Backup quarterback Grayson James threw an 18-yard touchdown to tight end Jeremiah Franklin on a fourth-and-1 play late in the game, and Boston College held off Syracuse 37-31 on Saturday in the 100th anniversary of the schools’ first meeting.
The Eagles (5-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) rushed for 313 yards, halting a three-game losing streak and moving a win away from bowl eligibility in coach Bill O’Brien’s first season.
Kye Robichaux ran for 198 yards and 2 TDs, and Jordan McDonald had 133 yards with a score for BC. James completed 5 for 6 passes for 51 yards.
Kyle McCord went 31-of-48 for 392 yards and two TDs for the Orange (6-3, 3-3).
BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos limped off the field after the opening drive in the third quarter. He had completed just 2-of-7 passes for 14 yards with a TD and interception.
McDonald’s 13-yard score gave the Eagles a 30-21 edge late in the third.
McCord’s second TD pass, a 12-yarder to Darrell Gill Jr. early in the fourth, sliced it to 30-28 before James’ pass to a wide-open Franklin over the middle.
Syracuse erased an early 14-point deficit and took the lead on LeQuint Allen’s second TD run of the game, a 4-yarder midway into the third quarter.
BC answered back, tying it on Robichaux’s 14-yard run three plays later.
Coming off a frustrating loss against Louisville when they blew a 20-0 lead before a bye week, the Eagles started fast, opening the two-touchdown lead on Castellanos’ 9-yard TD pass to Lewis Bond midway into the second.
Buckeyes rout woeful Purdue: Will Howard threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score, Jeremiah Smith broke the Ohio State freshman receiving record with his ninth touchdown of the season and the No. 3 Buckeyes rolled over Purdue 45-0 on Saturday.
Smith’s 17-yard TD on a crossing route late in the first half broke the tie with Cris Carter, who had eight in 1984. Smith finished with six catches for 87 yards.
Howard also threw touchdown passes to Gee Scott Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. He was 21 for 26 for 260 yards and ran in a 1-yard touchdown on fourth down to open the scoring for the Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten).
TreVeyon Henderson ran for 85 yards and a TD and caught three passes for 43 yards.
Purdue (1-8, 0-6) lost its 10th straight.
Ewers, Longhorns dominant: Quinn Ewers passed for 333 yards and five touchdowns and No. 5 Texas rolled over struggling Florida 49-17 on Saturday, two days after third-year Gators coach Billy Napier was given a public statement of support from the school’s athletic director.
Ewers connected on open passes to Matthew Golden and Gunnar Helm for touchdowns in the first quarter. Quintrevion Wisner took a screen pass 50 yards for a score before Ewers connected with Golden again for a 32-yard strike in the second.
Texas (8-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 5 CFP ) led 35-0 at halftime.
Mountaineers win 4th straight: Nicco Marchiol threw for one touchdown and ran for another and West Virginia’s defense forced Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby into three turnovers Saturday afternoon, which led to 17 points in the Mountaineers 31-24 win over the Bearcats.
It’s the fourth-straight win for the Mountaineers (5-4, 4-2 Big 12 Conference) over the Bearcats (5-4, 3-3), and they denied the Bearcats the opportunity to clinch bowl eligibility.
Two of the Mountaineers takeaways were scoring plays. Early in the second quarter, West Virginia free safety Anthony Wilson Jr. intercepted Sorsby and returned the ball 79 yards to get the Mountaineers on the scoreboard. The pick-six began a run of 24 unanswered points by the Mountaineers, giving them a 24-7 lead late in the third quarter.
UCLA keeps up momentum: UCLA knew it was in for a challenge facing the nation’s second leading rusher in Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson.
Not only did the Bruins hold Johnson to his lowest rushing performance of the season, but UCLA’s ground game finally got out of first gear.
T.J. Harden had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season and Ethan Garbers threw two touchdown passes as the Bruins rallied for a 20-17 victory on Friday night.
Carson Schwesinger had a pair of interceptions to help the Bruins (4-5, 3-4 Big Ten) win their third straight.
“We went into this week knowing it was a challenge and we were ready for it,” Schwesinger said.
Harden had 125 yards on 20 carries, the fourth time the junior has eclipsed the century mark in his career. His 15-yard gain up the middle after the 2-minute timeout gave UCLA a first down and put the game away.