College football Week 12: Results, CFP rankings, highlights, recap

Georgia with the trickery secured an onside kick after scoring a touchdown to go up 21-10. The Bulldogs completely caught the Longhorns off guard which led to a 30-yard strike to London Humphreys which may have been the nail in the coffin. 

WHAT A BALLSY CALL

GEORGIA RECOVERS THE ONSIDE KICK & CATCHES THE LONGHORNS SLEEPING

— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB)

Stockton finds Luckie for TD #⃣4⃣

📺: ABC

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball)

After the UCLA score, Lorenzo Styles Jr., took the UCLA kickoff 100 yards into the end zone. All the blocks lines up when Styles caught the ball in the end zone.

It's the Buckeyes first kick return for a touchdown since 2010.

STYLES KICK RETURN TOUCHDOWN TO THE 🏠

📺:NBC

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX)

Boston College pushed No. 16 Georgia Tech to the brink but fell 36–34 on a late field goal Saturday in its home finale.

The Eagles led by as many as 11 in the second half behind a breakout offensive performance, but Georgia Tech closed with 19 fourth-quarter points to stay in contention for the ACC title game.

Dylan Lonergan threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns, and BC rode explosive plays throughout the afternoon. Reed Harris finished with 142 receiving yards and a score, while Lewis Bond broke Zay Flowers’ program record for career receptions as part of an eight-catch, 106-yard day. Turbo Richard added 141 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 43-yard burst that briefly put BC ahead 34–33 with four minutes remaining.

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King, who sparked multiple second-half scoring drives, led the Jackets on the decisive march. Aidan Birr converted a 23-yard field goal with 11 seconds left to give Tech its only lead of the fourth quarter. BC crossed midfield on the final play but could not complete a desperation heave.

This kid's special 👀

📺

— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB)

No. 11 Oklahoma capitalized on three Alabama turnovers and a dominant defensive performance, fending off the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide 23-21.

Oklahoma produced just one offensive touchdown but consistently benefited from short fields. Safety Peyton Bowen opened the scoring with an 80-yard pick-six, and Isaiah Sategna’s 42-yard punt return set up an early field goal for a 10-0 lead. The Sooners forced another critical mistake in the second quarter when Ryan Williams mishandled a punt, leading to a 20-yard touchdown run by quarterback John Mateer.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson recovered from the early pick, finishing with 292 yards and a touchdown, but his two turnovers loomed large. Sophomore running back Daniel Hill scored twice, helping the Tide briefly take a 21-20 lead in the third quarter.

Oklahoma regained the lead in the fourth after Tate Sandell’s third field goal. The Sooners finished with 20 of their 23 points coming directly from defense or special teams.

Alabama drove into Oklahoma territory in the final minutes but stalled after a key fourth-down conversion, allowing the Sooners to escape with a win that keeps them alive in the College Football Playoff race.

BOOM 🗣️ x

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football)

Carry 'em into the end zone 🔄

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football)

Wake Forest WR Carlos Hernandez was originally split out wide on this play, but found himself recovering a fumble and running 50 yards for a touchdown to put the Demon Deacons up 7-0 vs. North Carolina.

Unbelievable!

Carlos Hernandez picks up the fumble and runs it 50 yards for the touchdown for 😱

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports)

We had several exciting finishes in the early window, and results that bring major playoff implications. Let's take a look back at the best moments from the noon games.

No. 3 Texas A&M storms back to beat South Carolina, 31-30

The 9-0 Aggies came into this game looking to continue their dominance and even try to jump Indiana in the CFP rankings with a big win over a struggling South Carolina team. But the Texas A&M that came out in the first half was NOT the same one that we had seen all season. Two missed field goals, a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, two interceptions and poor tackling contributed to the Aggies’ first half meltdown as South Carolina took a 30-3 lead into halftime. 

But whatever A&M head coach Mike Elko said to his team in the locker room worked. The Aggies exploded in the second half, scoring 28 unanswered points to take the lead with 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter. 

Now we go

— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball)

The Aggies looked like they would score on their fifth-straight drive, but an errant backward pass by Reed on the Gamecocks’ seven-yard line was ruled a fumble, recovered by South Carolina. But the Aggies’ defense held strong on the ensuing South Carolina drive, sacking LaNorris Sellers twice and preserving their perfect 10-0 record. 

Navy takes down No. 24 South Florida, 41-38

Navy keeps its playoff hopes alive with a huge win over No. 24 South Florida, taking down the Bulls in a 41-38 shootout. The Midshipmen dominated the first half, starting with a 76-yard TD run from Alex Tecza. They added a field goal, another TD on the ground and one through the air to take a 24-9 lead into halftime. 

Tecza to the House 🏡

💻 | |

— Navy Football (@NavyFB)

 

The Bulls’ offense woke up in the second half, beginning with a third quarter touchdown to cut the deficit to eight points. The teams traded touchdowns in a high-scoring fourth quarter that saw USF outscore Navy, 22-17, but Navy’s early lead proved to be enough to hold off the comeback effort and all but ruin USF’s playoff chances. 

No. 18 Michigan survives Northwestern, 24-22

Northwestern looked to play spoiler in the Big Ten, as the Wildcats had No. 18 Michigan on the ropes at Wrigley field. But the Wolverines pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback to keep their Big Ten title game hopes alive.

It was a sloppy first half for the Wolverines, who missed two field goals and lost a fumble. Still, they held a 7-6 lead at halftime after a methodical 91-yard TD drive in second quarter. The offense cleaned things up a bit to start the second half, scoring on back-to-back drives, but a punt-return fumble led to a Northwestern field goal, keeping the Wildcats in the game heading into the fourth quarter. And what a fourth quarter it was, as Northwestern opened with two touchdowns and two interceptions to pull ahead, 22-21. But the Wolverines wouldn't go away, forcing Northwestern to punt with 2:10 remaining and marching down the field to set up the game-winning 31-yard field goal.

WALK OFF AT WRIGLEY FIELD

Zvada hits the field goal and escapes with the win 🔥

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX)

Michigan moves to 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten as the Wolverines remain in the hunt for a spot in the CFP.

Heisman contender Fernando Mendoza sets the new single-season passing touchdown record for Indiana with his 30th of the season against Wisconsin. The Hoosiers only led by three at half, but Curt Cignetti's squad has stepped on the gas in the second half, now leading 31-7 late in the fourth quarter. 

30 PASSING TDS FOR MENDOZA THIS SEASON‼️

That's a new program record for 👀

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX)

We are 30 minutes deep into Saturday's Week 12 slate. Here are some of the biggest headlines heading into the locker rooms as you prepare for the rest of today's action:

No. 3 Texas A&M trails 30-3 at home
The Aggies are in a serious hole at home against the Gamecocks, trailing by 27 in College Station. Heisman contender Marcel Reed is 6 for 19 with 141 yards and two interceptions. The Gamecock defense also has a strip-sack touchdown on Reed as the Aggies have been unable to sustain a drive in front of their home crowd. ;

RUN IT BACK 👏

— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB)

No. 9 Notre Dame rolling against No. 22 Pitt
The Irish are cruising against the Panthers in Pittsburgh, up 21-3 after 30 minutes. Jeremiyah Love has 87 yards and a touchdown while quarterback CJ Carr has 145 yards on 13 of 19 passing. Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel has just 74 yards and a pick six. 

JEREMIYAH LOVE VICIOUS SPIN AND HOUSE CALL 😮‍💨🔥

(via )

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport)

Navy up big on No. 24 South Florida 
For the second week in a row, the projected 12-seed in the College Football Playoff is in danger of getting knocked off. The Midshipmen have moved the ball all over the Bulls defense with swiss army knife Eli Heidenreich holding 107 receiving yards at the break and 27 yards on the ground. 

The one-handed grab by Heidenreich 😲

💻 | |

— Navy Athletics (@NavyAthletics)

The Gamecocks are giving No. 3 Texas A&M everything they can handle early in College Station. South Carolina led 10-3 before Dylan Stewart strip-sacked Marcel Reed, and the Gamecocks returned the fumble for six. The Aggies just let up another field goal, now trailing 20-3 with 10 minutes to play in the second quarter.

This is the largest deficit Texas A&M has had all season. 

DYLAN STEWART FORCED FUMBLE ➡️ NICK BARRETT TD ✔️

— South Carolina Football (@GamecockFB)

Navy's do-it-all offensive weapon Eli Heidenreich somehow hauls in this deep ball, taking it 82 yards inside the South Florida five-yard line. The Midshipmen punched it in from the four, putting them up 14-3 early in the second quarter.

NAVY!
-Eli Heidenreich one handed 82 yard catch!
-Brandon Chatman 4 yard TD run!
Midshipmen up 14-3 vs #24 USF!

— Follow: @fsh733 (@fsh733)

The Bulls put together a TD drive on the ensuing possession, but failed the two-point conversion as the No. 24 team trails Navy 14-9.