SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Syracuse’s season hung in the balance. After two straight defeats in heartbreaking style, the Orange was perched on the precipice of another crushing loss after coughing up a 20-7 lead.

But then redshirt freshman quarterback Tommy DeVito came to the rescue, leading the Orange (5-2, 2-2 ACC) to a thrilling 40-37 double-overtime victory over North Carolina (1-5, 1-3) Saturday.

Instead of being down in the dumps, the Orange sits on the cusp of bowl eligibility, just one win away of making its first postseason appearance since 2013.

“It meant a lot. It could have been devastating,” Syracuse running back Moe Neal said. “Another overtime game, not going our way. It was a great win.”

DeVito entered the game late in the fourth quarter, in relief of a struggling Eric Dungey, and threw a career-high three touchdown passes for a career-best 181 yards. He hit tight end Ravian Pierce on a 4-yard scoring play in the second overtime to propel Syracuse to the win. On his first play, he connected with Jamal Custis on a 50-yard pass play.

“I just thought it might be a spark,” Syracuse coach Dino Babers said. “I just felt we needed to do something different. I just felt like they had a little bit of a beat on us. Sometimes when you change one character it throws off the defense. I don’t know if it worked or not. I’m just happy with the result.”

It worked.

DeVito sent the game into overtime with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Nykeim Johnson with 1:39 to go. His 25-yard touchdown pass to Custis gave the Orange a brief lead in the first overtime until Nathan Elliott’s 9-yard pass to Beau Corrales tied the game.

Babers wasn’t surprised by DeVito’s composure, and he wasn’t tipping his hand as to whether there might be a changing of the guard at quarterback.

“You gotta be happy to get a game like that, especially in double overtime,” DeVito said. “To have the guys rally around you and to pull it off like this is special.”

North Carolina had rallied from a 20-7 deficit to take a 27-20 lead with 10 minutes to go in regulation but dropped its third straight game. A 12-yard touchdown run by Antonio Williams and a 75-yard punt return by Dazz Newsome gave the Tar Heels a 21-20 lead. Two field goals by Freeman Jones upped the margin to 27-20 with 10:15 to go.

“It’s pretty heartbreaking. I thought we had multiple opportunities to seal the game but we didn’t do that,” Elliott said.

DeVito was ready to go and wasn’t fazed by the moment.

“As far as me preparation-wise, I always like to prepare like I’m starter and always be ready for any given moment because you know anything can happen and sure enough it did so I was ready for the moment,” he said. “I was confident with the guys around me.”

Elliott was 34 of 52 for 321 yards and two touchdowns for North Carolina. Newsome also scored on a 6-yard touchdown pass.

North Carolina trailed 20-7 less than a minute into the third quarter after the Orange scored on a three-play, 54-second drive capped by Dungey’s 16-yard run up the middle.

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VIRGINIA 28, DUKE 14

DURHAM (AP) — Bryce Perkins did a little bit of everything to lead Virginia to another upset victory.

Perkins passed for 189 yards and a touchdown, and he rushed for 61 yards and two scores to help the Cavaliers beat Duke 28-14 on Saturday afternoon.

Virginia (5-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) backed up its 16-13 win over Miami, its first against a ranked opponent since 2014, with its fourth consecutive victory over Duke. The Cavaliers won as underdogs for the second week in a row.

“I’m obviously really excited and proud of our team,” Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Coming off of the Miami win last week, that presented a significant challenge. … Our team showed the maturity and resiliency to come on the road and start fast.”

Daniel Jones passed for 240 yards and a touchdown for the Blue Devils (5-2, 1-2).

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FLA. STATE 38, WAKE FOREST 17

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Cam Akers hasn’t had much to smile about a year after rushing for 1,000 yards. Florida State’s offensive line hasn’t been able to open up as many rushing lanes and the sophomore has struggled.

That changed on Saturday.

Akers had two touchdown runs, including a 58-yarder, and Deondre Francois threw for a season-high 353 yards as Florida State bounced back from a sloppy start and scored 38 straight points in a 38-17 win over Wake Forest on Saturday.

The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Akers had 98 yards on 13 carries for Florida State (4-3, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) in what was the best rushing day this season for the team. The Seminoles also set season highs for points scored and offensive yards (485).

“It’s just a big weight off my shoulders just to break a long one,” Akers said. “That’s what I’m used to doing. So to be able to come out and break a long one for a touchdown, that’s just a big weight off my shoulders.”

Francois completed 29 of 40 passes and had two touchdown passes, including a 33-yard scoring toss to Nyqwan Murray on fourth down. Francois connected with 11 receivers and had his eighth career 300-yard game in 21 starts.

Murray caught eight passes for 131 yards, both of which are season highs.

Sam Hartman completed 22 of 46 passes for 227 yards for Wake Forest (3-4, 0-3), which ran 104 plays — the most ever against Florida State. Hartman hooked up with Jack Freudenthal on a 9-yard touchdown pass to put Wake Forest ahead 10-0, but the Demon Deacons didn’t score on their next 11 drives until a touchdown drive in the game’s final six minutes.

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NO. 1 ALABAMA 58, TENNESSEE 21

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw touchdown passes to four receivers and No. 1 Alabama started fast again in a 58-21 victory over Tennessee on Saturday.

Alabama (8-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) beat Tennessee (3-4, 1-3) for the 12th straight year and had the highest points total either team has ever recorded in the 101-game history of the series. Alabama is scoring 54.1 points per game.

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NO. 5 LSU 19, NO. 22 MISSISSIPPI STATE 3

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Michael Divinity Jr.’s interception set up Nick Brossette’s short touchdown run, Cole Tracy kicked four field goals, and LSU beat Mississippi State.

White appeared to lower his head as he leveled quarterback Nick Fitzgerald a moment after he released a pass that was intercepted by defensive back Kristian Fulton. The targeting penalty wiped out the turnover, and LSU’s celebrations also drew two flags for unsportsmanlike conduct, resulting in 45 yards in penalties on one play. Safety John Battle’s interception prevented Mississippi State (4-3, 1-3) from scoring on the drive and virtually sealed the result.

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NO. 6 MICHIGAN 21, NO. 24 MICHIGAN STATE 7

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Shea Patterson threw two touchdown passes and Michigan snapped a streak of 17 consecutive losses to ranked teams on the road.

The game was delayed for 1 hour, 15 minutes in the first quarter because of lightning in the area.

The Wolverines (7-1, 5-0 Big Ten) had lost eight of 10 against their in-state rivals and those setbacks have led to them not winning a Big Ten title since 2004.

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APP STATE 27, LA.-LAFAYETTE 17

BOONE (AP) — Darrynton Evans ran for a career-best 183 yards and a touchdown to help Appalachian State get past Louisiana-Lafayette 27-17 on Saturday to maintain a perfect record in Sun Belt Conference play.

Appalachian State (5-1, 3-0) has won five straight since opening the season with a 45-38 loss to then-No. 10 Penn State. The Mountaineers will face Georgia Southern in a conference showdown on Thursday.

The Mountaineers took the lead for good, 17-10, when Zac Thomas passed to Evans from 20 yards out for the score with 2:11 left in the first half.

Marcus Williams Jr. scored on a 6-yard run early in the third and Chandler Staton added a field goal to give Appalachian State a 27-10 lead with 2:46 remaining in the game.

Akeem Davis-Gaither had a career-best 15 tackles with two sacks. The Mountaineers entered the game having held the opposition scoreless in the second half in four straight games.

Trey Ragas ran for 81 yards and a score for ULL (3-4, 1-2) which had won two straight before falling to the Mountaineers.

as (AP) — Kyler Murray threw four touchdown passes, Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon had 100-yard rushing games with scores and Oklahoma rebounded from its only loss this season to beat TCU for the third time in 11 months.

The Sooners (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) won their 18th consecutive true road game, never trailing after scoring touchdowns on each of their first four drives in their first game since losing to Texas two weeks ago.

Brooks ran for 168 yards on 18 carries with an early 21-yard TD. Sermon ran 17 times for 110 yards and scored twice before walking gingerly off the field after being tended to by trainers with about 8 1/2 minutes left. This was a rematch of the Big 12 Conference championship game last December, when Oklahoma won three weeks after beating TCU (3-4, 1-3) in the regular season.

NO. 10 UCF 37, EAST CAROLINA 10

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Darriel Mack Jr. stepped in for Heisman Trophy hopeful McKenzie Milton and rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, and UCF forced five turnovers en route to its 20th straight victory.

Nate Evans returned a fumble 94 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown with 10:07 left, Greg McCrae added a 74-yard TD run and the Knights (7-0, 4-0 American Athletic) turned all those takeaways into 24 points.  UCF — which was outgained 496-427 — went up 20-3 by scoring on four consecutive possessions in the second quarter, then made it a full-fledged rout with those late big plays.

Receiver Quadry Jones threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Killins on a trick play, and Matthew Wright kicked three field goals for the Knights.

With Milton sitting this one out while in full uniform from the sideline, Mack was 12 of 20 for 69 yards but was more dangerous with his legs, rushing 7 yards for an early touchdown.

The Pirates (2-5, 0-4) have lost three straight and four of five.

NO. 14 KENTUCKY 14, VANDERBILT 7

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Benny Snell Jr. rushed for 169 yards, including the go-ahead 7-yard run with 8:04 remaining that helped Kentucky pull away.

The Wildcats (6-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) clinched bowl eligibility for a third consecutive season and stayed in contention in the East division with their third straight victory over the Commodores (3-5, 0-4). But it took linebacker Kash Daniel’s fourth-down forced fumble that Quinton Bohanna recovered at the 20 midway through the fourth quarter to jump-start Kentucky from game-long inconsistency.

Snell took control from there, rushing 10 times for 74 yards on the drive that ended with his ninth TD run. The junior rushed 32 times for his 16th career 100-yard game on a blustery night that Kentucky had to work hard to outgain Vanderbilt 298-284.

NO. 15 WASHINGTON 27, COLORADO 13

SEATTLE (AP) — Jake Browning threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Fuller on fourth down with less than four minutes remaining, and Washington held off Colorado.

Rather than trying for a long field goal, Browning and the offense stayed on the field. Facing a blitz, Browning found Fuller on a quick slant with nothing but the end zone ahead.

Salvon Ahmed and Kamari Pleasant both scored on touchdown runs in the first half for the Huskies (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12). They played without starting running back Myles Gaskin due to a shoulder injury. Washington linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven had 15 tackles and an interception.

Steven Montez threw for 144 yards for Colorado (5-2, 2-2).

NO. 18 PENN STATE 33, INDIANA 28

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Trace McSorley passed for 220 yards, ran for 107 and had a hand in three touchdowns in Penn State’s victory over Indiana.

Penn State (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) rallied to snap a two-game losing streak after Indiana (4-4, 1-4) took a 21-20 lead in the third quarter on Steve Scott’s 3-yard touchdown run.

Johnathan Thomas took the ensuing kickoff back to the Indiana 5, setting up McSorley for the go-ahead touchdown on the next play.

Brandon Wilson partially blocked the extra point, leaving Penn State’s lead at 26-21. Indiana forced Penn State to punt on the Nittany Lions’ next drive, but J-Shun Harris fumbled the punt return and turned the ball over. Five plays later, McSorley nearly walked into the end zone to make it 33-21 lead. Miles Sanders ran for 72 yards and a touchdown.

NO. 19 IOWA 23, MARYLAND 0

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nate Stanley threw for 86 yards and a touchdown for Iowa.

Anthony Nelson added a TD on a fumble recovery for the Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten). They held the Terrapins (4-3, 2-2) to 115 yards and seven first downs on a day when wind gusts topped 40 mph.

After settling for a pair of short field goals, Iowa went into halftime ahead 13-0 after Stanley found Brandon Smith for a 10-yard TD grab — which Smith made with one hand — with eight seconds left in the second quarter. Nelson, a defensive end, made it 23-0 late in the third quarter by falling on a botched handoff from backup quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome in the end zone.

Ivory Kelly-Martin ran for 98 yards for Iowa.

TEMPLE 24, NO. 20 CINCINNATI 17, OT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Anthony Russo threw a tying 20-yard touchdown pass with 49 second left to Brandon Mack, and then a 25-yarder to Isaiah Wright in overtime for Temple.

Russo was 20 for 41 for 237 yards and three touchdowns for the Owls (5-3, 4-0 American). He led a seven-play, 75-yard drive in the closing minutes to tie it.

Cincinnati (6-1, 2-1) got a first down on its first play of overtime, but an errant snap behind quarterback Desmond Ridder left the Bearcats with second-and-21 and a personal foul pushed them even farther back. Ridder’s pass was intercepted by by Shaun Bradley on third-and-36 to end the game.

NO. 23 WISCONSIN 49, ILLINOIS 20

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Jonathan Taylor rushed for 159 yards and Taiwan Deal ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns and Wisconsin took advantage of Illinois’ five first-half turnovers.

Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) has won nine straight against Illinois (3-4, 1-3). The Badgers had three interceptions and recovered two fumbles on the way to building a 28-10 halftime lead. Alex Hornibrook threw three touchdown passes and two interceptions.

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