Clemson’s Phil Mafah (7) runs for a touchdown during Saturday’s game against Notre Dame in Clemson, S.C. (AP photo)
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s red hot radio take after criticism from “ Tyler of Spartanburg ” apparently fired up the Tigers.
“We all had a chip on our shoulder,” tailback Phil Mafah said.
Mafah, filling in for the injured starter Will Shipley, ran for a career-high 186 yards and two touchdowns to lead the underachieving Tigers to their biggest win this season, a 31-23 victory over No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday.
“If Clemson’s a stock, you better buy all you freaking can,” Swinney said. “Buy right now.”
The win capped a crazy week at Clemson, which began when Tyler — last name unknown — called into Swinney’s weekly show to criticize the Tigers’ long-time, national championship coach. Tyler demanded him to account for why the program that proclaims “Best is the Standard” had four losses and was out of title contention by October.
Swinney let loose with a strong, even hostile, defense of himself, the program and this season. Then watched his Tigers put on their most complete performance of the season.
“It’s tough because there’s no one that loves us more than (Swinney) does,” said Mafah, who rushed for the most yards in a game for Clemson this season. “I personally take it personal, I know a lot of guys do too so we had to bring our all today.”
The Tigers (5-4) came in with more losses in a season than it had in 13 years and still raw from the radio call that gave air time to what some frustrated fans had felt this season.
“It’s been a tough year and we haven’t had a lot go our way,” Swinney said. “But these guys have continued to battle.”
Mafah ran for scores of 41 and 1 yard, the last putting Clemson ahead 31-16 in the third quarter. Notre Dame drew within one score on Sam Hartman’s 26-yard scramble score.
That’s when Clemson’s special teams and defense closed things out. Four times after that, the Tigers downed punts inside the Notre Dame 15 — including a nifty quick kick by quarterback Cade Klubnik — and the Irish (7-3, No. 15 CFP) could never get out of the hole.
Two late FGs help No. 7 Texas beat 25th-ranked Kansas State 33-30 in OT
No. 7 Texas 33, No. 25 Kansas State 30 (OT)
AUSTIN, Texas — Bert Auburn kicked a 42-yard field goal in overtime and the Texas defense got a key stop on fourth down to earn a win in a matchup of Big 12 co-leaders.
No. 7 Texas (8-1, 5-1 Big 12, No. 7 CFP) had led 27-7 late in the third quarter before No. 25 Kansas State (6-3, 4-2, No. 23 CFP) stormed back with three touchdown passes from Will Howard.
The Wildcats forced overtime on Chris Tennant’s 45-yard field goal with 1 second left. Tennant had earlier missed a short chance to tie with 1:45 to play.
Texas went nowhere on its first possession of overtime before Auburn’s go-ahead kick. Kansas State then drove to the Texas 6. Three consecutive plays gained only 2 yards before the Wildcats went for the win instead of the tie and another overtime. Howard was pressured and was slipping down when he lofted a pass that was easily batted down.
The win keeps Texas atop the league standings with an eye on the Big 12 championship game and the program’s first league title since 2009.
No. 11 Mississippi38, Texas A&M 35
OXFORD, Miss. — Quinshon Judkins ran for three touchdowns, including the game-winner from a yard out with 1:40 remaining, and No. 11 Mississippi rallied to defeat Texas A&M.
Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1 SEC, No. 10 CFP) preserved the win on the final play as Zxavian Harris tipped Randy Bond’s 47-yard field-goal attempt for the Aggies (5-4, 3-3).
The Rebels remained in second place in the SEC West race with their fifth consecutive win.
Army 23, No. 17 Air Force 3
DENVER — Quarterback Bryson Daily ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns, Army’s swarming defense forced six turnovers and the Black Knights knocked Air Force from the list of undefeated teams.
Daily and the Black Knights entered as an 18 1/2-point underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. But they quickly set the tone with a dominant opening half in which they led 23-3. A stunned and staggered Falcons team never got on track in front of 52,401 fans at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.
The mistake-prone Falcons (8-1) had four fumbles, threw two interceptions, missed a 32-yard field goal and turned the ball over twice on downs as their best start since 1985 came to a halt. They entered the day as one of eight undefeated major college football teams.
Army (3-6) snapped a five-game skid and moved into the driver’s seat to hoist the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
No. 18 Utah 55, Arizona State 3
SALT LAKE CITY — Bryson Barnes passed for 161 yards and a career-high four touchdowns and Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed 13 times for 111 yards to lead Utah past Arizona State.
Barnes, who also ran for 56 yards, threw his last touchdown strike to Landen King with 12:59 left and took the rest of the game off.
Jackson sprinted for a 54-yard touchdown early in the third quarter but landed awkwardly in the end zone and had to be helped off the field. The Utes (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12, No. 18 CFP) already have two running backs, Micah Bernard and Chris Curry, out for the season.
Arizona State (2-7, 1-5) was missing its top four offensive tackles against the Utes, who thrive on quarterback pressures and sacks. The Sun Devils gained 83 yards of total offense, their second worst mark in school history.
No. 19 Tennessee 59, UConn 3
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Joe Milton, Jr. passed for 254 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score, all in the first half, and Tennessee had three defensive TDs for the first time in program history in a victory over UConn.
The Volunteers (7-2, No. 17 CFP) had three scoring plays of at least 60 yards as they built a 35-3 halftime lead. Milton’s TD passes were 60 yards to Ramel Keyton and 83 yards to Squirrel White. Jaylen Wright broke an 82-yard run on the second play from scrimmage and finished with 113 yards rushing.
The Huskies (1-8), who lost their third straight game, held a 17-minute advantage in time of possession but rushed for only 35 yards, committed three turnovers and finished with 256 total yards.
No. 1 Georgia 30, No. 14 Missouri 21
ATHENS, Ga. — Defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse’s fourth-quarter interception helped protect No. 1 Georgia’s slim lead and the Bulldogs beat No. 14 Missouri 30-21 on Saturday for their 26th consecutive win.
Georgia (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 2 College Football Playoff) had to rally to win the key SEC East matchup against Missouri (7-2, 3-2, No. 12 CFP).
The Tigers led 13-10 early in the second half. Georgia answered with two straight touchdowns, a 15-yard run by Kendall Milton and Carson Beck’s 5-yard scoring pass to Oscar Delp. Beck completed 21 of 32 passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Georgia led 27-21 when Stackhouse, a 6-foot-3, 320-pound senior, picked off Brady Cook’s short pass. Stackhouse rambled all the way to the Missouri 5, but a blindside block penalty against Bulldogs linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. pushed Georgia back to its 30.
Daijun Edwards’ 22-yard run helped set up a 48-yard field goal by Peyton Woodring, the freshman’s third of the game, that gave Georgia a 30-21 lead.
Georgia’s defense came through with another interception when safety Javon Bullard picked off Cook’s deep pass with 1:36 remaining.
No. 18 Utah 55, Arizona State 3
SALT LAKE CITY — Bryson Barnes and No. 18 Utah went up-tempo from the start against Arizona State to help them forget about their blowout loss to Oregon the week before.
“You don’t want to let a team beat you twice,” Barnes said. “We had to regain our energy and get over that loss, no matter how bad it was.”
Barnes passed for 161 yards and a career-high four touchdowns and Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed 13 times for 111 yards to lead No. 18 Utah past Arizona State 55-3 on Saturday.
Barnes, who also ran for 56 yards, threw his last touchdown strike to Landen King with 12:59 left and took the rest of the game off.
“Incredible performance on defense. So many positives in the game and Bryson Barnes played exceptionally well,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said after his team became the first to gain more than 500 yards and allow less than 100 in a Pac-12 game since at least 2000.
Jackson sprinted for a 54-yard touchdown early in the third quarter but landed awkwardly in the end zone and had to be helped off the field. The Utes (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12, No. 18 CFP) already have two running backs, Micah Bernard and Chris Curry, out for the season.
Arizona State (2-7, 1-5) was missing its top four offensive tackles against the Utes, who thrive on quarterback pressures and sacks. The Sun Devils gained 83 yards of total offense, their second worst mark in school history.
No. 4 Florida State 24, Pittsburgh 7
PITTSBURGH — Jordan Travis ran for a touchdown and threw for another and Florida State clinched a spot in the ACC Championship game.
The Seminoles (9-0, 7-0) are heading to Charlotte on the first Saturday in December for the first time in nine years, overcoming a shaky first half to pull away over the final two quarters.
Travis hit tight end Markeston Douglas for a 22-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to give Florida State a 10-point lead. Trey Benson sprinted 55 yards up the middle on the Seminoles’ next possession to put the Panthers (2-7, 1-4) away.
Florida State, fourth in the initial College Football Playoff ranking, won its 15th straight game.
Oklahoma State 27, Oklahoma 24
STILLWATER, Okla. — Ollie Gordon II ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns, and Oklahoma State defeated Oklahoma in the last Bedlam rivalry game before Oklahoma leaves the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference next year.
Gordon, who entered the day as the nation’s leading rusher, had a career-high 33 carries. It was his sixth straight game rushing for at least 100 yards.
The game was about more than bragging rights — both teams started the day as part of a five-way tie for the conference lead.
Alan Bowman passed for 334 yards, Rashod Owens had career highs of 10 catches for 136 yards and Brennan Presley caught eight passes for 97 yards for the Cowboys (7-2, 5-1, No. 22 CFP).
Dillon Gabriel passed for 344 yards, Drake Stoops had career highs of 12 catches for 134 yards and Gavin Sawchuk ran for a career-high 111 yards and a score for the Sooners (7-2, 4-2, No. 9 CFP).
No. 15 Louisville 34, Virginia Tech 3
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Isaac Guerendo rushed for career highs of 146 yards and three touchdowns, Jawhar Jordan and Jadon Thompson also scored and No. 15 Louisville shut down Virginia Tech in a 34-3 rout Saturday.
The showdown for second place steadily became a rout as the Cardinals (8-1, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 13 College Football Playoff) moved closer toward a berth in the conference championship in their first season under Jeff Brohm. Their relentless defense didn’t allow a touchdown for the second consecutive week and held the Hokies to just 140 yards overall, creating chances that Guerendo quickly turned into scores.
The Wisconsin graduate transfer rushed for TDs of 39, 12 and 36 yards among 11 carries that included explosive runs of 27 and 20 yards. Guerendo shot through big holes each time and twice leapt over diving defenders on the way to the end zone to key Louisville’s run-based attack that totaled 231 of its 382 yards. A holding penalty nullified his 60-yard touchdown run that could have put it out of reach early, though he took care of that after halftime.
Jordan rushed for the Cardinals’ first TD from 1 yard. Thompson scored on a 37-yard reception to make it 21-3 midway through the third quarter as he hauled in a pinpoint throw from Jack Plummer across the middle, shook his defender and was gone. It was the first career TD for the freshman, who was among several Cardinals players that helped right a flipped vehicle after a Sept. 21 accident just outside their L&N Stadium home field.
John Love’s 44-yard field goal as the first half ended but got little else against a Cardinals defense that entered the contest as the ACC’s second best (303.4) with the Hokies next (316.0).
Louisville established its presence quickly, sacking mobile Tech quarterback Kyron Drones for a 10-yard loss on the first snap and dropped him three more times before he was pulled in the fourth quarter. He was 12 of 21 for just 69 yards.
