Johnathan Bennett threw a career-high three touchdown passes and Liberty’s defense came up with a key stop late as the Flames posted their first-ever win over a Southeastern Conference opponent with a 21-19 victory over host Arkansas on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark.

The victory for the Flames (8-1) wasn’t secure until Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson was ruled just short on a potentially tying 2-point conversion try with 1:11 left in the game. After a review upheld the ruling, the Flames recovered the onside kickoff.

Bennett completed 15 of 25 passes for 224 yards, 145 of it on Demario Douglas’ 7 catches. Douglas was one of three Liberty receivers who caught a touchdown pass.

The Flames were up 21-5 midway through the fourth quarter until Jefferson threw two touchdown passes to Trey Knox, with and Raheim Sanders rushing for a 2-point conversion after the first to get the Hogs to within one score at 21-13 with 7:42 left.

The Hogs (5-4) got the ball back at their 15-yard line with 3:47 left and covered the 85 yards in seven plays but couldn’t get the final 2-point conversion to tie the game.

Jefferson was 23-of-37 passing for 284 yards — 109 in the fourth quarter –with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Arkansas..

The Flames, who lost leading rusher Dae Dae Hunter to a leg injury in the first half, ran for 91 yards.

The Hogs were held to only 144 on the ground, just the second time they have failed to top the 200-yard mark this season.

Liberty took advantage of relatively short fields for their first two touchdowns.

The Flames followed a partially blocked punt with a 59-yard drive capped by Bennett’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Noah Frith and then needed to negotiate just 53 yards for their second score when Arkansas failed to convert a fourth-and-5 at Liberty’s 47-yard line. Bennett’s 20-yard strike to Douglas completed the drive.

The Flames drove 80 yards late in the second quarter following Daijahn Anthony’s interception in the end zone.

Bennett finished the drive off with an 18-yard pass to Treon Sibley.

Arkansas’ only first-half points came on Cam Little’s 50-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter.

–Field Level Media

Payton Thorne went 19-of-29 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Michigan State to a 23-15 upset win over No. 14 Illinois on Saturday in Champaign, Ill.

Jalen Berger rushed for 81 yards on 15 carries for Michigan State (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten), which won on the road for the first time in four tries.

Tommy DeVito went 25-of-37 passing for two touchdowns and Chase Brown rushed for 136 yards on 33 carries for Illinois (7-2, 4-2), which saw a six-game winning streak snapped.

The Fighting Illini went 1-for-6 on fourth-down conversions.

Illinois took a 7-0 lead with 8:03 remaining in the first quarter on a 60-yard touchdown pass from Devito to Isaiah Williams, who caught a short pass, got free down the sideline and maneuvered around the defense to the end zone.

Michigan State cut Illinois’ lead to 7-3 with 1:36 remaining in the first after a 21-yard field goal by Ben Patton.

The Spartans then took a 9-7 lead with 10:21 left in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Thorne to Tre Mosley, and then grabbed a 16-7 lead on an 11-yard touchdown run by Jarek Broussard with 5:45 remaining in the third quarter.

The score was set up after Michigan State took over on the Illinois 29-yard line after a punt by Illinois’ Hugh Robertson hit the back of one of his linemen.

The Spartans then took a 23-7 lead with 2:57 left in the third quarter on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Thorne to Jayden Reed.

Illinois cut Michigan State’s lead to 23-15 with 14:27 remaining in the game on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Devito to Williams and subsequent two-point conversion pass from DeVito to Tip Reiman.

Illinois drove to Michigan State’s 20-yard line in the fourth quarter, but was stopped on downs on a fourth-and-2 with 8:11 remaining.

–Field Level Media

Hunter Dekkers completed 24 of 36 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns and Xavier Hutchinson caught 10 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown to help host Iowa State beat West Virginia 31-14 in Big 12 play on Saturday in Ames, Iowa.

The Cyclones (4-5, 1-5 Big 12) snapped a five-game losing streak, which followed a 3-0 start to this season.

West Virginia (3-6, 1-5) dropped its third consecutive game and fell into a last-place tie in the conference with Iowa State.

After an early defensive struggle on both sides, it was Iowa State’s defense that sustained its efforts throughout the game, holding the Mountaineers to 200 total yards.

West Virginia did not advance into the red zone until its final drive when backup quarterback Garrett Greene led a touchdown drive capped by an 8-yard scoring toss to Sam James. The Mountaineers’ other score came on a 25-yard touchdown pass from JT Daniels to Bryce Ford-Wheaton with 34 seconds left in the first half.

West Virginia played without injured running back Tony Mathis for the second consecutive game as well as offensive lineman James Gmiter. Daniels completed 8 of 22 passes for 81 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Will McDonald had one of two sacks of Daniels, and nearly had a second turn into a defensive score early in the fourth quarter when he appeared to strip Daniels of the ball and Anthony Johnson, who had an interception, returned it for a 34-yard touchdown. But upon review, it was ruled an incomplete pass.

Cartevious Norton put the game out of reach with two fourth-quarter touchdown runs and ran for 69 yards on 18 carries.

West Virginia committed a costly penalty, which allowed the Cyclones to begin to separate.

Iowa State had gone three and out from its own 21-yard line, but got a second chance when West Virginia’s Reese Smith was called for roughing punter Tyler Perkins. Four plays later, the Cyclones capitalized when Dekkers found Hutchinson open down the sideline for a 24-yard touchdown with 13:24 left in the fourth quarter to give Iowa State a 17-7 lead.

–Field Level Media

Kaytron Allen finished with three rushing touchdowns and 158 yards from scrimmage as No. 15 Penn State cruised to a 45-14 win against host Indiana on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.

Allen racked up 86 yards on the ground and hauled in two receptions for another 72 to lead the Nittany Lions (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) to their eighth win in the last nine games against the Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5).

PSU quarterback Sean Clifford recorded 229 yards and an interception on 15-for-23 passing, and Mitchell Tinsley had five catches for 63 yards.

Indiana utilized three quarterbacks — Jack Tuttle, Brendan Sorsby and Dexter Williams II — who combined to complete 16 of 29 passes for 131 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Tuttle’s 11-yard TD pass to AJ Barner and Jaylin Lucas’ 1-yard scoring rush provided the Hoosiers’ only points of the game.

The Nittany Lions outgained Indiana 483-196.

Sorsby threw an interception on Indiana’s second drive of the second half. Thanks in large part to Allen’s 45-yard catch-and-run, Penn State marched 96 yards to the end zone. Allen capped the seven-play drive with a 6-yard rushing TD.

Backup quarterback Drew Allar later threw a 1-yard touchdown to Harrison Wallace III and a 4-yard score to Theo Johnson at the beginning of the fourth to secure the victory.

Allar totaled 75 yards through the air, with two touchdowns on 9-for-12 passing.

Allen rushed for a pair of scores in the second quarter before Jake Pinegar kicked a 50-yard field goal with 50 seconds left in the first half to send the Nittany Lions into the break with a 24-7 lead.

PSU’s defense was dominant through the first 30 minutes of action, picking up six sacks. Tuttle exited the game with an apparent shoulder injury following one of those sacks. He completed 9 of 12 passes for 82 yards and a TD before Sorsby took over.

–Field Level Media

Washington State scored following three fumbles in the first half and Nakia Watson rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in the Cougars’ 52-14 win Saturday over host Stanford in Pac-12 play.

The Cougars (5-4, 2-4 Pac-12) ended a three-game losing streak with the victory.

Stanford (3-6, 1-6) has lost two straight games after recently beating Notre Dame and Arizona State in consecutive weeks.

Washington State, which ran for a season-high 306 yards, scored touchdowns on their first three possessions to build a 21-7 lead before taking advantage of Stanford’s fumbling problems.

Jaden Hicks recovered a fumble by Stanford running back Ashton Daniels and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown to increase the lead to 28-7 with 8:06 left in the second quarter.

Stanford’s Elijah Higgins fumbled on a 22-yard pass play from Tanner McKee in the Cardinal’s next possession. Chau Smith-Wade recovered it at the Washington State 38-yard line.

The Cougars drove for a touchdown in 11 plays, culminating on Cameron Ward’s 9-yard pass to Donovan Ollie on a fourth-and-3 play with 2:09 left in the second quarter.

Three plays into Stanford’s next possession, Benjamin Yurosek fumbled while making a 12-yard reception.

Daiyan Henley recovered the ball for Washington State, which took over at the Stanford 41 after Henley’s 11-yard return.

Watson followed with a touchdown run on the next play, increasing Washington State’s lead to 42-7 with 59 seconds left in the half.

Stanford opened the second half with a 74-yard, seven-play drive ending with Ashton Daniels’ 2-yard run.

The Cardinal could not build momentum after that possession, following with two consecutive three-and-out possessions and a turnover on downs.

With the game in hand, Ward was replaced at the start of the fourth quarter by backup John Mateer.

Ward completed 16 of 32 pass attempts for 176 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Mateer engineered a touchdown drive on his first series, finishing with a 27-yard pass to Orion Peters with 11:17 left.

McKee passed for 236 yards while completing 23 of 40 attempts with no touchdowns or interceptions.

The Cardinal rushed for 71 yards on 28 carries and were outgained 514 to 337.

–Field Level Media

Mikey Keene threw three touchdown passes and RJ Harvey ran for 151 yards and a score on 17 carries to lead No. 25 Central Florida to a 35-28 victory over host Memphis on Saturday.

Keene went 22-for-28 passing for 219 yards with scoring strikes of 24 and 13 yards to Kobe Hudson, who finished with six receptions and 85 yards for the Golden Knights (7-2, 4-1 American Athletic Conference). Keene, who had one interception, also tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Javon Baker in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

Running back Isaiah Bowser also threw a touchdown pass for Central Florida, which won for the sixth time in its past seven games.

Ryan O’Keefe had 10 catches for 75 yards for UCF, which never trailed while handing the Tigers (4-5, 2-4) their fourth straight loss.

Seth Henigan went 26-for-39 passing for 284 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in addition to rushing for 69 yards and a score on 16 carries for Memphis. Asa Martin finished with seven catches for 61 yards.

Trailing 21-14 at halftime, the Tigers tied the game on Jevyon Ducker’s 1-yard touchdown run that ended an 11-play, 77-yard drive with 6:53 left in the third quarter.

The game remained tied until early in the fourth quarter, when Keene hit Hudson in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass and a 28-21 lead with 12:19 left in the game.

Keene’s 24-yard scoring strike to Baker extended the lead to 35-21 with 4:58 left before Henigan’s 14-yard scoring strike to Joe Scates cut the lead to 35-28 with 3:18 left.

Central Florida ran out the clock on its ensuing possession.

After Harvey’s 22-yard touchdown run gave Central Florida a 7-0 lead on its first possession, the Tigers tied the game on Brandon Thomas’ 7-yard run with 5:59 left in the first quarter.

The Golden Knights regained the lead thanks to Bowser’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Martin out of the wildcat formation. The short toss finished an eight-play, 89-yard drive with 11:23 left in the first half.

Henigan’s 1-yard run tied the game at 14 with 8:18 left in the second quarter.

The Golden Knights struck back in less than two minutes, with Keene tossing a 24-yard touchdown pass to Hudson for a 21-14 lead with 6:39 left in the half.

–Field Level Media

Rodney Hammond Jr. ran for 124 yards and a touchdown and C’Bo Flemister also rushed for a score Saturday as Pitt snapped a two-game skid with a 19-9 home victory over No. 20 Syracuse.

The Panthers (5-4, 2-3 ACC) overcame nine penalties for 73 yards and two interceptions — one by quarterback Kedon Slovis (16 of 23, 178 yards) and one by wideout Jared Wayne on his only pass attempt.

Standout tailback Sean Tucker ran for just 19 yards on 10 carries for Syracuse (6-3, 3-2), which lost its third straight game. The Orange played without quarterback Garrett Shrader (concussion), with Carlos Del Rio-Wilson going 8 of 23 for 120 yards in his place.

Syracuse dented the scoreboard first, shortly after Ja’Had Carter intercepted Slovis in the end zone. The Orange methodically drove down the field and took a 3-0 lead on Andre Szmyt’s 23-yard field goal — the 12th play of the drive — with 26 seconds left in the first quarter.

Pitt answered back with a touchdown on its next possession as Hammond found the end zone on a 6-yard rush.

The teams then exchanged punts before the Orange got within 7-6 on Szmyt’s 48-yard field goal with 3:44 remaining until intermission. However, the Panthers squeezed in a field goal of their own before halftime, with Ben Sauls booting a 43-yarder in the waning seconds.

Flemister accounted for the only scoring of the third quarter when he registered a 1-yard TD run in the final two minutes of the period. The big play of the possession for the Panthers was a 23-yard pass from Slovis to Wayne (six catches, 102 yards) that set up the hosts with a first-and-goal at the 1.

Szmyt missed a 46-yard field goal early in the fourth, although he did drain a 49-yarder with 4:52 to play to get the visitors within 17-9.

With under two minutes left, Pitt punter Sam Vander Haar pinned Syracuse at its own 1. On the next play, Deslin Alexandre sacked Del Rio-Wilson for the game-clinching safety.

–Field Level Media

Devin Neal ran for 224 yards and a touchdown as Kansas rolled past visiting No.18 Oklahoma State 37-16 Saturday afternoon in a key Big 12 Conference game in Lawrence, Kansas.

Kansas quarterback Jason Bean passed for two scores and ran 73 yards for another.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Kansas and assured that the Jayhawks (6-3, 3-3 Big 12) would play in a bowl for the first time since 2008.

Neal also caught six passes for 110 yards. Bean was 18 of 23 passing for 203 yards.

The Cowboys (6-3, 3-3 Big 12) were without starting quarterback Spencer Sanders, who was ruled out with an injury hours before the game. Garret Rangel got his first career start and passed for 304 yards and two touchdowns, but also uncorked three interceptions in the loss.

Oklahoma State has dropped two straight games and three of its past four.

The Jayhawks scored first on Neal’s 31-yard touchdown run at the 11:21 mark of the opening quarter. Jacob Borcila kicked a 21-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining in the first quarter to expand the Kansas lead to 10-0.

Oklahoma State finally got on track early in the second quarter, moving 75 yards in 15 plays to Rangel’s 8-yard scoring pass to Stephon Johnson Jr. with 9:59 to play. But the Jayhawks immediately responded as Bean dashed through the defense for his long scoring run that sent Kansas to a 17-7 advantage with 9:10 to play in the quarter.

The Jayhawks weren’t done in the half, moving 87 yards in only seven plays to an 8-yard Bean-to-Lawrence Arnold touchdown pass 22 seconds before halftime to carry a 24-7 lead into intermission. Neal ran for 146 yards and a score before halftime.

Kansas built on its advantage with a touchdown drive on its opening possession of the third quarter which covered 75 yards, chewed up almost eight minutes and ended with Bean’s 2-yard scoring toss to Jared Casey.

Oklahoma State’s Tanner Brown booted a 35-yard FG that was later countered by a 20-yarder by Borcila. The Cowboys cut into their deficit with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Rangel to Jaden Nixon that was soon answered by Borcila’s third field goal.

–Field Level Media

Bo Nix ran for two touchdowns, threw two touchdown passes and caught a touchdown pass to lead No. 8 Oregon to a 49-10 Pac-12 win over Colorado on Saturday in Boulder, Colo.

The Ducks (8-1, 6-0 Pac-12) remained the Pac-12’s only undefeated team in conference play, scoring more than 40 points for the eighth consecutive time, all in wins.

Nix completed 20 of 24 passes for 274 yards before exiting in the fourth quarter. Bucky Irving rushed for 120 yards on 11 carries, including a 65-yard run, and threw an 18-yard touchdown on a trick play to Nix in the first quarter.

Christian Gonzalez, who transferred from Colorado before this season, had two interceptions against his former team.

The first three touchdowns of the game involved a backup offensive lineman, Nix catching a pass and a star linebacker scoring a rushing touchdown. Oregon scored first on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Nix to Josh Conerly Jr., who’d lined up as an extra offensive lineman and eligible receiver.

After the Ducks stopped the Buffaloes on fourth down, Nix caught a soft toss from Irving and jogged into the end zone for a 14-0 Oregon lead with 2:25 left in the opening quarter.

Five plays into the second quarter, Noah Sewell, one of Oregon’s top defensive players, got a carry from the 1-yard line and powered into the end zone for a 21-0 lead.

Colorado (1-8, 1-5) answered with J.T. Shrout’s deep throw to wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who caught the ball on the run, gained his balance and ran for an 81-yard touchdown. But the Buffaloes wouldn’t get any closer.

Shrout had 247 passing yards and Tyson 137 receiving yards for Colorado. Nix (two) and Noah Whittington (one) ran for the three Oregon touchdowns in the second half.

–Field Level Media

Stetson Bennett passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one to lead No. 3 Georgia to a convincing 27-13 victory over top-ranked Tennessee in Southeastern Conference play Saturday afternoon at Athens, Ga.

Bennett completed 17 of 25 passes for 257 yards and Ladd McConkey caught five passes for 94 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs (9-0, 6-0 SEC) defeated Tennessee for the sixth consecutive time. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint also had a scoring reception.

Jalen Carter forced two fumbles, Javon Bullard had two sacks and Kelee Ringo had an interception for Georgia, which held the Volunteers to 2 of 14 on third-down conversions.

Hendon Hooker was 23-of-33 passing for 195 yards and one interception for Tennessee (8-1, 4-1). Hooker had thrown a touchdown pass in 20 consecutive games prior to being unable to find the end zone against the Bulldogs.

Jaylen Wright rushed for a touchdown for the Volunteers, but standout receiver Jalin Hyatt had just six catches for 63 yards.

Georgia played without standout linebacker Nolan Smith, who will miss the rest of the season with a pectoral injury. But the Bulldogs still outgained Tennessee 387 to 289.

Tennessee landed the No. 1 spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday, but was routinely outclassed by the Bulldogs.

Jack Podlesny booted a 38-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the third quarter to give Georgia a 27-6 lead. Tennessee attempted to rally in a driving rainstorm, but Wright’s 5-yard scoring run with 4:15 left was all the Volunteers could manage.

Georgia outgained the Volunteers 306 to 139 while building a 24-6 halftime lead.

Tennessee struck first on Chase McGrath’s 47-yard field goal before the Bulldogs scored the next 21 points.

Bennett scored on a 13-yard keeper with 8:32 left in the first quarter and later connected with McConkey on a 37-yard scoring pass to make it 14-3 with 3:32 left in the period.

Georgia tacked on another score when Bennett hit Rosemy-Jacksaint on a 5-yard touchdown pass 43 seconds into the second quarter.

McGrath’s 36-yard field goal cut the Volunteers’ deficit to 21-6 with 9:36 left in the half. Podlesny kicked a 19-yarder for the Bulldogs as time expired in the half.

–Field Level Media