Joe Walker returned Kaelin Clay's careless goal-line fumble 100 yards for a touchdown, Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score and No. 4 Oregon turned back No. 17 Utah 51-27 on Saturday night. From ESPN.com - College Football - Ducks take advantage of Utah blunder in win
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Freaky fumble return helps Oregon beat Utah 51-27
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Joe Walker returned Kaelin Clay's careless goal line fumble 100 yards for a touchdown, Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score and No. 5 Oregon turned back No. 20 Utah 51-27 on Saturday night. From College Football News : CBSSports.com - Freaky fumble return helps Oregon beat Utah 51-27
Ohio St. makes playoff case with rout of MSU
Ohio St. makes playoff case with rout of MSU From College Football News : CBSSports.com - Ohio St. makes playoff case with rout of MSU
Ohio State runs over Michigan State 49-37 in statement win
Michigan State had no answer for Ohio State’s high-powered offense Saturday night.
Playing in front of a packed house at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, the Buckeyes put up 568 yards and scored on six straight possessions in a statement 49-37 win over the No. 8 Spartans. Now 8-1 and a perfect 5-0 in conference play, the No. 14 Buckeyes are in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten east division and more importantly, could be back in the conversation for the College Football Playoff.
On top of that, the win offers the Buckeyes a bit of revenge for last year's Big Ten title game loss at the hands of the Spartans.
Michigan State actually controlled the game early and had a chance to take a two-touchdown lead late in the first half after a Dontre Wilson fumble gave the Spartans the ball at OSU’s 18-yard line. It appeared that the Spartans would do just that, but a would-be 11-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Langford was called back due to a holding penalty.
After an incomplete pass, Michael Geiger missed a 39-yard field goal and the Buckeyes regained possession. On the next play, quarterback J.T. Barrett connected with Michael Thomas for a 79-yard catch-and-run. Just like that, the game was tied and the Buckeyes ran away with things from there.
Led by Barrett (300 yards passing, 86 yards rushing 5 total TDs) and running back Ezekiel Elliott (154 yards, 2 TDs), the Buckeyes scored on each of their next four possessions, eating up clock and dominating the vaunted MSU defense.
The Spartans did manage to keep things close for much of the third quarter, but the Buckeyes scored twice in a five-minute span to increase their lead from 28-24 to 42-24 early in the fourth quarter. The Ohio State offense was simply too much to handle.
As previously mentioned, the win is paramount for the Buckeyes for multiple reasons. First, with games against Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan left on the schedule, the Buckeyes have a clear path to the Big Ten title game. As long as Urban Meyer’s squad takes care of business in two of those three games, it’ll be on its way to Indianapolis.
With a handful of other teams ranked ahead of it in the College Football Playoff standings losing Saturday (No. 3 Auburn, No. 7 Kansas State, No. 10 Notre Dame and MSU), the Buckeyes could make a significant leap in next week’s rankings. OSU certainly still has work to do to ascend into the top four, but a spot in the Top 10 seems likely.
A win against 7-2 Minnesota next week would also bolster the Buckeyes’ resume. If the Buckeyes and Big Ten west leaders Nebraska win out and meet in the Big Ten title game with 11-1 records, would the winner of that game crack the final four? We’ll just have to wait and see.
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.
For more Michigan State news, visit SpartanMag.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Ohio State runs over Michigan State 49-37 in statement win
TCU demolishes Kansas State, but it still won't be enough to crack CFP top four
A week ago, TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin apologized to his teammates for a poor performance in a one-point victory against West Virginia.
On Saturday, he was celebrating one of the best performances of his career with a career high with 123 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 17 carries and 219 yards passing and another score in 41-20 win against No. 7 Kansas State.
The performance couldn’t have come at a better time as the No. 6 Horned Frogs needed to add yet another signature win to their College Football Playoff resume.
TCU has defeated four ranked teams this season, but it still might not be enough to push the Horned Frogs into the coveted top four.
TCU was already behind No. 5 Alabama, which won in overtime at LSU. No. 3 Auburn lost, which means the Tide probably will slip into the top four leaving the Horned Frogs on the outside looking in, at least for the time being.
Saturday’s win against Kansas State was TCU’s last opportunity for a marquee win. It's final three games are against Kansas, Texas and Iowa State. Of those teams, Texas has the best record at 5-5; the other two teams have five wins combined.
Every other team ahead of the Horned Frogs faces at least one ranked team before the final playoff rankings are decided, which could help or hurt the Horned Frogs depending on the outcomes.
Still, TCU has done everything it can to be considered one of the nation’s top teams and Saturday’s win against Kansas State just accentuated that point.
TCU jumped out to a 17-7 lead in the first half and then, on the first possession of the second half, Boykin scrambled for 19 yards, met two defenders at the goal line and flipped head over heels into the end zone. Boykin added a 24-yard touchdown run in fourth quarter and he got lots of rushing help from Aaron Green, who had 18 carries for 171 yards, which included a 65-yard touchdown run.
Even if TCU wins out, it might not make the playoff. It’s clear it needs at least one of the teams ahead of it to lose to find its way in. Still, if TCU falls short, it won’t because the Horned Frogs didn’t make a valiant effort. With the exception of a stunning loss to Baylor, the Horned Frogs have answered every bell.
They just might not get rewarded for it.
For more TCU news, visit PurpleMenace.com.
For more Kansas State news, visit GoPowerCat.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - TCU demolishes Kansas State, but it still won't be enough to crack CFP top four
Hundley Carries UCLA Past Washington
Visit ESPN.com for the complete story. From ESPN.com - College Football - Hundley Carries UCLA Past Washington
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