<
        >

          College football Week 7 scores, Top 25 analysis and must-see moments

          play
          Wilson racks up four TDs in win vs. Houston (2:01)

          Zach Wilson throws four touchdowns on 400 yards in BYU's 43-26 win vs. Houston. (2:01)

          • Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff WriterOct 17, 2020, 01:00 PM
            Close
              Dave Wilson is a college football reporter. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.
            Follow on X

          Welcome to Week 7 of the always unpredictable 2020 college football season.

          We know there are big games happening! We just don't always know who will be playing in them.

          Speaking of, the biggest game of the young season is upon us Saturday as No. 3 Georgia visits No. 2 Alabama at 8 p.m. ET

          In the meantime, we'll keep tabs on all of that for you right here along with the big plays, the turnover doodads and the mascots.

          Top 25 scores

          No. 11 Texas A&M 28, Mississippi State 14

          The Aggies' 28-14 victory over Mississippi State didn't come easily, but they'll take it against old nemesis Mike Leach. The defense was the star, never allowing the Bulldogs to threaten and holding them to just 217 total yards, including minus-2 yards on the ground on 20 attempts. A week after Kellen Mond torched No. 4 Florida, he completed just 13 of 23 passes for 139 yards, but the backfield duo of Isaiah Spiller and Ainias Smith carried the day. The two combined for 205 total yards with three touchdowns -- Spiller with a pair of short scoring runs and Smith with a receiving TD. -- Dave Wilson

          No. 4 Notre Dame 12, Louisville 7

          It was an uninspiring result on offense for Notre Dame, but credit Louisville's defense for making everything difficult for the Fighting Irish. After putting up 52 and 42 points the past two weeks, the Irish were held to 12 points Saturday. It's not going to get much easier next week when Notre Dame has to play Pitt, which has an excellent run defense, allowing only 61.5 rush yards per game this season. The good news is Notre Dame's defense was able to hold the visiting Cardinals to 234 yards and only seven points, but the offense needs to get back on track. -- Tom VanHaaren

          South Carolina 30, No. 15 Auburn 22

          The Tigers got away with a win against Arkansas last week, but couldn't escape South Carolina in a 30-22 loss. Auburn quarterback Bo Nix didn't play like the good version of himself, going 24-of-47 passing for 272 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. There was a lot of potential for Auburn coming into this season, and right now, that potential isn't producing results many expected. It was an all-around bad performance for Auburn, and a loss to this South Carolina team is one of the lowest of lows. -- Harry Lyles Jr.

          No. 1 Clemson 73, Georgia Tech 7

          Trevor Lawrence threw his first interception in a year (gasp!) but that was the only thing that went wrong for the Tigers in an absolutely dominant performance against Georgia Tech. Lawrence finished with the gaudiest numbers he has ever posted in a half: five touchdown passes (the most he has thrown in a half in his career) and 404 yards passing (the first 400-yard passing game of his career). Lawrence played one drive in the second half before calling it a day, for good reason. Clemson scored 52 first-half points, tied for the second most by an ACC team in conference play. -- Andrea Adelson

          No. 13 Miami 31, Pitt 19

          Miami used several big-play touchdowns to beat Pitt, a week after losing handily to No. 1 Clemson. There is plenty of good news there, because the Hurricanes did not let their disappointing performance a week ago beat them again. But it was an uneven offensive performance outside those big-play touchdowns (three of the four went for 35-plus yards). Part of that is because they did not have their top receiving target in tight end Brevin Jordan. But the other part is the Hurricanes had problems establishing their running game, and D'Eriq King threw two interceptions. -- Andrea Adelson

          Kentucky 34, No. 18 Tennessee 7

          It felt as though the Volunteers never had much of a chance after Jarrett Guarantano threw two interceptions for touchdowns early in the second quarter against the Wildcats, and they didn't. After the Vols got thrown around in the second half against Georgia last week, Kentucky continued to pile on Tennessee in the first half of Saturday's game. Things aren't going to get any easier, as Tennessee welcomes Alabama to Knoxville next week. At this point, the bar for what you'd want to see as a Vols fan is improvement. -- Harry Lyles Jr.

          Coastal Carolina 30, No. 21 Louisiana 27

          The Ragin' Cajuns had close calls their previous two weeks against Georgia State and Georgia Southern, and it finally caught up with them against Coastal Carolina, which is now 4-0. Louisiana didn't play a particularly bad game; this was simply one of those games in which whoever had the ball last was going to win, and Coastal had it last. Though Louisiana's dreams of going undefeated are gone, there's still plenty of season left for it to finish atop the Sun Belt. -- Harry Lyles Jr.

          No. 17 SMU 37, Tulane 34

          An all-or-nothing performance produced just enough alls -- seven gains of 30-plus yards -- for Sonny Dykes' Mustangs to remain undefeated. SMU overcame four different deficits, and both teams missed long field goals in the final minute of regulation before Brandon Crossley's overtime interception set up the game-winning field goal. Four different receivers caught at least one 40-yard pass, and three finished with at least 100 yards. It was a heck of a by-committee performance in the absence of injured star receiver Reggie Roberson Jr. -- Bill Connelly

          No. 14 BYU 43, Houston 26

          BYU's win was three distinct games in one: BYU bolted to a 14-3 early lead, Houston took control with a 23-0 run in the middle quarters, and BYU outscored the hosts 22-0 in the final 15 minutes. The BYU defense completely shut down an explosive Houston offense over its last four possessions, and even without star wide receiver Gunner Romney for much of the game, Zach Wilson went 25-for-35 for 400 yards and four touchdowns. This BYU team is for real. -- Bill Connelly

          No. 23 Virginia Tech 40, Boston College 14

          Boston College didn't have any answers for the Hokies' ground game as Hendon Hooker (16 carries, 164 yards) and Khalil Herbert (18 carries, 143 yards) had big games. More important for Virginia Tech, it turned in its best defensive performance of the season, limiting Boston College to just 14 points after allowing an average of 37 points per game over the first three weeks. The Hokies have three should-be wins (at Wake Forest, at Louisville, Liberty) before an enticing game against Miami on Nov. 14. -- Kyle Bonagura

          No. 2 Alabama 41, No. 3 Georgia 24

          It took a while for Alabama's defense to find its footing. Linebackers Dylan Moses and Christian Harris looked truly lost in the first half. But then halftime came and everything changed, and the next four possessions for Georgia ended in back-to-back punts, followed by back-to-back interceptions. And if you give Mac Jones and the Alabama offense that to work with, they're going to capitalize and put the game away. Consistency is going to be key moving forward, with Tennessee coming up next, but if Alabama's defense can build off the second half and round into form, then watch out. -- Alex Scarborough

          So maybe Stetson Bennett isn't the guy to lead the Bulldogs back to the College Football Playoff. He was great to start the season and was sharp for much of the first half against Alabama. But when push came to shove, he broke down, tossing back-to-back interceptions that were ultimately too much to overcome. Where coach Kirby Smart goes from here is unclear. D'Wan Mathis didn't look like the answer in the season opener, and there's a reason JT Daniels continues to take third-team snaps in warm-ups. It might be Bennett or bust from here on out, starting with a resurgent Kentucky team next week. -- Alex Scarborough

          Florida State 31, No. 5 North Carolina 28

          Costly drops on the final drive of the game took away the No. 5 Tar Heels' shot at avoiding a bad, upset loss to struggling Florida State. If North Carolina was expecting to make a run to a New Year's Six bowl, this was the type of performance it needed to avoid. The team showed some fight to claw back from a 31-7 halftime deficit, but it wouldn't have been in that situation at all if it really was a team that belonged near the top of the AP poll. -- Kyle Bonagura

          Lane Train feels some pain

          Arkansas had the best reaction following its 33-21 win over Ole Miss with a priceless dig at Lane Kiffin.

          Which TD catch was better?

          Thayer Thomas made a heads-up play to somehow get the score for NC State.

          Elsewhere, Arkansas' Treylon Burks made this incredible catch in the end zone.

          We'll let you decide which play was more impressive.

          Just call it, already

          With Clemson up by 66 points, this fan decided he had seen enough for one day.

          View this post on Instagram

          We've all been there 😅

          A post shared by ESPN (@espn) on

          'He wants that bone!'

          The most recent incentive for causing a turnover? NC State's turnover bone.

          Big-man pick!

          West Virginia's Darius Stills, a 285-pound defensive lineman, dives for the interception.

          play
          1:02
          Burks stays in with outrageous, one-handed, toe-tapping TD

          Treylon Burks reels in the one-handed, 7-yard touchdown catch at the back of the end zone.

          A low blow

          Tennessee's Ramel Keyton "decided to go Diego Maradona" on Kentucky's J.J. Weaver after being tackled.

          You got Moss'd! TWICE!

          South Carolina's Shi Smith goes way up to haul in the TD on a free play for the Gamecocks.

          And early in the fourth quarter, Smith added another incredible catch to his highlight reel.

          play
          0:47
          Big man pick! WVU lineman dives for unbelievable interception

          West Virginia's Darius Stills makes an incredible diving interception on a deflection vs. Kansas.

          Notre Dame honors McClure

          Notre Dame left an empty seat in the press box to pay tribute to Vaughn McClure, ESPN Atlanta Falcons reporter, who died this week at his home. McClure previously covered Notre Dame football for the Chicago Sun-Times.

          The final countdown

          We're a week from the Big Ten's return, so here are some cool Nebraska alternates celebrating the "Blackshirts" tradition of the Huskers' defense.

          And while we're on the topic, let's all appreciate the 'stache on Kurt Warner's son, Cornhuskers wide receiver Kade Warner.

          Kick it into gear

          Cincinnati made a little TikTok-esque video unveiling its road unis.

          Unfortunately, the Bearcats' game this week at Tulsa has been postponed due to COVID-19 cases, so they will have to wait to break these out on the field.

          Make yourself at home

          Georgia Southern was to wear its white road uniforms at home for the first time Saturday when it faced UMass, which was playing its first game of the season, because the Minutemen's away uniforms hadn't arrived yet from Adidas.

          A tribute to Tom

          Last month, Tom III, the beloved mascot of the Memphis Tigers, died, but his presence is felt at the Liberty Bowl once again thanks to a new billboard.

          Tom III's last game was a win over rival Cincinnati in late 2019.

          Respect the game

          Following a 4-0 start to the season, including a big win over a ranked Louisiana team on Wednesday, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers have become a media darling.

          Several media members on Twitter have started the hashtag #RankCoastal, and ESPN's Scott Van Pelt even gave the Chants a shoutout on SportsCenter.

          The national attention hasn't gone unnoticed at the program.

          Keeping the streak alive

          Tulane announced earlier this month that fans would not be allowed for Friday night's game with SMU, but it did little to deter Paul Layne.

          The SMU superfan made it to his 525th straight Mustangs game on Friday. He was the only fan in attendance at Yulman Stadium.

          A rivalry never ends

          Oklahoma's dramatic 53-45 victory in the fourth overtime against Texas might have been a week ago, but the Sooners are still not over it. Just ask Brian Bosworth, Barry Switzer and Roy Williams.