A quarterback change. Matching 60-yard field goals in the final 19 seconds of regulation. A quick touchdown and goal-line stop in overtime.
No. 4 Indiana had to pull out all the stops to keep alive its chances of repeating as national champions.
Paddy McAteer hit a 60-yard field goal at the end of regulation, Grant Wilson threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Becker on the first play of overtime and Indiana closed with a goal-line stand to beat
Minnesota 23-16 on Saturday.
The previous three weeks of the season were filled with chaos as 10 teams in the AP Top 25 lost, including two No. 1s and a No. 2 by unranked opponents.
The volume of tumult turned down in Week 9 with most of the teams in the top half of the poll winning, many by lopsided margins. No. 2 Georgia was among them, forcing four turnovers in a 27-8 win over No. 17 Florida in Atlanta.
Indiana (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) had to work to pull out a close win for the second straight week.
The Hoosiers' bid to back up the program's first national championship last season seemed to be doomed when Minnesota's Luke Drzewiecki kicked a 60-yard field goal with 19 seconds left. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti refused to call a timeout as the Golden Gophers (5-3, 3-2) marched down the field, leaving the Hoosiers little time to get in position for a tying kick.
Becker gave the Hoosiers life with a sliding 33-yard catch along the sideline and McAteer, Indiana's long-kicking specialist, drilled a 60-yard field goal as time expired.
Wilson, who replaced Josh Hoover in the second half, followed with his TD pass to Becker to open overtime and the Hoosiers sacked Drake Lindsey to close out another tight win after beating Michigan 13-6 in overtime last week.
Whew!
Arizona's Noah Fifita had the bigger numbers. Texas Tech's Tommy Castellanos earned the win after getting the starting nod.
The 13th-ranked Red Raiders made a switch at quarterback after their first loss of the season and Castellanos delivered, accounting for three touchdowns in a 34-26 win over No. 22 Arizona on Saturday.
Coach Joey McGuire made the quarterback change after Will Hammond and the Red Raiders struggled in a 37-24 loss at Cincinnati, saying he was “as frustrated as I’ve ever been in 32 years of coaching.”
McGuire was much happier after Castellanos hurt the Wildcats with his arm and legs to lead Texas Tech to a school record-tying 13th straight home win. The victory also boosts the Red Raiders' Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes.
Castellanos threw two TD passes and ran for 113 yards and another score.
Fifita threw for 417 yards and hit Isaiah Mizell on a 94-yard TD, but overthrew Tyler Powell on fourth-and-1 from the Texas Tech 18-yard line with the Wildcats down three in the fourth quarter.
The AP Top 25 had been a jumble the past three weeks as one highly-ranked team after another lost.
The upset trend continued in Week 9, but further down the poll.
Oregon started the season at No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 before tumbling down and out of the poll.
The Ducks (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) showed they can still play with some of the nation's best teams by knocking off Northwestern 34-26 behind Dylan Raiola's three TD passes.
Iowa extended its domination of No. 25 Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) by rolling to a 30-0 win that will likely limit the Badgers' return to the AP Top 25 to a one-week stint. The Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-2) have won five straight in the Heartland Trophy series, outscoring Wisconsin 148-26.
No. 17 SMU may also exit the AP poll after giving up a late touchdown in a 30-27 loss to Syracuse.
Trailing 27-23, the Orange (4-4, 2-4 ACC) got the ball back at their own 32 with 3:36 left. Steve Angeli led Syracuse down the field and hit little-used tight end Noah Meyers on a 2-yard TD pass with 17 seconds left to end the Mustangs' four-game winning streak.
Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith has been projected to be the runaway winner for the Heisman Trophy for weeks, but Miami QB Darian Mensah and WR Malachi Toney have closed the gap.
Smith will get the spotlight this week against Southern California while Mensah and Toney go into Saturday's game at North Carolina coming off impressive performances. Mensah connected on 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-23 win over Pitt, and his 81.4% season completion rate is on FBS record pace. Toney caught a school-record 16 passes for 194 yards and three TDs and was AP's player of the week.
A lot of eyes will also be on Fayetteville, where Arkansas (3-4, 1-3 SEC) hosts No. 23 Missouri (5-2, 2-2) with the Tigers expected to welcome standout running back Ahmad Hardy back to the field nearly six months after he was shot during an incident in Mississippi.
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