ARLINGTON, Texas — Rhamondre Stevenson had a 5-yard touchdown run in overtime and No. 6 Oklahoma made its bid for another playoff berth with a 30-23 win over No. 8 Baylor in the Big 12 championship game Saturday.
“We didn’t play our best, but we beat a damn good team here today, and we’re the champs,” Coach Lincoln Riley said.
A day after No. 5 Utah lost in the Pac-12 championship game, and before No. 1 LSU beat No. 4 Georgia 37-20 in the SEC title game, the Sooners (12-1, No. 6 CFP) won their fifth consecutive Big 12 title, and 13th overall. Oklahoma went to the playoff three of the past four seasons.
“I like our case,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said before the game about his league’s playoff chances.
Baylor (11-2, No. 7 CFP) tied the game in the fourth quarter after two long passes by freshman Jacob Zeno, the second quarterback used after starter Charlie Brewer left the game in the second quarter following a big hit he delivered on a defender.
There was an 81-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Trestan Ebner with 9:41 left in regulation and a 78-yarder to Chris Platt that set up John Mayers’ third field goal, a 27-yarder with 3:25 left to make it 23-all.
After Oklahoma scored in three plays to start overtime, Zeno was under tremendous pressure on Baylor’s chance. There were two incompletions before he was sacked for a 10-yard loss, and then he was under distress again when he flung a game-ending pass that fell to the ground.
(16) MEMPHIS 29, (21) CINCINNATI 24: Antonio Gibson caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Brady White with 1:14 left and the Tigers (12-1, No. 17 CFP) defeated the Bearcats (10-3, No. 20 CFP) in the American Athletic Conference championship game in Memphis, Tennessee.
The victory marked the first time Memphis has won the AAC title in its third straight conference championship game. The Tigers now wait for an invitation to the Cotton Bowl as the highest-ranked Group of Five team.
Eight days after beating the Bearcats 34-24 at home in the regular-season finale, Memphis rallied for another win.
Along with scoring the go-ahead touchdown, Gibson ran for 130 yards, including a 65-yard TD dash.
Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, who did not play last week against Memphis, passed for 233 yards and ran for 113 more.
The game became a back-and-forth battle in the fourth quarter. Sam Crosa’s 33-yard field goal with 4:23 left gave the Bearcats a 24-23 lead.
(19) BOISE STATE 31, HAWAII 10: Jaylon Henderson threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the Broncos (12-1, No. 19 CFP) to a victory over the Rainbow Warriors (9-5) in the Mountain West championship game in Boise, Idaho.
Boise State won its second conference title in three years, beating Hawaii again this season after winning the Oct. 12 meeting, 59-37. After rolling up 518 yards of offense in the first game, the Broncos leaned on their defense in the rematch.
The Broncos made two defensive stands inside the 5, once in the second quarter and another early in the third.
Hawaii was making its first appearance in the title game. It enjoyed some success through the air with Cole McDonald passing for 241 yards, but couldn’t overcome early problems in the red zone.
(20) APPALACHIAN STATE 45, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 38: Darrynton Evans scored three touchdowns and the Mountaineers (12-1, 8-1 Sun Belt) repeated as Sun Belt Conference champions with a victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns (10-3, 8-2) in Boone, North Carolina.
Evans won the game’s MVP for the second straight season.
Zac Thomas threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns and Daetrich Harrington and Marcus Williams added touchdown runs. The Mountaineers racked up 416 yards on offense, including 267 on the ground in a dominating first half.
The Mountaineers accomplished something North Carolina, Duke, North Carolina State and Wake Forest never have – becoming the first FBS team from North Carolina to win 12 games in a season.
JAMES MADISON 66, MONMOUTH 21: Ben DiNucci accounted for four touchdowns, Percy Agyei-Obese ran for three and the Dukes (12-1) took a beat the Hawks (10-3) in the second round of the FCS playoffs, in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
The second-seeded Dukes, whose only loss came in a 20-13 loss at West Virginia in their opener, rolled up 623 yards offense and set a school record for points in a playoff game. James Madison is in its sixth straight postseason and is the only school besides North Dakota State to win an FCS title in the past eight seasons, that coming in 2016.
MONTANA STATE 47, ALBANY 21: Tucker Rovig passed for 279 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Bobcats (10-3) to a second-round FCS playoff victory over the Great Danes (9-5) in Bozeman, Montana.
Rovig finished 24 for 30 with no interceptions. Montana State’s other quarterback Travis Jonsen ran for 85 yards on six carries, including a 47-yard touchdown run. The 47 points is the most the Bobcats (10-3) have scored in their playoff history.
NOTES
PENN STATE: Coach James Franklin has agreed to a new six-year contract with the school that runs through 2025, adding three years on to his previous deal.
OLE MISS: Lane Kiffin is heading back to the SEC. He was named the head coach at Ole Miss after his Florida Atlantic team beat UAB in the Conference USA championship game.
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