Live blog: Week 6 college football Saturday with Yahoo Sports

It was a pretty good week of college football — even with Clemson and Alabama off.

(Pat Forde’s 10 takeaways)

(Week 6 winners/losers)

(Thamel: Ohio State makes case for No. 1)

Below are the Top 25 results as well as other news and notes from throughout an eventful Saturday.

Top 25

No. 3 Georgia 43, Tennessee 14

It was interesting for a while, but the Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0 SEC) piled it on quickly against the Vols (1-4, 0-2).

Trailing 14-13 in the second quarter, QB Jake Fromm threw back-to-back TD passes to Lawrence Cager and George Pickens in the last two minutes of the half to give Georgia a 26-14 edge. The Bulldogs outscored the Vols 17-0 in the second half.

Georgia started fast with a D'Andre Swift 1-yard TD run, but Brian Maurer threw two first-half TD passes — to Marquez Callaway and Jauan Jennings — as Tennessee took the early lead.

Click here for the AP recap

No. 4 Ohio State 34, No. 25 Michigan State 10

After a rough start, Ohio State got its offense going — and made its case for No. 1, says Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel.

The Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0) — after getting a total of 16 yards on their first 16 plays — scored touchdowns on three consecutive second-quarter drives to open up the lead.

QB Justin Fields threw for two scores and ran for another one while RB J.K. Dobbins had a big 67-yard TD dash near the end of the first half.

Michigan State had closed the deficit to 17-10 on a field goal 3:36 before the half before Dobbins’ big play. The Spartans should have scored a TD on the drive, but QB Brian Lewerke missed a wide open receiver.

The Spartans (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten), who were also struggling offensively earlier, got their first TD on a 20-yard pass from Lewerke to Darrell Stewart Jr. to cut the deficit to 10-7 early in the second quarter.

Earlier, Michigan State lost two fumbles on its first four offensive plays, but the defense only allowed a field goal.

Click here for the AP recap

No. 5 LSU 42, Utah State 6

The game was billed as an interesting QB battle between LSU’s Joe Burrow and Utah State’s Jordan Love, who are both projected to be first-round NFL draft picks (according to Eric Edholm’s Mocktober projections).

It was all Burrow.

Burrow completed 27 of 38 passes for 344 yards and five TDs. He also rushed for a score. Love was 15 of 30 for 150 yards and three interceptions.

Edholm: Joe Burrow sets record in LSU blowout

No. 6 Oklahoma 45, Kansas 20

The game started late due to weather. Oklahoma started a little late too.

Kansas QB Carter Stanley threw a 22-yard TD pass to Daylon Charlot — capping a 99-yard drive — to open the scoring.

The Sooners (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) got even with a Trey Sermon 2-yard TD run.

Then Jalen Hurts got rolling with two TD runs and two TD passes as OU opened it up against the Jayhawks (2-4, 0-3).

But all was not smooth for the OU offense.

Yes, the Sooners had to punt on fourth-and-goal. Here’s why.

Click here for the AP recap

No. 8 Wisconsin 48, Kent State 0

The Golden Flashes (2-3) are last out of 130 FBS teams against the run, and it showed.

Jonathan Taylor carried 19 times for 186 yards and four TDs — and also caught a scoring pass from QB Jack Coan — as the Badgers (5-0) rolled in Madison.

Click here for the AP recap

No. 9 Notre Dame 52, Bowling Green 0

The Falcons (1-4) — a MAC champion as recently as 2015 — entered the game as a 45 1/2-point underdog against the Irish (4-1) — and they didn’t cover as Notre Dame QB Ian Book threw five first-half TD passes in the rout.

Click here for the AP recap

No. 10 Florida 24, No. 7 Auburn 13

The Gators (6-0, 3-0 SEC) had a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter.

Then Lamical Perine broke loose — and broke the Tigers’ hopes for a perfect season.

Perine ran for an 88-yard TD as the Gators opened up an 11-point lead with 9:04 to play.

Auburn faced a fourth-and-12 on its own 45 with 5:55 to go on its next drive, and QB Bo Nix was stopped short on a scramble.

Florida QB Kyle Trask — who left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury but returned for the second half — actually caught a first-down pass on the ensuing drive on a trick play. But the drive stalled and Auburn got the ball back with 3:12 to go, but Nix threw his third pick to end the Tigers’ drive.

Florida led 17-13 at halftime despite three turnovers. Both defenses held strong in the third quarter until Auburn marched from its own 5-yard line into the red zone with a chance to take the lead. On third-and-12, Nix was intercepted in the end zone, ending the threat.

Then Trask marched the Gators down the field, but a second turnover from the QB to DL Derrick Brown ended that threat.

Florida started fast

The Gators scored a TD on the second play of the game — a 64-yard strike from Trask to Freddie Swain.

Trask, however, fumbled on the Gators’ next possession, and Auburn (5-1, 2-1) settled for a 48-yard field goal to cut the deficit. The Tigers recovered another fumble — this one from RB Dameon Pierce — which led to a second field goal.

Auburn had a turnover, too. A muffed punt gave Florida the ball at the Auburn 17, but Trask was hit and fumbled, and Brown recovered and looked to be heading to the end zone, but ...

But Auburn gave it right back with an interception, and Florida scored on a two-play drive to take an eight-point lead.

The Tigers came right back with a one-play drive — set up by a Florida fake punt that did not work in its own territory — a 32-yard TD pass from Nix to Seth Williams to pull within a point again in the second quarter. Florida made it a four-point game with a field goal.

Click here for the Yahoo Sports report

No. 11 Texas 42, West Virginia 31

The Mountaineers (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) had been 5-3 against the Longhorns (4-1, 2-0) since joining the Big 12.

Make that 5-4.

Sam Ehlinger completed 18 of 33 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns — and also rushed for a pair of scores — as the Longhorns took control in the second half.

Texas had a 21-14 lead at the half. The defenses stiffened in the third quarter, and a Keith Washington interception along with a Texas unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave West Virginia the ball at the Texas 14. But all WVU could get is a field goal to cut the deficit to 21-17.

West Virginia got the ball back, but Austin Kendall’s third interception of the game gave Texas the ball at the WVU 18, and the Longhorns scored on a 13-yard run by WR Devin Duvernay.

Kendall threw his fourth pick of the game on the Mountaineers’ next series to give the Longhorns the ball in WVU territory. Samuel Cosmi then lived every lineman’s dream with a 12-yard TD run to put the game out of reach.

Kendall threw a 19-yard TD pass to T.J. Simmons with 3:57 remaining and one to Bryce Wheaton with 48 seconds left — in between another TD run from Ehlinger — to finish the scoring.

Kendall threw a 44-yard TD pass to Sam James on the first drive to give West Virginia the early lead.

Texas missed a field goal on its first drive, but got on the board when Ehlinger threw a 22-yard TD pass to Malcolm Epps.

Kendall scored on a 1-yard run as WVU regained the lead, but Texas responded with an Ehlinger-to-John Burt connection to tie the score and a strong Ehlinger TD run to give the Longhorns a 21-14 lead.

Click here for the AP recap

No. 12 Penn State 35, Purdue 7

The Nittany Lions (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) got it going early against the Boilermakers (1-4, 0-2) as QB Sean Clifford had three TD passes and a TD run in the first half. Clifford finished 20 of 29 for 264 yards with three TDs and a pick.

Purdue got on the board midway through the second quarter on a 15-yard TD pass from Jack Plummer to Amad Anderson Jr.

Noah Cain added a 2-yard TD run in the fourth quarter for Penn State.

Click here for the AP recap

No. 13 Oregon 17, Cal 7

The Ducks (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) finally pulled away after the Golden Bears (4-2, 1-2) kept it tight all night.

In the first half, the Cal defense shut down Justin Herbert and the Ducks offense.

Cal took an early 7-0 lead on Devon Modster’s 22-yard TD pass to Christopher Brown Jr. in the first quarter, and Oregon didn’t get its first points until Camden Lewis’ field goal midway through the third quarter. After that, it was all Oregon.

The Ducks’ defense was solid, but the hit of the night belonged to Oregon RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio, who expertly tackled a rogue fan on the field during a timeout.

Click here for the AP recap

No. 19 Michigan 10, No. 14 Iowa 3

The Wolverines’ defense was the story of the day.

Michigan (4-1, 2-1 Big Ten) forced four turnovers (three interceptions) and had eight sacks to hand Iowa (4-1, 1-1) its first loss of the season.

Michigan led 10-3 at halftime. Neither team scored in the third quarter. Michigan drove into Iowa territory early in the fourth quarter, but Jake Moody missed a 34-yard field goal with 11:01 to play.

Iowa has had six possession inside Michigan’s 40 in the game. After holding Michigan with just under 2 minutes left in the game, Iowa got the ball back with one last chance at a game-tying score. The Hawkeyes converted a fourth-and-8 to get to Michigan’s 44-yard line. Three straight incompletions made it fourth-and-10. On fourth down Michigan nearly sacked Nate Stanley. He completed a left-handed pass to Tyler Goodson, but it wasn’t enough for the first down.

The Wolverines forced a fumble on the first offensive series of the game, which led to a field goal. On their next drive, Shea Patterson’s 51-yard pass to Nico Collins gave them a first-and-10 at the Iowa 19. The drive was capped by a 2-yard TD run from Zach Charbonnet.

Patterson was intercepted later in the first quarter, but the Michigan defense responded with the first of three interception of Stanley. Iowa got its only points of the first half early in the second quarter on a 22-yard field goal from Keith Duncan.

Click here for the Yahoo Sports report

Stanford 23, No. 15 Washington 13

Cameron Scarlett had a career night, rushing for 157 yards and a TD, as the Cardinal (3-3, 2-0 Pac-12) shocked the Huskies (4-2, 1-2).

Stanford dominated Washington in nearly every offensive category and held an 18-minute edge in time of possession.

Click here for the Yahoo Sports report

No. 16 Boise State 38, UNLV 13

The Broncos (4-0, 1-0 Mountain West) were on the road for the first time since Aug. 31, but they looked right at home against the Rebels.

Hank Bachmeier threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns as Boise State rode a strong defensive effort to rout UNLV (1-4, 0-2), which lost its fourth straight.

Click here for the AP recap

Texas Tech 45, No. 21 Oklahoma State 35

Jett Duffey passed for four touchdowns, ran for another as the Red Raiders (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) upset the Cowboys (4-2, 1-2).

The Cowboys have three turnovers in the first half. The Red Raiders scored 10 points off those turnovers for a 20-7 halftime lead.

Chuba Hubbard had 156 yards rushing and three TDs for Oklahoma State.

Click here for the AP recap

No. 24 SMU 43, Tulsa 37, 3OT

The Mustangs (5-0, 1-0 AAC) played their first game as a Top 25 team in 33 years — and they made it a wild one, rallying from 21 points down to eventually win in triple overtime.

Tulsa opened up the three-TD lead in the second half, but SMU ripped off three fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally for overtime.

Part of the reason the Mustangs trailed in the first place was a huge miscue on a kickoff.

Click here for the AP recap

Other news and notes

Bad break for Missouri’s Kelly Bryant

Missouri quarterback Kelly Bryant appeared to suffer a left knee injury after got hit from behind after throwing a touchdown pass.

against Troy.

Click here for the Yahoo Sports report

Hurricanes’ Hail Mary

Miami had a miserable first half against Virginia Tech, but it ended on a positive note.

Click here for the Yahoo Sports report

Big news from ‘College GameDay’

The 2020 college football season will start off with a bang.

Click here for the Yahoo Sports report

In case you missed it

Cincinnati 27, No. 18 UCF 24 (Friday)

Ever watched a season that once sizzled with promise freeze up in the mid-50s October chill?

For Central Florida, it all came tumbling down as the Knights fell at Cincinnati.

Click here for Pete Thamel’s report