BIG TEN

Ohio St. pulls away to win Big Ten title

NO. 6 OHIO STATE 45, NO. 21 NORTHWESTERN 24

INDIANAPOLIS -- Dwayne Haskins added five more touchdown passes to his single-season record Saturday and No. 6 Ohio State relied on its staunch defense to hold off a second-half charge from No. 21 Northwestern for a 45-24 victory to claim its second consecutive Big Ten championship.

The Buckeyes (12-1, 9-1 Big Ten) won their third title in five years and their fifth consecutive game -- but it's unlikely to get the Buckeyes into the four-team College Football Playoff.

Haskins finished 34 of 41 with 499 yards and 1 interception. It's the fifth time he topped 400 yards this season.

Clayton Thorson went 27 of 44 with 267 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions as he helped Northwestern trim a 24-7 halftime deficit to 24-21 midway through the third quarter. The Wildcats (8-5, 8-2) couldn't get any closer, though, as they lost only their second conference contest in their last 17 league games.

Haskins eluded a couple of defenders on third-and-11, buying just enough time to find Terry McLaurin for a 16-yard TD pass on the game's opening possession.

Northwestern tied the score when little-used running back John Moten IV outran Ohio State's defense for a 77-yard scoring run.

Then the Buckeyes answered with what appeared to be knockout flurry. Dobbins scored on a 2-yard run, Blake Haubeil made a 42-yard field goal and McLaurin caught a 42-yard TD pass from Haskins to make it 24-7 at the half.

ACC

NO. 2 CLEMSON 42, PITTSBURGH 10

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Travis Etienne ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns, Trevor Lawrence threw two short scoring passes to Tee Higgins and No. 2 Clemson beat Pittsburgh to become the first team to win four consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championships.

Clemson (13-0) is expected to face third-ranked Notre Dame, which was idle Saturday, in the College Football Playoffs on Dec. 29.

The Tigers ran for 301 yards and four touchdowns and averaged 9 yards per carry on a dreary, rain-soaked night in which Lawrence was limited to 118 yards passing.

AAC

NO. 8 CENTRAL FLORIDA 56, MEMPHIS 41

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Darriel Mack shrugged off two early turnovers to rush for three second-half touchdowns and rally No. 8 Central Florida to a 56-41 victory over Memphis (8-5) in the American Athletic Conference championship game Saturday.

With the red-shirt freshman filling in for injured quarterback McKenzie Milton, the Knights (12-0) won their second consecutive league title and extended the nation's longest winning streak to 25 games.

Mack also threw for 348 yards and two TDs without an interceptions to keep UCF, the only FBS team to finish undefeated a year ago, in the conversation about who's deserving of consideration for berths in the College Football Playoff.

CONFERENCE USA

ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM 27, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 25

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Spencer Brown ran for 156 yards and a touchdown, Nick Vogel put Alabama-Birmingham ahead with a field goal with 3:23 remaining and the Blazers, who reinstated their program last season after a two-year hiatus, beat Middle Tennessee in the Conference USA championship game.

The Blue Raiders, who beat UAB in Murfreesboro 27-3 last weekend in a regular-season finale, were set to get a final chance with 1:21 to play but were flagged for having 12 men on the field as the Blazers prepared to punt, and UAB took a knee twice to run out the clock.

The victory gave UAB (10-3) its first 10-win season and its first Conference USA championship. The program was shut down after the 2014 season before being reinstated and taking two years off.

MOUNTAIN WEST

NO. 25 FRESNO STATE 19, NO. 22 BOISE STATE 16, OT

BOISE, Idaho -- Ronnie Rivers scored on a 1-yard run in overtime to give No. 24 Fresno State a victory over No. 19 Boise State in the snowy Mountain West championship game.

Fresno State (11-2) won its first conference title since 2013, beating the Broncos (10-3) on their blue turf for the first time in 10 tries.

Rivers scored after Boise State's Haden Hoggarth made a 23-yard field goal on the opening overtime possession. Hoggarth had an extra point attempt blocked by Matt Boetang with 8:01 left, leaving it tied.

SUN BELT

APPALACHIAN STATE 30, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 19

BOONE, N.C. -- Zac Thomas had two long touchdown runs, Darrynton Evans set up another score with a 97-yard kickoff return and Appalachian State defeated Louisiana-Lafayette in the Sun Belt Conference championship game.

The victory earns the Mountaineers (10-2) the conference's automatic berth in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 15 against a team from Conference USA.

ULL took a 3-0 lead when Kyle Pfau's 37-yard field capped a nine-play, 55-yard game-opening drive. The lead lasted 17 seconds. Evans took the ensuing kickoff 97 yards before being tackled at the 1-yard line and Marcus Williams Jr. ran it in one play later for a 7-3 lead. Pfau's second field goal -- from 45 yards out -- pulled the Ragin' Cajuns (7-6) within 7-6, but Thomas ripped off a 25-yard TD run to end a nine-play, 75-yard drive and the Mountaineers (10-2) took a 14-6 lead into halftime.

SWAC

ALCORN STATE 37, SOUTHERN 28

LORMAN, Miss. -- De'Shawn Waller ran 16 times for 177 yards and three touchdowns and Alcorn State beat Southern in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.

The Braves won their third SWAC title in five years and advanced to the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Ga., to face Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion North Carolina A&T on Dec. 15.

Noah Johnson passed for 135 yards and ran for 147 yards and two scores for Alcorn State (9-3).

Saturday’s scores

EAST

Alabama 35, Georgia 28

Ala.-Birmingham 27, Mid. Tennessee 25

Alcorn St. 37, Southern U. 28

Appalachian St. 30, La.-Lafayette 19

Central Florida 56, Memphis 41

Clemson 42, Pittsburgh 10

Kennesaw St. 13, Wofford 10

Liberty 52, Norfolk St. 17

NC State 58, East Carolina 3

South Carolina 28, Akron 3

Virginia Tech 41, Marshall 20

MIDWEST

Iowa St. 27, Drake 24

N. Dakota St. 52, Montana St. 10

Ohio St. 45, Northwestern 24

S. Dakota St. 51, Duquesne 6

SOUTHWEST

Oklahoma 39, Texas 27

FAR WEST

E. Washington 42, Nicholls 21

Fresno St. 19, Boise St. 16, OT

Stanford 23, California 13

UC Davis 23, N. Iowa 16

Weber St. 48, SE Missouri 23

Sports on 12/02/2018

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