ACC_Championship_Football_31036

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence finds open field Saturday during the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game against Notre Dame. Lawrence led the Tigers to a 34-10 victory and their sixth consecutive ACC title. Brian Blanco/Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Trevor Lawrence had 412 yards of offense and three touchdowns, Travis Etienne ran for 124 yards and a score, and No. 4 Clemson dominated No. 2 Notre Dame 34-10 on Saturday to win its sixth straight Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

Lawrence threw long scoring passes to Amari Rodgers and E.J. Williams in the first half to help the Tigers (10-1) avenge a 47-40 double-overtime loss at Notre Dame – with Lawrence sidelined because of the coronavirus – to lock up a spot in the College Football Playoff for the sixth year in a row.

Lawrence overcame an early interception on a tipped ball, completing 25 of 36 passes for 322 yards. He ran 14 times for 90 yards, with a 34-yard touchdown scamper.

The junior quarterback even threw a block to spring Etienne for a 15-yard gain on a third-down run late in the second quarter, leading to a touchdown and a 24-3 halftime lead.

Rodgers had eight catches for 121 yards, and Williams added four for 80 yards, including a dynamic one-handed grab where he reached behind his head to snag the ball.

Clemson allowed Notre Dame to pile up 518 yards in the previous meeting, but this time limited the Fighting Irish (10-1) to 263 yards and sacked quarterback Ian Book six times. Book spent most of the game under duress, regularly flushed from the pocket and forced to make plays on the run.

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Clemson’s secondary put the clamps on Notre Dame’s wide receivers, and running back Tyren Williams was limited to 49 yards rushing after finishing with 140 yards on the ground and three TDs in the first game. Book was held to 219 yards passing and no touchdowns.

(1) ALABAMA 52, (11) FLORIDA 46: Najee Harris scored five touchdowns and the Crimson Tide (11-0, No. 1 CFP) held off the Gators (8-3, No. 7 CFP) in a shootout for the Southeastern Conference championship in Atlanta.

The Crimson Tide got their toughest test in a season of blowouts, but Harris’ record-setting performance will send Coach Nick Saban to the College Football Playoff in search of his seventh national title.

After falling behind 35-17 by halftime, Florida made a game of it with a pair of third-quarter scores. And the Gators fought to the bitter end, adding two more TDs in the fourth quarter before finally running out of time.

(3) OHIO STATE 22, (15) NORTHWESTERN 10: Trey Sermon ran for a school-record 331 yards and two second-half touchdowns, helping the Buckeyes (6-0) rally to win their fourth consecutive Big Ten championship, in Indianapolis.

The Buckeyes will find out Sunday if they’ve done enough to earn one of four spots in the College Football Playoff. It’s the first time Ohio State has won four consecutive outright conference crowns.

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Northwestern (6-2) heads into the bowl season with two losses in its last three games and a second runner-up finish to the Buckeyes in three years.

It was a struggle for Ohio State.

After the Buckeyes settled for a field goal on the game’s first possession, Northwestern running back Cam Porter answered with a 9-yard TD run late in the first quarter. The Buckeyes trailed from that moment until Sermon’s 9-yard run with 2:41 left in the third quarter.

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was 12 of 27 with 114 yards and ran 12 times for 35 yards.

(5) TEXAS A&M 34, TENNESSEE 13: Kellen Mond threw for 281 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 59 yards and a score to lead the Aggies (8-1, No. 5 CFP) past the Volunteers (3-7) in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Mond completed 26 of 32 passes as the Aggies (8-1, No. 5 CFP) made their case for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

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(6) CINCINNATI 27, (20) TULSA 24: Cole Smith made a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bearcats (9-0, No. 9 CFP) a win over the Golden Hurricane (6-2, No. 23 CFP) in the American Conference Championship game in Cincinnati.

Alec Pierce had a career-high 146 yards receiving on five catches, Desmond Ridder passed for 269 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score, and Jerome Ford added a 42-yard scoring run for the Bearcats.

(12) OKLAHOMA 27, (8) IOWA STATE 21: Spencer Rattler threw a 45-yard touchdown to Marvin Mims and also ran for a score as the Sooners (8-2, No. 10 CFP) won their sixth consecutive Big 12 title, holding on to beat the Cyclones (8-3, No. 6 CFP) in Arlington, Texas.

The Sooners clinched the victory when Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy was under pressure and threw his third interception, a fluttering pass picked off by Tre Brown inside the 10.

(25) SAN JOSE STATE 34, BOISE STATE 20: Nick Starkel completed 32 of 52 passes for 453 yards and three touchdowns to lead San Jose State to its first Mountain West Conference championship, in Las Vegas.

The Spartans (7-0) had lost all 14 previous meetings with the Broncos (5-2).

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Starkel, who spent the first three years of his college career at Texas A&M and Arkansas before transferring to San Jose State in January, broke former Fresno State star Derek Carr’s MWC title-game record of 404 yards passing set in 2013.

ARMY 10, AIR FORCE 7: Jakobi Buchanan scored on a 1-yard run with 73 seconds left, and Army (9-2) rallied past Air Force (3-3) in West Point, New York, to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

NOTES

ROSE BOWL: The College Football Playoff semifinal scheduled to be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 1 is moving to the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Texas.

College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said Saturday night that the CFP management committee and Tournament of Roses mutually agreed to relocate the game because of the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Southern California.

California state health restrictions banned the Rose Bowl from having fans in attendance. Coaches and school officials from playoff contenders complained about players’ parents not being permitted to attend the game.

ILLINOIS: Bret Bielema, who led Wisconsin to three Rose Bowls before a disappointing run at Arkansas, is returning to the Big Ten and his home state to coach Illinois.

The Illini hired Bielema to replace the fired Lovie Smith, hoping he can turn around a program with nine consecutive losing seasons.

Illinois said Bielema will receive a six-year contract with an annual salary starting at $4.2 million.

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