College football: No. 2 Cincinnati, No. 3 Oklahoma avoid upsets; No. 7 Penn State falls

Arquon Bush intercepted a pass with 25 seconds left to help No. 2 Cincinnati hold on for a 27-20 victory over Navy on Saturday at Annapolis, Md.

The Bearcats (7-0, 3-0 American Athletic Conference) weren’t at their best, but they never looked like they were in significant danger of an upset until the final minute, when Navy scored to make it a one-score game and then recovered an onside kick with 48 seconds left.

The Midshipmen (1-6, 1-4) didn’t do much with that final chance, though. Tai Lavatai’s third-down pass was picked off by Bush near the Cincinnati 45.

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The Bearcats were fortunate to lead by three after a mistake-filled first half, but Cincinnati eventually snapped out of its offensive funk. Desmond Ridder threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns.

Navy was hosting a top-five team for the first time since 1984, and the Midshipmen didn’t trail until a wild swing at the end of the first half. With the game tied at 10, Navy was driving and looked poised to use up the remaining time in the second quarter. But after losing yards on back-to-back plays, the Midshipmen had to try a 51-yard field goal.

The kick was blocked, and Cincinnati’s Deshawn Pace nearly ran it back for a touchdown, but he stepped out of bounds with 1 second left. That was enough time for Alex Bales to kick a 52-yard field goal and give the Bearcats a 13-10 lead.

UCLA Sports

No. 10 Oregon’s late interception thwarts UCLA rally, seals Ducks’ 34-31 win

UCLA mounted a spirited fourth-quarter rally, but backup quarterback Ethan Garbers tossed an interception that sealed No. 10 Oregon’s 34-31 win.

Oct. 23, 2021

Jerome Ford’s 43-yard touchdown run made it 20-10, and Ridder added a 3-yard TD pass to Josh Whyle later in the third.

Lavatai scored on a 1-yard run for Navy in the final minute of the game.

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Caleb Williams threw two touchdown pass, ran 40 yards for a score on a pivotal fourth down and the Sooners rallied to avoid an enormous .

The Sooners (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) trailed by double figures on two occasions — including 10-0 at the half —- but outscored the Jayhawks 35-13 in the second half to win their 16th straight game.

Jason Bean passed for 246 yards and a score for Kansas (1-6, 0-4), which led 17-7 late in the third quarter.

A 66-yard run by Trevon West sparked the Oklahoma offense after that. and scored two plays later for their first lead, 21-17, early in the fourth quarter.

Kansas was able to stay in the game because of the legs of Devin Neal who ran for 100 and a pair of touchdowns. Kansas didn’t punt for the first time until the fourth quarter.

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Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins combined for 229 yards rushing and four touchdowns to carry the Wolverines to victory.

Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) closed strong after a sluggish start, leading by just three points at halftime, looking as if they were peeking ahead to next week’s game against ninth-ranked Michigan State on the road.

Michigan pulled away from the Wildcats (3-4, 1-3) by outscoring them 23-0 in the first 16:40 of the second half. Corum finished with 119 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Haskins ran for 110 yards and two scores. Cade McNamara was 20 of 27 for 129 yards for the Wolverines.

Northwestern quarterback Ryan Hilinski, a South Carolina transfer, completed 14 of 29 passes for 114 yards with an interception. He was replaced early in the fourth quarter by Carl Richardson.

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Casey Washington caught a 2-point conversion pass from Brandon Peters to end the first nine-overtime game in NCAA history and lift the Illini to the upset.

The teams were tied at 10 after regulation, exchanged field goals in the first two overtimes, then began to alternate 2-point attempts in the third OT as part of a format tweaked ahead of the 2021 season.

Neither team converted until the eighth overtime, when Isaiah Williams ran one in to put Illinois up 18-16. Penn State’s Noah Cain kept the game alive with a 2-point run of his own.

In the ninth OT, Sean Clifford’s pass to Parker Washington was broken up by linebacker Khalan Tolson. Peters then found Washington near the back of the end zone for the winning completion.

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Brock Purdy threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns and the Iowa State defense made a late stand in the closing minutes as the Cyclones knocked off the Cowboys.

Breece Hall scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5:29 left, then the Cyclones’ defense forced a three-and-out and stopped the Cowboys on fourth down with 1:09 left.

Purdy kneeled twice in victory formation, and fans stormed the field at Jack Trice Stadium as the clock ran out to celebrate Iowa State’s first win over a top-10 opponent since 2018. It was the seventh straight Oklahoma State-Iowa State game decided by seven points or less.

Purdy completed 27 of 33 passes, and Xavier Hutchinson had a career-best 12 passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns for the Cyclones (5-2, 3-1 Big 12).

Spencer Sanders went 15 for 24 passing for Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-1), finishing with 225 yards and three touchdowns.

Matt Corral threw for a touchdown and ran for another, directing Mississippi to a 31-point outburst that spanned the second and third quarters to beat lame-duck coach Ed Orgeron and LSU.

LSU (4-4, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) lost in its first game since it was announced Orgeron wouldn’t return next season. A former Mississippi coach, he led the Tigers to the national championship less than two years ago.

Mississippi retired the No. 10 jersey of former All-America quarterback Eli Manning at halftime. The capacity crowd of 64,523 enthusiastically cheered Manning and his family members during the tribute.

The Rebels (6-1, 3-1) led 17-7 at halftime and kept pulling away. Corral was 18 of 23 for 185 yards, rushed for 24 yards, including three third-down conversion runs before yielding to reserves in the final period.

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Sam Hartman threw for a career-high 458 yards and five touchdowns in a big-play display and ran for another score to help keep the Demon Deacons unbeaten.

Army (4-3), which lost its third straight, had not defeated a ranked opponent since a 17-14 victory over Air Force in 1972, but the Black Knights made Wake Forest (7-0) earn it.

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Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett made the most of his Heisman Trophy showcase, throwing for 302 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers.

Pickett completed 25 of 39 passes to overtake Alex Van Pelt for the most career completions in school history. The fifth-year senior ran for two drive-extending dives late in the fourth quarter after the Tigers had drawn within 10.

Senior linebacker SirVocea Dennis returned an ill-advised shovel pass by Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei 50 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter that gave the Panthers a 14-point lead they never really threatened to give away.

Pitt (6-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) gained firm control of the ACC’s Coastal Division by winning its fourth straight following a stunning home upset loss to Western Michigan last month. Clemson (4-3, 3-2) saw its chances for another Atlantic Division title take a massive hit thanks in large part to an offense that remains very much a problem with Halloween looming.

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Chez Mellusi ran for 149 yards and a touchdown and Braelon Allen had 140 yards and two scores to help Wisconsin beat Purdue.

Mellusi and Allen both had career highs for yards, with Mellusi carrying 27 carries and Allen 12 for the Badgers (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) . Wisconsin has won 15 straight against Purdue (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten).

Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell completed 24 of 32 passes for 200 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.