Top 25 college football: No. 3 Ohio State holds off No. 9 Indiana 42-35

Master Teague ran for a career-high 169 yards and two touchdowns, Justin Fields accounted for three scores and No. 3 Ohio State held off a comeback bid by Michael Penix Jr., Ty Fryfogle and No. 9 Indiana for a 42-35 victory Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.

The Hoosiers (4-1, 4-1 Big Ten) rallied from a four-touchdown deficit in the second half and made it a one-score game with just over 10 minutes left, when Penix and Fryfogle connected on a 56-yard touchdown strike. Penix was 27 for 51 for a career-high 491 yards and five touchdown passes.

The Buckeyes (4-0, 4-0) put up 607 yards and led 35-7 early in the second half but struggled to contain Penix and Fryfogle, who caught seven passes for 218 yards and three TDs.

No. 1 Alabama 63, Kentucky 3: DeVonta Smith caught nine passes for 144 yards and set the Southeastern Conference career record with two more touchdowns for the Crimson Tide (7-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference) in a victory over the shorthanded Wildcats (3-5, 3-5) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Mac Jones passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns and Najee Harris ran for a pair of scores for the Crimson Tide, both in less than three quarters. A slow start turned into a breezy return from a three-week layoff after LSU was forced to call off last week’s scheduled game because of COVID-19 troubles.

Smith broke Amari Cooper’s SEC and Alabama record with his 32nd touchdown catch, a 10-yarder from Jones in the second quarter. He added an 18-yarder from freshman backup Bryce Young.

No. 6 Florida 38, Vanderbilt 17: Kyle Trask passed for 383 yards and three touchdowns and the Gators (6-1, 6-1 SEC) overcame an early deficit to beat the Commodores (0-7, 0-7) in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Gators pulled into Vanderbilt Stadium an hour before kickoff already in uniform, hoping to avoid the visitors locker room as a coronavirus precaution. The Commodores opened the game by driving for a TD, but Trask helped get Florida on track for its seventh consecutive win in the series.

Trask completed 26 of 35 passes to nine receivers. He’s the first quarterback in SEC history with 30 touchdown passes in seven games.

No. 7 Cincinnati 36, Central Florida 33: Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores and the Bearcats (8-0, 6-0 American) beat the Knights (5-3, 4-3) in Orlando, Florida, to head into the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings unbeaten.

The rankings come out Tuesday night. The Bearcats are hoping to become the first team from outside the Power Five conferences to crack the top 10 in the selection committee’s first Top 25 of the season.

No. 8 BYU 66, North Alabama 14: Tyler Allgeier ran for a career-high 141 yards and two TDs and the Cougars (9-0) routed the overmatched Lions (0-4) in Provo, Utah.

No. 19 Northwestern 17, No. 10 Wisconsin 7: Peyton Ramsey threw two touchdown passes and the Wildcats (5-0, 5-0 Big Ten) shut down Graham Mertz and the Badgers (2-1, 2-1) to take control of the Big Ten West with a victory in Evanston, Illinois.

No. 13 Georgia 31, Mississippi State 24: JT Daniels made quite a debut between the hedges, throwing for 401 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs (5-2, 5-2 SEC) in a victory over the Bulldogs (2-5, 2-5) in Athens, Georgia. Daniels became the first Georgia quarterback to pass for more than 400 yards since Aaron Murray against Auburn in 2013.

No. 18 Oklahoma 41, No. 14, Oklahoma State 13: Spencer Rattler passed for 301 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score to help the Sooners (6-2, 5-2 Big 12) beat the Cowboys (5-2, 4-2) in Norman, Oklahoma.

No. 15 Coastal Carolina 34, Appalachian State 23: Reese White scored on a 3-yard run with 2:24 to play and the Chanticleers (8-0, 6-0 Sun Belt) posted their first victory over the Mountaineers (6-2, 4-1) in Conway, South Carolina.

No. 17 Iowa State 45, Kansas State 9: Brock Purdy passed for 236 yards and three touchdowns and the Cyclones (6-2, 6-1 Big 12) beat the Wildcats (4-4, 4-3) in Ames, Iowa, for their most lopsided win over K-State in 77 years.

North Carolina State 16, No. 21 Liberty 14: The Wolfpack (6-3) blocked Alex Barbir’s 39-yard field-goal attempt with 1:18 left to hand the Flames (8-1) their first loss this season in Raleigh, North Carolina.

No. 23 Auburn 30, Tennessee 17: Smoke Monday returned an interception 100 yards for a TD and the Tigers (5-2, 5-2 SEC) overcame a slow start to beat the Volunteers (2-5, 2-5) in Auburn, Alabama.

Associated Press