Isaiah Horton caught three touchdown passes from Ty Simpson to help No. 10 Alabama survive blowing a 17-point lead to escape with a 27-20 victory over rival and host Auburn in the Iron Bowl on Saturday night.
The Crimson Tide (10-2, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) not only clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia next Saturday with a dramatic victory, but they also likely clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff.
After the Tigers tied the game with 11:43 remaining, Alabama responded with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock. It ended with a fourth-and-2 conversion when Simpson found Horton once again for what became the game-winning 6-yard touchdown. Auburn’s ensuing drive moved well to midfield before Cam Coleman fumbled at the Crimson Tide 20 and Alabama’s Deontae Lawson recovered.
Horton only had five catches for 35 yards, but three of them were touchdowns. Simpson passed for a game-high 122 yards, completing 19 of 35 passes. Jam Miller had 83 rushing yards on 15 carries before leaving the game with a leg injury. Ashton Daniels completed 18 of 39 passes for 259 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Auburn (5-7, 1-7), finishing one win away from bowl eligibility. He also ran for 108 of the Tigers’ 152 rushing yards. Malcolm Simmons had three catches for 143 yards.
No. 1 Ohio State 27, No. 15 Michigan 9
Receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate returned from injuries and each had a touchdown, while Bo Jackson ran for more than 100 yards as the visiting Buckeyes ended a four-game losing streak against the Wolverines with a dominant victory.
Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) faces No. 2 Indiana in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on Dec. 6. Julian Sayin threw first-half touchdown passes to Smith and Brandon Inniss as the Buckeyes rallied to take a 17-9 lead. Tate made it 24-9 midway through the third quarter when Sayin spotted him open at the 6-yard line for a 50-yard touchdown. Sayin was 19 of 26 for 233 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as the Buckeyes beat Michigan for the first time since 2019.
Jackson, a freshman, rushed for 117 yards and had 49 receiving yards for the Buckeyes. Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood was 8 of 18 for 63 yards and a late interception for Michigan. Kicker Dominic Zvada made 3 of 3 field goal attempts, including a 49-yarder in snow flurries.
No. 5 Texas Tech 49, West Virginia 0
Behren Morton threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half as the Red Raiders used a fast start to earn a spot in the Big 12 Conference championship game for the first time with a victory over the Mountaineers in Morgantown, W.Va.
Terrance Carter Jr. had 10 receptions for 98 yards, while Caleb Douglas had 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns 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 totaled 79 yards rushing with a receiving touchdown.
Scotty Fox Jr. completed 13 of 23 passes for 98 yards and an interception as the Mountaineers (4-8, 2-7) lost their final two games to end their season. It was the first time since the 2013 season that West Virginia finished with fewer than five wins.
No. 6 Oregon 26, Washington 14
Atticus Sappington made all four of his field goals, including a career-long 51-yard kick late in the third quarter, and the Ducks held on for a victory against the Huskies in Seattle.
Dante Moore completed 20 of 29 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score for Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten), which finished 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 the Oregon defense pressured him for much of the afternoon. He added a pair of touchdown passes to Denzel Boston.
#8 Oklaha 3, ends 6
John Mateer threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns, overcoming three interceptions to help the Sooner hold on to beat LSU in Norman, Oklahoma.
Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna III for a 58-yard touchdown with just 4:16 left, then Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2 SEC) held on in the final minutes to escape. After Sategna’s score, a 47-yard kick return by Barion Brown brought the Tigers to midfield, but they were unable to find the end zone. This win likely puts the Sooners in the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.
LSU (7-5, 3-5) recorded just 113 passing yards and 85 rushing yards. It was LSU’s lowest offensive production since Nov. 3, 2018, when they mustered just 196 total yards against then-No. 2Alabama.
No. 11 BYU 41, UCF 21
The Cougars made a statement, recovering from an early 14-0 deficit to beat the Knights in Provo, Utah.
BYU running back LJ Martin rushed for three touchdowns. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier passed for 289 yards with an 84 percent completion percentage, and wide receiver Parker Kingston had two touchdowns of over 45 yards. Meanwhile, UCF quarterback Tayven Jackson threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns.
Arizona State’s loss to Arizona last night solidified BYU’s spot in next week’s Big 12 championship game against Texas Tech, giving the Cougars a chance to avenge their only loss.
No. 12 Miami 38, No. 22 Pitt 7
Malachi Toney threw a touchdown pass and caught another while amassing 156 yards from scrimmage to lead 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 their regular season on a four-game winning streak.
Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel completed 22 of 32 passes for 199 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Heintschel threw his only touchdown pass to Justin Holmes with 14:20 left in the second quarter to give the Panthers their only lead of the game at 7-3.
No. 14 Vanderbilt 45, No. 19 Tennessee 24
Sedrick Alexander ran for three touchdowns as the Commodores earned a road victory over the Volunteers in SEC action in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Vanderbilt beat Tennessee 582-382 in the 119th all-time game between the schools — and the first-ever meeting where both teams were ranked. 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 8.5 yards per carry as a team.
Joey Aguilar completed 29 of 44 for 299 yards and a touchdown for Tennessee (8-4, 4-4). DeSean Bishop fueled the Volunteers’ ground game with 20 carries for 97 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 17 Southern California 29, UCLA 10
Jayden Maiava threw his two touchdown passes in the second half to lead the Trojans’ victory over their rival Bruins in Los Angeles.
After King Miller ran for a 5-yard score 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 on their 11th touchdown of the season, on a 32-yard bomb for a 14-10 USC lead.
USC, which has won four of its last five games, struck again on its next possession when Maiava hit Lake McRee on a goal-line touchdown that increased its lead to 21-10. UCLA (3-9, 3-6), which scored on two long drives in the second quarter, saw its second-half possessions end with three consecutive punts and a turnover on downs before another turnover on downs effectively sealed the victory for USC.
No. 18 Virginia 27, Virginia Tech 7
J’Mari Taylor ran for 80 yards and a touchdown and also had a score to help the host Cavaliers earn an easy victory over the Hokies in the 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 over Wake Forest on Saturday.
Sage Ennis caught a touchdown pass as Virginia beat the Hokies for just the third time in the last 25 meetings. The other wins came in 2003 and 2019. Shamarius Peterkin turned a short pass from Kyron Drones into a 57-yard touchdown with less than five minutes left to prevent the Hokies (3-9, 2-6) from being shut out.
Cal 38, No. 21 SMU 35
Kendrick Raphael scored on a 2-yard run with 43 seconds left as the Golden Bears, in the debut of interim coach Nick Rolovich, stunned the Mustangs in Berkeley, Calif., denying SMU a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
A 1-yard plunge by TJ Harden with 2:22 remaining capped SMU’s touchdown run on four straight second-half possessions for a 35-31 lead, putting the Mustangs (8-4, 6-2 ACC) in the driver’s seat for a shot at Virginia for the ACC title next Saturday.
But freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who threw four touchdowns, completed five straight passes to quickly move the Golden Bears (7-5, 4-4) into scoring position. Raphaël then capped a night of 111 rushing yards with his run that barely crossed the plane of the goal line. SMU had a chance to force overtime, but Sam Keltner missed wide right from 52 yards out on a potential game-tying field goal with three seconds left.
No. 24 Tulane 27, Charlotte 0
The Green Wave did damage early by finding dirt on its first two drives, securing a spot in the Conference USA title game by shutting out the 49ers in New Orleans, Louisiana.
With the victory, the Green Wave (10-2, 7-1) earned the right to host North Texas next Friday night in the U.S. 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 rushed for two scores. Anthony Brown-Stephens had nine catches for 98 yards. Jamauri McClure ran for 69 yards on 11 carries. For Charlotte (1-11, 0-8), Grayson Loftis completed 18 of 25 passes for 140 yards with one interception.
–Field level media
