Chris Tyree returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and Drew Pyne threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter in relief of an injured Jack Coan, helping No. 12 Notre Dame beat No. 18 Wisconsin 41-13 on Saturday at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Brian Kelly became the winningest coach in Notre Dame history with victory No. 105, surpassing Knute Rockne in his 12th season with the Irish (4-0).
Graham Mertz threw four interceptions for Wisconsin (1-2), including two that were returned for touchdowns in the final 2:30 to blow the game open.
Coan, a Wisconsin transfer, left with an apparent left leg injury in the third quarter with the game tied at 10.
Pyne lost a fumble on his second possession, leading to a field goal by the Badgers, but otherwise the redshirt freshman was solid, going 6 for 8 for 81 yards.
Coan played 22 games for Wisconsin over three seasons and was the starter for the 2019 team that reached the Big Ten championship game. He broke his foot in the runup to the abbreviated Big Ten season last year and Mertz claimed the starting job.
Playing behind an offensive line that has used four left tackles so far this season, Coan completed 15 of 29 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked five times.
He limped off the field, favoring his left leg, midway through the third quarter and went to the injury tent, and then the locker room.
Pyne was blindsided by Rodas Johnson on his fumble. Jack Sanborn recovered the ball for Wisconsin at the Notre Dame 39.
The Badgers stalled in red zone, and Collin Larsh kicked a 27-yard field goal to put Wisconsin up 13-10 with 14:14 left in the fourth quarter.
The lead lasted 13 seconds. Tyree took the kickoff at the 4, found a seam to the left and turned on the speed. The sophomore outraced the Badgers for the touchdown that put the Irish up 17-13.
Notre Dame got a strip sack by Jayson Ademilola on Wisconsin’s next possession, and Isaiah Foskey recovered on the Badgers 46.
The Irish capitalized behind Pyne, who completed four straight passes, including a 16-yard slant to Kevin Austin for a touchdown that made it 24-13 with 9:34 left.
Pyne celebrated his first career touchdown pass with a Conor McGregor-style strut, and he also pumped his fist.
No. 2 Georgia 62, at Vanderbilt 0
JT Daniels threw for 121 yards and two touchdowns while playing only the first quarter in the Bulldogs’ biggest win in this series that started in 1893.
The game was effectively over when Georgia (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) led 35-0 after the first quarter. The Bulldogs started three of four drives in Vandy territory. They recovered a fumble on a kickoff to set up one TD, then Christopher Smith intercepted a pass to set up a second TD less than 30 seconds later.
Georgia nearly had more points than Vandy managed yards, outgaining the Commodores 524-77.
Vanderbilt (1-3, 0-1) lost its 14th straight SEC game, a skid that could be longer if COVID issues hadn’t forced Vandy to cancel its visit on Georgia’s Senior Day last season.
at No. 6 Penn State 38, Villanova 17
Sean Clifford passed for four touchdowns and a career-high 401 yards as Penn State showcased its speed against its in-state FCS opponent.
Clifford completed 19 of 26 passes, finding Parker Washington for two TDs and Jahan Dotson and KeAndre Lambert-Smith for one apiece. Tyler Warren rushed for a touchdown and Jordan Stout kicked a field goal for the Nittany Lions (4-0), who led 17-3 at the break in their eighth straight win.
Daniel Smith threw 57- and 17-yard touchdown passes to Rayjoun Pringle in the fourth for the Wildcats (3-1).
at Texas 70, Texas Tech 35
Casey Thompson threw five touchdowns and ran for another as Texas (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) continued its offensive explosion since naming him the starting quarterback with the rout of Texas Tech (3-1, 0-1).
LSU 28, at Mississippi State 25
Max Johnson passed for 280 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Tigers (3-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) to a win over the late-rallying Bulldogs (2-2, 0-1).
Bowling Green 14, at Minnesota 10
Quarterback Matt McDonald ran for a pair of scores, and two late interceptions by the Bowling Green defense sealed the win as the Falcons shocked heavily-favored Golden Gophers during their homecoming.
at Army 23, Miami Ohio 10
Christian Anderson ran for a pair long first-half touchdowns and Army remained undefeated.