Mariota strikes the pose
CORVALLIS, Ore. » Marcus Mariota turned what could be his last Civil War game into a Heisman Trophy highlight reel.
The junior quarterback threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns, and also ran for two more scores, leading No. 3 Oregon to a 47-19 victory over Oregon State in the 118th meeting of the rivals Saturday night.
"That guy is just such a stud," Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said about Mariota. "It starts at the beginning of last week just in terms of his approach, which is infectious to everybody."
Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12) now prepares to face Arizona in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday in Santa Clara, Calif.
"We’re just going to continue to approach it just like any other game," said Mariota, a junior who is likely to enter the NFL Draft.
Freshman Royce Freeman rushed for 135 yards and also caught one of Mariota’s touchdown passes. Fellow freshman Charles Nelson caught two TD passes and Byron Marshall had six catches for 131 yards and a score.
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It was Oregon’s seventh straight win overall and seventh in the series against the Beavers (5-7, 2-7), who lost six of their last seven games and failed to become bowl eligible.
Oregon State’s Sean Mannion ends his college career as the Pac-12’s all-time leader in passing yards with 13,600.
NO. 1 FLORIDA STATE 24, FLORIDA 19
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. » Dalvin Cook ran for a career-high 144 yards and the Seminoles (12-0) survived Jameis Winston’s struggles to beat the Gators (6-5).
The defending national champion Seminoles have won 28 games in a row, and completed consecutive undefeated regular seasons for the first time in school history.
The Seminoles will face Georgia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game on Saturday.
Winston threw a career-high four interceptions, including three in the first quarter.
NO. 18 MISSISSIPPI 31, NO. 4 MISSISSIPPI STATE 17
OXFORD, Miss. » Jaylen Walton had a 91-yard touchdown run and running back Jordan Wilkins threw a 31-yard scoring pass to lead the Rebels (9-3, 5-3 SEC) past the Bulldogs (10-2, 6-2) in the Egg Bowl.
Bo Wallace threw for 296 yards despite completing just 13 of 30 passes.
Ole Miss led 7-3 at halftime before its offense got going in the second half. It’s the 10th time in 11 seasons the home team has won the Egg Bowl.
NO. 5 BAYLOR 48, TEXAS TECH 46
ARLINGTON, Texas » Bryce Petty threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns before getting knocked out of the game with a concussion as the Bears (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) held off the Red Raiders (4-8, 2-7).
Shock Linwood ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns for Baylor, which is guaranteed at least a share of its second consecutive conference title if its wins at home over No. 11 Kansas State on Saturday.
Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes set a Big 12 freshman record with his 598 yards passing that included six touchdowns, the last with 1:42 left before getting sacked on a two-point try.
NO. 7 OHIO STATE 42, MICHIGAN 28
COLUMBUS, Ohio » Ezekiel Elliott scored untouched on a 44-yard run on fourth-and-1 with 4:58 left to help the Buckeyes (11-1, 8-0 Big Ten), without injured star quarterback J.T. Barrett, beat the Wolverines (5-7, 3-5).
Barrett threw for a score and ran for two before his right leg crumpled underneath him when he was tackled on a run on the first play of the fourth quarter. He broke his right ankle and will have surgery Sunday.
Cardale Jones came in for the Buckeyes and led the drive that culminated in Elliott’s long run.
NO. 10 MICHIGAN STATE 34, PENN STATE 10
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. » R.J. Shelton returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and Jeremy Langford ran for 118 yards and two scores as the Spartans (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten) topped the Nittany Lions (6-6, 2-6).
Michigan State won its third straight game and hit the double-digit win mark for the fourth time in the last five seasons under coach Mark Dantonio.
Shelton doused the enthusiasm of the emotional senior day festivities at Beaver Stadium when he used all of 14 seconds to dart through defenders for the score.
NO. 11 KANSAS STATE 51, KANSAS 13
MANHATTAN, Kan. » Jake Waters threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to record-setting wide receiver Tyler Lockett, and the Wildcats (9-2, 7-1 Big 12) routed the Jayhawks (3-9, 1-8) to move into a tie atop the Big 12 standings.
Lockett caught nine passes for 119 yards, passing father Kevin Lockett for the school record in career catches and matching his mark for touchdown receptions. Lockett has 222 catches and 26 TD grabs heading into next week’s showdown at fifth-ranked Baylor.
NO. 14 WISCONSIN 34, NO. 22 MINNESOTA 24
MADISON, Wis. » Melvin Gordon ran for 151 yards and accounted for two scores, and the Badgers (10-2, 7-1) overcvame a two-touchdown deficit to beat the Golden Gophers (8-4, 5-3) and earn a spot in the Big Ten championship game.
Joel Stave threw for 215 yards, including 160 to receiver Alex Erickson. Stave’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Robert Wheelwright with 4:41 left gave Wisconsin a 10-point lead.
It was not easy. Physical Minnesota let a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter slip away. David Cobb ran for 118 yards on 25 carries, including a 40-yard TD.
NO. 16 GEORGIA TECH 30, NO. 8 GEORGIA 24, OT
ATHENS, Ga. » Harrison Butker kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal on the final play of regulation, and D.J. White picked off a pass in overtime as the Yellow Jackets (10-2) shocked the Bulldogs (9-3).
Georgia Tech trailed 24-21 after Hutson Mason threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Malcolm Mitchell on fourth down with 18 seconds left. But the Yellow Jackets wound up with good field position after a squib kickoff, Justin Thomas scrambled 21 yards into field goal range, and Butker’s kick barely cleared the crossbar.
Zach Laskey put Georgia Tech ahead with his third touchdown run of the game in overtime.
NO. 23 CLEMSON 35, SOUTH CAROLINA 17
CLEMSON, S.C. » Artavis Scott had two long touchdown catches, Wayne Gallman ran for 191 yards and the Tigers (9-3) ended a five-game losing streak to the Gamecocks (6-6).
Clemson hadn’t beaten South Carolina since 2008, an unprecedented run of failure that overshadowed their 32-8 record the past three seasons. This time, Clemson showed off a perked up offense bolstered by the return of freshman starter Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
Watson threw two inside flip passes that Scott turned into touchdowns of 53 and 70 yards. The second one gave the Tigers a 28-10 lead that South Carolina couldn’t overcome.
NO. 24 LOUISVILLE 44, KENTUCKY 40
LOUISVILLE, Ky. » Brandon Radcliff ran 4 yards for a touchdown with 2:47 remaining and safety Gerod Holliman had an NCAA record-tying 14th interception with 35 seconds left, helping the Cardinals (9-3) beat the Wildcats (5-7).
No lead was safe in a back-and-forth game between rivals that got physical before kickoff. Louisville coach Bobby Petrino grabbed the jacket of Wildcats assistant Daniel Berezowitz during one pregame scuffle.
NO. 25 BOISE STATE 50, UTAH STATE 19
BOISE, Idaho » Jay Ajayi ran for a career-high 229 yards and five touchdowns, and the Broncos (10-2, 7-1 Mountain West) rolled past the Aggies (9-4, 6-2) and secured a spot in the Mountain West title game.
Boise State, which kept alive its hopes of playing in a New Year’s Day bowl game, won their 13th straight home game. They will host Fresno State for the conference championship on Saturday.