Will Howard threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jeremiah Smith, and TreVeyon Henderson rushed for two scores as No. 8 seed Ohio State knocked off No. 9 seed Tennessee 42-17 in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.
The Buckeyes (11-2) will play No. 1 seed Oregon (13-0) in the quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1.
Howard finished 24 of 29 from the line, while Smith’s six catches went for 103 yards. Henderson gained 80 yards on 10 carries for the Buckeyes, who led 21-0 after the first quarter.
Nico Iamaleava completed 14 of 31 passes for 104 yards and ran 20 times for 47 yards and two TDs for the Volunteers (10-3).
No. 5 Texas 38, No. 12 Clemson 24
Jaydon Blue rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, including a 77-yard score in the fourth quarter, as the Longhorns took down the Tigers in Austin, Texas, during a CFP first-round game.
Texas (12-2) advances to face fourth-seeded Arizona State, the Big 12 champion, on Jan. 1 in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
Quinn Ewers passed for 202 yards and a score and Quintrevion Wisner added 110 yards and two TDs for the Longhorns, who outscored Clemson 292-76 on the ground. Cade Klubnik passed for 336 yards and three TDs to lead Clemson (10-4). Tigers receiver TJ Moore had a career-high 116 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine receptions.
No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned passes for touchdowns and the Nittany Lions advanced to the College Football Playoff with an easy victory over the Mustangs in University Park, Pa.
DeLuca found another way as the Nittany Lions (12-2) built a 28-point halftime advantage in Happy Valley. Penn State will face No. 3 seed Boise State (12-1) in a quarterfinal game at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., on Dec. 31.
Nicholas Singleton rushed for 90 yards and one touchdown and Kaytron Allen had 70 yards and two scores for the Nittany Lions, who thrived in 25-degree weather that felt like 12 degrees at first. Drew Allar completed 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards.
–Field Level Media