STILLWATER, Okla. — A mistake by the officials that extended the game allowed Central Michigan to score the winning touchdown on a desperation pass and lateral for an astonishing 30-27 upset of No. 22 Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Oklahoma State tried to kill the final four seconds by throwing the ball away on fourth down, but the Cowboys were penalized for intentional grounding, which is a loss-of-down penalty. Officials ruled that the game cannot end on an accepted live-ball penalty, forgetting that there’s an exception to the rule if the penalty involves a loss of down.
Corey Willis scored the winning touchdown after grabbing a lateral from Jesse Kroll at the 12. Cooper Rush lofted a pass to Kroll just inside the 10, and Kroll pitched it back to Willis, who cut across the field and barely reached the end zone while being dragged down.
(1) ALABAMA 38, WESTERN KENTUCKY 10: Freshman Jalen Hurts passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start to lead the Crimson Tide (2-0) to a victory over the Hilltoppers (1-1) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
(2) CLEMSON 30, TROY 24: Deshaun Watson threw for three touchdowns and the Tigers (2-0) held off the pesky Trojans (1-1) in Clemson, South Carolina.
(3) FLORIDA STATE 52, CHARLESTON 8: Deondre Francois threw for three touchdowns and Dalvin Cook ran for two more as the Seminoles (2-0) cruised to a victory over the Buccaneers (1-2) in Tallahassee, Florida.
(4) OHIO STATE 48, TULSA 3: Malik Hooker and Marshon Lattimore returned interceptions for touchdowns late in the first half, and the Buckeyes (2-0) overcame a sluggish offensive start, a lightning delay and a driving rainstorm to beat visiting Tulsa (1-1).
(5) MICHIGAN 51, CENTRAL FLORIDA 14: Wilton Speight threw two of his four touchdown passes to Jake Butt, helping the Wolverines (2-0) rout the Knights (1-1) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
(6) HOUSTON 42, LAMAR 0: The sixth-ranked Cougars (2-0) easily overcame the absence of injured quarterback Greg Ward Jr. as well as a 31/2-hour lightning delay for a victory over the Cardinals (0-2) in Houston.
(8) WASHINGTON 59, IDAHO 14: Jake Browning matched the school record with five touchdown passes – two each to Dante Pettis and John Ross – and the Huskies (2-0) rolled past the Vandals (1-1) in Seattle.
(9) GEORGIA 26, NICHOLLS STATE 24: The Bulldogs (2-0) scored two touchdowns in a span of about two minutes after Nicholls State (0-1) took a third-quarter lead and escaped with an uninspiring win in Athens, Georgia.
(10) WISCONSIN 54, AKRON 10: Corey Clement ran for two scores, Jazz Peavy had two touchdown catches and the Badgers (2-0) stuffed Akron’s spread offense in a win over the Zips (1-1) in Madison, Wisconsin.
(11) TEXAS 41, UTEP 7: Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele passed for 244 yards and four touchdowns, and the Longhorns (2-0) backed up their first national ranking since 2013 with a victory over the Miners (1-1) in Austin, Texas.
(14) OKLAHOMA 59, LOUISIANA-MONROE 17: Baker Mayfield passed for 244 yards and three TDs in the first half as the Sooners (1-1) beat the Warhawks (1-1) at Norman, Oklahoma.
ARKANSAS 41, (15) TCU 38: Dan Skipper blocked a 28-yard field-goal try with 10 seconds remaining in regulation, and Austin Allen ran 5 yards for the winning score in the second overtime as the Razorbacks (2-0) pulled out a victory over the Horned Frogs (1-1) in Fort Worth, Texas.
(16) IOWA 42, IOWA STATE 3: C.J. Beathard threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns, and the Hawkeyes (2-0) earned their biggest win over the rival Cyclones (0-2) in 18 seasons under Coach Kirk Ferentz.
(18) NOTRE DAME 39, NEVADA 10: DeShone Kizer threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and Notre Dame’s defense rebounded from a disappointing performance a week ago to help the Fighting Irish (1-1) beat the Wolf Pack (1-1) in South Bend, Indiana.
(19) MISSISSIPPI 38, WOFFORD 13: Chad Kelly threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns to help the Rebels (1-1) rout the Terriers (1-1) in Oxford, Mississippi.
(20) Texas A&M 67, PRAIRIE VIEW 0: Trevor Knight threw for 344 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for another score to lead the Aggies (2-0) to a rout of the Panthers (1-1) in College Station, Texas.
(23) BAYLOR 40, SMU 13: Seth Russell threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, and the Bears (1-1) recovered from a slow start to rout the Mustangs (1-1) in Waco, Texas.
(25) MIAMI 38, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 10: Mark Walton rushed for 155 yards and four touchdowns, and the Hurricanes (2-0) shook off a slow start to beat the visiting Owls (1-1).
Send questions/comments to the editors.
