Hurt comes to the rescue
Backup QB rallies Alabama past Georgia
ATLANTA — In a dramatic twist on last season’s national championship game, Jalen Hurts came off the bench to pass for one TD and run for another in the fourth quarter, rallying No. 1 Alabama to a 35-28 win over No. 4 Georgia in the Southeastern Conference title game Saturday.
QB Tua Tagovailoa had to be helped off the field with just over 11 minutes remaining after one of his linemen stepped on the his right ankle as he tried to throw.
Enter Hurts, who led Alabama to the national title game as a freshman but lost the starting job to Tagovailoa. Hurts guided the Crimson Tide (13-0, No. 1 CFP) to a tying touchdown with a 10-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy.
After Georgia (11-2, No. 4 CFP) was stuffed on a fake punt near midfield, Hurts took matters into his own hands for the winning score. Spotting an opening up the middle, he took off on a 15-yard TD run with 1:04 left.
This was a reversal of the storyline from last season’s national title game, when Tagovailoa replaced Hurts at the start of the second half with Alabama trailing Georgia 13-0. The backup threw three TD passes, including a 41-yarder in OT, that gave the Tide a 26-23 win.
ACC championship
No. 2 CLEMSON 42, PITT 10: In Charlotte, N.C., Travis Etienne ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns, and Trevor Lawrence threw two short scoring passes to Tee Higgins as Clemson became the first team to win four straight ACC championships.
Clemson (13-0, CFP No. 2) ran for 301 yards and four touchdowns and averaged 9 yards per carry against Pitt (7-6).
Big 12 championship
No. 5 OKLAHOMA 39, No. 9 TEXAS 27: In Arlington, Texas, Kyler Murray threw for 379 yards and three TDs as OU (121, No. 5 CFP) won its seventh straight game .
QB Sam Ehlinger accounted for four TDs for Texas (9-4).
Big Ten championship
No. 6 OHIO STATE 45, No. 21 NORTHWESTERN 24: In Indianapolis, Dwayne Haskins added five more touchdown passes to his single-season record as Ohio State held off a charge from Northwestern for its second straight Big Ten championship.
The Buckeyes (12-1, 9-1 Big Ten, No. 6 CFP) won their third title in five years.
AAC championship
No. 7 UCF 56, MEMPHIS 41: In Orlando, Fla., Darriel Mack shrugged off two early turnovers to rush for three TDs and rally UCF (12-0, No. 8 CFP), which has a 25-game win streak.
MWC championship
No. 24 FRESNO STATE 19, No. 19 BOISE STATE 16, OT: In Boise, Idaho, Ronnie Rivers scored on a 1-yard run in OT to lift Fresno State past Boise State in the snowy MWC title game.
Fresno State (11-2, No. 25 CFP) won its first conference title since 2013, beating the Broncos (10-3, No. 22 CFP) on their blue turf for the first time in 10 tries.
C-USA championship
UAB 27, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 25: In Murfreesboro, Tenn., Spencer Brown ran for 156 yards and a TD as UAB won the league title just two years after the program was reinstated.
Sun Belt championship
APPALACHIAN STATE 30, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 19: In Boone, N.C., Zac Thomas had two long TD runs in the Mountaineers’ victory.