Isaiah Horton caught three touchdown passes from Ty Simpson and helped No. 10 Alabama survive a 17-point lead and escape with a 27-20 victory over its rival and host Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide (10-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) not only secured a spot in the SEC championship game against Georgia next Saturday with a dramatic victory, but also likely clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff.
After the Tigers tied the game with 11:43 left, Alabama responded with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock. It ended on a fourth-and-2 conversion when Simpson found Horton again for the game-winning six-yard touchdown. Auburn's ensuing drive went well through midfield before Cam Coleman fumbled at the Crimson Tide 20 and Alabama's Deonta Lawson recovered.
Horton only had five catches for 35 yards, but three of them were touchdowns. Simpson had a season-high 122 yards while completing 19 of 35 passes. Jem Miller had 83 yards on 15 carries before leaving the game with a leg injury. Ashton Daniels was 18 of 39 passing for 259 yards, a touchdown and an interception for Auburn (5-7, 1-7), which finished just shy of bowl eligibility in the win. He also rushed for 108 of the Tigers' 152 yards. Malcolm Simmons had three catches for 143 yards.
#1 Ohio State 27, #15 Michigan 9
Receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate returned from injury and each caught a touchdown, while Bo Jackson rushed for more than 100 yards and the visiting Buckeyes ended the Wolverines' four-game losing streak with a dominant win.
Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) will play No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on Dec. 6. Julian Sayin passed to Smith and Brandon Inniss in the first half as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 17-9 lead. Tate made it 24-9 midway through the third quarter when Sain spotted him opening the scoring at the six-yard line for a 50-yard touchdown. Sain was 19 of 26 for 233 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as the Buckeyes defeated Michigan for the first time since 2019.
Jackson, a freshman, rushed for 117 yards and 49 yards for the Buckeyes. Freshman QB Bryce Underwood was 8 of 18 for 63 yards and had a late interception for Michigan. Kicker Dominic Zwada made 3 of 3 field goal attempts, including a 49-yard field goal in the snow.
Michigan players then remained on the field to guard the large “M” logo at the 50-yard line after last year's fight over an attempt to plant a flag in Columbus resulted in a fine of US$100,000 per program. and even prompted the state government to pass laws.
#5 Texas Tech 49, West Virginia 0
Beren Morton threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half as the Red Raiders used a fast start to earn a berth in the Big 12 Conference championship game for the first time with a victory over the Mountaineers in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Terrence Carter Jr. had 10 receptions for 98 yards, while Caleb Douglas had 127 receiving yards and two touchdown catches in the first half as the Red Raiders (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) won their fifth straight game. Morton completed 25 of 32 passes for 310 yards, and Cameron Dickey rushed for 79 yards with a receiving touchdown.
Scotty Fox Jr. completed 13 of 23 passes for 98 yards and one interception as the Mountaineers (4-8, 2-7) lost their final two games to end their season. For the first time since the 2013 season, West Virginia finished with fewer than five wins.
#6 Oregon 26, Washington 14
Atticus Sappington made all four of his field goals, including a career-high 51-yard kick late in the third quarter, and the Ducks held on for the win over the Huskies in Seattle.
Dante Moore completed 20 of 29 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown and ran for Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten), which ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak. Malik Benson led the Ducks with five receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown.
For Washington (8-4, 5-4), Demond Williams Jr. threw two interceptions and was sacked four times as Oregon's defense pressured him most of the day. He added a pair of touchdown passes to Denzel Boston.
No. Thank you 1, Lyubs 13.
John Mateer threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns and overcame three interceptions to help the Sooners hold on and beat LSU in Norman, Oklahoma.
Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna III 58 yards with 4:16 left and then Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2 SEC) held on in the final minutes to pull away. After Sateña's score, Baryon Brown's 47-yard kickoff return put the Tigers up the middle of the field, but they were unable to find the end zone. The win would likely push the Sooners into the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.
LSU (7-5, 3-5) recorded just 113 passing yards and 85 yards on the ground. It was LSU's lowest offensive output since Nov. 3, 2018, when they gained just 196 yards against then-ranked No. 2 Alabama.
No. 11 BYU 41, UCF 21
The Cougars made a statement by taking advantage of an early 14-0 deficit to defeat the Knights in Provo, Utah.
BYU running back LJ Martin scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier passed for 289 yards on an 84 percent completion percentage, and receiver Parker Kingston threw for two 45-plus-yard touchdowns. Meanwhile, UCF quarterback Taiven Jackson threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns.
Arizona State's loss to Arizona last night cemented BYU's spot in next week's Big 12 Championship game against Texas Tech, giving the Cougars a chance to avenge their only loss.
#12 Miami 38, #22 Pitt 7
Malachi Toney threw a touchdown and caught another, gaining 156 yards from scrimmage and leading the Hurricanes to a dominant victory over the Panthers in Pittsburgh.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck completed 23 of 29 passes for 267 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2 ACC) finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak.
Pitt quarterback Mason Heinchel completed 22 of 32 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Heinshel threw his only touchdown pass to Justin Holmes with 14:20 left in the second quarter, giving the Panthers their only lead of the game at 7-3.
#14 Vanderbilt 45, #19 Tennessee 24
Cedric Alexander threw three touchdowns as the Commodores earned a road win over the Volunteers in SEC play from Knoxville, Tennessee.
Vanderbilt beat Tennessee 582-382 in the 119th-ever matchup between the schools – and it was the first meeting in which both teams were scored. Diego Pavia went 18 of 28 for 268 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Commodores (10-2, 6-2 SEC), while adding 20 carries for 165 yards and a score. Alexander rushed 10 times for 115 yards, helping Vanderbilt average a team-high 8.5 yards per carry.
Joey Aguilar rushed for 299 of 44 yards and a touchdown for Tennessee (8-4, 4-4). DeShawn Bishop boosted the Volunteers' ground game with 20 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
#17 Southern California 29, UCLA 10
Jayden Maiava scored both of his second-half touchdowns to lead the Trojans' comeback win over the rival Bruins in Los Angeles.
After King Miller scored five yards on the game's first drive, USC (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten Conference) failed to score on four straight possessions (including two missed field goals). The Trojans finally broke through just before the end of the third quarter when Maiava found Makai Lemon for the only time in the contest, but for their 11th touchdown of the season, on a 32-yard bomb and a 14-10 USC lead.
USC, which had won four of its last five, struck again on its next possession when Maiava hit Lake Macri at the goal line to extend their lead to 21-10. UCLA (3-9, 3-6), which scored on a pair of long, labor-intensive drives in the second quarter, saw its second-half possessions end with three straight punts and a turnover on downs before another fumble on downs effectively sealed the USC win.
#18 Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 7
J'Mari Taylor rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown and also picked up a pass to help the host Cavaliers to an easy win over the Hokies in an Atlantic Coast Conference game in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Chandler Morris completed 21 of 35 passes for 182 yards and added a rushing score for the Cavaliers (10-2, 7-1), who will play in the ACC championship game Dec. 6 against Duke, a 49-32 winner at Wake Forest on Saturday.
Sage Ennis caught a touchdown as Virginia defeated the Hokies for just the third time in the last 25 meetings. The remaining victories came in 2003 and 2019. Shamarius Peterkin turned a short pass from Kyron Drones into a 57-yard touchdown with less than five minutes to play to keep the Hokies (3-9, 2-6) from closing.
Kal 38, No. 21 SMU 35
Kendrick Rafael scored on a 2-yard run with 43 seconds left as the Golden Bears, in interim coach Nick Rolovich's debut, stunned the Mustangs in Berkeley, Calif., denying SMU a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
TJ Harden's one-yard plunge with 2:22 remaining capped SMU's streak of touchdowns on four consecutive second-half possessions for a 35-31 lead, putting the Mustangs (8-4, 6-2 ACC) in the driver's seat to face Virginia for the ACC title next Saturday.
But freshman quarterback Jaron-Kia Sagapolutele, who threw for four touchdowns, completed five straight passes to quickly put the Golden Bears (7-5, 4-4) in scoring position. Rafael then capped the night with a 111-yard rushing performance of his own that barely cleared the flat of the goal line. SMU had a chance to force overtime, but Sam Keltner missed from 52 yards on a potential game-tying field goal with three seconds remaining.
No24 Tulane 27, Charlotte 0
The Green Wave did their damage early, finding gains on their first two drives, and clinched a spot in the American Conference title game by eliminating the 49ers in New Orleans, Louisiana.
With the win, the Green Wave (10-2, 7-1) earned the right to host North Texas next Friday night for the college football championship in the first meeting between the teams this season.
Tulane's Jake Retzlaff was 28 of 38 for 291 yards and two interceptions, but quickly scored two scores. Anthony Brown-Stevens had nine catches for 98 yards. Jamauri McClure rushed for 69 yards on 11 carries. For Charlotte (1-11, 0-8), Grayson Loftis completed 18 of 25 passes for 140 yards and an interception.
