NORMAN, Okla. Sporting Alert – Scores and brief recaps from the college football games that took place in Week 5 and involved NCAAF top 25 teams on Saturday, October 3.
NO. 1 OHIO STATE 34, INDIANA 27
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Ezekiel Elliott ran for a career-best 274 yards and finished with three touchdowns and No. 1 Ohio State held on to beat Indiana, 34-27 on Saturday.
The dominant individual day for Elliott, saw the junior running back scoring on touchdown runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards in an energetic second half.
The defending champions struggled extensively on offense, especially in the first half, but managed to breakaway in the second half to set up the win.
Starting quarterback Cardale Jones struggled to get going, with several of his passes either too far behind the target, or thrown too hard for his target to hold on to.
The Buckeyes (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) took a 34-20 lead with 10:24 left in the fourth quarter, but the hosts rushed right back with a touchdown of their own when Zander Diamont ran for a 79 yard score.
The Hoosiers (4-1, 0-1 Big Ten) made it a nervous final ten-minutes for the top-ranked side in the country, but they were unable to pull off the upset.
“We have good pass rushers. That’s one of our strengths, but Indiana played us tough,” Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said.
He admitted: “We have a lot of work to do, but we are 5-0 and 1-0 in conference.”
NO. 25 FLORIDA 38, NO. 3 MISSISSIPPI 10
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Quarterback Will Grier battle through the flu to pass for four touchdowns in the first half, and No. 25 Florida stunned No. 3 Ole Miss 38-10 on a muddy Saturday night in Gainesville.
Grier, who was a doubt for the game because of a stomach virus, threw touchdown passes to Demarcus Robinson, Jake McGee, Brandon Powell and Antonio Callaway, as the Gators (5-0, 3-0 SEC) took a 25-0 lead at halftime.
The redshirt freshman ended the day with 24 of 29 for 271 yards, while Robinson had eight catches for 98 yards and Kelvin Taylor ran for 83 for Florida.
Saturday night’s victory saw head coach Jim McElwain becoming the first Florida coach since Steve Spurrier in 1990 to start his debut season with a 5-0 record.
Chad Kelly was 26 of 40 for 259 yards and a touchdown with one interception, while rushing for another 40 yards in the defeat for Ole Miss (4-1, 2-1 SEC).
NO. 12 CLEMSON 24, NO. 6 NOTRE DAME 22
CLEMSON, S.C. — Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and No. 12 Clemson held off No. 6 Notre Dame for a battling 24-22 victory in college football action at Memorial Stadium.
Watson went 11 of 22 passes for 97 yards and rushed for another 93 yards, while Wayne Gallman ran for 98 yards for the Tigers (4-0, 3-0 ACC).
Notre Dame (4-1) trailed 21-3 going into the fourth quarter before outscoring Clemson 19-3 to cut the deficit to two-points.
However, DeShone Kizer had his tying 2-point conversion attempt stopped short of the goal line by defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, and the Fighting Irish were upset.
NO. 13 ALABAMA 38, NO. GEORGIA 10
ATHENS, Ga. — It was supposed to be a close battle, but it was far from it, as No. 13 Alabama rout No. 8 Georgia 38-10 in the rain on Saturday.
Derrick Henry ran for 148 yards and a touchdown and Calvin Ridley caught five passes for 120 yards and a score for the Crimson Tide (4-1, 1-1 SEC), who led 24-3 at halftime.
Jake Coker completed 11 of 16 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score for Alabama.
Nick Chubb, who ran for an 83-yard touchdown in the third quarter, continued his impressive form this season as he ran for 146 yards for Georgia (4-1, 2-1) – while extending his streak of rushing for at least 100-yards per game to 13 straight.
NO. 5 BAYLOR 63, TEXAS TECH 35
ARLINGTON, Texas – Seth Russell passed for 286 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two more scores, and No. 5 Baylor used a fast start to dominate Texas Tech, 63-35 at AT&T Stadium.
Russell completed 15 of 23 passes and had one interception, while rushing 12 time for 81 yards.
Shock Linwood ran for a career-high 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Corey Coleman caught seven passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns and Jay Lee had 120 yards receiving for the Bears (4-0, 1-0 Big 12).
Patrick Mahomes went 32 of 50 for 415 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions and Davis Webb threw for 115 yards and a score for Texas Tech (3-2, 0-2 Big 12).
Tony Brown caught five catches for 117 yards and a score, Zach Austin had eight catches for 110 yards and a score and Cameron Batson caught three passes for 71 yards and a touchdown in the defeat for the Red Raiders.
MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 5 RECAPS
OTHER COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25 SCORES
WEEK 5, OCT. 3.
NO. 1 OHIO STATE 34, INDIANA 27
NO. 2 MICHIGAN STATE 24, PERDUE 21
NO. 25 FLORIDA 38, NO. 3 MISSISSIPPI 10
NO. 4 TCU 50, TEXAS 7
NO. 5 BAYLOR 63, TEXAS TECH 35
NO. 12 CLEMSON 24, NO. 6 NOTRE DAME 22
ARIZONA STATE 38, NO. 7 UCLA 23
NO. 9 LSU 44, EASTERN MICHIGAN 22
NO. 13 ALABAMA 38, NO. GEORGIA 10
NO. 14 TEXAS A&M 30, NO. 21 MISSISSIPPI STATE 17
NO. 15 OKLAHOMA 44, NO. 23 WEST VIRGINIA
NO. 16 NORTHWESTERN 27, MINNESOTA 0
NO. 18 STANFORD 55, ARIZONA 17
IOWA 10, NO. 19 WISCONSIN 6
NO. 20 OKLAHOMA STATE 36, KANSAS STATE 34
NO. 22 MICHIGAN 28, MARYLAND 0
NO. 24 CALIFORNIA 34, WASHINGTON STATE 28
