Without Harbaugh, McCarthy, No. 3 Michigan win their third straight against No. 2 Ohio State, 30-24
Sat, Nov 25, 2023
NCAAF News (AP)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - With Jim Harbaugh nowhere in sight, J.J. McCarthy and No. 3 Michigan stared down No. 2 Ohio State and ran the school's win streak against the Buckeyes to three games with a 30-24 victory on Saturday in maybe the most consequential game in the history of the storied rivalry.
Michigan's Rod Moore intercepted Kyle McCord's wobbly pass intended for All-American Marvin Harrison Jr. at the Wolverines 21-yard line with 25 seconds left, setting off a wild celebration.
McCarthy took a knee, Michigan fans poured over the brick walls of The Big House and onto the field, and the Wolverines (12-0, 9-0) were off to their third straight Big Ten title game. Michigan is a victory away from a third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day fell to 1-3 against the Wolverines as the Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1) once again lost the most important game on their schedule.
McCarthy went 16 for 20 for 148 yards and a touchdown. If this was the third-year player's final appearance in The Game, he'll finish 3-0.
Harbaugh served the final game of a three-game suspension over allegations of in-person scouting and sign stealing. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was again filling for his boss and seemed to make all the right moves.
After Ohio State cut the lead to 27-24 with 8:05 left on a 14-yard touchdown pass from McCord to Harrison, Michigan proceeded to drain seven minutes off the clock. James Turner's 37-yard field goal made it 30-24 with 1:05 remaining.
KENTUCKY 38, NO. 9 LOUISVILLE 31
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Ray Davis broke free for a go-ahead, 37-yard touchdown run with 1:02 remaining and caught two second-half touchdowns, helping Kentucky rally past Louisville in the Governor's Cup.
Davis' third score capped a wild second half in which the Bluegrass State rivals combined for 42 points and closed by alternating touchdowns.
Louisville (10-2, No. 10 CFP) tied the game at 31-all on Jack Plummer's 21-yard touchdown pass to Ahmari Huggins-Bruce with 2:33 remaining. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. set up that score by intercepting Devin Leary's floating pass as he was hit by Ashton Gillotte.
Kentucky (7-5) quickly drove into Louisville territory, and Davis found room on the left side and was gone for his 20th score that broke Benny Snell's season record set in 2017.
Davis carried 14 times for 76 yards and caught four passes for 51 yards, including two 20-yard TDs from Leary.
The Wildcats won their fifth consecutive Governor's Cup. Kentucky is bowl-bound but limped in with five losses in six games; Louisville is about to play for the Atlantic Coast Conference title and a possible New Year's Six bowl game.
Plummer completed 24 of 33 passes for 242 yards and two scores for Louisville.
NO. 14 LSU 42, TEXAS A&M 30
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Jayden Daniels passed for four touchdowns and accounted for 355 yards of total offense against one of the nation's top defenses as LSU beat Texas A&M.
Daniels completed 16 of 24 passes for 235 yards and ran 11 times for 120 yards - a fine day by most quarterbacks' standards but somewhat short of the Heisman Trophy candidate's usual production this season.
Malik Nabers caught six passes for 122 yards and two TDs for LSU (9-3, 6-2 Southeastern Conference). He became LSU's career record holder in receptions with 186, eclipsing Wendell Davis' mark of 183.
The Aggies (7-5, 4-4) were within one score after Jaylen Henderson found tight end Max Wright for a 51-yard touchdown that trimmed LSU's lead to 35-30 with 7:20 left.
But Daniels quickly directed LSU back downfield with a 45-yard completion to Nabers that might have been a 75-yard TD if not for a holding call on Kyren Lacy at the A&M 30. Still, Daniels got the Tigers in the end zone with his 15-yard strike to Lacy.
Daniels' biggest play with his feet was a 49-yard scramble on fourth-and-4 to set up Josh Williams' short TD run, cutting A&M's lead to 24-21 in the third quarter. The Aggies' next two possessions ended on a missed field goal and an interception. Daniels put LSU on top 28-24 with a 23-yard fade to Brian Thomas in the back right corner of the end zone.
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