Georgia protects its lead, Kentucky goes for two: Saturday’s 14 prime-time finals

Peyton Woodring’s late field goal kept Georgia unbeaten, Kenny Minchey’s two-point run gave Kentucky another overtime victory, and Jayden Maiava threw three touchdowns to carry USC through Penn State’s White Out. Saturday’s prime-time college football results included 14 completed games, with two late matchups still in progress at the midnight Eastern checkpoint.

The closest finishes demanded different kinds of answers. Georgia protected a three-point lead with its defense and a final possession. Kentucky had to recover from two missed kicks before choosing a two-point conversion. Louisiana Tech scored with 46 seconds left, while James Madison survived a field-goal attempt that could have forced overtime.

Georgia and Kentucky finish tight SEC games

Georgia won 20-17 at Alabama after Woodring made a 23-yard field goal with 5:25 remaining. Dwight Phillips Jr. rushed for 120 yards and Bo Walker added 69, with long runs by both backs helping move the Bulldogs into range for the deciding kick. Georgia then forced Alabama to punt and kept possession through the finish.

Gunner Stockton completed 18 of 22 passes for 249 yards and accounted for both Georgia touchdowns. The Bulldogs outgained Alabama 455-346 and improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide fell to 5-1 and 3-1. Georgia-Alabama recap

Kentucky’s 35-34 win over LSU ended with Minchey running up the middle for the overtime conversion. CJ Baxter’s one-yard touchdown had brought the Wildcats within a point after Sam Leavitt scored first for LSU. Kentucky chose to settle the game immediately, repeating the one-point overtime margin from its previous week’s win at South Carolina.

Adam Zouagui missed two late field goals before making a 33-yarder with 12 seconds left to force overtime. Baxter rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and Minchey passed for 246 yards without an interception. Kentucky reached 5-1 and 3-1 in conference play; LSU dropped to 4-2 and 1-2. Kentucky-LSU recap

USC answers the White Out

USC beat Penn State 31-23 behind Maiava’s 301 passing yards and three touchdowns. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt caught the final scoring pass with 11:11 remaining, extending a one-point lead to eight. Christian Pierce later forced a Brett Eskildsen fumble, and USC kept the ball for the rest of the game.

King Miller rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Trent Mosley caught nine passes for 111 yards and a score. Penn State converted all five fourth-down attempts but managed only 68 rushing yards. USC improved to 6-1 and 3-1 in the Big Ten, leaving Penn State at 3-3 and 0-3. USC-Penn State recap

Purdue took a different route to a Big Ten win, beating Minnesota 41-13 with 305 rushing yards. Fame Ijeboi ran for 195 yards and three touchdowns against his former team, while Ryan Browne added 81 rushing yards and a score. Minnesota cut the deficit to 14 points in the third quarter before Purdue scored twice more. Purdue-Minnesota recap

Utah and Oregon State pull away

Utah beat Kansas 41-24 after entering the fourth quarter ahead by three. Devon Dampier found Semi Taulanga for a one-yard touchdown, Utah stopped Kansas near its goal line, and Wayshawn Parker followed with a 90-yard scoring run. Parker finished with 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns as the Utes improved to 5-0. Utah-Kansas recap

Oregon State overwhelmed San Diego State 66-14 with 651 yards of offense. Braden Atkinson threw for 409 yards and five touchdowns, and Jesse Legree caught 10 passes for 191 yards and three scores. Legree set a school record with his sixth consecutive 100-yard receiving game. The Beavers won their fourth straight. Oregon State-San Diego State recap

Comebacks, takeaways and narrow escapes

Louisiana Tech scored 19 fourth-quarter points to edge Louisiana 32-31. Blake Baker found Eli Finley for a seven-yard touchdown with 46 seconds remaining, and Jordan McRae intercepted Louisiana’s last possession. Baker threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns; Finley caught nine passes for 114 yards and two scores. Louisiana Tech-Louisiana recap

Virginia erased a 17-7 halftime deficit to beat Syracuse 28-25. Jekail Middlebrook scored twice in the fourth quarter, and the Cavaliers stopped the Orange’s final possession after a late touchdown and two-point conversion reduced the margin to three. Virginia-Syracuse recap

James Madison stayed unbeaten with a 27-24 win at Georgia Southern. JC Evans completed both of his passes for touchdowns, and the Dukes survived Blake Ford’s unsuccessful 52-yard field-goal attempt with 47 seconds left. James Madison-Georgia Southern recap

Coastal Carolina forced six turnovers and survived Marshall’s late rally to win 27-21. Dominic Lee-Knicely rushed for 169 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown, before Marshall scored twice late and Coastal secured the final onside kick. Coastal Carolina-Marshall recap

UNLV beat previously unbeaten North Dakota State 13-7 without an offensive touchdown. Andre Porter’s interception return supplied the Rebels’ touchdown, and a third interception ended the Bison’s late chance. UNLV-North Dakota State recap

Memphis scored 28 unanswered second-half points to beat UAB 38-13 after trailing at halftime. Jaylin Carter rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Memphis-UAB recap

Air Force won 28-7 at Northern Illinois without completing a pass. Evan Medders and Owen Allen each rushed for two touchdowns. Air Force-Northern Illinois recap

Nevada beat UTEP 30-13 as Herschel Turner rushed for 192 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown. The Wolf Pack held the Miners to one third-down conversion in 14 attempts. Nevada-UTEP recap

Late games still pending

Boise State at Fresno State and Hawai‘i at Arizona State were still in progress at the midnight Eastern checkpoint. Their results are pending, and neither game is included among the 14 finals above.

Sources

October10 official full FBS scoreboard · Official team game report · Official team game report