College football scores, rankings, highlights: Oregon rolls in Big Ten debut, Utah falls at home to Arizona (2024)

Oregon cruises to victory vs. UCLA

FINAL: No. 8 Oregon 34, UCLA 13

Oregon made a statement in the final game of the Week 5 college football slate with a dominant showing against UCLA. Gabriel finished the night 31 of 41 for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and the defense held the Bruins to 125 yards of total offense to move to 4-0. After struggling in its first two games against Idaho and Boise State, this version of Oregon will be tough to beat.

Arizona pulls off the upset

FINAL: Arizona 23, No. 10 Utah 10

Arizona pulled off a statement win on the road with a 23-10 victory over Utah. The Utes were playing without star quarterback Cam Rising for the third consecutive game, and starting in his place is true freshman Isaac Wilson — the younger brother of NFL quarterback Zach Wilson. Wilson finished 20 of 40 for 280 yards and threw two costly interceptions.

The stats may not reflect it, but the star of the show was Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, who made some clutch throws in the fourth quarter to extend drives to inch the Wildcats closer to the upset. The dagger came with 8:13 left when Fifita connected with Keyan Burnett for a 35-yard touchdown.

Oregon in control

HALF: No. 8 Oregon 28, UCLA 10

It's been all Oregon through the first 30 minutes of play, and the Ducks will take a 18-pointlead into the locker room. Oregon star QB Dillon Gabriel finished the first half 22 of 28 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Oregon's defense held UCLA to 54 yards of total offense. The Ducks are coming off a dominant win over in-state rival Oregon State and appear well on their way to a 4-0 start.

Utah on upset alert

HALF: Arizona 10, No. 10 Utah 3

We have reached halftime from Salt Lake City, and No. 10 Utah is on upset alert. The Utes are without star quarterback Cam Rising for the third consecutive game, and starting in his place is true freshman Isaac Wilson — the younger brother of NFL quarterback Zach Wilson. Utah had two long double-digit play drives that resulted in zero points. Arizona's first touchdown of the night came via a 3-yard pass from Noah Fifita to Jeremiah Patterson. The Wildcats will get the ball to start the second half.

Alabama hangs on

No. 4 Alabama secured a cornerstone win for new coach Kalen DeBoer Saturday night, downing No. 2 Georgia 41-34 in an instant classic. The Crimson Tide blew a 28-0 lead and were outscored 27-3 for a majority of the second half before some last-second heroics from first-year players completely swung the momentum. Ryan Williams, a 17-year old freshman, hauled in a deep pass from quarterback Jalen Milroe, controlled his body near the sideline and spun two Georgia defenders out -- twice -- to score on a 75-yard touchdown with just over two minutes left. This came one play after Georgia took its first lead of the game.

And now Alabama's all the way back

Late 4Q: No. 4 Alabama 41, No. 2 Georgia 34

On the brink of total collapse, you turn to your playmakers. It's a simple, winning formula, and Alabama just used it to perfection to swing momentum back one play after Georgia took the lead on a 67-yard touchdown. Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe hit true freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams deep. Williams leapt into the air, secured the catch on the sideline, spun away from a Georgia defender and took off down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown. The ball is back in Georgia's court.

Penn State stays unbeaten

Final: Penn State 21, Illinois 7

Kaytron Allen put the nail in Illinois' coffin with a 5-yard touchdown run with 1:55 remaining. Illinois had the football near midfield with under six minutes remaining, but Luke Altmyer threw his first interception of the season. That play was just one of many frustrating moments for the Illinois offense, which totaled only 219 yards and converted 4 of 12 third downs. Illinois scored on its opening drive but never again.

Ashton Jeanty's latest highlight play

Boise State's star running back is off to an unreal start to the 2024 season, and his latest touchdown run might be his best. Jeanty broke multiple tackles before breaking loose down the sidelines for a 64-yard touchdown. Boise State is tied with Washington State early.

Door stays open

4Q: Penn State 14, Illinois 7

Sander Sahaydak missed wide right from 40 yards to keep Penn State from adding to its lead. The Nittany Lions have been inside Illinois' 25-yard line on both of their last two possessions but have failed to produce any points. The Illini have been inept offensively, though, since scoring on a 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game.

Boise State vs. Washington State kicking soon

Washington State is in the midst of one of the weirdest seasons in college football. The Cougars are technically competing as an FBS Independent. The schedule is a hodge podge of Mountain West powers, Power Four nonconference games and Oregon State. There's no conference championship or all-conference awards to strive for. Instead, Washington State's is littered with self-motivated underdogs who just want to win.

Iowa State pulls away

Late 4Q: Iowa State 20, Houston 0

Iowa State led just 3-0 at halftime, but the Cyclones finally pressed enough to break a struggling Houston program. Abu Sama broke off this 77-yard touchdown scamper to put it out of reach as ISU improve to 4-0. The Cyclones punted on four straight possessions at one point in the first half but were great defensively all night.

Clemson hits a big one

Late 3Q: Clemson 27, Stanford 7

Clemson finally pushed its lead out to three possessions with a big-time catch from Cole Turner on a jump-ball from Cade Klubnik, who was getting knocked down as he threw. Turned went up and got it as he was tacked into the end zone. It hasn't been Klubnik's best night, but that will dress up his box score line quite a bit.

Alabama dominating Georgia

Half: Alabama 30, Georgia 7

No. 4 Alabama entered halftime with a 30-7 lead over No. 2 Georgia. It was a nightmare half for the Bulldogs, who really didn't have any answers on either side of the ball as the Crimson Tide surged ahead early by scoring touchdowns on all four of their first possessions. More live coverage on this one AT THIS LINK.

Duke rallied from 20-0 deficit

Dukeused a sensational second-half performance to come back from a major deficit and shock arch-rivalNorth Carolina21-20 on Saturday. The upset delivered the first 5-0 start for the Blue Devils since the program started 7-0 in 1994.

Jeremiah Smith is human highlight reel

Ohio State freshman star Jeremiah Smith aded some awe-inspiring footage to his rapidly expanding highlight-reel in the first half of the Buckeyes' Big Ten opener against Michigan State on Saturday night. The 6-foot-3 receiver scored as both a runner and the pass-catcher and drew praise from LeBron James for his performance.

Clemson still seeking knockout

Late 3Q: Clemson 20. Stanford 7

Clemson is still seeking to inflict a knockout blow on Stanford as the Tigers have been significantly less explosive against the Cardinal than they were against Appalachian State and NC State in consecutive blowout victories. The Tigers have been solid defensively, though, intercepting Ashton Daniels twice and forcing a critical turnover on downs in the red zone.

Illinois falters in the red zone

Late 2Q: Penn State 7, Illinois 7

Illinois turned a first-and-goal from the Penn State 2-yard line into a fourth-and-goal from the 27. Then, the field goal attempt sailed wide left. That series of blunders will haunt Illinois if it loses this game. The Illini struck first before Penn State it up late in the first quarter. But neither team has scored in the second quarter as possessions have been at a premium in what's shaping up to be vintage Big Ten battle.

Alabama jumping all over Georgia

End 1Q: No. 4 Alabama 21, No. 2 Georgia 0

This is, irrefutably, the most disastrous start of Kirby Smart's tenure. The Bulldogs haven't allowed 21 points in the first quarter since at least 2015 -- former coach Mark Richt's last year with the program -- and they haven't trailed by 21 points since 2021 when they lost 41-24 to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama has scored on all three of its drives thus far with some smart playcalling, taking advantage of the soft coverage that Georgia is playing thus far for some nice underneath chunk gains.

The Crimson Tide have also dominated the edge. Georgia's athletes seem to be one step too slow getting outside, which has allowed Alabama to hit on some jet sweeps and outside quarterback runs. Alabama is averaging 11 yards per play so far, while Georgia has just 27 total yards of offense.

Jeremiah Smith continues shining

Two of the game's premier young receivers are in action tonight with Ryan Williams at Alabama in the spotlight and Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State finally getting a taste of Big Ten action. Williams has a couple of grabs for the Crimson Tide, and Smith just scored on this nifty end-around to put the Buckeyes ahead two scores on Michigan State.

Clemson and Stanford struggling

2Q: Clemson 10, Stanford 0

Clemson is up 10-0 on Stanford in the first half after Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels threw a pair of interceptions in the first quarter. The Tigers' offense began its first series with great field position after Clemson stopped Stanford on a fourth-and-1 attempt on the game's opening possession.

Michael Hawkins was impressive

On the road in his first career start, Oklahoma true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins finished 10 of 15 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, he took care of the football as the Sooners edged a struggling Auburn team 27-21. Hawkins added 69 yards rushing, though most of that came on a 48-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. Considering how much Oklahoma's offensive line has been struggling and considering that the Sooners were down virtually all of their top receivers, that was a gutsy performance from an inexperienced QB.

Alabama vs. Georgia also a recruiting battle

Headlined by Alabama five-star quarterback commitKeelon Russell,the No. 10 overall player in the class of 2025, there is an elitegroup of recruits expected in Tuscaloosa this weekend.With over 100 prospects likely gathering for this matchup, the Crimson Tide will look to put on a show for the likes of Alabama commits, including five-star offensive tackleTy Haywood, five-star cornerbackDijon Lee, and five-star receiverCaleb Cunningham. So much for the supposed dropoff in recruiting after Nick Saban retired.The Tide's class ranks No. 2 nationally.

Keys for Alabama vs. Georgia

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was 1-5 against his former boss. Now that Nick Saban is retired and Kalen DeBoer has stepped up in Tuscaloosa, Saturday's game will certainly feature a different feel. Here are three keys for Alabama if it wants to give DeBoer a cornerstone win early in his tenure.

Keys for Georgia vs. Alabama

No. 4Alabamahosts No. 2GeorgiaSaturday in one of the most important games of the 2024college footballseason. This seismic clash will go a long way toward determining not only the final SEC standings, but it will also make its mark on theCollege FootballPlayoff race. Here are three keys for Georgia if it wants to give DeBoer a cornerstone win early in his tenure.

Duke rides comeback to first lead of game

Late 4Q: Duke 21, North Carolina 20

Duke trailed 20-0 with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter. The Blue Devils have slowly chipped away at that lead since and, following a huge run, just took their first lead of the game against North Carolina. Duke has scored a touchdown on three of four drives since North Carolina took its 20-0 lead. The Blue Devils have leaned on a strong run game to surge ahead, capped by Peyton Jones' latest 20-yard rushing touchdown. North Carolina does have over four minutes and three timeouts left to respond.

Penn State vs. Illinois preview

No. 9Penn Statebegins its pursuit of a Big Ten Championship and aCollege FootballPlayoff appearance when it welcomes No. 19Illinoisto Happy Valley on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions have passed every test with flying colors so far. Now, they face a stiff test in their conference opener. This marks the first meeting between these two teams in Beaver Stadium since 2021 when Illinois outlasted Penn State 20-18 in nine overtimes.

Notre Dame squeaks it out

Final: Notre Dame 31, Louisville 24

Louisville out-gained Notre Dame 395-280 but the Fighting Irish gutted out a must-win game anyway. The Cardinals converted just 1 of 5 fourth-down attempts and turned it over on downs one last time after getting the football back in good field position with 2:44 remaining. Notre Dame scored touchdowns on its first four possessions but only scored one more from there. It was a big one as Riley Leonard found Jeremiyah Love for a 32-yard touchdown to put Notre Dame ahead 31-17 with 9:16 remaining.

Texas A&M kneels out a win

Final: No. 24 Texas A&M 21, Arkansas 17

Texas A&M's defense came up big to give the Aggies a 2-0 start to SEC play. Arkansas fumbled the ball four times, resulting in two Texas A&M recoveries. The second one was huge, as Aggies edge rusher Nic Scourton stripped the ball away from Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green and Jaydon Hill recovered the loose ball to bring the Razorbacks' last offensive drive to an end. The Aggies were able to run the ball a couple of times and then take a knee on an important rivalry win.

Oklahoma defense comes up big

Late 4Q: No. 21 Oklahoma 24, Auburn 21

When the fourth quarter began, it looked as if this game was thoroughly slipping out of control for the Sooners. Auburn scored a touchdown to go up 21-10 and Oklahoma's offense was unable to generate any sort of momentum. But the Sooners were able to draw within one possession after a 2-yard rushing touchdown from running back Jovantae Barnes, and then the defense just came up with the biggest play of the game -- and perhaps the most important play of the entire season thus far. Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis snatched a Payton Thorne pass out of the air and returned it 63 yards for a defensive touchdown. Not to be outdone, Sooners quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. put his body on the line to flip into the end zone and convert on what could be a key 2-point attempt.

Notre Dame (likely) slams the door

Mid 4Q: No. 16 Notre Dame 31, No. 15 Louisville 17

At least with how Notre Dame's defense has been playing, thus far. Louisville did creep back into this game in the second half with the Fighting Irish's offense hitting a bit of a lull, but they just generated an explosive play to put some serious distance between Notre Dame and the Cardinals. Running back Jeremiyah Love leaked out of the backfield on a screen pass and then ran behind a wide convoy of blockers to score a touchdown from 32 yards out, trucking through three defenders near the goal line in the process.

Louisville does have over eight minutes and two timeouts to get something done, but the Cardinals have struggled to move the ball thus far in the second half.