LINCOLN, Neb, (AP) — Josh Hoover surprised a Nebraska defense stacked to stop the run on a fourth-and-1, flipping the ball to a wide-open Nick Marsh for a 44-yard touchdown to give No. 7 Indiana its first lead in a 20-17 victory over Nebraska. The Hoosiers were pushed to the limit by a Cornhuskers team looking for a program-turning victory under fourth-year coach Matt Rhule. Instead the defending national champion Hoosiers won their 22nd straight game and Nebraska lost its 31st in a row against a Top 25 opponent.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Wayne Knight rushed for a touchdown and caught another score, and No. 21 UCLA overcame an injury to starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to down No. 13 Oregon 17-15. Knight ran for 103 yards on 22 carries and caught three passes for 12 yards, including a fourth-quarter, 9-yard touchdown reception from backup Ty Dieffenbach for the undefeated Bruins. The sloppy game featured 10 turnovers, including seven for the Ducks (3-2, 1-1), who saw their chances for a spot in the College Football Playoff fade with a second loss.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Jeremiah Smith scored touchdowns on his first two touches to enhance his Heisman Trophy profile and Julian Sayin had four TD passes as No. 5 Ohio State warmed up for a brutal stretch of games with a sometimes-messy 45-16 win over Maryland. Smith turned two short catches into dazzling scores as the Buckeyes opened a 31-10 halftime lead. The game was the 100th at Ohio State for coach Ryan Day, who improved to 87-13. His Buckeyes will have to play much better in the weeks ahead. They’ll visit No. 7 Indiana next week and No. 19 Southern California on Oct. 31 before hosting Oregon.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava left Saturday’s game against No. 13 Oregon with a leg injury and did not play in the second half as the No. 21 Bruins beat the Ducks. UCLA said Iamaleava sustained a leg injury. Backup Ty Dieffenbach took over to start the second half and helped lead the Bruins (5-0, 3-0 Big Ten) to a 17-15 win. Iamaleava left the game briefly in the second quarter following the injury timeout, was sidelined for one play, then returned, immediately threw an interception and did not play in the second half. Bruins senior Ty Dieffenbach replaced Iamaleava in both instances.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Fame Ijeboi ran for a career-high 195 yards and three touchdowns to lead Purdue to a 41-13 win over Minnesota. Ijeboi, a Minnesota transfer who had 441 yards rushing last season as a redshirt freshman, averaged more than 6 yards per carry. Ryan Browne was 14-of-24 passing for 159 yards and a touchdown for the Boilermakers (3-3, 2-1 Big Ten) and added 81 yards rushing and a TD on seven carries. Drake Lindsey, who had 248 yards passing for Minnesota (4-2, 2-1), connected with Jalen Smith for a 42-yard TD to trim Purdue’s lead to 27-13 in the third quarter, but the Boilermakers answered when Browne rushed for a 12-yard TD early in the fourth quarter
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michael Clayton threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Hudson Clement on the first play of overtime and Illinois made a stop on a 2-point conversion attempt to hold on for a 38-37 win over Michigan State on Saturday. The Fighting Illini scored on their first five drives to take a 16-point lead midway through the third quarter and coach Bret Bielema made a decision late in the game that helped Spartans come back. Bielema chose to go for it on a fourth-and-1 at his 33 and Clayton was stuffed on a sneak, giving Michigan State the ball with 3:27 left.
IRVING, Texas (AP) — The College Football Playoff says discussions continue with broadcast partner ESPN beyond an exclusive negotiating window over media rights for a potential doubling in size of the playoff field from 12 to 24 teams. The CFP statement came Saturday, a day after at the end of the initial 30-day window. ESPN’s new deal that starts this year is worth $7.8 billion over six seasons. It provides the network the first option of adding the first two games in any expansion of the playoff. The CFP says dialogue throughout the window has been constructive.
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Aidan Chiles passed for three touchdowns for the second time this season and ran for another as Northwestern routed Ball State 45-14 in a non-conference matchup. Chiles threw for 272 yards in Northwestern’s second game at its swanky new Ryan Field. Griffin Wilde pulled in a touchdown, his third, and finished with 144 receiving yards. Drew Wagner and Alex Honig also caught passes for scores. Ball State’s Keldric Luster passed for 209 yards and a 2-yard touchdown to Jamarion McDougle as time ran out in the first half. TJ Horton punched in a TD from the 1 midway through the second quarter for the Cardinals’ first score.
