College Football Week 8 Top Plays: Oklahoma State-Iowa State, Oregon-UCLA, more
Week 8 of the college football season kicked off with a bang as several unbeaten teams put their perfect records on the line.
And one of those undefeated squads went down, as Iowa State handed No. 8 Oklahoma State its first loss of the season, 24-21.
Meanwhile, in Oxford, Mississippi, Heisman Trophy favorite and potential No. 1 draft pick Matt Corral and the No. 12 Rebels defeated LSU 31-17. This is Ole Miss' first win against the Tigers since 2015.
And at the Rose Bowl, No. 10 Oregon narrowly escaped UCLA, 34-31.
In the early window, it was a stunner in Happy Valley as No. 7 Penn State fell at home to unranked Illinois, 20-18, in 9OT, marking the longest game in NCAA history by total of overtime periods.
Meanwhile, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jim Harbaugh's undefeated No. 6 Wolverines dominated Northwestern, 33-7, No. 16 Wake Forest topped Army 70-56 and No. 3 Cincinnati outplayed Navy, 27-20. Michigan, Wake Forest and Cincinnati are all now 7-0.
Here are the top plays from Saturday's action.
Special plays from special teams
To pull off an upset of a ranked opponent, your team needs to be clicking on all cylinders. UCLA got the memo, with its special teams playing a key role in building a 14-0 lead.
No Time To Dye
Oregon had to dig itself out of a 14-0 hole, and the Ducks turned to running back Travis Dye to do it.
Dye scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to even the score 14-14 late in the second quarter.
Second-half surge
The Ducks poured it on in the third quarter, with Dye again the catalyst, ultimately setting an FBS record by scoring on four consecutive carries.
So close, yet so far away
The Bruins came up with a huge fumble recovery late in the third, but they weren't able to capitalize on the turnover after going three-and-out.
Ducks dominate
In the fourth quarter, Oregon extended its lead to 34-17 after this 43-yard TD run from QB Anthony Brown.
Not so fast
UCLA knocked in two fourth-quarter touchdowns to make it a three-point game midway through the fourth and picked off Brown in the end zone as the Ducks made an attempt to extend their lead.
Tigers strike first
LSU was first on the board as Tyrion Davis-Price found the end zone early.
Snatched
As LSU attempted to extend its lead, Max Johnson was picked off by Rebels DB Tysheem Johnson at the goal line.
Snoop! There It Is
And just like that, the Rebels started heating up on the heels of star back Snoop Conner.
Rebels take the lead
With momentum on its side, Ole Miss took the lead on this TD catch from Casey Kelly, younger brother of former Rebels QB Chad Kelly.
Double trouble
Corral took it on himself to give Ole Miss a 10-point lead at the break.
When it rains, it pours
The Rebels’ defense was relentless to start the second half, forcing two fumbles in the third quarter.
Ole Miss knocked in two more touchdowns in the third, including this dazzling 36-yard rush from Ealy.
Tiger time
In the fourth, Garrett Nussmeier connected with Malik Nabers on this TD pass to make it a two-score game, but it wasn't enough to ignite a comeback, and things ended there.
Iowa State 24, No. 8 Oklahoma State 21
Air connection
Spencer Sanders found Brennan Presley for the first touchdown of the game, giving the Cowboys a 7-0 lead.
Tie game
It took three tries at the goal line, but the Cyclones were able to punch it in and tie the score at 7-7.
Dropping dimes
In the final minute of the first half, Sanders launched this 42-yard bomb to Presley in the end zone, good for a 14-7 lead heading into the break.
Tie game
The Cyclones knotted things up in the third thanks to this grab from Xavier Hutchinson.
Keeping it close
The teams traded scores in the final frame to keep each other within arm's reach.
Iowa State took the lead, 24-21, on this short run from Breece Hall with 5:29 to play, and things ended there.
Illinois 20, Penn State 18 (9OT)
Setting the stage
Penn State jumped out to an early 10-0 lead with lots of help from star receiver Jahan Dotson.
Fighting back
But the Fighting Illini had some answers in the second half to knot things up at 10 and force overtime …
And another overtime.
And another.
In the end, Illinois proved to be road warriors after taking down Penn State after nine rounds of overtime (yes, you read that right) on this two-point conversion play.
No. 6 Michigan 33, Northwestern 7
Striking first
The first quarter between Northwestern and Michigan was a defensive battle, but the Wolverines were able to find the end zone first in the second quarter thanks to Blake Corum.
Hull of a run
Northwestern fell behind 10-0 but was able to cut into the Michigan lead with this 75-yard rushing touchdown from Evan Hull.
Marching down the field
The Wolverines opened the half up with another touchdown, marching down the field to take a 17-7 lead.
In full control
Michigan asserted its dominance late in the third quarter with a blocked punt that led to a rushing touchdown from Hassan Haskins.
THE BEST OF THE REST:
Kedon Slovis' pass was intercepted by Notre Dame linebacker Bo Bauer and returned 79 yards to USC's 4-yard line, which set up a field goal for the Fighting Irish.
No. 4 Alabama 52, Tennessee 24
Not something you see every day, especially against the Crimson Tide. In the second half, Alabama's punt was blocked by Tennessee DB De'Shawn Rucker.
What's more, it was a one-score game heading into the fourth with the unranked Volunteers trailing 24-17.
Vols QB Hendon Hooker launched this bomb to Cedric Tillman, good for a 70-yard TD, but Alabama ran away with the game, scoring 28 unanswered points in the fourth.
No. 5 Ohio State 54, Indiana 7
This laser of a pass from Buckeyes QB C.J. Stroud is one of the best we've seen all year.
Stroud lit up the Hoosiers as Ohio State scored a touchdown on all six of its offensive possessions in the first half.
No. 17 Texas A&M 44, South Carolina 14
The Aggies got on the board in a thrilling fashion when Ainias Smith turned on the jets and kept going until he hit paydirt. Texas A&M went on to claim its third-straight SEC win.
Fresno State's Ronnie Rivers broke out on this 64-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs on top early.
Nevada answered back as Cole Turner stretched to catch this ball from Carson Strong for a Wolfpack TD.
In the end, Nevada was this close to knotting things up and sending the game into overtime.
Mississippi State 45, Vanderbilt 6
How about this rocket from Will Rogers for six? 10/10.
No. 23 Pittsburgh 27, Clemson 17
Pitt linebacker Sirvocea Dennis took this ball 53 yards to the house after picking off D.J. Uiagalelei.
Shortly after, the Clemson QB was benched for fellow sophomore Taisun Phommachanh. He exited the game with 101 passing yards, 0 TDs and 2 INTs.
Tyler Allgeier put BYU in the lead thanks to this leaping touchdown run on third down.
Arkansas 45, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3
Good luck catching Treylon Burks …
… Or Nathan Parodi.
No. 16 Wake Forest 70, Army 56
If the ball is up for grabs, there is a good chance Jaquarii Roberson is coming down with it.
Army tried to catch Wake Forest off guard with a fake punt, but the Demon Deacons were all over it, leading to an interception returned for a touchdown.
The Sooners were down 10-0 to Kansas, but they found their footing behind plays like this from Caleb Williams.