Week 12 in college football featured two unbeaten teams survive scares and a shocking rout of No. 5 Tennessee. Here's what you need to know from Saturday.
Click or tap here to see all of Saturday's scores
South Carolina pulls off shocking upset over No. 5 Tennessee
South Carolina pulled off a historic stunner, defeating Tennessee 63-38. Never trailing in the game, South Carolina got to work on offense right from the jump, putting up 35 points in the first half — the most points they've scored in a single half against an SEC opponent since 1995. Per The Athletic's Matt Brown, the 63 points are the most ever by an unranked team against a top-5 AP team.
This place is LOUD.
— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) November 20, 2022
📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/9f5x8Ltbcs
Spencer Rattler led the offensive attack for the Gamecocks with a career night across the board. Rattler would finish the night with new career-highs in yards (438) and touchdowns (6) while going a stellar 30-for-37 passing. The Oklahoma transfer entered the day with just eight passing touchdowns on the season.
Tennessee now waits to see where they stand in the upcoming CFP rankings release and look to regroup at home against Vanderbilt next Saturday, while South Carolina travels to Death Valley to take on No. 9 Clemson.
No. 4 TCU beats Baylor with FG scramble against the clock
The Horned Frogs have done it again, 29-28. Down by as many as 8 in the fourth, quarterback Max Duggan led TCU down the field to set up a game-winning field goal — but even that doesn't quite tell the story of how frantic the final play was. The Frogs' field goal team raced to the line of scrimmage with time running down to win it in Waco.
WOW!@TCUFootball x @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/lurAb5UUcG
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 19, 2022
Winning from behind has been the story of TCU's season. The Frogs trailed in six of their last seven games, and Saturday's victory was their seventh single-digit win in a row. It seems like their College Football Playoff hopes are on the ropes every week, yet the Frogs remain undefeated and are 11-0 for the first time since 2010.
UNDEFEATED TEAMS: Keep up with the remaining perfect teams in FBS
No. 3 Michigan escapes Illinois to remain perfect
The Wolverines also kept their CFP chances aloft thanks to a late field goal, winning 19-17 over an Illinois team that had plenty on the line for itself. An upset win in Ann Arbor would have put the Illini in pole position for a Big Ten Championship berth.
LFG! pic.twitter.com/00dVPUosTv
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) November 19, 2022
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy finished the game with 208 yards on 18-of-34 passing and led three consecutive fourth quarter drives that all ended in field goals.
Kicker Jake Moody was 4-of-4 on field goal attempts in the game, his third time reaching that mark this season.
MONEY. FREAKING. MOODY! 💰 pic.twitter.com/vZQF3Jkzg2
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) November 19, 2022
A major storyline from this game heading into Michigan's showdown with Ohio State next week is the status of running back Blake Corum. He ran for 109 yards and a touchdown but sustained an apparent knee injury.
No. 1 Georgia grinds out win at Kentucky to stay perfect
It wasn't pretty, but the Bulldogs got it done at Kentucky with a 16-6 win. Quarterback Stetson Bennett struggled, throwing for just 116 yards on 13-for19 passing with a pick, but the rest of the offense picked him up. Running back Kenny McIntosh ran for 143 yards and a touchdown late in the third quarter for insurance, and kicker Jack Podlesny was perfect on three field goals and the extra point.
.@1_blueprint earned it on this drive!
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 19, 2022
📺: Watch live on CBS#GoDawgs
pic.twitter.com/spcqU2pux7
The Wildcats' offense sputtered for most of the game, but marched 99 yards down the field early in the fourth quarter as Will Levis hit Barion Brown for an eight-yard score before a failed PAT. Georgia couldn't muster up any more insurance, but a missed field goal and turnover on downs for Kentucky sealed the win for the Bulldogs.
No. 2 Ohio State staves off challenge from Maryland, 43-30
At halftime of this contest, the Terrapins led 13-10 after an impressive performance by the Maryland defense. Then the teams combined for 50 points in the second half as the Buckeyes' offense came alive under CJ Stroud and freshman running back Dallen Hayden, taking a double-digit lead early in the fourth quarter and holding off Taulia Tagovailoa and the Terps' late comeback effort.
Stroud finished with 241 yards and a touchdown pass on 18 of 30 in the air, while Hayden ran for season-high 146 yards and three scores (more than he had scored all year combined). Up 36-30 in the final minute, Buckeyes defensive end Zach Harrison forced a Tagovailoa fumble near the Maryland goal line that Steele Chambers recovered for a touchdown, making the final score look more comfortable than the game was in reality.
Right place, right time ⏰
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 20, 2022
Steele Chambers came in CLUTCH to secure the win for Ohio State!
(📍 @NavyFederal) pic.twitter.com/VXXJ049GgD
The win ensures that next week's Ohio State-Michigan showdown will be a battle of undefeated teams with a spot in the Big Ten Championship on the line.
No. 7 USC edges No. 16 UCLA in shootout
It was a slow start through the first three drives, but both offenses took off in a wild one on the west coast. UCLA held two separate double-digit leads in the first half, but after a field goal made it 24-20 for the Bruins to start the third quarter, USC woke up. The Trojans had four straight touchdown drives, trading blows with UCLA. After the Bruins' defense forced a punt, Dorian Thompson-Robinson had the ball in his hands down three late in the fourth, but his pass was picked off by Korey Foreman at midfield to seal the comeback for USC.
MAJOR INTERCEPTION 🚨 @koreyforeman54 | @uscfb pic.twitter.com/i7juUICdj0
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 20, 2022
Thompson-Robinson finished with 309 yards, four touchdowns and three picks on 23-for-38 passing. For USC, Caleb Williams was busy, throwing for 470 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. While Austin Jones may have ran all over the Bruins for 120 yards and two scores, Darwin Barlow's 6-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter stands as the difference maker.
Navy runs all over No. 20 UCF in road upset
The Midshipmen knocked off UCF behind their trademark rushing attack that gained 248 yards on the ground while not completing a single pass on just one attempt. Fullback Daba Fofana led the team with 114 yards on 20 carries. It's Navy's first win over a top-20 opponent since beating Houston in 2016.
The Knights' offense came into the game ranked fifth nationally in rushing offense (249.5 yards per game), but managed only 84 yards on 24 carries, their lowest output of the season. The loss means UCF no longer controls its destiny to clinch a spot in the AAC Championship game.
