TCU kicker Griffin Kell, 39, celebrates after kicking a 40-yard field goals on the final play of the game to lift the Horned Frogs to a 29-28 win over Baylor on Sunday in Waco, Texas. LM Otero/Associated Press
WACO, Texas — Griffin Kell kicked a 40-yard field goal on the final play of the game, and fourth-ranked TCU beat Baylor 29-28 on Saturday, scoring nine points in the final 2:07 to avoid another potential playoff-busting loss on the banks of the Brazos River.
Emari Demercardo scored on a 3-yard TD run with 2:07 left to get the Frogs (11-0, 8-0 Big 12, No. 4 CFP) within 28-26, but he was unable to pull in a pass on the 2-point conversion attempt.
After kicking deep, TCU used all three of its timeouts while forcing a three-and-out, and got the ball back with 1:34 left at its 31. Max Duggan converted one third down with a 12-yard scramble, and after Demarcardo’s third-down run to the Baylor 23, the field goal unit scrambled onto the field with the clock running. The kick by Kell, who earlier had an extra-point attempt clank off the upright, went through as time ran out.
TCU, which had already clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game, hasn’t been undefeated this deep in a season since 2010, when it finished 13-0 with a Rose Bowl victory and No. 2 national ranking.
(1) GEORGIA 16, KENTUCKY 6: Kenny McIntosh rushed for a career-best 143 yards, including a crucial 9-yard score late in the third quarter, and the top-ranked Bulldogs (11-0, 8-0 SEC) withstood Kentucky’s fourth-quarter rally for a win and beat the Wildcats (6-5, 3-5) in Lexington, Kentucky for their second consecutive unbeaten season in the Southeastern Conference.
The Bulldogs (11-0, 8-0 SEC, No. 1 CFP) clinched the Eastern Division title last week and sought another perfect finish in league play.
They succeeded but not without difficulty, settling for three Jack Podlesny field goals before McIntosh’s TD provided a needed cushion.
(2) OHIO STATE 43, MARYLAND 30: Dallan Hayden scored three touchdowns in the second half of No. 2 Ohio State’s victory over the Terrapins (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten) in College Park, Maryland, to set up a monumental matchup of unbeatens next weekend between the Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0) and rival Michigan.
Just before Ohio State and Maryland kicked off, third-ranked Michigan edged Illinois on a late field goal. The Buckeyes then had plenty of problems of their own against the Terrapins. Ohio State trailed 13-10 at halftime, and the Buckeyes were up just 33-30 when they turned the ball over on downs at the Maryland 42 with 6:36 remaining in the game.
Ohio State forced a three-and-out, however, and Hayden helped the Buckeyes run out most of the remaining time. Noah Ruggles kicked a 45-yard field goal with 42 seconds left, and Steele Chambers added a defensive touchdown with 9 seconds to play.
(3) MICHIGAN 19, ILLINOIS 17: Jake Moody made a go-ahead, 35-yard field goal with nine seconds left, lifting the Wolverines (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 3 CFP) to a win over the Illini (7-4, 5-3) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The Wolverines played much of the second half without star running back Blake Corum, who grabbed his left knee after being tackled just before halftime.
Michigan will now turn all its attention to playing rival and second-ranked Ohio State on the road, where they have not won since 2000 with a spot in the Big Ten champinship game and likely in the College Football Playoff at stake.
(8) ALABAMA 34, AUSTIN PEAY 0: Jase McClellan rushed for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns and Jermaine Burton caught a pair of scoring passes from Bryce Young as the Crimson Tide (9-2) beat the Governors (7-4) in Tucaloosa, Alabama.
The Crimson Tide took awhile to get going against FCS Austin Peay in a Bryant-Denny Stadium that wasn’t much more than half full.
But McClellan and Burton had their biggest games for the Tide, which had already been knocked out of Southeastern Conference contention.
(9) CLEMSON 40, MIAMI 10: DJ Uiagalelei threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third as the Tigers (10-1, 8-0 ACC) wrapped up an undefeated ACC regular season and won their 40th straight at home beating the Hurricanes (5-6, 3-4) in Clemson, South Carolina.
The Tigers have won at least 10 games in 12 straight seasons and – for a half – had their most dominant showing on both sides of the ball.
(11) PENN STATE 55, RUTGERS 10: Sean Clifford ran for a touchdown and threw for another and the Nittany Lions (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) scored twice on fumble returns and once on a kickoff return in beating the Scarlet Knights (4-7, 1-7) in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Freshman Nick Singleton scored on a 100-yard kickoff return, Kobe King gave Penn State the lead for good with a 14-yard fumble return and Ji’Ayir Brown rumbled 70 yards with another fumble as the Nittany Lions blew it open in the second half.
GEORGIA TECH 21, (13) NORTH CAROLINA 17: Zach Gibson threw for 174 yards and the Yellow Jackets (5-6, 4-4 ACC) scored 21 unanswered points for a road win against the Tar Heels (9-2, 6-1 ACC).
Georgia Tech trailed 17-0 late in the first half, but started to methodically move the ball. All three of its scoring drives were for 68-plus yards and culminated with rushing touchdowns.
A 6-yard score on the ground by Hassan Hall with just over 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter proved to be the ticket for the Yellow Jackets, who kept their bowl hopes alive and improved to 4-3 under interim coach Brent Key.
NAVY 17, (17) UCF 14: Fullback Daba Fonfana rushed for 114 yards, and the Midshipmen (4-7, 4-4 AAC) beat the Knights (8-4, 5-2) in Orlando, Florida, without completing a pass.
Navy dominated possession of the ball and gained 248 yards, all on the ground. Xavier Arline threw incomplete on the team’s only passing attempt.
(18) NOTRE DAME 44, BOSTON COLLEGE 0: Cornerback Benjamin Morrison had three interceptions, the Notre Dame defense forced two fumbles and the No. 18 Fighting Irish (8-3) scored on their first eight possessions to beat the Eagles (3-8) in South Bend, Indiana.
The Fighting Irish won their ninth straight against Boston College, the only other Catholic university playing in the FBS. Notre Dame also extended its regular-season winning streak against Atlantic Coast Conference teams to 28 games.
(19) KANSAS STATE 48, WEST VIRGINIA 31: Will Howard threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Cincere Mason returned an interception for a TD and the Wildcats (8-3, 6-2 Big 12) moved closer to a berth in the Big 12 championship game by beating the Mountaineers (4-7, 2-6) in Morgantown, West Virginia.
(22) CINCINNATI 23, TEMPLE 3: Jacob Dingel and Bryon Threats intercepted passes, Noah Potter and Dontay Corleone recovered fumbles and the Bearcats (9-2, 6-1 AAC) beat the Owls (3-8, 1-6) in Philadelphia to move closer to the American Athletic Conference championship game.
Cincinnati can guarantee a berth in its fourth straight conference title game with a win in its regular-season finale Friday against Tulane, with whom it is presently tied atop the standings.
(25) OREGON STATE 31, ARIZONA STATE 7: Damien Martinez ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns and the Beavers (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) beat the Sun Devils (3-8, 2-6) in Tempe, Arizona.
YALE 19, HARVARD 14: Nolan Grooms threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Hawes with 6:29 left in the game to lift the Bulldogs (8-2, 6-1 Ivy League) to a win over the Crimson (6-4, 4-3) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the 138th meeting of the second-longest rivalry in college football.
The Bulldogs won the Ivy League championship in the process after Penn knocked off Princeton 20-19.
Yale captured its third Ivy League title in the last five seasons, capturing the outright title in 2017 and a share of the championship in 2019. The Bulldogs came into the game with three straight wins, including a thrilling, 24-20 win over previously unbeaten Princeton.
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