Penn State’s new career rushing leader is a guy who used to play for Norview High.
Norfolk native Kaytron Allen ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns, and Penn State’s defense played its best game of the season to keep the Nittany Lions’ bowl hopes alive with a 37-10 home win over Nebraska on Saturday night.
Allen, who racked up 181 yards rushing in last week’s win against Michigan State, became Penn State’s career rushing leader with 3,954 yards, passing Evan Royster’s 3,932, set in 2010.
The senior back from Norfolk plowed through and zipped around the Huskers all night. Allen passed Saquon Barkley on the school’s career rushing list in the first half before eclipsing Royster with a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter.
By then, the Nittany Lions (5-6, 2-6 Big Ten) had put the game out of reach, scoring on five straight possessions while their defense stymied the Cornhuskers.
Oklahoma wide receiver Javonnie Gibson catches an 11-yard touchdown pass against Missouri cornerback Drey Norwood on Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma. (Brian Bahr/Getty)
No. 8 Oklahoma 17, No. 23 Missouri 6: Oklahoma took a critical step in its quest to reach the College Football Playoff. John Mateer threw two touchdown passes.
The Sooners, coming off road wins over Tennessee and Alabama, claimed their third straight victory over a Top 25 opponent and their fifth over a team that was ranked when they played. The Sooners (9-2, 5-2 SEC, No. 8 CFP) likely will make the playoff field with a win at home against LSU next Saturday.
Oklahoma gained just 276 total yards. It wasn’t flashy, but the Sooners got what they needed. Oklahoma held the Tigers (7-4, 3-4, No. 22 CFP) to 301 yards and shut them out in the second half.
No. 1 Ohio State 42, Rutgers 9: Julian Sayin threw two touchdown passes despite missing his top two playmakers, Bo Jackson rushed for 110 yards and a pair of scores and Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) pulled away in the second half for a home victory over Rutgers (5-6, 2-6).
The Buckeyes started off slowly with wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate sidelined because of injuries. Ohio State led 14-3 at halftime but then scored on four consecutive second-half drives.
No. 3 Texas A&M 48, Samford 0: Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter before sitting down early in the second as the Aggies built a huge early lead and rolled over an FCS opponent (1-11).
Texas A&M is 11-0 for the first time since going 12-0 under coach R.C. Slocum in 1992 and looks to cap a perfect regular season when the Aggies visit rival No. 17 Texas on Friday. Reed moved the offense with ease against the Bulldogs, leading the Aggies to touchdowns on four of his five possessions.
No. 4 Georgia 35, Charlotte 3: Freshman Bo Walker ran for his first three career touchdowns, Nate Frazier added two scoring runs and Georgia rolled in Athens in its bid to protect its College Football Playoff standing.
Georgia (10-1) was looking to play well enough to retain its No. 4 CFP ranking and position for a first-round bye in the playoff. The Bulldogs overwhelmed Charlotte (1-10) for their seventh consecutive win entering Friday’s final regular-season game against No. 15 Georgia Tech.
No. 6 Oregon 42, No. 16 Southern California 27: Dante Moore threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns as Oregon likely dashed USC’s hopes of making the CFP.
Kenyon Sadiq had six catches for 72 yards and two scores, and Noah Whittington ran for 104 yards and another touchdown for the Ducks (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 7 CFP), who improved their chances of not only making the playoff but also hosting a game.
Jayden Maiava threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Makai Lemon, who also threw a touchdown pass for USC (8-3, 6-2, No. 15 CFP). But USC hasn’t won in Eugene since 2011, and the Trojans have lost four straight to the Ducks overall.
No. 10 Alabama 56, Eastern Illinois 0: Six different players scored touchdowns, including two apiece from Kevin Riley and AK Dear, and Alabama cruised to a home win against a lower-division foe.
Alabama (9-2) held out a few key players — receiver Germie Bernard, center Parker Brailsford and tight end Josh Cuevas — with the Iron Bowl on tap next week. Cuevas was injured in practice, and his availability moving forward is up in the air, said coach Kalen DeBoer.
No. 11 Brigham Young 26, Cincinnati 14: LJ Martin ran for a career-high 222 yards and scored twice to help the Cougars (10-1, 7-1) keep their Big 12 title-game hopes alive with a road victory.
After Brendan Sorsby’s 19-yard TD pass to Jeff Caldwell cut the Cougars’ lead to six points with 4:37 left, Martin had a 33-yard touchdown run to seal it for BYU (10-1, 7-1). He had the 15th 200-yard rushing game in school history.
Sorsby passed for 300 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for the Bearcats (7-4, 5-3), who have lost three straight.
No. 12 Vanderbilt 45, Kentucky 17: Diego Pavia threw for a career-high 484 yards and five touchdowns as the Commodores finished unbeaten at home and kept their CFP hopes alive. Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2, No. 14 CFP) has its most wins since 2013, and it ended a three-game winning streak for the Wildcats (5-6, 2-6).
Pavia, who struck yet another Heisman Trophy pose while celebrating with teammates, set the program record, topping the 464 yards Whit Taylor had at Tennessee in 1981. Pavia also ran for 48 more yards and a sixth score.
No. 13 Utah 51, Kansas State 47: Devon Dampier threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, including a go-ahead 1-yard score with 56 seconds left, and Utah (9-2, 6-2 Big 12, No. 12 CFP) rallied from a 12-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter in Salt Lake City.
The game turned on an unusual play. After KSU took a 47-35 lead on Joe Jackson’s third rushing touchdown of the game, the Wildcats went for two, but Utah’s Tao Johnson intercepted a tipped ball and returned it to the Kansas State end zone for two points to make it 47-37.
Dampier’s 20-yard TD toss to Larry Simmons got Utah within 47-44 with 2:47 left, the Utes forced a punt and Dampier led the winning drive. Jackson rushed for a school-record 293 yards for Kansas State (5-6, 4-4), which set a school record with 472 yards rushing.
No. 17 Texas 52, Arkansas 37: Arch Manning passed for four touchdowns, ran for one and caught another in Austin as Texas (8-3, 5-2 SEC) clung to CFP hopes by outscoring the Razorbacks (2-9, 0-7).
Manning became the first Texas quarterback with passing, running and receiving touchdowns in a game. He passed for a career-high 389 yards, and his do-everything day showed how far he’s come from the beginning of the season. Manning connected with DeAndre Moore Jr. for three touchdowns.
No. 18 Michigan 45, Maryland 20: Bryson Kuzdzal ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns to help Michigan to a victory in College Park, a week before the Wolverines host top-ranked Ohio State.
Michigan (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten, No. 18 CFP) was without injured running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, but the Wolverines finished with their highest-scoring output in conference play this season.
Bryce Underwood defeated Malik Washington in a matchup of two impressive freshman quarterbacks. Maryland (4-7, 1-7) scored on the game’s first drive but could not avoid a seventh straight loss. Underwood threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns for Michigan, while Washington passed for 210 yards and a touchdown with an interception.
No. 20 Tennessee 31, Florida 11: DeSean Bishop ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns, including one that ended with a flip into the end zone, and the Volunteers (8-3, 4-3 SEC) won in the Swamp for the first time since 2003. They had dropped 10 in a row at Florida Field. Although there were plenty of lopsided meetings over the years, this one could go down as the most stunning — even with the Gators (3-8, 2-6) spiraling and waiting to find out the future of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.
No. 22 North Texas 56, Rice 24: The Mean Green (10-1, 6-1) stayed in the hunt for the American Conference championship game after a rout of the Owls (5-6, 2-5) in Houston.
Drew Mestemaker threw for 469 yards and three touchdowns, and Wyatt Young set an American Conference record with 295 yards receiving and two scores. Mestemaker went 19 of 23 and completed touchdown passes of 74 and 84 yards to Young and 56 yards to Tre Williams III in the first half. Young had the most receiving yards in a Division I game this season.
The Mean Green scored 42 straight points after Rice jumped to a 14-0 lead.
No. 24 Tulane 37, Temple 13: Jake Retzlaff passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another score as Tulane won in Philadelphia to move closer to a spot in the American Conference championship game.
Tulane (9-2, 6-1), considered the leading Group of Five team according to the CFP committee’s rankings, can secure a spot in the Dec. 5 title game with a win over 1-10 Charlotte next weekend.
Patrick Durkin made five field goals for the Green Wave, and Tulane’s defense limited Temple to just 20 yards on 20 rushes and 204 yards of total offense.
TCU 17, No. 25 Houston 14: Josh Hoover threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns, and the Horned Frogs (7-4, 4-4 Big 12) to beat the host Cougars (8-3, 5-3).
After stopping TCU on the Cougars’ 5 with just less than two minutes remaining, Houston (8-3, 5-3) drove to the TCU 20 and had a chance to tie it, but former Old Dominion kicker Ethan Sanchez’s 38-yard attempt with 46 seconds remaining went wide left.
Nate McCashland hit a 29-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give TCU a three-point lead.
Texas San Antonio 58, East Carolina 24: Owen McCown threw for five touchdowns, Will Henderson ran for 146 yards, and UTSA (6-5, 4-3 American) became bowl-eligible by ending ECU’s four-game winning streak in decisive fashion in San Antonio.
McCown threw touchdown passes to DJ Allen Jr., David Amador II, Jaren Randle, Houston Thomas and AJ Wilson and completed 24 of 33 passes for 248 yards. Katin Houser threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns and Anthony Smith had 143 yards receiving and a touchdown for the Pirates (7-4, 5-2), who suffered their worst loss since Charlotte beat them 55-24 last year.
South Carolina 51, Coastal Carolina 7: LaNorris Sellers ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more for the Gamecocks (4-7) against the Chanticleers (6-5) in Columbia.
Sellers was considered a strong contender for the Heisman Trophy when the season began, something that fell apart as the Gamecocks went 1-7 in Southeastern Conference play. But he showed the dual-threat ability and arm strength that has him a potential NFL first-rounder in overwhelming the Sun Belt visitors.
The Chanticleers ended the shutout with a blocked-punt touchdown by Jameson Tucker with less than 10 minutes left in the game.
Susquehanna 38, Washington & Jefferson 32: In a duel of two Pennsylvania teams to see who would get a trip to No. 6 Christopher Newport for next Saturday’s noon game in the Division III playoffs’ second round, the host River Hawks (9-2) beat the Presidents (8-3) in Selinsgrove.
Romero Lavalais Jr. returned a blocked field-goal try 70 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half. Josh Ehrlich threw for three scores and Rahshan La Mons scored one touchdown on the ground and one through the air for the 22nd-ranked River Hawks.
CNU beat Susquehanna 41-27 on Sept. 27, when the River Hawks were ranked 13th.
