Georgia, Notre Dame and Alabama remained unbeaten — and mostly untested.
No. 8 Florida came out flat and never recovered, getting drubbed 45-17 at 25th-ranked Missouri on Saturday, a week after dismantling then-No. 4 Mississippi 52-28. It was a huge letdown for the Gators, whose apparent turnaround under new coach Jon Sumrall may have been more flukish than formative.
The Gators rose 13 spots in the AP Top 25 after last week’s home win against the Rebels. Now, they could see a similar slide in the poll. Missouri might be in for a jump after the program’s first win against a top-10 team since 2013.
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No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Notre Dame and seventh-ranked Alabama held steady in their pursuit of the College Football Playoff.
Gunner Stockton threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns, and the Bulldogs pulled away late to beat Vanderbilt 38-14. The Bulldogs led 21-14 at halftime but got a lucky — Luckie, really — bounce in the third quarter to help create some cushion.
Tight end Lawson Luckie grabbed a tipped pass from Stockton that was nearly intercepted and turned it into a 43-yard reception that set up a touchdown. Georgia also benefited from a blocked field goal and a fourth-down stop that came courtesy of an overturned reception.
Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, CJ Carr threw four TD passes, Jonaz Walton ran for 108 yards and the Fighting Irish handled the Tar Heels 37-26. It was Notre Dame’s 15th consecutive victory — all of them by at least 10 points.
The Crimson Tide were supposedly on upset alert in Starkville, Mississippi. But Alabama rolled over Kamario Taylor and No. 16 Mississippi State 56-23, sending a clear statement about the team to beat in the Southeastern Conference.
Keelon Russell threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns, Trae’shawn Brown ran for two scores and the Tide scored at least 45 points for the fifth consecutive game to start the season. It’s one short of the team record set in 2018. Alabama plays at Georgia next Saturday.
The Alabama-Mississippi State matchup was expected to be a showcase for Taylor, who had been so impressive through four games. But he threw two interceptions, was sacked five times and headed to the locker room with an injury with 12 minutes to play.
Like Notre Dame and Alabama, No. 5 Ohio State had little trouble on the road. Julian Sayin threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns — two of them to Jeremiah Smith — and the Buckeyes handled Iowa 31-14.
No. 4 Miami (at Clemson) and No. 6 Indiana (at Rutgers) also face road tests later Saturday.
Smith continues to pad his Heisman Trophy resume
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith turned in another impressive performance, catching 11 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns against the Hawkeyes. Smith struck a Heisman Trophy pose after a 57-yard TD reception in the third quarter.
Smith became the betting favorite to claim the Heisman following last week’s four-touchdown outing against Illinois. His two-week totals: 23 receptions for 423 yards and six TDs.
The Heisman hopes of Florida running back Jadan Baugh and Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor surely took hits in lopsided losses.
Baugh finished with 13 yards on 12 carries at Missouri and was a non-factor all afternoon. He entered the game leading the SEC in rushing and leading the nation in scoring.
Taylor, who appeared limited by an ankle injury, fumbled and threw two interceptions that set up Alabama touchdowns.
Michigan is 0-2 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2014
Quarterback Bryce Underwood failed to get much going against Minnesota, and Michigan lost its second consecutive Big Ten game to fall to 0-2 in conference play for the first time since 2014.
Underwood completed 10 of 21 passes for 101 yards and ran 10 times for 20 yards for the Wolverines (3-2), who have failed to reach the 20-point mark in four of their five games under new coach Kyle Whittingham.
Michigan would be 2-3 if not for a controversial 13-12 victory over Western Michigan in its season opener.
Air Force secures inside track for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy
Liam Szarka rushed for two touchdowns, and Air Force defeated Navy 14-9 to take an early lead in the round-robin competition for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
Air Force (3-1) can secure its first trophy since 2022 by beating Army (2-1) on Nov. 7. Army plays Louisiana Tech later Saturday. Navy (1-3) takes on Army on Dec. 12 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Air Force has won the coveted trophy 21 times, with Navy (18) second and Army (10) third.
Big outings for lesser-known stars
Missouri’s Jamal Roberts, filling in for Ahmad Hardy, ran for 211 yards and three TDs in a win over Florida.
Mississippi State’s Anthony Evans III caught 12 passes for 166 yards and two TDs in a loss to Alabama.
Syracuse’s Amari Odom, making his first start for the Orange, had five TD passes in a 42-41 overtime victory against UConn.
Syracuse’s Umari Hatcher finished with 12 receptions for 152 yards and three TDs.
Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels ran for five touchdowns, setting a school record in a rout of Virginia. Daniels finished with 136 yards rushing and 183 yards passing.
Iowa State’s Aiden Flora accounted for five touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 1:57 left, and the Cyclones held off West Virginia in a wild game in which the teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense.
Wake Forest’s Gio Lopez ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more in a 57-3 drubbing of Stanford.
James Madison’s George Pettaway ran for 206 yards and two TDs in a 45-17 victory against Marshall.
Tennessee’s DeSean Bishop ran for 220 yards and three TDs in a win over Auburn.
Tennessee defensive back Dejuan Lane notched nine tackles, including two sacks, and an interception in that game.
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