Top 25 roundup: Tar Heels weather Hurricanes
Published 7:32 pm Saturday, October 14, 2023
- Pittsburgh running back Rodney Hammond Jr. (6) picks up yards Saturday in the Panthers’ victory over Louisville.
Devontez “Tez” Walker snagged three of Drake Maye’s four touchdown passes and No. 12 North Carolina took over after halftime to beat No. 25 Miami 41-31 on Saturday night.
Walker had 132 yards on his six catches in his first start for the Tar Heels, with that start having been delayed after a long eligibility fight with the NCAA that cost the Kent State transfer the first four games. Omarion Hampton scored two short TDs — one on the ground, one through the air — to go with 197 yards rushing, including a 60-yarder with UNC working on the clock in the fourth quarter with a two-touchdown lead.
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Maye threw for 273 yards and overcame early pressure from Miami’s defensive front. The Tar Heels trailed 17-14 at the break after a penalty-filled half, but ran off 24 straight points in the third quarter to push ahead for good.
It all helped UNC extend what has been the program’s best start in 26 years.
NO. 1 GEORGIA 37, VANDERBILT 20: Carson Beck threw for 261 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score as top-ranked Georgia shook off both an early kickoff and losing star tight end Brock Bowers to a left foot injury before halftime in beating Vanderbilt.
Georgia extended its school record and longest active FBS winning streak to 24 consecutive games, and tied the school record for consecutive SEC wins at 23, first set between 1980 and 1983.
NO. 2 MICHIGAN 52, INDIANA 7: J.J. McCarthy threw a tiebreaking, 2-yard touchdown pass to Roman Wilson late in the first half and No. 2 Michigan pulled away to pummel Indiana.
The Wolverines started slow, punting after losing 8 yards on their first two possessions and giving up the game’s first touchdown. They closed strong, scoring 52 straight points to win another lopsided game against an overmatched opponent.
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The Hoosiers took a 7-0 late late in the first quarter when Brendan Sorsby threw a lateral out wide to Donaven McCulley and the receiver heaved a 44-yard pass to Jaylin Lucas, who was wide open against a defense that was fooled by the trick play.
NO. 3 OHIO STATE 41, PURDUE 7: Kyle McCord threw three touchdown passes and Dallan Hayden rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown in relief of an injury depleted running backs room, helping No. 3 Ohio State rout Purdue.
The Buckeyes won their first road game in the series since 2013 and earned their second victory at Ross-Ade Stadium since 2007.
NO. 4 FLORIDA STATE 41, SYRACUSE 3: Jordan Travis ran for two touchdowns and tossed a 56-yard scoring pass to Keon Coleman as No. 4 Florida State routed Syracuse, the Seminoles’ 12th consecutive win.
Travis completed 23 of 37 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown, shaking off an apparent injury to his non-throwing (left) hand in the second quarter.
NO. 6 PENN STATE 63, UMASS 0: Drew Allar threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead No. 6 Penn State past UMass.
Theo Johnson caught two touchdowns, Tyler Warren, Kaytron Allen, Trey Potts and Beau Pribula scored and Daequan Hardy returned two punts for touchdowns to lead the Nittany Lions to their 11th-straight win dating to last season.
NO. 11 ALABAMA 24, ARKANSAS 21: Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns and rushed for a third, and No. 11 Alabama survived a second-half Arkansas rally in a victory over the Razorbacks.
The Crimson Tide blew most of an 18-point third-quarter lead before summoning a big final drive to keep KJ Jefferson and the Razorbacks offense off the field at the end,
PITTSBURGH 38, NO. 14 LOUISVILLE 21: Christian Veilleux threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start and M.J. Devonshire returned an interception 86 yards for a game-tilting score late in the third quarter as Pittsburgh upset No. 14 Louisville.
The Cardinals stumbled a week after an impressive victory over Notre Dame. Louisville turned it over three times while playing most of the game without star running back Jawhar Jordan, who missed all but a handful of plays with an injury.
NO. 15 OREGON STATE 36, NO. 18 UCLA 24: Defensive back Ryan Cooper Jr. returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown late in the first half and No. 15 Oregon State overcame No. 18 UCLA’s stalwart defense and held on for a victory.
DJ Uiagalelei went 14 for 24 and threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns, and Atticus Sappington kicked three field goals for the Beavers. Jack Velling caught three passes for 83 yards and two scores.
NO. 16 UTAH 34, CALIFORNIA 14: Sione Vaki ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns and Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed for 94 yards and a score to lead No. 16 Utah past California.
Bryson Barnes threw for 128 yards and ran for 50 more and a touchdown for the Utes.
NO. 17 DUKE 24, N.C. STATE 3: Henry Belin IV threw two touchdown passes in his first career start and No. 17 Duke benefitted from a dominant defensive performance to beat North Carolina State.
The Blue Devils limited N.C. State to 301 yards of total offense.
ARIZONA 44, NO. 19 WASHINGTON STATE 6: Quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 342 yards, Jonah Coleman had 168 total yards and three rushing touchdowns and Arizona’s defense forced three turnovers in rout of No. 19 Washington State.
The Wildcats scored 44 straight points to break through in a big way after nearly upsetting two top-10 teams the last two weeks.
NO. 22 LSU 48, AUBURN 18: Jayden Daniels accounted for 418 yards and passed for three touchdowns, and No. 22 LSU raced to an early double-digit lead that it never relinquished in a victory over Auburn.
LSU receiver Kyren Lacy had the most productive game of his career, catching four passes for 111 yards and touchdown. Daniels also threw touchdown passes to reciever Malik Nabers and running back Josh Williams.
OKLAHOMA STATE 39, NO. 23 KANSAS 32: Ollie Gordon II gained 284 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns to help Oklahoma State defeat No. 23 Kansas.
Gordon ran for a career-high 168 yards and caught six passes for a career-best 116. He became the first Oklahoma State player since Gerald Hudson in 1989 to have at least 100 yards rushing and receiving in a game.
MISSOURI 38, NO. 24 KENTUCKY 21: Brady Cook threw for one touchdown and ran for another and Missouri scored on a fake punt during a 20-point outburst in a win over No. 24 Kentucky.
A week after allowing 14 points in the final three minutes of a 49-39 loss to No. 23 LSU, the Tigers trailed the Wildcats 14-0 before seizing the momentum in the second quarter with trickery. Luke Bauer looked ready to punt before stepping back and lobbing a pass down the left sideline to Marquis Johnson for a 39-yard touchdown. Williams had a step on Kentucky’s Andru Williams and sprinted in for the the easy score.