PITTSBURGH >> Cade Klubnick sprinted 50 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 1:16 remaining and No. 17 Clemson fended off Pittsburgh 24-20 on Saturday.

The Tigers (8-2, 7-1 ACC) had done little on the ground all day before the junior quarterback tucked the ball and raced past a handful of stunned defenders to keep Clemson’s outside hopes of reaching the ACC championship game alive.

Klubnick finished with 288 yards and two touchdown passes through the air and added 41 yards on the ground, almost all the positive yardage coming on his zig-zag through the Pitt secondary just 20 seconds after the Panthers had taken the lead on a 47-yard field goal by Ben Sauls.

Antonio Williams caught 13 passes for 149 yards and two scores for the Tigers, who need No. 12 Miami to lose one of its final two games or No. 14 SMU to drop its last two contests to reach the ACC title game in Charlotte on Dec. 7.

No. 2 OHIO ST. 31, NORTHWESTERN 7 >> Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate celebrated his Chicago homecoming with two touchdown receptions against Northwestern at Wrigley Field.

With the Buckeyes facing a second-and-8 at the Northwestern 25 late in the first half, Will Howard dropped back and lofted the ball in Tate’s direction down the sideline. The 6-foot-3 sophomore made a diving grab in the end zone for his third TD of the season.

Tate added an 8-yard touchdown reception on Ohio State’s first possession of the second half, capping a five-play, 90-yard drive and lifting the Buckeyes to a 28-7 lead.

No. 3 TEXAS 20, ARKANSAS 10 >> Quinn Ewers threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns and the Longhorns defense clamped down on the Razorbacks final two possessions to help secure the win.

Ewers’ 1-yard pass to Matthew Golden ended an eight-play, 75-yard drive that provided the Longhorns (9-1, 5-1 SEC, No. 3 CFP) with a two-score lead with 9:05 left. Ewers, who finished 20-of-32 passing, also connected with Golden for the game’s first touchdown.

No. 4 Penn State 49, Purdue 10 >> Drew Allar threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns to lead Penn State to a rout of Purdue.

Allar, who completed his first 10 passes, connected on 17 of 19 passes for the Nittany Lions (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) in three quarters. His top target was tight end Tyler Warren, who caught eight passes for 127 yards.

Purdue was limited to 85 rushing yards.

No. 8 Notre Dame 35, Virginia 14 >> Riley Leonard passed for three touchdowns and Notre Dame’s defense forced five turnovers as the Fighting Irish beat Virginia.

Leonard was 22 for 33 for 214 yards as Notre Dame (9-1) raced to a 35-0 lead and won its eighth straight game.

Leonard’s TD passes came in the first half. He found Jayden Harrison with an 8-yard strike, Cooper Flanagan with a 2-year flare and hit Mitchell Evans with a 16-yard pass.

No. 9 ALABAMA 52, MERCER 7 >> Jalen Milroe passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third in just over two quarters to help Alabama beat FCS team Mercer.

Ryan Williams ran for a 29-yard touchdown and caught a 14-yard score for the Crimson Tide (8-2, No. 9 CFP), who got a reprieve from Southeastern Conference games after re-entering the Top 10 following a dominating win over LSU last week. Now, they’ll go back to focusing on polishing their playoff resume and battling for an SEC title.

No. 14 Boston College 38, SMU 28 >> Kevin Jennings threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns, Brashard Smith ran for 120 yards with a score and 14th-ranked SMU moved closer to making the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in its league debut.

Jennings was 24-of-35 passing and his 38-yard TD to Jordan Hudson, who caught the ball in stride behind the secondary inside the 5, put the Mustangs (9-1, 6-0 ACC) ahead to stay with 8:52 left in the third quarter as they won their seventh game in a row. Smith’s run for the 2-point conversion made it 28-21.

No. 18 COLORADO 49, UTAH 24 >> Shedeur Sanders overcame a shaky start to throw three touchdown passes, LaJohntay Wester returned a punt 76 yards for a score and the Buffaloes pulled away late to beat the Utes.

Winners of four straight, the Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1 Big 12, No. 17 CFP) remain in the driver’s seat for an appearance in the conference title game and possibly a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Sanders threw an interception on his first pass of the game and later lost a fumble. But he settled down and finished 30 of 41 for 340 yards.

Florida 27, No. 21 LSU 16 >> DJ Lagway threw for a touchdown and set up another with a long completion in his return from a strained left hamstring, and Florida upset LSU to give the Gators their first series victory since 2018.

Jadan Baugh’s 55-yard scoring scamper with 3:48 remaining essentially sealed it and put the Gators (5-5, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) on the verge of becoming bowl eligible.

Florida’s defense sacked Garrett Nussmeier seven times — one more than LSU (6-4, 3-3) allowed in its first nine games combined.

No. 23 South Carolina 34, No. 24 Missouri 30 >> LaNorris Sellers threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Raheim Sanders with 15 seconds left and South Carolina won its third straight victory over a ranked opponent.

Sellers had career highs of five TD passes and 353 yards, completing 21 of 30 attempts.

The Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3) have won four straight Southeastern Conference games for the first time since Steve Spurrier was coach in 2012.

The Tigers (7-3, 3-3) twice battled back to take the lead in the fourth quarter, the final time on Brady Cook’s 37-yard TD pass to Luther Burden III with 1:10 to go for a 30-27 lead.

No. 25 TULANE 35, NAVY 0 >> Makhi Hughes ran for 82 yards and two touchdowns, as the Green Wave locked up its spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game by romping to a victory over the Midshipmen.

Darian Mensah threw for two TDs and ran for another as Tulane (9-2, 7-0) guaranteed a championship meeting on Dec. 6 against No. 16 Army, which was idle Saturday.