No. 8 Clemson 38, No. 5 Georgia 35
Tajh Boyd threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for two more scores, as the Clemson Tigers won a shootout with Georgia in Death Valley Saturday night. The Tigers and Bulldogs traded touchdowns through the game's first three quarters, but a Chandler Catanzaro chip shot field goal gave Clemson a 31-28 edge entering the fourth quarter. Stanton Seckinger's nine-yard catch and tightrope act to the pylon extended the Tigers' lead to 10 with 7:40, and Georgia was incapable of getting the stops needed to mount a comeback.
Roderick McDowell led Clemson with 132 rushing yards on 22 carries. Sammy Watkins caught six passes for 127 yards, including an electric 77-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.
For Georgia, quarterback Aaron Murray finished 20/29 passing for 323 yards. Todd Gurley ran 12 times for 154 yards and two scores, with Keith Marshall adding 43 yards on 16 carries.
No. 12 LSU 37, No. 20 TCU 27
The Bayou Bengals won the day's other Top 25 matchup, methodically pulling away from No. 20 TCU for three quarters, then holding on for dear life as the Horned Frogs staged a fourth-quarter comeback. Two Terrence Magee third-quarter touchdowns gave LSU a 30-17 lead.
Despite the deficit, TCU wasn't done yet. A Waymon James touchdown run and Jaden Oberkrom field goal narrowed that margin to three with more than seven minutes left. But Tigers' quarterback Zach Mettenberger hit Jarvis Landry on a 20-yard touchdown pass with 6:09 left to put the final nail in TCU's coffin.
Mettenberger finished 16/32 for 251 yards and a score. Magee had 95 yards on 13 carries, with Alfred Blue adding 89 rushing yards. Odell Beckham caught five passes for 118 yards. Landry added eight catches for 109 yards.
TCU's quarterback duo of Casey Pachall and Trevone Boykin struggled throughout the night. Pachall finished just 9/16 for 75 yards, with Boykin going 6/12 for 70 yards. Boykin, usually an effective rusher, ran 10 times for just 13 yards. B.J. Catalon ran eight times for 52 yards to lead the Horned Frogs.
No. 1 Alabama 35, Virginia Tech 10
The Crimson Tide started their quest for a third consecutive national title with a 35-10 pummeling of Virginia Tech. Alabama scored in every way imaginable: A T.J. Yeldon 2-yard plunge, an A.J. McCarron 38-yard touchdown pass, a Vinnie Sunseri interception return, and punt and kick returns by Christion Jones.
Jones, who also caught McCarron's touchdown throw, accounted for 256 yards in receiving and return yardage. Yeldon finished with 17 rushes for 75 yards. Altee Tenpenny added 24 yards on six carries.
Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas was just 5/26 passing for 59 yards and the aforementioned interception. Running back Trey Edmunds was the Hokies' one beacon of hope, running for 132 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
No. 13 Oklahoma State 21, Mississippi State 3
Mike Gundy's usual high-powered offense took a backseat Saturday, as the Cowboys defense stifled Mississippi State in a methodical 21-3 win. It took the Cowboys nearly an entire half to score, but a J.W. Walsh three-yard run gave Oklahoma State a 7-3 halftime lead. The Cowboys added two Jeremy Smith touchdowns in the second half, while Mississippi State struggled to find an answer.
Oklahoma State starter Clint Chelf played just two series before giving way to the underclassman Walsh. Chelf finished 3/6 for just 11 yards, while Walsh completed 18 of 27 attempts for 135 yards and added a game-high 125 yards rushing. After the game, Gundy announced that Walsh would be the Cowboys' quarterback going forward. Smith ran 15 times for 102 yards.
Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell went 10/16 for 133 yards and an interception before leaving the game due to injury. His understudy, Dak Prescott, was just 7/17 for 89 yards. Ladarius Perkins led the Bulldogs with 50 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Washington 38, No. 19 Boise State 6
In one of the night's most stunning results, Washington pummeled No. 19 Boise State at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The Huskies jumped to a 10-3 halftime lead on a Bishop Sankey touchdown dive and Travis Coons chip-shot field goal, then scored the game's final four touchdowns to cement the victory.
Washington quarterback Keith Price went 23/31 for 324 yards and two touchdowns, with an additional 25 yards on six carries. Sankey ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Dwayne Washington added 52 yards and a score. Jaydon Mickens caught nine Price passes for 109 yards. Kasen Williams added three catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.
Boise State quarterback Joe Southwick struggled, completing 25 of 40 attempts for just 152 yards. Jay Alayi ran 23 times for 93 yards, and the exquisitely-named Geraldo Boldewijn caught eight passes for 62 yards.
In Other Games...
No. 2 Ohio State 40, Buffalo 20
No. 3 Oregon 66, Nicholls State 3
No. 7 Texas A&M 52, Rice 31
No. 10 Florida 24, Toledo 6
No. 14 Notre Dame 28, Temple 6
No. 15 Texas 56, New Mexico State 7
No. 16 Oklahoma 34, Louisiana-Monroe 0
No. 17 Michigan 59, Central Michigan 9
No. 18 Nebraska 37, Wyoming 34
No. 21 UCLA 58, Nevada 20
No. 22 Northwestern 44, California 30
No. 23 Wisconsin 45, UMass 0
Eastern Washington 49, No. 25 Oregon State 46
West Virginia 24, William & Mary 17
Illinois 42, Southern Illinois 34
Cincinnati 42, Purdue 7
Georgia Tech 70, Elon 0
Boston College 24, Villanova 14
Maryland 43, Florida International 10
NC State 40, Louisiana Tech 14
Air Force 38, Colgate 13
Northern Illinois 30, Iowa 27
Penn State 23, Syracuse 17
Virginia 19, BYU 16
Arkansas 34, Louisiana-Lafayette 14
Duke 45, NC Central 0
Eastern Michigan 34, Howard 24
Tennessee 45, Austin Peay 0
Auburn 31, Washington State 24
McNeese State 53, South Florida 21
Missouri 58, Murray State 14
East Carolina 52, Old Dominion 38
North Texas 40, Idaho 6
Marshall 52, Miami (OH) 14
Arkansas State 62, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11
Texas State 22, Southern Miss 15
Troy 34, UAB 31
Western Kentucky 35, Kentucky 26
Baylor 69, Wofford 3
Eastern Illinois 40, San Diego State 19
Northern Iowa 28, Iowa State 20
Nebraska 37, Wyoming 34
Texas-San Antonio 21, New Mexico 13
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