Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Top-25 roundup: Purdue routs No. 2 Ohio State, shakes up CFP chase

Associated Press

D.J. Knox rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns, David Blough threw for three more scores and Purdue shook up the College Football Playoff chase with a 49-20 blowout of No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday night in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Boilermakers won their fourth straight, their second in a row over a ranked team and pulled off their biggest upset since taking down then-No. 2 Ohio State 28-23 on Oct. 6, 1984. Purdue set a school record for points scored against the Buckeyes, besting the mark of 41 in 1967.

(1) Alabama 58, Tennessee 21: Tua Tagovailoa threw touchdown passes to four receivers and the Crimson Tide started fast again in a rout of the Volunteers in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Alabama had touchdowns on its first four possessions while outscoring Tennessee 28-0 and outgaining the Volunteers 217-6 in the opening period. Alabama has outscored opponents 165-31, and Tennessee has been outscored 69-16 in first quarters this season.

(3) Clemson 41, (16) N.C. State 7: Trevor Lawrence threw for a career-high 308 yards, Travis Etienne rushed for three touchdowns and the Tigers turned an expected Atlantic Coast Conference showdown into a rout of the Wolfpack in Clemson, South Carolina.

The Tigers opened with seven straight wins for the third time in four seasons in topping the Wolfpack for the seventh consecutive season.

(5) LSU 19, (22) Mississippi State 3: Michael Divinity Jr.’s interception set up Nick Brossette’s short touchdown run, Cole Tracy kicked four field goals, and the Tigers beat the Bulldogs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Still, the Tiger Stadium crowd left angry after LSU’s top linebacker, Devin White, was ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter, meaning he will not be eligible to play in the first half of the Tigers’ upcoming showdown with unbeaten and top-ranked Alabama.

(6) Michigan 21, (24) Michigan State 7: Shea Patterson threw two touchdown passes and the Wolverines snapped a streak of 17 consecutive losses to ranked teams on the road with a win against the Spartans in East Lansing, Michigan.

The Wolverines had lost eight of 10 against their in-state rivals and those setbacks have led to them not winning a Big Ten title since 2004.

The Spartans struggled to move the ball, getting held to 94 yards and failing to convert any of their 12 third downs.

(9) Oklahoma 52, TCU 27: Kyler Murray threw four touchdown passes, Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon had 100-yard rushing games with scores and the Sooners rebounded from their only loss this season to beat the Horned Frogs in Fort Worth, Texas.

(10) UCF 37, East Carolina 10: Darriel Mack Jr. stepped in for Heisman Trophy hopeful McKenzie Milton and rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, and the Knights forced five turnovers en route to their 20th straight victory, a rout of the Pirates in Greenville, North Carolina.

(14) Kentucky 14, Vanderbilt 7: Benny Snell Jr. rushed for 169 yards, including the go-ahead 7-yard run with 8:04 remaining that helped the Wildcats pull away from the Commodores in Lexington, Kentucky.

(18) Penn State 33, Indiana 28: Trace McSorley passed for 220 yards, ran for 107 and had a hand in three touchdowns in the Nittany Lions’ victory over the Hoosiers in Bloomington, Indiana.

(19) Iowa 23, Maryland 0: Nate Stanley threw for 86 yards and a touchdown in the Hawkeyes’ rout of the Terrapins in Iowa City, Iowa.

Temple 24, (20) Cincinnati 17 (OT): Anthony Russo threw a tying 20-yard touchdown pass with 49 second left to Brandon Mack, and then a 25-yarder to Isaiah Wright in overtime as the Owls defeated the Bearcats in Philadelphia.

(21) South Florida 38, UConn 30: Johnny Ford rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulls shrugged off a slow start and held off the Huskies in Tampa, Florida.

(23) Wisconsin 49, Illinois 20: Jonathan Taylor rushed for 159 yards, Taiwan Deal ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns and the Badgers took advantage of the Fighting Illini’s five first-half turnovers in Madison, Wisconsin.