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Top-25 roundup: Ohio State rallies to beat Maryland 52-51 in OT

Ohio State cornerbacks Tyreke Johnson (13) and Kendall Sheffield, left center, celebrate after an NCAA football game against Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, in College Park, Md. Ohio State won 52-51 in overtime. (Nick Wass / AP)
Associated Press

Ohio State went to overtime to avoid one of the most stunning upsets of the season, beating Maryland 52-51 Saturday in College Park, Maryland, when the Terrapins failed to convert a 2-point conversion after matching the Buckeyes’ touchdown in the first extra period.

Favored by 14 1/2 points, No. 8 Ohio State trailed by two touchdowns in the third quarter and 45-38 with less than two minutes left before rallying.

(1) Alabama 50, The Citadel 17: Tua Tagovailoa passed for 340 yards and three touchdowns, but the Crimson Tide struggled for 30-plus minutes before putting away the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The Crimson Tide went into halftime tied at 10 with the FCS team. Alabama scored two touchdowns in a 12-second span on its way to a 27-point third quarter.

(2) Clemson 35, Duke 6: Trevor Lawrence was 21 of 38 for 251 yards and two touchdowns and the Tigers overcame a slow start to beat the Blue Devils in Clemson, S.C., to finish a perfect Atlantic Coast Conference season.

Clemson fell behind 6-0 early. Lawrence was 0 for 7 on third downs in the first half and Travis Etienne ran for just 4 yards as the Tigers led 14-6 at the break. Etienne ran for 77 yards on four carries in the second half with touchdowns runs of 27 and 29 yards

(3) Notre Dame 36, (12) Syracuse 3: Ian Book returned to the starting lineup for Notre Dame and threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns to help the Fighting Irish stay on target for a trip to the College Football Playoff with a win over the Orange at Yankee Stadium.

The Fighting Irish held out Book from last week’s home game against Florida State with a rib injury.

(4) Michigan 31, Indiana 20: Karan Higdon ran for a go-ahead touchdown early in the third quarter and Jake Moody set a Michigan record with six field goals as the Wolverines beat the Hoosiers in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

(5) Georgia 66, UMass 27: Freshman Justin Fields threw two scoring passes and ran for another touchdown, Tyler Simmons had rushing and receiving scores, and the Bulldogs protected their playoff hopes with a win over the Minutemen in Athens, Georgia.

Another freshman, James Cook ran for 76 yards on only three carries, including his first two career scoring runs, from 26 and 27 yards.

(6) Oklahoma 55, Kansas 40: Kyler Murray accounted for two of his five touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help the Sooners survive Jayhawks freshman Pooka Williams Jr.’s career-high 252 yards rushing and two touchdowns and a scoring pass in Norman, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma State 45, (7) West Virginia 41: Taylor Cornelius threw a touchdown pass to Tylan Wallace with 42 seconds remaining to rally the Cowboys for an upset of the Mountaineers in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Will Grier led West Virginia to the Oklahoma State 14-yard line, but couldn’t connect with David Sills V on the final play.

(10) LSU 42, Rice 10: Joe Burrow passed for a career-high 307 yards and two touchdowns in less than three quarters for the Tigers in a win over the Owls in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

(11) UCF 38, (19) Cincinnati 13: McKenzie Milton threw for 268 yards and accounted for four touchdowns to help the Knights remain unbeaten and extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 23 games with a victory over the Bearcats in Orlando, Florida.

(13) Texas 24, (18) Iowa State 10: Sam Ehlinger ran for a touchdown and passed for another before leaving with a shoulder injury, and the Longhorns smothered Cyclones freshman quarterback Brock Purdy in Austin, Texas.

(14) Utah State 29, Colorado State 24: Collin Hill’s apparent 34-yard touchdown pass to Preston Williams with no time left was negated by penalty, giving the Aggies the victory over the Rams in a wild and stunning finish to a game played in snow and freezing rain in Fort Collins, Colorado.

(16) Penn State 20, Rutgers 7: Trace McSorley threw two touchdown passes to tight end Pat Freiermuth and the Nittany Lions’ defense set up two touchdowns with turnovers in a win over the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway, New Jersey.

(20) Kentucky 34, Middle Tennessee 23: Mike Edwards had two takeaways leading to Kentucky’s first two touchdowns, and the Wildcats made several fourth-quarter defensive stops in a win over the Blue Raiders in Lexington, Kentucky.

Florida State 22, (22) Boston College 21: Deondre Francois threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Tamorrion Terry with 1:49 left and the Seminoles beat the Eagles in Tallahassee, Florida, to keep their bowl hopes alive.

(24) Northwestern 24, Minnesota 14: Isaiah Bowser rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns and the Wildcats turned three turnovers by Golden Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan into 10 points in Minneapolis.

(25) Mississippi State 52, Arkansas 6: Nick Fitzgerald threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead the Bulldogs past the Razorbacks in Starkville, Mississippi.