<
        >

          College football Week 10 scores, Top 25 analysis and must-see moments

          play
          Williams bowls over a Duke defender for his fourth TD of game (0:31)

          Javonte Williams finds a seam up the middle, trucks a defender and scores his fourth touchdown of the game for UNC. (0:31)

          • Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff WriterNov 7, 2020, 01:00 PM
            Close
              Dave Wilson is an editor for ESPN.com since 2010. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun.
            Follow on X

          Week 10 of the college football season is in a giving mood. We've already had a robust #MACtion slate on Wednesday.

          The Pac-12 returned, albeit with a couple of cancellations.

          Florida-Georgia provided more offense than expected, and the biggest ACC game in Notre Dame history lived up to the hype.

          Jump to: Top 25 takeaways and schedule

          Top 25 takeaways and schedule

          No. 4 Notre Dame 47, No. 1 Clemson 40

          On a night when Trevor Lawrence watched from the sideline and Travis Etienne couldn't get going against a stout Notre Dame defense, freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei nearly lifted Clemson to its biggest win of the season. Uiagalelei passed for 426 yards, the most ever against Notre Dame, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Notre Dame ultimately stifled Clemson in the second overtime, as a Tigers defense that held up for most of the night couldn't stop Ian Book down the stretch and in overtime. Clemson's incredible win streaks -- 39 regular-season games, 29 ACC games, 14 road games -- all ended at Notre Dame Stadium.

          What looked like another night of what-ifs for Book and Notre Dame turned into a signature performance that will go into program lore. Book, who had repeatedly led the Irish into Clemson territory but not the end zone, orchestrated a dramatic eight-play, 91-yard drive to force overtime, then two touchdown drives as Notre Dame took down the nation's top-ranked team. Book finished with 310 pass yards and 64 rush yards as Clemson largely took away the Irish running backs after the game's opening possession. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (two takeaways, one touchdowns) led the defense, which gave up a record passing total (439 yards) but made enough plays when it needed them. -- Adam Rittenberg

          No. 15 Coastal Carolina 23, South Alabama 6

          There's no stopping the Chanticleers of Conway, South Carolina. Even on a night when the offense didn't put its best foot forward and lost two fumbles, Coastal Carolina pulled through and beat South Alabama. The defense more than picked up the slack, putting together one of its best performances of the season, limiting the Jags to 243 yards and 2-of-14 on third down. Next up is Troy, which is coming off a loss to Georgia Southern. -- Alex Scarborough

          No. 7 Texas A&M 48, South Carolina Gamecocks 3

          The Aggies continue to quietly position themselves for playoff consideration, taking care of business on the road and dominating South Carolina on Saturday. Most impressive, though, was the play of the defense, which gave up only 148 yards of offense, and the continued stellar play of quarterback Kellen Mond. The often criticized senior has rounded into form after a so-so start to the season, throwing seven touchdowns and no interceptions in his past two games. -- Scarborough

          No. 12 Oregon 35, Stanford Cardinal 14

          The Ducks were balanced on offense, tough in the red zone on defense and largely cruised to an encouraging win against Stanford to open the season. Quarterback Tyler Shough completed 17-of-26 passes for 227 yards, had 85 yards rushing and was one of four Ducks to score on the ground. They entered the season as the Pac-12 favorite and remain in that role for at least another week heading into a game against Washington State, a team that has given the Ducks problems in recent years. -- Kyle Bonagura

          Ohio State Buckeyes 49, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 27

          If we're nitpicking, the Ohio State offensive line is still a bit glitchy and penalty-prone, and the Buckeyes didn't play all that well with a big lead in the second half. But that matters only so much when you're that much more talented than your opponent ... and when you've got Justin Fields. The junior completed 24-of-28 passes for 314 yards and five scores, and the Buckeyes put the game away with a 28-0 run in the second quarter. Rutgers was game, but Ohio State is Ohio State. -- Bill Connelly

          No. 17 Iowa State 38, Baylor Bears 31

          Once Brock Purdy began throwing the ball to the right team, everything worked out. He threw three picks in his first 10 passes, and all three produced Baylor points either directly or indirectly. But he completed 11 of his last 14, and Breece Hall rushed for 130 yards. After trailing 24-10 early in the third quarter, ISU seized the game with a 28-0 run, then survived a late comeback attempt. They're now 5-1 in conference play for the first time ever. Ever! -- Connelly

          No. 19 Oklahoma 62, Kansas 9

          It was a ho-hum blowout by the Sooners. Spencer Rattler wrapped up his day in the third quarter after going 15-of-27 for 212 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and no receiver had more than Austin Stogner's 75 yards. Rhamondre Stevenson continued to give OU a boost, with 104 yards and two TDs on just 11 carries and four catches for 60 yards. The defense, meanwhile, had nine sacks and held Kansas to just 246 yards. -- Dave Wilson

          No. 14 Oklahoma State 20, Kansas State 18

          The Cowboys were without star wide receiver Tylan Wallace, then saw Chuba Hubbard hobble off the field and end with only six carries for 31 yards. The result? There wasn't a lot of offense -- just 256 total yards -- but the defense capitalized on enough mistakes by K-State freshman quarterback Will Howard to carry the day. Oklahoma State got an 85-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Jason Taylor II, forced another fumble by Howard on a 2-point conversion attempt that could've tied the score late, then Tre Sterling secured the win by picking off Howard to secure the win. -- Wilson

          No. 8 Florida 44, No. 5 Georgia 28

          All the pressure was on Dan Mullen and Florida to finally beat Georgia for the first time since he became the Gators' head coach, and they got the job done behind quarterback Kyle Trask. It has been a familiar theme for Florida this season, as Trask has blossomed into a Heisman Trophy candidate. Against Georgia, Trask threw for a career-high 474 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the first quarterback in SEC history to throw for at least four touchdowns in five straight games. Florida is now in the driver's seat in the SEC East, and its College Football Playoff hopes got a big boost with the much-needed win.

          The Bulldogs simply could not overcome a litany of injuries or their ineffective play at quarterback in a loss to Florida, severely diminishing, if not outright ruining, their chances at making the SEC championship game. With several key starters out on defense, including Jordan Davis and Richard LeCounte, Georgia could not slow down the high-powered Gators. Stetson Bennett was pulled from the game in the second half in favor of D'Wan Mathis, but the results on offense did not change. Georgia ended up with 277 total yards, as both quarterbacks combined for 112 yards passing, two touchdowns and three interceptions. -- Andrea Adelson

          No. 6 Cincinnati 38, Houston 10

          Luke Fickell's team remained undefeated with a win at home over Houston. The Bearcats were good on defense as usual, forcing the Cougars into two turnovers. QB Desmond Ridder had another solid week with 162 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception, and he added 103 yards on the ground. RB Gerrid Doaks had a breakout game with 184 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Keep looking out for Cincinnati -- the Bearcats are actually good. -- Harry Lyles Jr.

          No. 16 Marshall 51, UMass 10

          The Thundering Herd came into their game against UMass not asking whether they'd win the game, but by how much. They finished with a 41-point victory as QB Grant Wells completed 21 of his 30 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Brenden Knox led Marshall on the ground with 118 yards and two touchdowns. Basically, Marshall did all the things you want to see in a week like this. -- Lyles

          No. 13 Indiana 38, No. 23 Michigan 21

          The Hoosiers have now beaten multiple ranked teams in one season for the first time since 2004. Their victory over Penn State came down to the wire, but against Michigan, the Hoosiers seemed to be in full control the entire game. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. made some impressive throws and carved up Michigan's secondary with 342 yards and three touchdowns. Indiana is now sitting at 3-0 and tied for first place in the division.

          For Michigan, the Wolverines' defense surrendered 460 yards to Indiana. Their secondary continues to be an issue and was on display in this game. If the defense can't figure out how to improve, it's not going to get any easier over the rest of the schedule. That said, Michigan's offense had only 13 rush yards in 18 attempts and couldn't get anything going on offense until the fourth quarter. -- Tom VanHaaren

          No. 20 USC, Arizona State 27

          The Trojans looked dead in the water for much of the second half but finally woke up -- in a game that started at 9 a.m. local time -- late in the fourth quarter to avoid an opening-week disaster. Receiver Drake London has the makings of a breakout star. It was his touchdown catch on fourth down with 1:20 left to give the Trojans the lead, capping an eight-catch, 125-yard performance. -- Bonagura

          No. 22 Texas 17, West Virginia 13

          The Longhorns' defense stepped up in a big way to secure this one. West Virginia, trailing by four, twice had fourth-quarter, fourth-and-short situations in the red zone and Texas turned the Mountaineers away both times. Offensively, in the absence of starting RB Keaontay Ingram, true freshman Bijan Robinson stepped up, rushing for 113 yards, averaging 9.4 yards per rush. Robinson is the first Texas running back to surpass the 100-yard mark this season. -- Sam Khan Jr.

          No. 18 SMU 47, Temple 23

          This game was much closer than it looked -- the Mustangs trailed at the half and led by only four going into the fourth. But a 27-point fourth quarter put it away for the Ponies. Shane Buechele (355 yards, four TDs) continued to excel, and the SMU defense stepped up, holding Temple to under 400 yards, just 3.7 yards per rush and only 6-of-17 on third down. -- Khan

          No. 25 Liberty 38, Virginia Tech 35

          Despite being two-touchdown underdogs, the Flames moved to 7-0 with a win in Blacksburg in the final seconds on a field goal. The Hokies were without the ACC's leading rusher in Khalil Herbert, who suffered a hamstring injury after the opening kickoff. It's the biggest win of the year for Liberty, which had beaten teams with a combined 4-28 record coming into Saturday. QB Malik Willis led the charge for the Flames with 209 yards passing and three touchdowns. The Hokies will be kicking themselves for this one. -- Lyles

          No. 9 BYU 51, No. 21 Boise State 17
          A dominant win against a ranked opponent is exactly what BYU needed to validate its top-10 ranking. The Cougars have looked the part all year, however, their soft schedule has served as a consistent disclaimer when comparing them against the nation's other top teams. That schedule still figures to be a significant hurdle for potential College Football Playoff consideration as BYU will be heavy favorites in their final two games against North Alabama and San Diego State.

          For Boise State, considering BYU was playing its eighth game of the year and the Broncos only their third, this game always figured to be a difficult one. And that was before the Broncos were forced to rely on their third-string quarterback. Even though it was a lopsided defeat, Boise State still gets to return to conference play next week undefeated and deserves to be considered the favorite until further notice. -- Bonagura

          No. 11 Miami 44, NC State 41
          The Hurricanes found themselves trailing 41-31 early in the fourth quarter because of a combination of penalties, mistakes, a spry NC State attack and a special-teams score. But they scored on three straight possessions, and their defense finally showed up, forcing two punts and clinching the game with a pick. The Canes didn't look amazing, but D'Eriq King certainly did: He threw for 430 yards (153 to Mike Harley) and five TDs while rushing for 105 more. He has been every bit as advertised. -- Connelly

          All times Eastern, lines courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook

          • No. 1 Clemson (-5.5) at No. 4 Notre Dame, 7:30, NBC

          What's going on with Penn State?

          This sequence of events showcased how Maryland pretty much dominated Penn State on the road.

          And Maryland's social media team couldn't wait to get these tweets off.

          It's fair to assume Penn State fans aren't pleased with the season so far -- the Nittany Lions are 0-3 for just the fourth time in 80 years.

          History in the making

          Mississippi State's Kobe Jones ran onto the field with the new state flag after Kylin Hill led the charge to change the flag over the summer.

          And while Ole Miss isn't playing this week, Lane Kiffin did the honor of raising the new flag.

          Reverse psychology in play from Clemson fans

          Clemson fans really don't want Trevor Lawrence to leave after this season.

          Always stick with the play

          Bryson Smith shows you why you always need to keep your eyes on the ball.

          Not what you want to see

          D'Wan Mathis is probably just working through some things on the sideline ... probably.

          Pac-12 is back, and it feels so good

          USC looked primed to lose its first game of the season, but the college football world was gifted with a little bit of Pac-12 After Dark in broad daylight with this onside kick recovery.

          So, for now, the Trojans' hopes of making the CFP remain alive.

          When icing the kicker doesn't go as planned

          Virginia Tech was this close to winning after blocking Liberty's field goal attempt and returning it for a touchdown ... but it didn't count because Justin Fuente called a timeout. And Liberty made the following kick to win.

          Don't mind Johnson

          Tyler Johnson did what he needed to do on the field with a sack, but from time to time, we all gotta excuse ourselves briefly.

          The more you know

          Ever love something so much it becomes a nickname?

          Someone please help the Oregon Duck

          The Oregon Duck's presence will certainly be felt in Eugene even if it can't actually be in attendance.

          But seems like someone forgot to relay the message.

          Anyway, seems like the Duck is working through a few different plans.

          Run it up

          At halftime, Iowa sat very comfortably ahead of Michigan State with a 35-0 lead.

          'Bam!'

          Maybe it's just better to stay out of Amon-Ra St. Brown's way.

          A spin and TWO stiff arms

          According to Longhorn Network, Texas legend Ricky Williams has dubbed Bijan Robinson "Little Ricky," and so far it looks as if he has earned that high remark based off of this play.

          Chasing history

          Dabo Swinney took some time ahead of the Clemson Tigers' game in South Bend to tour the Notre Dame campus and get a photo in front of one of college football's greatest coaches.

          The tour must have inspired something in Swinney because the Tigers' team movie Friday was another classic.

          Go Dawgs

          The Ducks are back!

          Oregon is unveiling the largest video board in college football on Saturday. The new $12 million behemoth is 186 feet by 66 feet and also has a video screen that is 47 feet by 26 feet and faces outside the stadium.

          And it's time to see which unis they'll be wearing.

          From a galaxy not so far away

          Troy evoked the power of "The Mandalorian" in its uniform reveal this week.

          In good company

          NC State got the scoring started against Miami on Friday in its own unique way that harkened back to a Wolfpack legend.