Cubs Chase Samardzija, Take 2-0 NLDS Lead On Giants
(Chicago, IL) — The Cubs chased Giants’ starter Jeff Samardzija after two innings and held on for a 5-2 win at Wrigley Field in Game Two of the National League Division Series. Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks left in the fourth inning after getting hit by a line drive, but tossed three-and-two-thirds innings of two-run ball and clubbed a two-run single for Chicago. Travis Wood replaced him in relief and promptly belted a solo homer in his first at-bat. Woods got the win, and Aroldis Chapman made the save as the Cubs moved one win away from advancing to the NL Championship Series. Samardzija took the loss for the Giants, giving up six hits and four runs over two frames before getting pulled. Gregor Blanco and Brandon Belt plated runs in the third for San Francisco, which hosts Game Three on Monday.
Virginia Tech Rolls Past North Carolina
(Chapel Hill, NC) — The Virginia Tech Hokies overcame plenty of rain to beat 16th-ranked North Carolina 34-3 in Chapel Hill. Jerod Evans threw for two touchdowns and added one on the ground as the Hokies jumped to 4-and-1. Virginia Tech held the Tar Heels to 131 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky was responsible for three of the turnovers as UNC fell to 4-and-2.
Texas A&M Overcomes Tennessee In Double-OT
(College Station, TX) — Armani Watts sealed the win with an interception to end the second overtime as number-seven Texas A&M outlasted ninth-ranked Tennessee 45-38 in College Station. Trevor Knight threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns and added 110 yards and three scores on the ground for the 6-and-0 Aggies. Trayveon Williams rushed for 215 yards and a score and overcame a late fumble that gave Tennessee life in the fourth quarter. Vols running back Alvin Kamara rushed for 127 yards and caught eight passes for 161 yards while finding the end zone three times. Tennessee dropped to 5-and-1.
Navy Stuns Houston
(Annapolis, MD) — Navy quarterback Will Worth accounted for three touchdowns as the Midshipmen upset fifth-ranked Houston 46-40 in Annapolis. Two of Worth’s three completions went for touchdowns and he added 115 yards and a score on the ground. Navy piled up 306 rushing yards as it improved to 4-and-1 and 3-and-0 in conference action. Greg Ward Junior had three passing and one rushing touchdown for the Cougars, who dropped to 5-and-1. Houston had won 19 of its past 20 games entering this matchup.
USC Knocks Off Colorado
(Los Angeles, CA) — Sam Darnold’s third touchdown pass broke a fourth-quarter tie as Southern Cal knocked off number-23 Colorado 21-17 in Los Angeles. Darnold was 25-of-37 for 358 yards with three scores and an interception for the Trojans, who improved to 3-and-3. Tight end Tyler Petite finished with two catches for two touchdowns and USC overcame four turnovers. Colorado receiver Bryce Bobo caught a touchdown and completed a 67-yard touchdown pass to Phillip Lindsay on a trick play. The Buffaloes dropped to 4-and-2.
Oklahoma Outlasts Texas In Red River Rivalry
(Dallas, TX) — Baker Mayfield connected with Dede Westbrook for three touchdowns as the 22nd-ranked Sooners outlasted Texas 45-40 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Westbrook finished with 10 catches for a school-record 232 yards as Oklahoma improved to 3-and-2 and 2-and-0 in Big 12 action. Samaje Perine added 214 yards and two scores on the ground for Oklahoma. Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele threw three touchdowns for Texas, which lost its third straight game.
Alabama Thumps Arkansas
(Fayetteville, AR) — Quarterback Jalen Hurts accounted for four touchdowns and defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick collected a trio of interceptions as the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide thumped the number-seventeen Arkansas Razorbacks, 49-30, in Fayetteville. Hurts threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns while adding another two scores on the ground. Damien Harris led Alabama’s ground attack with 122 yards, while ArDarius [[ R-darius ]] Stewart hauled in five receptions for 120 yards. Arkansas’ Austin Allen threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns but also tossed three picks. Jared Cornelius led the team with five catches for 146 yards.
Florida State Escapes Miami With Big Win
(Miami, FL) — Number-21 Florida State blocked the potential game-tying extra point attempt with 1:38 left to beat the number-10 Hurricanes 20-19 in Miami. Seminole starting quarterback Deondre Francois threw two touchdowns including one to running back Dalvin Cook, who carried the ball 27 times for 150 yards. The win was Florida State’s first in ACC action and improved its overall record to 4-and-2. Miami wide receiver Stacy Coley caught two touchdowns, the second of which came just before the blocked extra point. The Hurricanes managed just 62 rushing yards on 28 carries. Miami is now 4-and-1.
Stanford Crushed By WSU
(Stanford, CA) — Washington State quarterback Luke Falk threw four touchdown passes as the Cougars cruised past the number-15 Cardinal, 42-16, at Stanford Stadium. Falk finished with 357 yards but also had two interceptions as WSU improved to 3-and-2. River Cracraft caught seven passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Tavares Martin Jr. added two TD receptions, and Gerard Wicks and James Williams each scored on the ground. Stanford’s lone offensive touchdown came on a Ryan Burns pass to J.J. Arcega Whiteside. The Cardinal dropped to 3-and-2 with the loss.