No. 4 Clemson faced an early deficit at Florida State in Week 7 but escaped with a 34-28 win after outscoring the Seminoles 23-0 during a long stretch in the middle of the game. Florida State drew within six points with 2:17 remaining but failed to convert an onside kick as the Tigers improved to 7-0.
With the win, Clemson could rise in the polls on Sunday because of No. 3 Alabama's loss at No. 6 Tennessee. Though Clemson was hardly dominant in victory, it led 34-14 for a chunk of the second half as running back Will Shipley notched 121 yards on 20 carries. The victory sets up a clash of ACC unbeaten teams next week as the Tigers host No. 18 Syracuse after the Orange unproved to 6-0 with a 24-9 win over No. 15 NC State
In other ranked action, No. 22 Kentucky snapped a two-game losing streak by knocking off No. 16 Mississippi State 27-17 behind a huge game from Chris Rodriguez Jr. The senior running back tallied 190 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Wildcats star quarterback Will Levis returned to the field Saturday after missing last week's loss to South Carolina with a foot injury and completed 17 of 23 passes for 230 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
No. 5 Michigan 41, No. 10 Penn State 17 -- Takeaways, recap
No. 9 Ole Miss 48, Auburn 34 -- Rebels outlast Tigers as Harsin's seat gets hotter
Oklahoma 52, No. 19 Kansas 42 -- Recap
No. 22 Texas 24, Iowa State 21 -- Recap
No. 6 Tennessee 52, No. 3 Alabama 49 -- Takeaways, recap
No. 1 Georgia 55, Vanderbilt 0 -- Recap
No. 13 TCU 43, No. 8 Oklahoma State 40 (2OT) -- Recap
No. 18 Syracuse 24, No. 15 NC State 9 -- Recap
LSU 45, Florida 35 -- Takeaways, recap
No. 4 Clemson 34, Florida State 28 -- Recap
No. 22 Kentucky 27, No. 16 Mississippi State 17 -- Recap
No. 20 Utah 43, No. 7 USC 42 -- Takeaways, recap
Check out the entire Week 7 scoreboard
Utah scored with 48 seconds on left on a Cam Rising run and then opted to go for the lead instead of kicking a game-tying PAT. Rising ran it in again, then the Utes held on defensively against Caleb Williams to complete a 43-42 win. Just an amazing moment for Utah and a deflating one for the Trojans, who tumble from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Caleb Williams just hit Michael Jackson III for a 20-yard touchdown to put USC back ahead 42-35 with 6:15 remaining. That caps a 90-play, 11-yard drive for the Trojans as Caleb Williams goes over 400 total yards for the game. That was his fifth touchdown pass. Still time left for Cam Rising to rally his guys. The Utes have been a resilient bunch in this game. Note: USC star WR Jordan Addison left the game earlier this half with an apparent injury.
Clemson gave Florida State some hope by allowing the Seminoles to score a couple of late TDs, but the Tigers stay unbeaten and escape a game that was tense early and then again at the very end. DJU attempted just eight passes in the second half as the Tigers relied on the run while up big. Will Shipley finishes with 121 yards on 10 carries.
After impressive losses to Ole Miss and South Carolina, Kentucky gets off the mat tonight as a home underdog against Mississippi State. Will Levis returned to the lineup and hit 17 of 23 passes for 230 yards as the Wildcats neared 500 yards of total offense and picked up 24 first downs. Chris Rodriguez went vintage on the ground with 30 rushes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. That's a huge night against a Mississippi Stat defense which had been playing pretty well.
USC comes up with a big stop on the goal-line as Utah gambled and went for it. Trojans now moving the football ahead 7 with a chance to retake a two-possession lead. Utah's defense is going to need to show some spine at some point in this game and step up to cause a turnover or something.
Since a rough start marked by a pair of long Florida State touchdown drives, Clemson has put the clamps on FSU. The Seminoles just failed to convert a critical fourth-and-goal to begin the fourth quarter, turning the football over to the Tigers, who have a 20-point lead. Clemson was on the ropes early but is in total command now in Tallahassee.
Utah made a nice rally to close the first half after falling behind 21-7 early. Utes aren't running the ball particularly well but Cam Rising is doing his best to keep pace with Caleb Williams. Both QBs are over 200 yards through the air already and both are the leading rushers for their teams.
The offenses woke up at halftime and decided that scoring would be fun. Kentucky answers a Mississippi State touchdown with one of its own as Will Levis finds Rahsaan Lewis for a score. Both teams have enjoyed a long TD drive in this quarter after neither mustered a TD in the first half. Alabama's suddenly causes some re-evaluation of the SEC West picture. Ole Miss is in the driver's seat, but Mississippi State can get in the mix too. Must win here though.
Jordan Travis and the Seminoles' rushing attack gave Clemson some trouble in the early going. Less than a minute into the second quarter, Florida State took a 14-7 lead, but it has been all Tigers since that point. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has found his rhythm, and he capitalized on a Florida State fumble late in the half. Uiagalelei heads to the locker room with 149 passing yards, 13 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns.
Will Levis is back in the fold for Kentucky tonight, but it hasn't helped produce many points so far. Field goals were all either team could muster in the first half at UK. The Bulldogs have just 19 yards rushing and 96 total yards. The Wildcats haven't gone three-and-out at all but they have struggled to string first downs together. Their first drive was promising but ended in a fumble.
USC is moving the football with ease against Utah so far. Three touchdowns on three drives for the Trojans as Caleb Williams is 8 of 11 for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Also has a 55-yard run. Rough look for the usually stout Utah defense early and quite a statement from USC, which entered as an underdog, despite being the undefeated team playing a two-loss Utes squad.
Down 24-7 in the second quarter, TCU showed incredible poise by coming all the way back and forcing overtime with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, and the Horned Frogs defense bowed up and forced a field goal in the second overtime. On TCU's possession, Kendre Miller scored on a two-yard touchdown run to get a top-10 win for Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs.
The Horned Frogs from a two-touchdown fourth quarter deficit to tie Oklahoma State in the final minutes of regulation and send this game to overtime. Unfortunately for TCU, star quarterback Max Duggan looks a little shaken up and is receiving some attention in the medical tent. We'll see if Duggan is available for OT, and if not then Sonny Dykes will have to turn to Chandler Morris to guide this offense.
The Bulldogs held Vanderbilt to just 45 rushing yards and 5 of 13 on third down to cruise to a win and head into the bye week with an unblemished record. Eleven different receivers caught passes on the afternoon, and quarterback Stetson Bennett threw for 289 yards in what was a wildly efficient performance from the veteran signal-caller.
Syracuse's dream season is intact after the Orange topped the Wolfpack in one of the biggest games in Syracuse in a generation. Running back Sean Tucker and quarterback Garrett Schrader combined for 179 rushing yards, and Schrader added 210 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, in a game that Dino Babers' crew controlled from the outset. The Wolfpack, who were without star quarterback Devin Leary, managed just 250 yards.
The SEC Game of the Week on CBS has turned into the game of the year. Alabama stormed back take a one-point lead with scores on five straight possessions that culminated with a 2-yard touchdown scamper by Jahmyr Gibbs and subsequent extra point to give them the advantage as the two teams switch sides. Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young, in his first game back after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 5, is 28 of 39 for 334 yards and one touchdown.
Georgia's defense has given up just 112 yards, allowed just nine rushing yards and is giving up just 3.3 yards per play through three quarters. It is a performance that harkens back to last year, when the defense was consistently one of the most dominating units we've seen in college football in quite some time. Quarterback Stetson Bennett IV has tossed two touchdown passes and has been in complete control through the first three frames.
Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders has been strong in the first half with three touchdowns and 180 yards in the first half to give Oklahoma State a double-digit lead over TCU. TCU receiver Quentin Johnston had 95 yards receiving in the first half, but other receivers mustered just 40 yards against a physical Oklahoma State front.
The matchup between the No. 1 team in the country and Vanderbilt is going about as expected. The Bulldogs' defense is simply suffocating the Commodores, allowing only 105 yards of offense in the first half. Stetson Bennett IV is leading the way for Georgia on offense. In the first half, Bennett averaged 10.6 yards per attempt with 211 passing yards and two touchdowns. The only decision for Kirby Smart in the second half might be when to pull his starters.
Syracuse goes into the locker room with a seven-point lead, but it could be much more than that. The Orange are out-gaining the Wolfpack, 216-87, but they haven't been able to take advantage of that gap. Without star quarterback Devin Leary, NC State has leaned on its defense, which has intercepted Garrett Shrader twice. We'll see whether the Wolfpack can get anything going on offense in the second half.
Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker is 6 of 7 with 92 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in the first quarter, and the rowdy fans in Knoxville have been stirred into a frenzy. Alabama, on the other hand, has struggled to stay disciplined. The Crimson Tide have seven penalties through the first 15 minutes in a game that has looked an awful lot like the one they almost lost at Texas in Week 2
The Rebels survived a second half surge from the Tigers, a weather delay and a subpar defensive performance to move to 7-0 on the year. It was the running game, yet again, leading the charge. Quinshon Judkins, Zach Evans and Jaxson Dart each topped the 100-yard mark on the ground, and Lane Kiffin's crew racked up a whopping 448 yards rushing to survive an Auburn team that didn't quit despite falling into a 21-0 hole early in the second quarter.
It's been all Spencer Sanders in the first quarter in Fort Worth. Sanders has thrown for 107 yards and rushed for two scores to give the Cowboys an early 10-point lead over TCU. The Cowboys have been dominant on both sides, holding the Frogs to 1-of-3 conversions on third downs. A 48-yard pass to Quentin Johnston is the only thing keeping TCU in the game.
Georgia's defense is flat-out owning Vanderbilt's offense through the first quarter of their game in Athens. The Commodores have just 22 yards and managed only two first downs against the fast and physical Bulldogs. Stetson Bennett IV hasn't struggled either. The super-senior is 9 of 10 passing for 97 yards and a touchdown in what has all the makings of a rout.
The Orange have the early edge at home against the Wolfpack in a matchup of top-25 ACC teams. Quarterback Garrett Shrader has completed six of his first nine passes for 57 yards and a score. With NC State signal caller Devin Leary done for the season, Jack Chambers will have to find a way to keep up with an Orange offense that has been resurgent under offensive coordinator Robert Anae.
After getting routed in the Red River Rivalry, the Sooners bounced back with a top-25 shootout win over Kansas. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel returned from injury and carved up the Jayhawks defense for 403 passing yards and two touchdowns. Running back Eric Gray ran up and down the field for 176 yards and a pair of scores. Oklahoma gets back to .500 on the year, and Kansas has now dropped back-to-back games after its 5-0 start.
The Wolverines hadn't faced a tough test throughout the first half of the season, but the 10th-ranked Nittany Lions were supposed to put up a fight against the defending Big Ten champions. "Supposed to" is the operative phrase, because Michigan sliced through Penn State like a hot knife through butter. Donovan Edwards had 173 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, Blake Corum added 163 yards and two more scores, and the defense held Penn State to just 268 total yards in a statement win for Jim Harbaugh's crew.
After Iowa State took a fourth-quarter lead, Texas responded with a touchdown drive of its own. Quinn Ewers found Xavier Worthy on a critical fourth-and-goal play to jump in front. On their final drive of the game, the Cyclones missed their chance to pull off the upset when Xavier Hutchinson dropped what could have been an easy touchdown catch. Then, Texas forced a Hunter Dekkers fumble to seal its fifth win of the season. Iowa State has now lost four straight games after a 3-0 start.
Auburn's rushing offense woke up in the third quarter with two touchdowns, and it has kept Bryan Harsin's crew in the game into the fourth frame. Tigers running back Tank Bigsby broke off a 50-yard touchdown run early in the third, and quarterback Robby Ashford -- who was benched earlier in the game -- scored from 11 yards out to make it a one score game. Ashford and Bigsby each have two rushing touchdowns, but the Rebels are driving as they flip sides.
After smoking Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry last weekend, No. 22 Texas now trails Iowa State in the fourth quarter. Cyclones quarterback Hunter Dekkers did it himself on an 11-yard touchdown scramble. The Longhorns' offense, which has been stuck in neutral for much of the game, needs to find another gear with under 11 minutes remaining in the game.
