Top 25 roundup: No. 14 Texas A&M sinks No. 8 LSU, goes atop SEC
Reserve quarterback Marcel Reed ran for three touchdowns in the second half and No. 14 Texas A&M claimed sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference with a 38-23 victory over No. 8 LSU in College Station, Texas.
Reed scored on two 8-yard runs in the third quarter after replacing starter Conner Weigman, giving the Aggies (7-1, 5-0 SEC) a 21-17 lead that they would not relinquish.
In the fourth quarter, Reed added a 4-yard touchdown run and responded to a Tigers score with his fourth consecutive touchdown drive. Le'Veon Moss also contributed to the Aggies' victory with a 3-yard TD run, his second touchdown of the night, to make it 35-23 with 8:09 left in the game. Randy Bond sealed the win with a 26-yard field goal with 3:44 remaining, extending Texas A&M's winning streak to seven games.
Despite completing 25 of 50 passes for 405 yards and two touchdowns, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier also threw three interceptions. The Tigers (6-2, 3-1) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end.
No. 1 Oregon 38, No. 20 Illinois 9
Dillon Gabriel threw for three touchdowns and ran for a fourth in the first half as the Ducks dominated the Fighting Illini in Eugene, Ore.
In addition to leading Oregon (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) to its first win as the nation's top-ranked team since 2010, Gabriel climbed to second place on the FBS' all-time charts for passing touchdowns (143) and passing yards (17,236). The Ducks racked up 527 total yards, with 363 of them coming in the first half.
Illinois (6-2, 3-2) struggled to find their footing in their first game against a No. 1 team since 2007. Quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 17 of 35 passes for 161 yards and threw his second and third interceptions of the season. Aidan Laughery rushed for 69 yards.
No. 3 Penn State 28, Wisconsin 13
Starting quarterback Drew Allar left the game with an apparent injury, but backup Beau Pribula stepped up and completed 11 of 13 passes, including a touchdown, to help the Nittany Lions defeat the Badgers in Madison, Wis.
Penn State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) remained undefeated behind a strong defensive performance and an offensive attack that came alive in the second half.
Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2) scored their only touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run by Tawee Walker, who finished with 59 yards on 22 carries. Quarterback Braedyn Locke completed 22 of 42 passes for 217 yards.
No. 4 Ohio State 21, Nebraska 17
Will Howard threw three touchdown passes, including a late go-ahead score, as the Buckeyes rallied to defeat the Cornhuskers in Columbus, Ohio.
Howard's 9-yard touchdown pass to Quinshon Judkins with 6:04 remaining gave the Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) the lead after their offense struggled in the third quarter with only 23 total yards and no first downs. Jordan Hancock sealed the win with an interception at the Ohio State 45 with 1:16 left.
Nebraska (5-3, 2-3) took a 17-14 lead with 10:47 remaining on a 1-yard touchdown run by Dante Dowdell and a two-point conversion catch by Nate Boerkircher. The Cornhuskers went 74 yards in nine plays for their first fourth-quarter lead against a top-five team since playing Texas in 2009.
No. 5 Texas 27, No. 25 Vanderbilt 24
Quinn Ewers threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and the Longhorns' defense held the Commodores to just 269 total yards as Texas prevailed in SEC play in Nashville.
The Longhorns (7-1, 3-1) entered the day ranked No. 1 in scoring defense (9.7 points allowed per game) and total defense (237.3 yards allowed per game
