Kentucky wins in overtime as Bishop and Smith lead Saturday’s afternoon finals

Kentucky needed an overtime two-point conversion, Tennessee needed DeSean Bishop's three rushing touchdowns, and Ohio State leaned on Jeremiah Smith's 206 receiving yards as Saturday's afternoon college football window produced 16 completed games. NC State survived Louisville's comeback, while Purdue won at Illinois and UNLV answered California's fourth-quarter rally.

Kentucky's 35-34 win at South Carolina ended with Kenny Minchey finding Willie Rodriguez for two points after a six-yard touchdown pass to Henry Boyer. South Carolina had scored first in overtime, with LaNorris Sellers throwing a five-yard touchdown to Maurice Brown II. The Wildcats' response finished a comeback from a 17-0 deficit in the second quarter.

Tennessee beat Auburn 24-14 after trailing 7-3 at halftime. Bishop ran for 220 yards on 34 carries, scoring from 25, 44 and five yards. His second touchdown followed a Dejuan Lane interception, and his third came after Tennessee stopped Auburn on fourth-and-one from the Tigers' own 24. George MacIntyre replaced Faizon Brandon and directed all three second-half touchdown drives.

Smith caught 11 passes and scored twice in Ohio State's 31-14 win at Iowa. Julian Sayin threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Smith's 12-yard score arrived with 12 seconds left before halftime; his 57-yard touchdown expanded the lead to 24-6 in the third quarter. Ohio State held Iowa to 39 rushing yards and used the final 9:30 on one possession after the Hawkeyes' only touchdown.

NC State won 31-28 after Louisville erased a 28-14 deficit. Isaac Brown's 70-yard touchdown run tied the game early in the fourth quarter, but Kanoah Vinesett's 28-yard field goal put the Wolfpack ahead with 5:30 remaining. CJ Bailey finished with 373 passing yards and two touchdowns for NC State.

UNLV's 39-31 victory required a second comeback. The Rebels led California 24-7 at halftime, then fell behind 25-24. Jackson Arnold answered with a touchdown pass to Keyan Burnett and a two-point run, followed by his second rushing touchdown. Arnold finished with three passing touchdowns and two rushing scores. California gained more total yards, 464 to 350, but committed 16 penalties for 147 yards.

Purdue beat Illinois 24-17 after building a 13-0 lead. A one-yard Antonio Harris touchdown and Ryan Browne's two-point run made it 24-10 before the Illini's late touchdown. Nebraska beat Maryland 48-23, and Florida State defeated Virginia 38-7 with Ashton Daniels scoring all five Seminoles touchdowns on the ground.

Georgia State's Cameran Brown threw six touchdown passes in a 42-10 win over Old Dominion. New Mexico scored 61 against UTEP, North Dakota State shut out Wyoming 28-0, and UAB beat Samford 33-14. The MAC results included Central Michigan's 41-17 win over Akron, Bowling Green's 24-20 finish at Miami, Eastern Michigan's 38-14 victory at UMass and Ohio's 13-10 win at Kent State. Each final has an individual report below.

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