IOWA CITY, Iowa — Aidan O’Connell threw for 375 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, David Bell had a career-best 240 yards receiving, and Purdue continued its recent mastery over No. 2 Iowa with a 24-7 upset Saturday.
The Boilermakers (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) have won four of their last five games against the Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1). The loss ended Iowa’s 12-game winning streak.
Purdue beat its highest ranked opponent on the road since a victory at No. 2 Notre Dame in 1974. It was the second time in four seasons Purdue has knocked off a No. 2-ranked team. The Boilermakers won at home against a second-ranked Ohio State in 2018.
O’Connell was 30 of 40 passing with two touchdowns, and he also ran for a score. He got the most work on a day when Purdue used backup quarterbacks Jack Plummer and Austin Burton in select situations. All three were in on different plays during the Boilermakers’ first-quarter drive that ended with O’Connell’s 6-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
O’Connell threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to TJ Sheffield in the final minute of the first half to give Purdue a 14-7 halftime lead. He threw a 21-yard TD pass to Bell in the fourth quarter.
Bell had 11 receptions. He has a combined 37 catches for 558 yards and five touchdowns against Iowa in three seasons.
(1) GEORGIA 30, (11) KENTUCKY 13: With Georgia playing its first game as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team since 2008, Stetson Bennett tossed three touchdown passes and the Bulldogs (7-0, 5-0 SEC) got another stifling defensive effort in a victory over No. 11 Kentucky (6-1, 4-1).
Bennett, starting his third straight game in place of injured JT Daniels, hooked up with freshman tight end Brock Bowers on a pair of scores.
The senior quarterback was 14 of 20 for 250 yards in another solid performance with Daniels watching from the sideline for the Bulldogs,
(3) CINCINNATI 56, UCF 21: Jerome Ford rushed for a career-high 189 yards and four touchdowns, helping No. 3 Cincinnati (6-0, 2-0 AAC) roll past UCF.
Desmond Ridder passed for 140 yards and a touchdown as the Bearcats extended the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to 24 games.
Cincinnati’s special teams made the first big play when Josh Whyle partially blocked a punt to give the Bearcats the ball at the UCF 38. That led to a 1-yard TD run by Ford to put them ahead 7-0.
The all-time series was tied 3-3 coming in, with the Bearcats winning the previous two meetings by a combined six points. Saturday’s game wasn’t that close.
Cincinnati’s No. 3 ranking already is its highest ever. The Bearcats moved up two spots last week following losses by Penn State and Alabama. Their previous best was a No. 4 ranking in 2009 under head coach Brian Kelly.
(10) MICHIGAN STATE 20, INDIANA 15: Matt Coghlin’s 51-yard field goal to open the second half Saturday gave Michigan State the lead and Payton Thorne’s 12-yard touchdown pass provided the margin the Spartans needed to hold on for victory in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Spartans (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) will remain atop the conference’s East Division at least two more weeks after reclaiming the Old Brass Spittoon, and managed to hand the Hoosiers (2-4, 0-3) their third loss in four games.
(12) OKLAHOMA STATE 32, (25) TEXAS 24: Tanner Brown’s fourth field goal of the game gave Oklahoma State its first lead, and Spencer Sanders’ scrambling 10-yard touchdown run with 2:18 to play capped a victory over visiting Texas.
Texas built leads of 17-3 and 24-13 behind three touchdowns from Bijan Robinson before Oklahoma State’s defense and punishing run game behind Jaylen Warren (193 yards rushing on 33 carries) took over for the Cowboys (6-0, 3-0 Big 12).
It was the second straight week Texas (4-3, 2-2) surrendered a big lead in a tough loss. The Longhorns led Oklahoma 28-7 before losing 55-48 last week.
AUBURN 38, (17) ARKANSAS 23: Bo Nix threw for 292 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, Auburn’s defense contributed a score and a key fourth-down stop in the third quarter and the Tigers upset the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Auburn (5-2, 2-1 SEC) won its sixth straight in the series and handed Arkansas (4-3, 1-3) its third straight loss.
Arkansas’ KJ Jefferson went 21 of 35 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 66 yards on 18 carries, but was sacked three times. Both scoring passes went to Treylon Burks, who finished with nine catches for 109 yards.
Nix completed passes to 10 different receivers, going 21 for 26 with an interception.
BAYLOR 38, (19) BYU 24: Abram Smith ran for 188 yards with three touchdowns, Baylor linebacker and part-time fullback Dillon Doyle scored on both of his offensive touches and the Bears (6-1) beat future Big 12 foe and 19th-ranked BYU (5-2).
LSU 49, (20) FLORIDA 42: Tyrion Davis-Price rushed for an LSU-record 287 yards and three touchdowns, and the Tigers’ banged-up defense came up with four interceptions in a 49-42 victory over visiting Florida .
Unranked LSU (4-3, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) had dropped its previous two games against Auburn and Kentucky, fueling speculation coach Ed Orgeron’s hold on his job was tenuous at best.
After Damone Clark’s interception of Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, Davis-Price literally and fittingly ran out the final 1:59 on Florida (4-3, 2-3). Price ran for two more first downs and broke the previous LSU single-game rushing record of 285 yards by Derrius Guice.
(21) TEXAS A&M 35, MISSOURI 14: Texas A&M’s running back duo of Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achane combined for 292 rushing yards and three touchdowns to power the visiting Aggies over Missouri .
Spiller rushed 20 times for 168 yards and one touchdown, and Achane added 16 carries for 124 yards and two scores as Texas A&M (5-2, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) avoided a letdown after last week’s upset of Alabama. Missouri (3-4, 0-3 SEC) has the nation’s worst run defense — allowing 287 rushing yards per game — and it offered little resistance.
DARTMOUTH 38, UNH 21: Nick Howard ran for three touchdowns, Derek Kyler passed for two and Dartmouth (5-0) remained undefeated with a 38-21 victory over in-state rival New Hampshire (3-3).
Kyler was 20-of-25 passing for 326 yards while Howard, the Big Green’s wildcat quarterback, rushed for 131 yards on 18 carries. Dartmouth had 634 yards offense, the most in at least a half-century.
This was the first meeting in five years with Dartmouth tying the series at 19-19-2, the Big Green’s second straight win over the Wildcats after ending a 20-game winless streak versus UNH (18 losses, two ties).
JAMES MADISON 19, RICHMOND 3: Ethan Ratke kicked a career-high four field goals and James Madison (6-1, 4-1 CAA) bounced back from its lone loss of the season with win at Richmond (2-5, 0-4).
Cole Johnson hit Solomon Vanhorse over the middle on a short pass and the running back went untouched into the end zone for a 25-yard score and a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Ratke added a 32-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead. His other kicks came from 23, 24 and 26 yards.
Jake Larson kicked a 40-yard field goal to get the Spiders within 13-3 at halftime before Ratke added two more field goals in the third quarter for the final margin. Johnson finished 19-of-29 passing for 270 yards in leading the Dukes, ranked seventh in the FCS coaches poll, to victory after a 28-27 loss to Villanova last week.
VILLANOVA 17, ALBANY 10: Daniel Smith threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Todd Summers, TD Ayo-Durojaiye blocked a punt and returned it for a score and Villanova (5-1, 3-0 CAA) won at Albany (0-6, 0-4).
Villanova took its first lead when Cole Bunce made a 26-yard field goal with 1:16 left in the first half. The Wildcats defense then got a stop, setting up Ayo-Durojaiye’s touchdown 46 seconds later and giving Villanova a 17-7 lead at the half.
Albany forced the Wildcats to punt on the opening possession and then put together a nine-play, 55-yard drive that culminated when Karl Mofor scored on a 3-yard run fewer than four minutes in.
TOWSON 28, RHODE ISLAND 7: Devin Matthews ran for two first-quarter touchdowns and Towson (3-3, 2-1 CAA) upset Rhode Island (5-1, 3-1).
The Tigers defense allowed Rhode Island just 162 yards of offense and shut out the Rams over the final three quarters.
The Rams, who came into the game undefeated, faced a long bus ride for the road game but got a last-minute lift from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who picked up the entire tab and flew the team to Maryland on his team plane.
Chris Ferguson completed 16 of 25 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown for Towson. Jerry Howard Jr. carried 27 times for 106 yards and a score.
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