EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Drue Chrisman kept Michigan State pinned back with a sensational second half of punting, and eighth-ranked Ohio State eventually pulled away for a 26-6 victory over the No. 24
Spartans on Saturday.
In a tight defensive struggle, the Buckeyes (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 10 CFP) enjoyed a huge advantage in field position during the second half. Chrisman's punts forced Michigan State (6-4, 4-3, No. 18) to start its first five drives after halftime from its own 5, 6, 3, 1 and 2-yard line.
On the fourth of those possessions, the Spartans had to punt from their own end zone. They took a safety that appeared intentional, giving Ohio State a 9-6 lead, but that did little to help flip the field position. The ensuing free kick went out of bounds, giving the Buckeyes the ball at the 50, and then Chrisman pinned Michigan State back again.
Ohio State capitalized on that punt when a shotgun snap by Michigan State hit the man in motion. Dre'Mont Jones recovered the fumble for the Buckeyes in the end zone, giving Ohio State a 16-6 advantage.
NO. 7 WEST VIRGINIA 47, TCU 10
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Will Grier threw three touchdown passes for West Virginia.
Chasing a berth in the Big 12 championship game, West Virginia (8-1, 6-1, No. 9 CFP) had no trouble against the injury-riddled Horned Frogs (4-6, 2-5).
Grier was 25 of 39 for 343 yards. TCU was held to a season-low 222 yards of offense, the third time in four games it has had fewer than 300.
NO. 11 UCF 35, NAVY 24
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — McKenzie Milton threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, helping UCF extend the nation's longest winning streak to 22 games.
Milton completed 17 of 21 passes without an interception, and the Knights (9-0, 6-0 American Athletic Conference, No. 12 CFP) remained one of four unbeaten teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision, along with Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame. UCF stayed atop the AAC East Division standings and on course to be part of the discussion about which teams are worthy of berths in the College Football Playoff.
Navy (2-8, 1-5) has lost seven straight.
NO. 19 FLORIDA 35, SOUTH CAROLINA 31
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Feleipe Franks silenced the home crowd twice after touchdown runs, seemingly sending a message after getting benched last week and booed earlier in the game, and Florida rallied to beat South Carolina to end a two-game losing streak.
Franks dived across the goal line on a fourth-down play from inside the 1 with 4:09 to play, putting the Gators (7-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference, No. 15 CFP) ahead for the first time. Florida overcame a 17-point deficit in the second half to beat the Gamecocks (5-4, 4-4).
C.J. Henderson ended South Carolina's comeback attempt by picking off Jake Bentley's pass.
NO. 21 PENN STATE 21, WISCONSIN 10
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Trace McSorley tied the Penn State record for victories by a quarterback with 29, leading the Nittany Lions past Wisconsin.
Miles Sanders ran for 159 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, and McSorley completed 19 of 25 passes for 160 yards and a TD while matching Todd Blackledge's victory total from 1980-82.
DeAndre Thompkins caught a touchdown pass for Penn State (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten, No. 20 CFP). The Nittany Lions held the Badgers (6-4, 4-3) to 125 yards in the second half and sacked backup quarterback Jack Coan five times. Jonathan Taylor ran 20 times for 185 yards and a touchdown for Wisconsin.
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
