Top 25: Florida routs Ole Miss, Iowa stuns Michigan at the buzzer
Updated: Oct 31
A No. 4 team blown out, a No. 1 team hanging on to the very end, a touchdown on the final play and a star quarterback taken away in an ambulance: Week 4 of the college football season was one of the most eventful so far.
Here is a roundup of the Top 25 results (AP rankings entering the games).
Texas survives in Knoxville
The No. 1 team wobbled but is still standing. Texas won 20-17 at No. 14 Tennessee in a game dominated by both defenses. Neither team reached 265 yards (262 for Texas, 221 for Tennessee). The Longhorns defense piled up 10 sacks and held the Volunteers to 70 rushing yards on 44 attempts.
Raleek Brown opened the scoring with a 9-yard run in the first quarter, and Gianni Spetic added a 22-yard field goal to make it 10-3. Tennessee tied the game in the third quarter when Qua Moss took a punt back 57 yards for a touchdown. Spetic put the Longhorns back in front with a 44-yard field goal, and Brown scored his second touchdown on a 4-yard run with 5:41 left (20-10).
The Volunteers cut the gap on a 30-yard pass from Faizon Brandon to Mike Matthews with 1:22 remaining, then got the ball back when Texas mishandled the ensuing kickoff. Their final drive, however, stalled in Texas territory. Texas stays unbeaten (4-0) despite 11 penalties for 115 yards and six sacks allowed. Tennessee (3-1) hosts Auburn on Oct. 3.
➜ Full story: Texas survit à l'enfer de Neyland
Florida overwhelms Ole Miss
This was the biggest surprise of the day. No. 21 Florida handed No. 4 Ole Miss a 52-28 beating in Gainesville. The Gators rushed for 302 yards and six touchdowns on the way to 498 total yards.
Jadan Baugh opened the scoring from 4 yards out, Patrick Durkin added a 39-yard field goal, and Baugh scored again before halftime (17-6). Ole Miss pulled within 17-14 after the break when Trinidad Chambliss ran in a touchdown and the Rebels converted the two-point try. Duke Clark answered right away with a 45-yard touchdown run. Chambliss again brought the Rebels within three (24-21).
Florida then outscored its opponent 28-7. Aaron Philo ran for a score, Dallas Wilson added a 6-yard touchdown, and Philo threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Amir Jackson. Baugh capped the night with his third touchdown. Florida improves to 4-0, while Ole Miss suffers its first loss (3-1). The Gators visit Missouri on Oct. 3.
➜ Full story: Noyés dans le Swamp : Florida écrase Ole Miss
Oregon wins at USC but loses Dante Moore
No. 20 Oregon won 41-27 at the Coliseum against No. 12 USC, previously unbeaten. Quarterback Dante Moore left the game in an ambulance in the second quarter after a late hit to the head by Desman Stephens II, who was ejected for targeting. Backup Dylan Raiola threw two touchdown passes, and Dierre Hill ran for two scores. The Ducks improve to 3-1.
➜ Full story: Sans Dante Moore, Oregon s'offre USC au Coliseum
Iowa wins on the final play
At Michigan Stadium, No. 17 Iowa beat No. 18 Michigan 20-19 with a touchdown on the last play of the game: on fourth down with two seconds left, Hank Brown found Reece Vander Zee for a 16-yard score.
The Hawkeyes had been outplayed for long stretches. Michigan outgained them 429 yards to 285, and Iowa managed just 58 rushing yards. But the visitors struck on big plays. In the first quarter, Braeden Jackson answered a JJ Buchanan touchdown with a 99-yard kickoff return.
Two field goals by Trey Butkowski then put the Wolverines ahead (13-7). Early in the fourth quarter, Brown and Vander Zee connected to give Iowa the lead (14-13), but Bryce Underwood hit Buchanan for a 49-yard touchdown. With no successful conversion, Michigan led only 19-14, a margin the Hawkeyes were able to erase. Iowa stays unbeaten (4-0) and hosts Ohio State on Oct. 3.
Ohio State handles Illinois
No. 7 Ohio State beat Illinois 42-19. Julian Sayin threw four touchdown passes, all to Jeremiah Smith (7, 72, 9 and 26 yards), and added a rushing touchdown. He completed 27 of 36 passes for 367 yards with no interceptions.
Illinois still piled up 462 yards, including 199 on the ground, highlighted by a 22-yard touchdown run from Jordan Anderson. But the Fighting Illini had to settle for two field goals, and the Buckeyes defense stopped them on fourth down at the Ohio State 20 with the score at 28-13. Ohio State improves to 3-1.
Wisconsin rallies past Penn State
Down 17-0 in the second quarter at State College, Wisconsin came back to beat No. 13 Penn State 24-20. The game started badly for Colton Joseph, whose pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Josiah Zayas, before Rocco Becht added a rushing score.
Joseph cut the deficit with a touchdown run before halftime, and Gavin Lahm added a field goal. Still trailing 20-10 in the fourth quarter, the Badgers struck twice: Joseph found Eugene Hilton Jr. with 3:31 left (20-17), then hit Jacob Harris for 72 yards with 1:13 remaining. Intercepted three times, Joseph still had the final word. Wisconsin's defense held Penn State to 233 yards. The Badgers (3-1) host Michigan State, while Penn State suffers its first loss (3-1).
Alabama and Mississippi State head for a showdown
No. 8 Alabama rolled past South Carolina 49-18 after scoring 35 points in the first half. Keelon Russell threw four touchdown passes: 75 yards to Lotzeir Brooks, 32 and 42 yards to Ryan Coleman-Williams, and one more to Josh Ford. He also ran for a 9-yard score, and Red Morgan returned an interception 23 yards for a touchdown.
No. 24 Mississippi State had to work harder against No. 19 Missouri, winning 31-24. Kamario Taylor threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter to put the Bulldogs up 14-0. Austin Simmons then threw three touchdown passes for Missouri, two of them to Cayden Lee, and the Tigers led 24-17 after three quarters. Fluff Bothwell tied the game with a touchdown run, and Taylor found Sanfrisco Magee in the end zone with just under four minutes left.
Both teams, now 4-0, meet on Oct. 3 in Starkville.
LSU smothers Texas A&M
No. 10 LSU dominated No. 23 Texas A&M 35-6. Dilin Jones opened the scoring with a 1-yard run, and the game was decided in the third quarter, which LSU won 21-3. Sam Leavitt threw two touchdown passes to Jackson Harris (16 and 57 yards), and Landen Clark ran for two scores.
The Tigers defense did not allow a touchdown, and Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed completed just 10 of 26 passes. LSU (3-1) hosts McNeese on Oct. 3, while Texas A&M falls to 2-2.
Utah wins at Iowa State
No. 15 Utah beat Iowa State 31-17 in Ames. Wayshawn Parker scored three touchdowns: a 54-yard run on the first play of the game, a 1-yard run before halftime and a 13-yard catch from Devon Dampier late in the game. Down 24-3 at halftime, the Cyclones pulled within 24-17 behind Jaylen Raynor but never tied it.
The Utes ran for 205 yards and intercepted two passes. They stay unbeaten (4-0) and host Kansas on Oct. 10.
Louisville stumbles
No. 16 Louisville lost at home to Wake Forest, 30-27. The teams traded blows in the first half, with Ty Clark III running for two touchdowns and Gio Lopez hitting Carlos Hernandez for a 77-yard score for the Demon Deacons. Lincoln Kienholz ran for two touchdowns and found Jaleel Skinner for 61 yards for the Cardinals.
The game was then decided by the kickers. Carson Hilbert tied it with a 54-yard field goal for Louisville (27-27), but Connor Calvert hit the game-winner with 6:20 left, his third field goal of the night. The Cardinals gained only 75 rushing yards. They fall to 2-2 and visit NC State on Oct. 3.
Other Top 25 results
No. 2 Georgia 41, Oklahoma 13 (4-0) ➜ Full story
No. 3 Notre Dame 49, Purdue 10 (4-0)
No. 5 Indiana 29, Northwestern 23, Friday (4-0)
No. 6 Miami 52, Central Michigan 3 (4-0)
No. 9 BYU: idle (3-0)
No. 11 Texas Tech 49, Sam Houston 14 (4-0)
No. 25 Houston 42, Georgia Southern 28 (3-1)
Looking ahead to Oct. 3
Next week already features two big matchups: Alabama at Mississippi State, a clash of 4-0 teams, and Ohio State at Iowa, where the Hawkeyes will put their unbeaten record on the line.
