Top 25 roundup: Controversial finish gives Auburn win over LSU

John Reed—USA TODAY Sports
Sep 24

AUBURN, Ala. — For a moment, it appeared that No. 18 LSU had stunned Auburn on a touchdown pass as time expired.But the score was nullified after the play was reviewed and it was determined the ball was not snapped before the time expired, giving Auburn an improbable 18-13 victory Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium.On the previous play, LSU completed a pass for a first down at the Auburn 2-yard line. The first down would have stopped the clock with one second left until the down marker could be set. But LSU was called for an illegal shift, pushing the ball back to the 15-yard line.Referee Hubert Owens announced that the clock would start on his motion. The ball was snapped and LSU quarterback Danny Etling scrambled right and bought enough time to find D.J. Clark open in the back of the end zone.Clark caught the ball and LSU (2-2, 1-1 SEC) stormed off the sidelines thinking it had won the game. But replays clearly showed the ball was not snapped before the clock hit 0:00.Then Auburn (2-2, 1-1) stormed off the field victoriously as the thunderous roar from the crowd drowned out Owens’ words that the play did not count. Daniel Carlson kicked six field goals on six attempts to account for the Tigers’ scoring.No. 1 Alabama 48, Kent State 0TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama pounded Kent State in its final tune-up before SEC play begins.The top-ranked Crimson Tide moved to 4-0 while Kent State dropped to 1-3.Alabama’s offense drove the ball down field with Jalen Hurts back in at quarterback to open the second half. Hurts capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to linebacker Lyndell “Mack” Wilson. Wilson was lined up in the fullback spot to make it 48-0.It was the Crimson Tide’s only score of the second half. Alabama took a 41-0 lead into halftime.No. 3 Louisville 59, Marshall 28HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Heisman Trophy front-runner Lamar Jackson had 479 yards of total offense and accounted for seven touchdowns as No. 3 Louisville rolled past Marshall.The super sophomore quarterback has accounted for 25 touchdowns after four games. Jackson had 417 passing yards with five touchdowns and 12 carries for 62 yards and two rushing scores against the Thundering Herd (1-2).Louisville (4-0) built a 52-7 lead before the starters were replaced and Marshall scored two touchdowns at the start of the fourth quarter. Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino put his first team offense back into the game, including Jackson, and the Cardinals tacked on another touchdown with 6:36 left.No. 4 Michigan 49, Penn State 10ANN ARBOR, Mich. — De’Veon Smith ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries to lead No. 4 Michigan to its fourth consecutive lopsided home win to start the season in the Big Ten opener for both teams.Smith wasn’t the only running back that stood out for the Wolverines, who rushed for a season-high 327 yards and saw five different running backs score touchdowns. Michigan quarterback Wilton Speight went 21-of-33 passing for 189 yards and one touchdown.Penn State (2-2) scored its lone touchdown of the game with 11:22 remaining on an 8-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Trace McSorley to junior wideout Chris Godwin to cut Michigan’s lead to 35-10.No. 6 Houston 64, Texas State 3SAN MARCOS, Texas — Greg Ward Jr. passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns in just over a half of play and freshman D’Eriq King accounted for three touchdowns — receiving, passing and on a 99-yard kickoff return — as No. 6 Houston roared past Texas State.Ward was 20-of-26 passing and had 39 yards on the ground and another score while guiding the Cougars (4-0) to a 43-3 lead at halftime. He played the first series of the third quarter and left with Houston well in command and with a 50-3 lead.King opened the second half with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown after hauling in 48-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and passing for a 15-yard score in the second. King amassed 234 all-purpose yards and added 15 passing in what is Houston’s largest margin of victory since a 73-3 win over Louisiana Tech on Aug. 31, 1991.Tyler Jones was 17 of 30 passing for 100 yards for the Bobcats (1-2), who have managed just six total points the past two games against ranked teams after beating Ohio on the road 56-54 in triple overtime in their season opener.No. 7 Stanford 22, UCLA 13PASADENA, Calif. – Quarterback Ryan Burns completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside with 24 seconds left to give No. 7 Stanford its ninth straight victory over UCLA in a Pac-12 game.Burns’ touchdown pass put the Cardinal (3-0, 2-0) ahead 16-13. Stanford defensive lineman Solomon Thomas capped the scoring by returning a fumble for 58 yards for a touchdown after UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen lost the ball while he was sacked as time expired.Burns’ high lofting pass to Arcega-Whiteside on a fade pattern was completed over cornerback Fabian Moreau. The score capped a 10-play, 70-yard drive that included Burns completing five of eight passes for 66 yards against the Bruins (2-2, 0-1).Rosen completed 18 of 27 pass attempts for 248 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. UCLA’s rushing game was held to only 77 yards.No. 9 Washington 35, Arizona 28 (OT)TUCSON, Ariz. — Washington wide receiver Dante Pettis caught a 4-yard touchdown pass in overtime, running back Lavon Coleman ran for a career-high 181 yards and the No. 9 Huskies beat Arizona in a Pac-12 game.The Huskies (4-0) scored on the opening possession of overtime, aided by Coleman’s 24-yard run on the first play.The Wildcats (2-2) reached the 11 on its possession, but a bad snap on fourth-and-10 threw off the timing of the play and quarterback Brandon Dawkins threw incomplete into the end zone.Dawkins rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns, including a 79-yard score.No. 11 Wisconsin 30, No. 8 Michigan State 6EAST LANSING, Mich. — Redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook passed for 195 yards and a touchdown in his first start and safety Leo Musso scored on a 66-yard fumble return as No. 11 Wisconsin surprised No. 8 Michigan State.Hornibrook, who led a fourth-quarter comeback against Georgia State in the Badgers’ last game, completed 16 of 26 passes. Corey Clement, who missed the Georgia State game with an ankle injury, rushed for 54 yards on 23 carries and scored twice for Wisconsin (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten).The Spartans (2-1, 0-1), coming off a road win at Notre Dame, committed four turnovers and also bungled a punt attempt in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Senior quarterback Tyler O’Connor threw three interceptions and was sacked four times.No. 10 Texas A&M 45, No. 17 Arkansas 24ARLINGTON, Texas — Four touchdowns from Trevor Knight and three crucial defensive stands carried No. 10 Texas A&M past No. 17 Arkansas in SEC play.Knight passed and ran for two touchdowns each in totaling 382 yards of offense, with 157 yards coming on the ground, as the Aggies (4-0, 2-0) outscored Arkansas 28-7 in the second half. Josh Reynolds caught four passes for 141 yards, including a 92-yard touchdown that gave the Aggies their first lead, and Trayveon Williams scored twice and ran for 153 yards on just 12 carries.Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen stood up to constant pressure, as well as several big hits, to compete 28 of 42 throws for 371 yards and two scores. Rawleigh Williams III had 79 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Razorbacks (3-1, 0-1).No. 23 Ole Miss 45, No. 12 Georgia 14OXFORD, Miss. — Domination, pure and simple. Mississippi’s win over No. 12 Georgia (3-1, 1-1 SEC) certainly qualified.A crowd of 65,843 — the second-largest home attendance in school history — watched the No. 23 Rebels (2-2, 1-1) pile up 509 yards of offense, most courtesy of quarterback Chad Kelly, who completed 18 of 24 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. The senior also rushed three times for 42 yards, 41 coming on a touchdown run in the third quarter.All total, five different players scored for the Rebels, including tight end Evan Engram, who led all receivers with six catches for 95 yards and one score.No. 13 Florida State 55, South Florida 35TAMPA, Fla. — Dalvin Cook rushed for a career-high 267 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 13 Florida State (3-1) over South Florida (3-1).Cook, who had just 228 yards and two touchdowns through the first three games of the season, looked like the Heisman Trophy contender he was expected to be before the start of the season. His previous career best was 266 yards against South Florida last year.The game started off with fireworks on the first play of the game as quarterback Quentin Flowers connected with Rodney Adams on a 84-yard touchdown pass to give the Bulls a 7-0 lead.No. 14 Tennessee 38, No. 19 Florida 28KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Joshua Dobbs threw four second-half touchdown passes as No. 14 Tennessee ended its 11-year losing streak against 19th-ranked Florida in dramatic, emphatic fashion.Dobbs helped the Volunteers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) erase a 21-0 first-half deficit. Booed off the field at halftime with the Gators leading 21-3, Tennessee flipped the script behind Dobbs, whose passing has come under criticism during his career.Dobbs started the second-half rally with a 23-yard scoring strike to running back Jalen Hurd with 7:29 left in the third quarter, followed by a 20-yard touchdown reception by tight end Ethan Wolf with 59 seconds remaining that drew the Vols within 21-17. Dobbs then hit wide receiver Jauan Jennings for a juggling 67-yard score down the right sideline with 12:45 left in the game, giving Tennessee its first lead of the day.The Gators (3-1, 1-1) didn’t manage a first down in the second half until an 86-yard touchdown march concluded with a 10-yard pass from Austin Appleby to Freddie Swain with 4:17 left.No. 16 Baylor 35, Oklahoma State 24WACO, Texas — Baylor quarterback Seth Russell passed for 387 yards and four touchdowns to propel No. 16 Baylor past Oklahoma State in Big 12 action.Russell teamed up with wide receiver Chris Platt for an 89-yard touchdown to give Baylor (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) a 28-21 lead and the Bears protected the lead. Russell finished by hitting Platt for a 15-yard touchdown and a double-digit lead for the first time.Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph passed for 279 yards and Justice Hill rushed for 122 and a touchdown on 20 carries. The Cowboys (2-2, 0-1) gave up four turnovers to Baylor’s two.No. 20 Nebraska 24, Northwestern 13EVANSTON, Ill. — Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw for one touchdown and set up two others as No. 20 Nebraska opened Big Ten play with the victory at Northwestern.The Cornhuskers (4-0, 1-0) had their lowest point production of the season, but still piled up 556 yards to the Wildcats’ 388. Armstrong was 18-of-29 for 246 yards and also rushed 13 times for a game-high 132 yards.Quarterback Clayton Thorson scored on a 42-yard run and combined with Austin Carr on a 24-yard touchdown pass for the Wildcats (1-3, 0-1). Running back Justin Jackson rushed for 84 yards on 20 carries while Carr had a career-high eight catches for 109 yards.The Sports XChange contributed to this report.