Auburn rolls over top-ranked Tide
No. 6 Tigers set up SEC championship clash with No. 7 Georgia
Jarrett Stidham and No. 6 Auburn dominated top-ranked Alabama, 26-14, Saturday, earning a berth in next week’s Southeastern Conference title game.
The Tigers quarterback passed for 237 yards and ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown to set up a rematch with No. 7 Georgia in the SEC championship game Dec. 2 with a playoff spot almost certainly on the line.
Auburn (10-2, 7-1 SEC) mostly shut down the league’s top scoring offense for their second win in three weeks over the top team in the playoff rankings. They won the Western Division a week after dispatching the Bulldogs with similar precision.
The Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1) made a rare assortment of mistakes for a team that had appeared to be headed toward a shot at a fourth consecutive SEC title and playoff berth.
Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson delivered a jump pass for a touchdown and ran 30 times for 104 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injury,
Tigers coach Gus Malzahn said after the game Johnson has “a shoulder issue.”
The SEC’s leading rusher crumpled to the ground after a carry and walked off the field holding his right arm close to his body with a towel draped over his head. Fans chanted, “Kerryon.”
Auburn fans stormed the field after the final play, creating a scene similar to 2013 when the fourth-ranked Tigers beat No. 1 Alabama on a last-play, 109-yard return of a missed field goal.
With No. 2 Miami losing Friday night to Pittsburgh, it’s the first time the top two teams in the AP poll have fallen on the same regular-season weekend since Nov. 17, 2012.
NO. 3 CLEMSON 34, SOUTH CAROLINA 10: Kelly Bryant threw two touchdowns to Hunter Renfrow and No. 4 Clemson kept on track for a third straight trip to the College Football Playoff with a victory over rival South Carolina.
The Tigers (11-1) won their fourth straight game in the Palmetto State's most cared-about sporting event, tying their second-longest run of dominance in the series.
NO. 4 OKLAHOMA 59, WEST VIRGINIA 31: Baker Mayfield threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns after being punished for directing a lewd gesture toward the Kansas bench last week, and the host Sooners (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) routed the Mountaineers (7-5, 5-4). Mayfield was stripped of his captaincy and starting job for the game, his final home game as a Sooner.
NO. 5 WISCONSIN 31, MINNESOTA 0: Alex Hornibrook threw three touchdown passes without an interception and the Badgers (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) overwhelmed the host Gophers (5-7, 2-7).
NO. 7 GEORGIA 38, GEORGIA TECH 7: Sony Michel ran for 85 yards and a touchdown, Jake Fromm threw two touchdown passes and the visiting Bulldogs (11-1) protected its playoff hopes with a win over the Yellow Jackets (5-6).
NO. 9 OHIO STATE 31, MICHIGAN 20: Dwyane Haskins replaced injured star J.T. Barrett and led the visiting Buckeyes (10-2, 8-1 Big Ten) from behind to beat the Wolverines (8-4, 5-4) for their sixth straight win in a rivalry they’ve dominated no matter who’s under center.
Barrett was warming up on the sideline before kickoff when he said an unidentified male made accidental contact with his right leg, aggravating a knee injury he has played through all season.
NO. 16 MICHIGAN STATE 40, RUTGERS 7: Brian Lewerke threw for a touchdown and ran for another and the visiting Spartans (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) held the ball for more than 47 minutes in defeating the Scarlet Knights (4-8, 3-6).
NO. 19 OKLAHOMA STATE 58, KANSAS 17: Mason Rudolph passed for 438 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores in his final home game to lead the Cowboys (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) past the Jayhawks (1-11, 0-9).
NO. 20 MEMPHIS 70, EAST CAROLINA 13: The host Tigers (10-1, 7-1 American Athletic Conference) dominated the Pirates (3-9, 2-6) and will face No. 15 Central Florida in Saturday’s conference championship.
NO. 22 NORTHWESTERN 42, ILLINOIS 17: Justin Jackson ran for 144 yards and a touchdown and the visiting Wildcats (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) won their seventh straight, beating the Illini (2-10).
FRESNO STATE 28, NO. 23 BOISE STATE 17: The host Bulldogs (9-3, 7-1) beat the Broncos (9-3, 7-1) for the first time since December 2004.