Saturday's Top 25 roundup: Auburn holds off Ole Miss

Oxford, Miss. – — Cassanova McKinzy recovered a fumble in the end zone to preserve No. 4 Auburn's 35-31 victory over No. 7 Mississippi on Saturday night in what amounted to the first College Football Playoff knockout game.

The Tigers (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference, No. 3 CFP) got a reprieve after Rebels receiver Laquon Treadwell lost the ball at the end of a tackle-breaking catch-and-run to the end zone with 1:30 left. It was ruled a touchdown, but the replay official determined he lost the ball before crossing the goal line.

McKinzy dove on it, deflating the Ole Miss crowd enjoying the team's best start since 1990. The Rebels (7-2, 4-2, No. 4 CFP) have lost two straight.

"This was a playoff game," said Auburn linebacker Kris Frost, who forced the last fumble. "But from here on in, every game is a playoff game. They just get bigger and bigger."

Auburn milked a minute off the clock before Ole Miss got the ball back at its 49 with 26 seconds left and no timeouts. Bo Wallace, who had fumbled at Auburn's 6 on the previous drive, threw three straight incompletions before a final desperation play went nowhere.

McKinzy and Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said they had little doubt what the replay would show.

"I knew it was a fumble and I thought we got it," Malzahn said. "The coaches up in the press box told us we had it, so I knew we were going to get the ball."

He and the Rebels' Hugh Freeze had both downplayed the significance of initial CFP rankings with big games to play. Malzahn stopped short of saying it felt like a playoff game.

"It felt like a big game," he said. "They're still one of the best teams in the country. I had people tell me it was an elimination game, but the bottom line, it was 3 versus 4. It's a really big win for us."

The Tigers gained 507 yards against the nation's top scoring defense, the only unit that hadn't given up 20 points in a game coming into this SEC West clash. An Ole Miss offense held to seven points in a loss to No. 16 LSU matched them nearly yard for yard, gaining 492.

"It's just a really, really sickening way to lose," Freeze said.

It was a compelling duel between two teams tangling for playoff shots, and two quarterbacks swapping big plays.

Nick Marshall completed 15 of 22 passes for 254 yards with an interception that was Senquez Golson's nation-leading ninth. Marshall ran and passed for two touchdowns. Cameron Artis-Payne turned in another workhorse game, gaining 143 yards on 27 punishing carries.

Wallace was 28-of-40 passing for 362 yards and two touchdowns. Ole Miss had three receivers reach 100 yards: Evan Engram (123), Vince Sanders (105) and Treadwell (103).

Wallace had a 59-yard run and scored on a 3-yarder early in the fourth quarter for a 31-28 lead, but also lost the fumble in the final minutes.

After Wallace's TD, Auburn answered with Artis-Payne's 6-yard touchdown run with 10:23 left that proved the last points but didn't conclude the drama.

The Tigers made a last-play interception in the end zone to preserve a 42-35 win over South Carolina last week.

This final drive proved anticlimactic, leaving the Ole Miss fans in stunned silence.

Wallace's first three passes fell incomplete, including a drop by Auburn native Cody Core across the middle. Wallace then hit Evan Engram at the 37, Engram flipped it back to Vince Sanders, who threw it back to Wallace.

Wallace's next try fell to the ground, and the game was over. So, too, is the Rebels' surprising ride into national title contention.

Treadwell appeared to injure his left leg at the end of his third-down catch. He was taken off the field on a cart after breaking two tackles and dragging Frost toward the end zone. He pounded his fist on the ground in pain while officials reviewed the play and fans chanted his name.

After Wallace's fumble, the Rebels' defense then held Auburn to a single first down that came on a deflected pass nearly picked off by Golson, who might have had an easy interception for a touchdown. A late hit on the punt return gave Ole Miss the ball at its own 48 with 3:22 left, but the Rebels came up inches short.

Auburn was penalized 13 times for 145 yards.

More Top 25

(At) No. 1 Mississippi State 17, Arkansas 10: Dak Prescott threw for a career-high 331 yards and a touchdown to help Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 1 CFP) trailed until the third quarter and didn't take the lead until Prescott's 69-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Fred Ross made it 17-10 with 13:21 remaining.

Arkansas had two promising drives in the fourth quarter, but neither resulted in points. Will Redmond intercepted a pass in the end zone with 15 seconds left to end the Razorbacks' final chance.

The Razorbacks (4-5, 0-5) have lost 17 straight conference games dating to 2012.

It wasn't the prettiest game for Prescott — who threw two interceptions — but he made clutch throws during crucial moments in the second half. Josh Robinson caught six passes for a career-high 110 yards.

Arkansas' Brandon Allen completed 22 of 43 passes for 238 yards and the interception in the final seconds. Alex Collins had 93 yards rushing.

Mississippi State has won 11 straight games, the second-longest streak in the country behind Florida State. Prescott is the first Mississippi State player to throw for 300 yards since 2007. He completed 18 of 27 passes.

(At) No. 5 Oregon 45, Stanford 16: Marcus Mariota threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores for Oregon.

Thomas Tyner returned from an injury to run for two touchdowns to help the Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12, No. 5 CFP) snap a two-game losing streak to the Cardinal.

Stanford's stout defense had not allowed an opponent more than 30 points in a string of 31 games, the longest streak in the nation. The Cardinal (5-4, 3-3) had allowed just four total rushing touchdowns through the season's first eight games; Oregon finished with four.

All of Stanford's losses have come to ranked teams.

(At) Florida 38, (at) No. 9 Georgia 20: Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor combined for 389 yards rushing and four touchdowns and Florida upset Georgia, ending a three-game losing streak in the series and quite possibly saving coach Will Muschamp's job.

Jones ran 25 times for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor carried 25 times for 192 yards and two scores.

The dynamic duo became the first Florida teammates to top the century mark on the ground since Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey against Kentucky in 2011. Jones and Taylor carried Florida to a much needed victory in the series and in the Southeastern Conference.

Muschamp may have been the big winner. The fourth-year coach's future was clearly in jeopardy with Florida having lost 10 of its previous 13 games. Muschamp also had been 0-7 in this series, going 0-4 as a Georgia defensive back in the 1990s and losing his first three games as Florida's coach.

No. 10 Texas Christian 31, (at) No. 20 West Virginia 30: Jaden Oberkrom kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired. The Horned Frogs (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) overcame a 13-point deficit to keep their national championship hopes alive. TCU entered the game No. 7 in the College Football Playoff ranking.

West Virginia (6-3, 4-2) led 27-14 midway through the third quarter, but was held to one first down the rest of the game.

B.J. Catalon had two second-half touchdown runs for TCU, including a 6-yarder with 7:33 left that cut it to 30-28. He finished with 105 yards.

The Mountaineers committed five turnovers and had their four-game winning streak stopped.

(At) No. 11 Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 14: Jake Waters threw two touchdown passes, Charles Jones ran for a pair of scores and No. 11 Kansas State shut down Oklahoma State's slumping offense.

Curry Sexton had nine catches for 159 yards and a touchdown, and Tyler Lockett had six receptions for 94 yards and a score, helping the Wildcats (7-1, 5-0, No. 9 CFP) remain the lone unbeaten team in the Big 12 heading into next week's showdown at 10th-ranked TCU.

After marching for a touchdown on the game's opening drive, Oklahoma State (5-4, 3-3) never threatened on offense again. The Cowboys managed only a pick-six by Ramon Richards in the fourth quarter in losing their third straight game for the first time since the 2005 season.

(At) No. 12 Baylor 60, Kansas 14: Bryce Petty had three touchdown passes, including two to Corey Coleman, and Baylor scored on 11 straight possessions despite looking sluggish at times. Baylor (7-1, 3-1 Big 12) had to settle for field goals after two of three first-half fumbles by the Jayhawks deep in their territory, but still rolled up 669 yards in their 14th straight home victory in the 91st homecoming game. That streak ties Auburn for the longest in the nation.

Coleman had a career-high 167 yards receiving and TDs of 72 and 49 yards, the latter putting the Bears up 46-7 early in the third quarter.

Kansas (2-6, 0-5) had 0 yards rushing at halftime in its 31st straight loss away from home and 28th in a row in a true road game since winning at UTEP in 2009.

No. 19 Oklahoma 59, (at) Iowa State 14: Oklahoma's Trevor Knight became the first FBS player this season to throw three TD passes and rush for three touchdowns in a game. Knight had 230 yards passing, a career-high 146 yards rushing and six total scores for the Sooners (6-2, 3-2 Big 12). They gained a season-high 751 yards in beating the Cyclones for the 43rd time in their past 45 tries.

The Sooners had 480 yards and led 35-7 at halftime, a promising sign ahead of next week's matchup with Baylor in Norman.

But star wide receiver Sterling Shepard was carted off with an apparent leg injury in the first quarter and did not return.

Sam Richardson had 239 yards passing for Iowa State (2-6, 0-5).

Temple 20, (at) No. 21 East Carolina 10: Kenny Harper rushed for two touchdowns and Temple forced five fumbles in earning its first victory over a ranked opponent since 1998. The loss stopped a five-game winning streak for the Pirates (6-2, 3-1 AAC), who were whistled for 10 penalties worth 105 yards. The loss also spoiled East Carolina's bid for the best eight-game start in school history.

Playing much of the game in a driving rain storm, Temple (5-3, 3-2 AAC) played relatively mistake-free, jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back.

Temple didn't muster much offense. Harper led the way with two scores and 30 yards rushing on 12 carries.

East Carolina managed just three points in the first half and was slowed by three fumbles by its running backs, including two by Breon Allen that led to Temple scores.

No. 24 Duke 51, (at) Pittsburgh 48 (2OT): Backup Duke quarterback Thomas Sirk bulled into the end zone from 5 yards in the second overtime. The Blue Devils (7-1, 3-1 ACC) held Pitt to a field goal to start the second overtime then went 25 yards in four plays, with Sirk's second touchdown of the day ending it.

The Panthers (4-5, 2-3) had a chance to win in regulation, driving 71 yards to set up Chris Blewitt for a 26-yard field goal attempt. The Blue Devils called two timeouts to make Blewitt think about it, and the kicker missed badly to the left.

James Conner ran for a career-high 263 yards and three touchdowns for Pitt (4-5, 2-3) but didn't touch the ball in the second overtime.