CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Noah Vedral threw for 138 yards and rushed for a touchdown to lead Rutgers past Illinois 20-14. Isaih Pacheco rushed 21 times for 91 yards and Kyle Monangai ran 15 times for 77 yards and a touchdown for Rutgers. Brandon Peters, starting for the injured Art Sitkowski, was 14 of 19 passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns for Illinois, including a 52-yard TD pass to Isaiah Williams. Williams caught 3 passes for 67 yards and the touchdown. Rutgers put the game away in the fourth quarter on a Vedral run and a Valentino Ambrosio field goal.
In Illinois college football:
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Theo Day threw two third-quarter touchdown passes and Northern Iowa created four turnovers in its 23-16 win over Southern Illinois. The Salukis, ranked No. 3 in the FCS coaches poll, led by 10 late in the first half but Northern Iowa scored 20 of the final 23. Nic Baker completed 27 of 42 passes for 306 yards and a touchdown but threw a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions for Southern Illinois (6-2, 4-1). The No. 17 Panthers have played four straight games against ranked opponents, losing to North Dakota State and South Dakota before beating then-No. 7 South Dakota State last Saturday.
In Saturday’s other top-25 action:
— Michigan State and Michigan put together one of the most entertaining games in their century-old rivalry. The eighth-ranked Spartans trailed 30-14 before scoring 23 of the final 26 points in a 37-33 comeback over the No. 6 Wolverines. Kenneth Walker’s fifth touchdown of the afternoon was a 23-yard run that gave the Spartans a 37-33 lead with 5:08 remaining. Walker had three touchdowns over the final 22 minutes and finished with 197 yards rushing. Michigan State cornerback Charles Brantley sealed the victory by picking off a floating pass from Cade McNamara. McNamara threw for 383 yards and two touchdowns, but his interception was costly, as was freshman quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s lost fumble in the fourth quarter. Michigan State is unbeaten at 8-0. Michigan is 7-1.
— Top-ranked Georgia scored three touchdowns off turnovers in a 12-play sequence that turned “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” into a lopsided 34-7 victory against Florida. Zamir White ran for 105 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries as the 8-0 Bulldogs extended their winning streak to 12 games since last season. The Gators were in danger of their first shutout loss in 418 games since 1988 until Emory Jones ran for a touchdown with 2:49 to play.
— Desmond Ridder twice connected with tight end Josh Whyle for touchdowns as second-ranked Cincinnati knocked off Tulane, 31-12. Jerome Ford rushed for 65 yards and scored his 14th touchdown of the season to help the Bearcats move to 8-0. Running back Tyjae Spears rushed for 106 yards on 19 carries, highlighted by his 47-yard touchdown in the first half.
— Caleb Williams threw for 402 yards and six touchdowns for No. 4 Oklahoma in a 52-21 pounding of Texas Tech. Marvin Mims caught four passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, and Mario Williams had five receptions for 100 yards and a score. The 9-0 Sooners extended the nation’s longest current winning streak to 17 games.
— TreVeyon Henderson ran for 152 yards and a touchdown to help No. 5 Ohio State take down No. 20 Penn State, 33-24. Jerron Cage scooped up a fumble and sprinted untouched 57 yards for a touchdown to make it 17-7 before the Nittany Lions eventually tied the game. Penn State’s Sean Clifford was 35 for 52 for 361 yards and a touchdown after a tentative performance in last week’s nine-overtime loss to Illinois.
— No. 7 Oregon amassed a season-high 568 total yards in a 52-29 rout of Colorado. Anthony Brown Jr. led the assault by throwing for 307 yards and three scores. Travis Dye ran for two TDs and caught another as the 7-1 Ducks ran their home winning streak to 17 games.
— Graham Mertz scored on two quarterback sneaks and threw a touchdown pass to help Wisconsin trounce No. 9 Iowa, 27-7. The 5-3 Badgers forced three turnovers, produced six sacks, and limited the Hawkeyes to 24 yards rushing on 30 carries. Iowa has been outscored 51-14 in its last two games after being ranked second in the nation just a couple of weeks ago.
— Bo Nix passed for 276 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores in 18th-rated Auburn’s 31-20 triumph over No. 10 Mississippi. Tank Bigsby ran for 140 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. Matt Corral (kah-RAL’) failed to throw a scoring pass for the first time in 20 games, finishing 21 of 37 for 289-yards.
— Kyren Williams ran for a career-high 199 yards on 22 carries to help 11th-ranked Notre Dame hold off North Carolina, 44-34. Williams raced 91 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to help the Irish survive a productive night by Sam Howell, who finished 24-of-31 passing for 341 yards, one TD, and one interception.
— Dillon Johnson ran for two touchdowns and Mississippi State scored 14 points off of four Kentucky turnovers to defeat the No. 12 Wildcats, 31-17. Will Rogers set an SEC record by completing 92% of his passes, going 36 of 39 for 344 yards and a TD.
— Sam Hartman continued his recent tear by accounting for five touchdowns to help No. 13 Wake Forest beat Duke 45-7 on Saturday, giving the 8-0 Demon Deacons their best start in program history. Hartman threw for 402 yards and three touchdowns, including a 38-yarder to Jaquarii Roberson on the first possession.
— Spencer Sanders accounted for 210 yards of offense and three scores as 15th-ranked Oklahoma State crushed Kansas, 55-3. Sanders threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 53 yards and a score, all by halftime.
— Baylor tight end Ben Sims had a 1-yard TD run in the fourth quarter before Abram Smith spun away for a 32-yard scamper to the end zone in a 31-24 win against 16th-ranked Texas. The Bears became the third team in a row to overcome a double-digit deficit to beat Texas.
— Miami freshman Tyler Van Dyke outdueled Heisman Trophy candidate Kenny Pickett, throwing for 428 yards and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes beat Pickett and No. 17 Pittsburgh, 38-34. Van Dyke completed 31 of 41 passes for the three scores and an interception as the Hurricanes defeated a ranked opponent for a second straight week.
— Marcus Jones returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown with 17 seconds remaining to give Houston a 44-37 victory over No. 19 SMU. Clayton Tune threw for a career-high 412 yards and four touchdowns for the Cougars, with Nathaniel Dell grabbing nine passes for 165 yards and three scores.
— Jordan Mims rushed for a career-high 186 yards and two scores as Fresno State handed No. 21 San Diego State its only loss of the season, 30-20.
— Jarret Doege threw three touchdown passes and Leddie Brown ran for two scores in West Virginia’s 38-31 upset of No. 22 Iowa State.
— Tyler Allgeier rushed for a career-high 266 yards and five touchdowns, leading No. 25 BYU to a 66-49 victory over Virginia.
