Kevin Jennings passed and rushed for career highs, Isaiah Nwokobia intercepted an end-zone pass with 2:23 left to seal it, and SMU overcame blowing a double-digit lead to beat No. 22 Louisville 34-27 on Saturday.
The Mustangs (5-1, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) rang up another significant win as an ACC newcomer, but only after its 24-13 halftime lead dissolved into a 27-all tie entering the fourth quarter. The Cardinals (3-2, 1-1) had clawed back behind Ja’Corey Brooks’ 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown and a 1-yard TD run by Donald Chaney Jr. in the third.
After missing a third-quarter field goal and punt on its first fourth-quarter drive, SMU took over at its 11 and drove for the winning score with the help of several Louisville penalties and a video review that overturned Brashard Smith’s fumble that Louisville had recovered at the 5. That gave the Mustangs possession at the 13, and Louisville penalties for pass interference and offsides put the ball at the 1.
LJ Johnson took it in for the TD with 6:39 remaining.
The Cardinals got into SMU territory, but Tyler Shough was sacked for a 9-yard loss before throwing a fourth-down pass into traffic that Nwokobia came down to seal the Mustangs’ third consecutive victory.
Jennings completed 21 of 27 passes for 281 yards and rushed for 113 yards. He ran for a 59-yard touchdown, Roderick Daniels Jr. scored on a 5-yard run and Preston Stone hit Key’Shawn Smith for a 10-yard TD.
Shough completed 22 of 35 passes for 329 yards and 2 TDs, but was sacked three times and threw a crippling interception.
Holstein powers Pitt past UNC for its first 5-0 start since 1991: Eli Holstein threw for a career-best 381 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score as Pittsburgh beat North Carolina 34-24 on Saturday for its first 5-0 start since 1991.
Holstein completed 25-of-42 passes, while also rushing for a team-high 76 yards to lead the Panthers (5-0, 1-0 ACC). Running back Desmond Reid complimented Pitt’s offensive attack on the ground and in the air as he racked up 210 yards of total offense on 29 touches.
Syracuse rallies to force overtime and beat UNLV: LeQuint Allen told Syracuse coach Fran Brown in the first half that the pain in his lower left leg was an eight out of 10. He also said he wasn’t coming out of the game.
Good thing for the Orange, as Allen powered into the end zone from a yard out in overtime to give Syracuse a 44-41 victory over No. 25 UNLV on Friday night, four days after the Rebels broke into the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history.
“Just putting it all on the line for my team,” Allen said. “At the end of the day, if I can run and I can jog, I still want to go out there for my team. Nobody’s bigger than ‘The S.’”
After Caden Chittenden made a 41-yard field goal to give the Rebels (4-1) a 41-38 lead in overtime, the Orange (4-1) used eight plays and walked it off with Allen’s fourth touchdown of the game, as the 200-pound running back dragged UNLV’s 230-pound linebacker Jackson Woodard for roughly four seconds before plunging into the end zone.
Allen rushed 19 times for 71 yards and two touchdowns, and had nine catches for 58 yards and two more scores.
“He’s been doing that, that’s just what he does — that’s LeQuint,” Brown said. “Never stops talking, never stops just wanting the football. He’s never not open. He’s a competitive guy.”
Locke, Badgers throttle Boilermakers: Braedyn Locke threw for 359 yards and connected with Trech Kekahuna on two of his three touchdown passes as Wisconsin trounced Purdue 52-6 on Saturday to continue the Badgers’ mastery of this series.
Tawee Walker rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries as Wisconsin (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) snapped a two-game skid and beat Purdue for an 18th straight time. Purdue (1-4, 0-2) last defeated Wisconsin in 2003.
The only Big Ten team with a longer active winning streak over a conference opponent is Ohio State, which has beaten Indiana 29 consecutive times.
“They really did what we had expected and wanted them to do more than anything - and they did it together,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said.
Since beating Football Championship Subdivision program Indiana State 49-0 in its opener, Purdue (1-4, 0-2) has lost four straight games by a combined score of 184-44.
Locke went 20 of 31 and set single-game career highs in touchdown passes and yards passing, even though Wisconsin lost wide receivers Will Pauling, Bryson Green and Tyrell Henry to upper-body injuries in the first half. He threw two first-half interceptions but was exceptional the rest of the way.
Locke’s first touchdown pass came when Vinny Anthony made a catch just inside Purdue’s 35 and raced into the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown. Locke’s next two scores went to Kekahuna, who ended up with six catches for 134 yards.