Top 25 college football: No. 2 Notre Dame beats Boston College for Brian Kelly’s 100th win
Associated Press
Ian Book threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score, and No. 2 Notre Dame overcame an early deficit to roll to a 45-31 victory over Boston College on Saturday in Boston.
The Fighting Irish gave coach Brian Kelly his 100th career victory at the school, tying him with Lou Holtz for second place – five behind Knute Rockne. Notre Dame has won eight straight in the series between the FBS’ only Catholic institutions.
Coming off a thrilling victory over Clemson, Notre Dame (8-0, 7-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) racked up a season-high 561 total yards against BC (5-4, 4-4).
Book was 20 of 27 for 283 yards, and ran for a 85 yards and a touchdown. Ben Skowronek caught all three of Book’s TD passes, but also had one of three Notre Dame fumbles. C’Bo Flemister ran for two touchdowns before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent left leg injury.
Phil Jurkovec, a transfer from Notre Dame playing against his former team for the first time, was 18 of 40 for 272 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
No. 6 Florida 63, Arkansas 35: Kyle Trask extended his school record for consecutive games with at least four touchdown passes to six, and the Gators overwhelmed the Razorbacks in Gainesville, Florida.
Trask threw for 356 yards and six scores against the Razorbacks (3-4), who were without coach Sam Pittman and without much of a chance by halftime. It was the second time this season Trask tossed six TDs in a game. He’s the only player in school history to accomplish that feat.
Arkansas quarterback Feleipe Franks, a three-year starter for the Gators (5-1), was booed in his return to Florida Field and unable to do much to steal the spotlight from Trask.
No. 9 Miami 25, Virginia Tech 24: D’Eriq King threw for 255 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score in the Hurricanes’ comeback victory over the Hokies in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The Hurricanes (7-1, 6-1 ACC) overcame an 11-point, third-quarter deficit to win their fourth consecutive game and stay alive for a spot in the ACC championship game.
Miami scored the final 12 points and held the Hokies (4-4, 4-3) scoreless on their last five possessions.
Miami put together a 10-play, 82-yard drive that ended with King throwing a dart to Mark Pope for a 36-yarder and a 25-24 lead with 5:59 left in the fourth quarter.
King completed 24 of 38 passes. He had a 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter,.
No. 10 Indiana 24, Michigan State 0: Michael Penix Jr. threw for 320 yards, hitting Ty Fryfogle with two scoring passes, and the Hoosiers beat the Spartans in East Lansing, Michigan, to remain unbeaten.
The Hoosiers (4-0) set up a showdown next weekend at Ohio State, the only other unbeaten team in the Big Ten East.
Penix threw two interceptions in the first half, but that didn’t matter much. The Spartans (1-3) were just as sloppy – to the point where quarterback Rocky Lombardi was pulled in the second quarter.
Fryfogle had 11 catches for 200 yards – both career highs. He did most of that in the first two quarters, when all the game’s scoring occurred.
No. 13 Wisconsin 49, Michigan 11: Nakia Watson and Mason Stokke each scored two touchdowns in the first half, helping the Badgers build a big lead in a rout of the Spartans in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Badgers (2-0) returned to competition after canceling two games of their all-Big Ten schedule due to a COVID-19 breakout within the program and didn’t look rusty at all against a hapless team. The Wolverines (1-3) are off to their worst start since 1967.
No. 16 Marshall 42, Middle Tennessee 14: Redshirt freshman Grant Wells threw a season-high five touchdown passes and the Thundering Herd commemorated the 50th anniversary of the worst disaster in U.S. sports history during a victory over the Blue Raiders in Huntington, West Virginia.
Marshall (7-0, 4-0 Conference USA) got another standout performance from its defense and turned three Middle Tennessee (2-6, 2-4) turnovers into scores on a day when the university and surrounding community remembered 75 people killed in a Nov. 14, 1970, plane crash. Marshall wore special black uniforms and the No. 75 on its helmets to honor those who were lost.
No. 22 Liberty 58, Western Kentucky 14: Malik Willis threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more scores, leading the Flames over the Catamounts in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Liberty (8-0) won its 10th straight game and remained second behind Notre Dame for the nation’s longest active winning streak. Western Carolina was playing its first game of the season.
No. 23 Northwestern 27, Purdue 20: Peyton Ramsey threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns, all to Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman, and the Wildcats beat the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Wildcats’ defense also made two late stops to preserve a fifth straight Big Ten win and the school’s first 4-0 start in league play since coach Pat Fitzgerald was still playing in 1996.
Purdue (2-1) has lost five straight home games in the series.
Ramsey completed 23 of 36 passes and had one interception but looked as poised and efficient as he did last November when he led Indiana to an overtime victory at Purdue. Northwestern held Purdue to 2 yards rushing.
No. 25 Louisiana-Lafayette 38, South Alabama 10: Levi Lewis passed for 252 yards and three touchdowns, the Rajin’ Cajuns gained 254 yards on the ground and wrapped up a third straight Sun Belt Conference West Division title with a win over the Jaguars in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Chris Smith and Elijah Mitchell each had touchdowns rushing for Louisiana-Lafayette (7-1, 5-1 Sun Belt). Desmond Trotter threw for 133 yards and a touchdown for South Alabama (3-5, 2-3).