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NCAA Football

Alabama Shakes Off Oklahoma

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NORMAN – (Wire Service Report) – Ty Simpson threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns to overcome a slow start and help No. 9 Alabama rally for a 34-24 win over No. 8 Oklahoma on Friday in the College Football Playoff opener.

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Alabama trailed Oklahoma (10-3) by 17 points in the first half but roared back to tie it then controlled the second half to advance to the quarterfinals. The Crimson Tide became the first road team to win a CFP game on campus after all four home teams won in the opening round of last year’s inaugural 12-team field. Alabama took the lead early in the third quarter when Simpson hit Lotzeir Brooks for a 30-yard touchdown to make it 24-17. Brooks had five catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns.

After the Crimson Tide extended their lead to 10, Oklahoma answered, cutting the deficit to 27-24 on Deion Burks’ 37-yard touchdown catch from John Mateer two plays into the fourth quarter. Alabama extended its lead, though, on Daniel Hill’s 6-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth. The score was set up by Germie Bernard’s 24-yard catch where he wrested the ball from the Sooners’ Jacobe Johnson at the Oklahoma five yard line. Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell missed a pair of field goals late, barely pushing the first wide, then finishing just short on a 51-yard try with just more than a minute remaining, ending the Sooners’ chances of a comeback.

Mateer finished with 307 passing yards and two touchdowns while Burks finished with seven catches for 107 yards as Oklahoma outgained Alabama 362-260. Mateer put Oklahoma on the board with an 8-yard touchdown run on the Sooners’ second drive, and Sandell’s 51-yard field goal made it 10-0 in the final minute of the first quarter. Sandell, the Lou Groza Award winner as the nation’s top kicker, tied an FBS record with his eighth field goal of 50 of more yards on the season.

The Sooners extended their lead to 17-0 less than five minutes into the second quarter on Mateer’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna III.

To that point, the Crimson Tide didn’t have a first down, going three-and-out on each of their first three possessions. But then Alabama started turning the momentum. Simpson led a 75-yard touchdown drive, putting the Crimson Tide on the board with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brooks on fourth-and-2. A blocked punt gave Alabama the ball at the Oklahoma 30, and the Crimson Tide made it a one-possession game with a 35-yard field goal by Conor Talty with just more than two minutes remaining in the half.

Alabama wasn’t done yet, as Zabien Brown picked off a Mateer pass to the flat and had plenty of clear space ahead of him, returning it 50 yards for a touchdown to tie the game heading into halftime.

–Field Level Media

Welcome to Duke vs. Carolina Rivalry

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CHAPEL HILL – Losses left Duke and North Carolina looking for something to square their attention on the task at hand this week.

So they have each other.

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The neighboring rivals meet Saturday in North Carolina, playing for the Victory Bell, which goes to the winner of this annual matchup.

“The great thing about sports is redemption is always a week away,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “There will be no shortage of people who want to win the game on Saturday.”

The Blue Devils (5-5, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) pretty much had their aspirations of reaching the ACC championship game dashed with last week’s 34-17 loss to Virginia.

“(We need) the focus and fortitude to put it behind us and focus on what is a really, really important week for the program,” Diaz said. ” … All of our attention goes forward to getting a win on the road this weekend down in Chapel Hill.”

The Tar Heels (4-6, 2-4) had a two-game winning streak snapped with a 28-12 loss at Wake Forest. The Tar Heels were held without a touchdown in a game for the first time since October 2016.

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said he’s aware of the importance of the game regionally.

“Everybody knows each other pretty well, and (I’m) looking forward to being a participant in this event,” Belichick said.

If the Tar Heels want to participate in the postseason, they will need victories this week and next to reach 6-6 for the regular season. Up next is NC State (5-5).

North Carolina is averaging 18.7 points per game (16th out of 17 ACC teams), but has managed to stay within striking range in several games.

“They’re playing to their strength,” Diaz said. “They’re playing in low-scoring games that turn into one-score games.”

Duke is giving up 29.6 points per game, 13th in the ACC.

Duke’s offensive numbers look far superior to those for the Tar Heels. Quarterback Darian Mensah is averaging a league-best 300.7 passing yards per game, while Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard is averaging 70 rushing yards per game.

North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez has thrown for 158.3 yards per outing, with Demon June the team’s top rusher with 45.2 yards per game.

Prior to becoming Duke’s coach, Diaz said he made three visits to the New England Patriots when Belichick was still the coach there for what he referred to as “professional development” opportunities.

Duke, which already won games at Syracuse, Cal and Clemson, would finish off an undefeated road slate in ACC play with a win Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Georgia Tech Needs “W” at The Heights

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CHESTNUT HILL – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – No. 16 Georgia Tech wasted no time moving past its first loss of the season.

With their second bye week in the rear view, the Atlantic Coast Conference-leading Yellow Jackets (8-1, 5-1) are ready to bounce back when they visit Boston College (1-9, 0-6) for the first time since 2020 on Saturday afternoon on the gorgeous campus of Boston College.

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“We’ve got to use those emotions and feelings (of a 48-36 loss to NC State on Nov. 1) to continue to push us forward,” coach Brent Key said. “I talked to the team on Sunday about this. I said, you work from January when we first organized workouts and weight training…you do all that in hopes of playing meaningful games in November, and here we are.”

The loss came despite quarterback Haynes King racking up a school-record 511 total yards and four touchdowns. The redshirt senior accounted for 408 yards through the air, helping to up his ACC-best total yardage to 330.3 per game.

Conversely, NC State’s six touchdowns in 10 possessions and 583 total yards did in the Yellow Jackets. Playing without injured starting nickelback Jy Gilmore and cor

Cornerback Ahmari Harvey did not help, but they could be closer to returning to game action after practicing last week.

“(Their possible return) changes some of the coverages you can play, it changes how you look to protect a certain guy,” Key said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to perform and play good defense. We’ve got to be able to stop the run and keep the explosives from going over our heads.”

Their status will become clearer later in the week, but Key is excited about where the team stands following the bye.

“Time is the best cure-all. It is,” Key said. “They’re all out there right now. … I thought Sunday’s practice, we came out and it was as fast and crisp and as much energy as we’ve had.”

Boston College coach Bill O’Brien was an assistant at Georgia Tech from 1995-02, a stint during which Key was a team captain. O’Brien knows that his Eagles will have to defend an ultimate weapon in order to have success against his former player’s team and earn their first FBS win of the season in the home finale.

“This guy has a ton of their production. The way they use him is incredible to me,” O’Brien said of King. “(Key and coordinator Buster Faulkner) do a good job with their offense, and he is the leader of it. He is a competitive, tough player.”

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The quarterback position has been uncertain for the Eagles of late, with both Alabama transfer Dylan Lonergan and incumbent starter Grayson James seeing significant action. O’Brien has not confirmed a starter for Saturday’s game.

In last week’s 45-13 loss to SMU, James attempted just two passes and got sacked three times before Lonergan — who started the previous game against Notre Dame — entered in relief and went 25-for-37 passing for 232 yards and a touchdown.

“They have to give us confidence. It’s important for us to have confidence in them,” O’Brien said. “They’ve each played a lot, and they’ve done some good things and some not so good things.”

Senior receiver Lewis Bond enters the game needing just three catches to break Zay Flowers’ all-time receptions record of 200. His 7.3 receptions per game rank fifth nationally.

“For him to have a chance to break the record is really a testament to him, his work ethic, his toughness, his competitiveness,” O’Brien said.

–Field Level Media

NCAA Football: Top 25 Review

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IOWA CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Atticus Sappington made a 39-yard field goal with three seconds left to lift No. 9 Oregon to an 18-16 Big Ten victory over No. 20 Iowa in the cold, damp weather on Saturday.

The Ducks (8-1 overall, 5-1 in Big Ten) never trailed until 1:51 remained in the game — when Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski ran for a 3-yard score on fourth-and-goal. The Hawkeyes (6-3, 4-2) couldn’t convert their 2-point try and led 16-15 when the Ducks and quarterback Dante Moore got the ball back.

Oregon marched 54 yards in 10 plays to set up Sappington’s game-winner. Moore finished 13-for-21 for 112 yards without a touchdown pass in the consistent rain, but the Ducks ran for 261 yards against one of the top defenses in the nation. Noah Whittington led the ground attack with 17 carries for 118 yards.

Gronowski was 10 of 18 for 138 yards and a touchdown pass, but Iowa was held to 140 rushing yards.

No. 1 Ohio State 34, Purdue 10
Julian Sayin threw for 303 yards and a touchdown to Jeremiah Smith, CJ Donaldson ran for two scores and the Buckeyes overcame a rare early deficit to defeat the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Playing without star receiver Carnell Tate, who was held out as a precautionary measure due to an undisclosed injury, Smith had seven of his career-high 10 catches and 109 of his 137 yards before halftime. Sayin finished the day completing 27 of 33 passes with an interception.

Quarterbacks Ryan Browne and Malachi Singleton combined for just 94 passing yards for the Boilermakers (2-8, 0-7 Big Ten), who have now lost eight straight games. Purdue finished with 186 total yards compared to 473 for Ohio State (9-0, 6-0).

No. 2 Indiana 27, Penn State 24

Omar Cooper Jr. made a spectacular touchdown catch on a Fernando Mendoza pass with 36 seconds left to lift the Hoosiers to a thrilling victory over the Nittany Lions in University Park, Pennsylvania .

On the decisive play, Mendoza backpedaled with two defenders in his face and found Cooper for a toe-tapping 7-yard TD in the back of the end zone. Charlie Becker, who made a terrific catch of his own on the winning drive, finished with seven grabs for 118 yards for the Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten). Mendoza was 19 of 30 for 218 yards with a touchdown on the ground.

In the midst of a nightmare season, the Nittany Lions (3-6, 0-6) have lost six straight games. They rallied from a 20-7 deficit in this one to take a fourth-quarter lead before suffering a heartbreaking defeat. Ethan Grunkemeyer was 22 of 31 for 219 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Nicholas Singleton collected 93 total yards and three scores.

No. 3 Texas A&M 38, No. 22 Missouri 17

Marcel Reed passed for two touchdowns, and Rueben Owens II rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Aggies to a victory over the Tigers in Columbia, Mo.

EJ Smith also had a score on the ground while KC Concepcion and Ashton Bethel-Roman added scoring receptions for the Aggies (9-0, 6-0 SEC), who have won their first nine games for the first time since 1992.

Jamal Roberts rushed for 110 yards and one touchdown, and Ahmad Hardy added 109 yards and one score for the Tigers (6-3, 2-3), who have dropped three of their past four games. Matt Zollers struggled in his first career start for Missouri, completing just 7 of 22 passes for 77 yards and fumbling twice.

No. 4 Alabama 20, LSU 9

Ty Simpson threw for 277 yards and a touchdown Saturday night as the Crimson Tide stayed unbeaten in the SEC by stopping the Tigers in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Simpson completed 21 of 35 passes, again carrying the offensive load for the Crimson Tide (8-1, 6-0 SEC). His 13-yard strike to Ryan Williams with 22 seconds left in the first half gave them what would be an insurmountable 17-3 lead.

Not even a change at quarterback late in the third quarter could supply a spark for the Tigers. Interim coach Frank Wilson benched starter Garrett Nussmeier after he took a sack that forced them to settle for Damien Ramos’ 44-yard field goal at the 8:54 mark. Backup Michael Van Buren, a transfer who started last year at Mississippi State, took over but couldn’t get LSU into the end zone.

No. 5 Georgia 41, Mississippi State 21

Gunner Stockton completed 18 of 29 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns as Georgia blew past Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., in SEC play.

Nate Frazier rushed for a career-high 181 yards and a score as Georgia (8-1, 6-1 SEC) won its fifth straight game. Noah Thomas had three catches for 78 yards and a touchdown, as Georgia outgained Mississippi State 567-322 in its sixth consecutive win in the series.

Blake Shapen threw for 86 yards for Mississippi State (5-5, 1-5) before exiting with an upper-body injury. Backup Kamario Taylor threw for 87 yards and rushed for 53 yards and three touchdowns for coach Jeff Lebby’s Bulldogs, who have dropped five of six.

No. 6 Ole Miss 49, The Citadel 0

Trinidad Chambliss passed for 333 yards and three touchdowns, and the Rebels trounced the Bulldogs in a nonconference game in Oxford, Miss.

Kewan Lacy ran for just 49 yards but scored all three of his touchdowns in the first half. The Rebels (9-1) rolled to a 35-0 halftime lead against the outmanned Bulldogs (4-6).

Chambliss completed 29 of 33 passes, while the Ole Miss defense allowed just 106 yards. The Citadel threw only eight passes, completing three for 23 yards.

No. 8 Texas Tech 29, No. 7 BYU 7

Cameron Dickey had 23 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown, and the Red Raiders pulled away for a win over the Cougars in a Big 12 matchup in Lubbock, Texas.

Behren Morton completed 17 of 32 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown for Texas Tech (9-1, 6-1). Caleb Douglas had a touchdown reception for the Red Raiders, who outgained the Cougars 368-255, including a 149-67 advantage on the ground.

Bear Bachmeier completed 23 of 38 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown and one interception for BYU (8-1, 5-1), which suffered its first loss of the season. Chase Roberts had six catches for 61 yards and a score.

No. 10 Notre Dame 49, Navy 10

CJ Carr completed 13 of 16 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns as the Fighting Irish cruised to a win over the Midshipmen on a rain-soaked night in South Bend, Ind.

Jeremiyah Love carried the ball 13 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (7-2), which won its seventh game in a row. Jadarian Price and Aneyas Williams rushed for one touchdown apiece. The Fighting Irish led 21-10 at halftime before outscoring Navy 28-0 in the second half.

Braxton Woodson finished with 101 rushing yards and a touchdown for Navy (7-2). Jackson Gutierrez added seven carries for 37 yards.

Wake Forest 16, No. 14 Virginia 9

Three field goals from Connor Calvert, along with Carlos Hernandez’s huge punt return for a score, were difference makers in the Demon Deacons’ win over the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, Va.

Wake Forest (6-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) handed Virginia (8-2, 5-1) its first league loss and beat the Cavaliers for the first time since 2021. Hernandez had the biggest play of the night, fielding the ball off a bounce and returning it 88 yards for the game’s only touchdown to give the Demon Deacons the lead for good at 7-6 with 1:33 left in the first half.

Virginia’s seven-game winning streak ended as it failed to score a touchdown for the first time all year. Starting quarterback Chandler Morris was lost to an injury in the second quarter and finished 3-for-6 passing for 19 yards. Daniel Kaelin filled in and completed 18 of his 28 passes for 145 yards. He also rushed for 49 yards.

Cal 29, No. 15 Louisville 26 (OT)

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele passed for 323 yards and two TDs, including the game-winner on fourth down on the game’s final play, and the visiting Bears upset the Cardinals in overtime.

The Bears (6-4, 3-3 ACC) trailed by three points and faced fourth-and-goal from the 3 when Sagapolutele threw the winning touchdown to Jacob De Jesus who caught 16 passes for 158 yards.

Miller Moss passed for 203 yards and Keyjuan Brown rushed for 136 yards to lead the Cardinals (7-2, 4-2), who took a 26-23 lead on a 49-yard field goal by Cooper Ranvier on the first possession of overtime before ultimately falling.

No. 16 Vanderbilt 45, Auburn 38 (OT)

Diego Pavia’s third touchdown pass, a 4-yarder to Cole Spence, lifted the Commodores to an overtime win over the Tigers in Nashville, Tenn.

Pavia went 25 of 33 for 377 passing yards and rushed for 112 on 18 carries with a score. Tre Richardson caught three passes for 124 yards and a TD. Eli Stowers had 12 receptions for 122 yards for Vanderbilt (8-2, 4-2 SEC), which clinched the win with a fourth-down incompletion after scoring in its portion of overtime.

In its first game under interim coach D.J. Durkin, Auburn (4-6, 1-6) saw quarterback Ashton Daniels go 31 of 44 for 353 yards and two TDs. He carried 18 times for 89 yards and two scores. Cam Coleman had 143 yards on 10 catches, and Eric Singleton Jr. caught 11 passes for 102 yards. Both had touchdowns.

No. 18 Miami 38, Syracuse 10

Carson Beck threw for one touchdown and caught another as the Hurricanes shut down the Orange for an ACC victory in Miami Gardens, Fla.

After Beck’s 14-yard touchdown catch opened the scoring with 2:13 left in the first half, Keionte Scott delivered a 38-yard interception return to give Miami (7-2, 3-2) a 14-0 halftime lead. Beck finished 18 of 24 for 247 yards while the Hurricanes forced three turnovers and amassed six sacks.

Syracuse starter Rickie Collins completed 12 of 25 passes for 85 yards and two interceptions. Backup Joseph Filardi connected with Elijah Washington-Baker on a 17-yarder with 21 seconds left for the only touchdown by the Orange (3-7, 1-6), who lost their sixth in a row.

Wisconsin 13, No. 23 Washington 10

The Badgers snapped a six-game losing streak as freshman quarterback Carter Smith entered for the injured Danny O’Neil and directed the tying and winning drives for the Big Ten win over the Huskies in snowy Madison, Wis.

Smith’s 2-yard keeper made it 10-10 in the third quarter, then the Badgers (3-6, 1-5) capitalized on a short field for Nathanial Vakos’ go-ahead 32-yard field goal with 1:58 left in the third. Smith completed just 3 of 12 passes for 8 yards in his debut, but he rushed for 47 yards to complement Gideon Ituka’s 73 yards.

Demond Williams Jr. hit 20 of 32 passes for 134 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for a team-high 61 yards for Washington (6-3, 3-3). Anthony Ward blocked a punt to set up Williams’ 1-yard touchdown toss to Denzel Boston that gave the Huskies a 10-3 lead with 7:44 left in the first half.

–Field Level Media

CFP Rankings: Tuesday Night Reveal

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DALLAS – (Wire Service Report) – After 11 weeks of play, we finally get the first set of College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night.

When the first 12-team bracket is unveiled, it will include a number of teams who were expected to be firmly in the mix (hello, Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama) while other preseason favorites will be missing in action (goodbye, Penn State, Clemson and LSU).

Also in the CFP conversation will be a few teams that few projected to be there.

Here are three of those overachieving teams that should be in the first College Football Playoff bracket:

VIRGINIA

Losses by Georgia Tech and Miami on Saturday blew the race for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship wide open.

It’s no guarantee Virginia will be the highest-ranked ACC team in the initial CFP rankings, but the Cavaliers are the highest-ranked ACC team in the AP poll at No. 12. That’s two spots ahead of Louisville.

But considering Virginia is the lone unbeaten team in ACC play — the 35-31 Week 2 loss at North Carolina State counts as a nonconference clash — it should probably be the Cavaliers’ spot until (if) they lose a conference game.

Virginia is far and away the most surprising storyline in college football so far this season. The Cavaliers won 11 games in head coach Tony Elliott’s first three seasons. They haven’t made a bowl game since 2019, haven’t ranked among the AP’s top 12 since 2004 and haven’t started a season 8-1 since 1990.

And yet, here they sit at 8-1 (5-0 ACC).

There’s certainly been a bit of luck in Virginia’s last five games, which has included three overtime wins as well as needing a late safety to beat Washington State.

At what point does luck convert to a team simply being clutch? Virginia is very much testing that theory.

INDIANA

Maybe Indiana and coach Curt Cignetti should have been given a bit more benefit of the doubt entering Year 2.

After all, the Hoosiers came out of the parking lot beyond left field last season when they charged out to a 10-0 start after having zero 10-win seasons in the program’s forlorn past as the losingest team in college football history.

That Indiana team, while a remarkably impressive transformation by Cignetti, was not ready for prime time. In two games against big-boy programs (at Ohio State and at Notre Dame in the CFP), the Hoosiers lost both by a combined margin of 65-32.

That probably justified Indiana’s No. 20 preseason ranking to begin this season.

This fall, the second-ranked Hoosiers have shown 2024 was no fluke, jumping out to a 9-0 start after Saturday’s 55-10 win at Maryland. They’re No. 1 in scoring offense (46.4 points per game) and No. 3 in scoring defense (10.8), which leads to the nation’s best points differential (35.7 ppg).

Even more important, they’ve already done what they couldn’t a year ago — delivering a signature win when they went to then-No. 3 Oregon in Week 7 and became the first team to win there since 2022 with a 30-20 conquest.

With only Penn State, Wisconsin and Purdue left — a combined 0-16 in Big Ten play — not finishing the regular season undefeated would be a massive disappointment. A showdown with No. 1 Ohio State looms in the Big Ten championship game, but Indiana will be in the CFP regardless of that result if it’s 12-0.

BYU

For the second straight season, BYU will be firmly in the playoff mix when Tuesday’s initial rankings are released.

Last year’s team started 9-0 before fading with consecutive losses to fall out of the playoff picture. This year’s team was the first squad outside of the preseason AP Top 25 poll back in August.

Now the Cougars are in a remarkably similar place. When last year’s first CFP bracket dropped, BYU was 8-0, ranked ninth by the AP poll and alone atop the Big 12 standings. This time, the Cougars are 8-0, ranked eighth and alone atop the conference standings.

The Cougars are doing this with a true freshman quarterback in Bear Bachmeier (1,693 yards, 11 passing TDs, team-high nine rushing TDs), who arrived over the summer after initially enrolling at Stanford.

BYU ranks outside the top 25 in total offense and total defense, but it keeps finding ways to win.

The path home for the Cougars will be quite challenging. Two of their final four games are against the teams with one Big 12 loss: Texas Tech and Cincinnati.

But after exceeding expectations for the second straight year, can BYU navigate its way to its first playoff berth?

–Curt Weiler, Field Level Media

One-Sided Holy War in Chestnut Hill

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A One-Sided Holy War Today in Chestnut Hill

No. 12 Notre Dame Faces Desperate Boston College

CHESTNUT HILL – (STAFF REPORT) – One used to look at a battle between the Jesuits of Boston College and the priests of Blessed Basil Moreau’s Congregation of Holy Cross as being an even fight. Not anymore.

A college football contest will take center stage today at Alumni Stadium, where No. 12 Notre Dame (5-2) invades Boston College (1-7) in a lopsided ACC-Independent clash kicking off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Fighting Irish, fresh off a bye week and riding a two-game win streak, enter as 28.5-point favorites desperate to keep their College Football Playoff dreams alive. Meanwhile, Bill O’Brien‘s Eagles limp in on a five-game skid, winless in ACC play (0-5), searching for any spark in a nightmare 2025 campaign. Their only victory came against their fellow Jesuits of Fordham on the first weekend of the season.

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Irish on the Hunt: Playoff Push Meets Perfect Storm

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman‘s squad has rebounded masterfully from an uneven start, blistering NC State 36-7 before gutting out a gritty 34-24 road win at USC – where RB Jeremiyah Love erupted for 228 yards and a score. The Irish offense hums at 462 yards per game (19th nationally), fueled by a 191.7 rushing average (32nd) and explosive 39.1 points per contest (10th). Sophomore QB CJ Carr has settled in as the triggerman, posting 1,758 yards, 14 TDs, and just 4 INTs (65.8% completion) – a bold preseason gamble by Freeman paying massive dividends.

Defensively, Notre Dame stuffs the run (100 yards allowed per game, 17th) and boasts a +8 turnover margin (9th), primed to feast on BC’s turnover-prone attack (-5 margin). Challenges loom with injuries sidelining LG Billy Schrauth (knee) and WR Jaden Greathouse (hamstring), but the depth chart – headlined by Love (758 rush yards, 9 TDs) and Jadarian Price (509 yards, 8 TDs) – should overwhelm.

Eagles’ Desperation: Can O’Brien Conjure a Miracle?

Boston College’s 371 yards per game (83rd) and 26.8 points (76th) pale against a defense hemorrhaging 34.4 points (126th) and 410 total yards (111th) nightly. QB Dylan Lonergan (1,394 yards, 9 TDs) leans on WR Lewis Bond (547 yards), but a woeful 102.1 rushing average (130th) screams vulnerability. RB Turbo Richard (431 yards, 5 TDs) offers hope, but injuries have decimated the secondary – leaving O’Brien’s squad ripe for exploitation.

Key Matchups

  • ND Run Game vs. BC Front Seven: Love and Price could eclipse 300 yards combined against a run defense yielding 163 yards per game.
  • Carr’s Air Raid vs. BC Secondary: With Bond as the lone threat, Irish LBs like Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (27 tackles) feast.
  • Turnover Battle: ND’s ballhawks (+8) vs. BC’s fumblers (-5) – expect multiple Irish picks.

Holy War History: Irish Domination

Notre Dame owns the series (leads ~10-4 overall, 9 straight wins), including a 44-0 demolition in 2022. BC’s last triumph? 1994. This isn’t a rivalry – it’s a rout in waiting.

Prediction: Irish Roll, 45-10

Expect Notre Dame’s rested legs and ground-and-pound to bury BC early, piling up 500+ yards en route to a 35-point blowout. Love notches 150+ yards and 2 TDs; Carr throws for 250+. The Eagles hang tough for a quarter, then fold – handing Freeman a statement win to vault back into playoff contention.

Louisville Runs All Over BC

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LOUISVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Louisville ran for a season-high 317 yards and the No. 19 Cardinals used their big-play capabilities to hold off upset-minded Boston College 38-24 on Saturday. Isaac Brown needed just 14 carries to amass a career-high 205 yards, and Keyjuan Brown added 95 on 10 rushes. Both scored on big plays and also set up Miller Moss’ two scoring runs for Louisville (6-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).

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Moss threw for 187 yards on 15-of-27 passing with an interception and a touchdown. His second run gave Louisville the lead for good, 14-10, with 1:42 left in the first half.

Isaac Brown, who ran for 151 yards on five carries in the first half, added a 62-yard touchdown 40 seconds later to make it an 11-point game. However, the Eagles (1-7, 0-5) refused to go away, and Brown’s fumble to start the second half led to Grayson James finding a wide-open Kaelan Chudzinski for a 23-yard touchdown pass. That cut the BC deficit to 21-17 just 52 seconds into the second half.

The Eagles entered the weekend next-to-last in the ACC in average time of possession (27:33). However, they held the ball for 23:53 in the first half alone. They led 10-7 after James threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Lewis Bond on the first play of the second quarter.

James completed 23 of his 46 passes for 244 yards. He threw three touchdown passes but was also intercepted twice.

Louisville’s defense, which stopped BC on downs in Cardinal territory twice in the first half, came up with three turnovers in the second half to keep the Eagles from completing a comeback. An Antonio Watts fumble recovery led to a 22-yard touchdown pass from Moss to Caullin Lacy midway through the third quarter.

A Kalib Perry interception set up a Cooper Ranvier 41-yard field goal to make 31-17 with 8:13 remaining in the game.

Jeremiah Franklin caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from James less than two minutes later to make it 31-24.

The Eagles had the ball at their 44 with three minutes remaining, but they chose to punt. Keyjuan Brown ended any thought of an Eagles comeback with a 67-yard TD run with 1:49 remaining.

–Field Level Media

Stanford Defeats Boston College

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PALO ALTO – (Wire Service Report) – Stanford’s Micah Ford rushed for a career-high 157 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown to lead his school to a 30-20 win over Boston College on Saturday night in California.

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The game was the home opener for Stanford (1-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) after the Cardinal opened the season losing at Hawaii and BYU. The win was their first under interim coach Frank Reich.

Boston College (1-2, 0-1) lost despite former Alabama quarterback Dylan Lonergan passing for 333 yards while completing 30 of 44 passes with a touchdown and an interception.

Stanford gained 213 yards on the ground on 37 carries.

The Cardinal’s final possession, consisting of 12 rushing plays, took the last 7:36 off the clock. They achieved four first downs in the drive.

Toward the end of the third quarter, a 75-yard run by Ford was followed by his 5-yard scoring run.

The touchdown with 1:35 left in the third quarter put Stanford ahead 27-20.

After a three-and-out for Boston College, Ford started Stanford’s following possession with a 31-yard run.

Emmet Kenney finished the possession with a 26-yard field goal with 11:26 left.

The teams each scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and converted two field goals in the first half for a 20-20 tie at halftime.

Kenney accounted for the scoring in the first quarter with field goals of 23 and 35 yards.

Boston College scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter, beginning with a 51-yard field goal by Luca Lombardo.

Lonergan’s 49-yard scoring strike to Turbo Richard was followed in the next possession with a 46-yard pass from Lonergan to Jordan McDonald that set up another touchdown.

McDonald scored on a 2-yard run following the connection with Lonergan, giving Boston College a 17-6 lead with 8:04 left in the second quarter.

Stanford scored two touchdowns in the last 1:47 of the half to take a 20-17 lead.

After Ben Gulbranson completed a 69-yard touchdown pass to Sam Roush with 1:47 remaining in the second quarter, Collin Wright returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown on Boston College’s second play of the next possession.

Boston College, starting at its 25, managed to get a last-second 31-yard field goal by Lombardo heading into halftime.

–Field Level Media

Will Howard Shines for Ohio State

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – All Ohio State quarterback Will Howard ever wanted was a chance to show off his talents.

The spotlight was all his on Monday night.

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Howard built off a record-breaking first half to complete 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, lifting the Buckeyes to a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff title game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It was after a 56-yard completion to Jeremiah Smith with 2:38 left in the game that reality seemed to set in for Howard, who took some time to showboat a bit by throwing his arms up while running downfield while Ohio State coach Ryan Day jumped for joy on the sideline and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James celebrated from box seats.

Such a moment was always the goal for Howard, a Kansas State transfer who had always dreamed of performing on college football’s biggest stage.

“If you were to ask a 19-year-old or 18-year-old Will Howard if he’d be at Ohio State playing in the national championship, I think he’d probably say, ‘You’re crazy, man,’” Howard said earlier this week.

Now, Howard is a champion, and teammates think that this is just the beginning for the 23-year-old.

“Just the type of quarterback he is, in my eyes he’s a first-round draft pick,” Smith said. “Will’s just a great leader — on and off the field.”

Howard made CFP championship game history by completing his first 13 passes on Monday, and he was 14-for-15 passing for 144 yards and two TDs before the break. Ohio State scored a touchdown on all three of its drives in the first 30 minutes of action to build a commanding 21-7 lead by intermission.

The Fighting Irish rallied but couldn’t find a way to get past Howard and the Buckeyes, with the Ohio State signal-caller being named Offensive MVP following the game.

“They’ve changed my life in more ways than I can say, man,” Howard told ESPN, referring to the impact that Day and his new teammates have had on him. “Coach Day and these guys here have completely, completely changed my life. … I can’t believe God gave me the chance to be a Buckeye.”

–Field Level Media