohio State 45 with 1:16 left.

Nebraska (5-3, 2-3) had gone ahead 17-14 with 10:47 remaining on a 1-yard scoring run by Dante Dowdell and a two-point conversion catch by Nate Boerkircher. The Cornhuskers went 74 yards in nine plays for their first fourth-quarter lead against a top-five team since playing Texas in 2009.

No. 5 Texas 27, No. 25 Vanderbilt 24

Quinn Ewers threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns and the Longhorns’ defense held the Commodores to 269 total yards as Texas prevailed in SEC play at Nashville.

The Longhorns entered the day ranked No. 1 in scoring defense (9.7 points allowed per game) and total defense (237.3 yards allowed per game), and it showed, as Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia had a season-worst day (16-of-29 passing, 143 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions). Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2 SEC), which had turned it over just twice all season, had three giveaways.

Wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. caught two first-half touchdowns for Texas (7-1, 3-1), which never trailed after the first quarter.

No. 6 Miami 36, Florida State 14

Cam Ward threw for 208 yards and also caught a touchdown pass as the Hurricanes remained unbeaten with a win over the Seminoles in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Hurricanes running back Damien Martinez rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Miami (8-0, 4-0 ACC), which entered the game ranked No. 2 in the nation in scoring (48.3 points per game), was forced to settle for three Andres Borregales field goals.

Florida State (1-7, 1-6), meanwhile, was held to 248 yards of total offense, 75 of them on its final drive. Ward completed 22 of 35 throws with no touchdowns. In every other game this season, he had at least 300 yards and two TD passes.

No. 11 BYU 37, UCF 24

Jake Retzlaff threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another score, to lead the Cougars over the Knights in Big 12 play in Orlando.

Retzlaff had his fourth straight game with 200 passing yards to help BYU (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) continue its best start since 2020. LJ Martin racked up 101 yards and a touchdown on the ground for his second straight 100-yard rushing game.

RJ Harvey rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Knights. Jacurri Brown threw for 96 yards and two interceptions. Dylan Rizk passed for 102 yards and a TD. UCF (3-5, 1-4) trailed wire to wire en route to a fifth straight loss.

No. 12 Notre Dame 51, No. 24 Navy 14

Riley Leonard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one more and the Fighting Irish rolled to a blowout win over the Midshipmen in East Rutherford, N.J.

Jeremiyah Love added 12 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (7-1), which won its sixth game in a row. Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell had one touchdown reception apiece, Kedren Young rushed for a score and Jaylen Sneed had a fumble recovery for a defensive touchdown.

Blake Horvath completed 7 of 13 passes for 88 yards and an interception for Navy (6-1), but he proved effective on the ground with 14 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown. The Midshipmen finished with six turnovers.

No. 13 Indiana 31, Washington 17

D’Angelo Ponds intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown, as the Hoosiers remained undefeated with a victory against the Huskies in a Big Ten game in Bloomington, Ind.

Justice Ellison rushed for a game-high 123 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries for the Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten). Indiana has opened a season 8-0 for the first time since 1967. Quarterback Tayven Jackson, making his first start of the season for the injured Kurtis Rourke, completed 11 of 19 passes for 124 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and he also rushed for a score.

Jonah Coleman gained 104 yards on the ground for the Huskies (4-4, 2-3). Will Rogers III was 19-of-26 passing for 202 yards with two first-half interceptions.

No. 15 Alabama 34, No. 21 Missouri 0

Jalen Milroe passed for 215 yards and rushed for 50 yards and a touchdown as the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Milroe completed 16 of 26 passes as Alabama (6-2, 3-2 SEC) outgained Missouri (6-2, 2-2) 486-239. Justice Haynes rushed for 79 yards and one touchdown and Jam Miller rushed for 50 yards and two TDs for the Tide.

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook, playing with an ankle injury, was 7-of-12 passing for just 30 yards before exiting with a hand injury. Drew Pyne replaced Cook and was 6-for-12 passing for 43 yards and three interceptions.

No. 16 Kansas State 29, Kansas 27

Chris Tennant tied his career long with a 51-yard field goal in the final two minutes, helping the Wildcats to a victory over the in-state rival Jayhawks in Manhattan, Kan.

Kansas State extended its winning streak over Kansas to 16 games. Avery Johnson was 19-of-34 passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats (7-1, 4-1 Big 12). He also had a rushing touchdown.

Kansas (2-6, 1-4) got a 24-yard rushing touchdown from Devin Neal, the 44th touchdown of his career, making him the all-time TD leader in Jayhawks history.

No. 18 Ole Miss 26, Oklahoma 14

Jaxson Dart threw for 311 yards and a touchdown, heating up in the second half as the Rebels beat the Sooners in Oxford, Miss.

Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2 SEC) took the lead for good on its first drive of the second half, with Dart capping the possession with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Caden Prieskorn. Dart finished 22-of-30 passing for the game. The Rebels’ defense also turned it on in the second half, holding Oklahoma to just 94 yards after allowing 235 before the break.

After going 7-for-9 on third down in the first half, the Sooners (4-4, 1-4) were just 1-for-9 in the second. Jackson Arnold was a big part of that successful first half, tossing two touchdown passes to stake Oklahoma to a 14-10 lead at the break.

No. 22 SMU 28, Duke 27 (OT)

Brashard Smith ran 24 yards for a touchdown on the second play of overtime and the Mustangs stopped the Blue Devils’ two-point conversion pass attempt in Durham, N.C.

SMU (7-1, 4-0 ACC) committed six turnovers but survived because of Duke’s kicking woes. Smith finished with 117 rushing yards and two scores on 26 carries. Kevin Jennings threw for 258 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions in the win.

Duke (6-2, 2-2) was trying to rally from a double-digit, second-half deficit. Maalik Murphy threw for three touchdowns and 295 yards on 27-for-48 passing.

–Field Level Media