Georgia QBs deliver big vs. Mizzou
With Missouri gearing its defense to stop the run, Georgia relied on big plays in a passing game that was boosted by the return of quarterback JT Daniels.
Stetson Bennett passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns before giving way to Daniels, the former starter, leading the Bulldogs to a 43-6 win over Missouri on Saturday.
The game opened new questions for Georgia, No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings, at quarterback while affirming the Bulldogs’ season-long defensive dominance. Missouri was held to 273 total yards in Georgia’s seventh game of the season allowing no more than 10 points.
The Bulldogs completed four passes of 31 yards or longer and seven for at least 15 yards. Wide receivers Jermaine Burton, who had a 47-yarder, and Arian Smith, who had a 35-yard scoring catch from Bennett, have returned from injuries to boost the unit’s depth.
As usual, Georgia’s defense led the way. The Bulldogs began the day leading the nation with 6.6 points allowed per game. Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Travon Walker had sacks.
Georgia (9-0, 7-0 SEC) scored 40 straight points after Missouri’s early 3-0 lead. Still, coach Kirby Smith wasn’t satisfied, calling the overall performance “subpar” and noting the modest rushing total of 168 yards.
Daniels opened the season as Georgia’s starter before missing more than a month with a lat injury. He came off the sideline midway through the third quarter.
Missouri fell to 4-5, 1-4.
Buckeyes hold off Huskers: C.J. Stroud threw for 405 yards and two TDs and Ohio State’s defense came up with a pair of big stops as the fifth-ranked Buckeyes earned a 26-17 road win.
The Buckeyes’ nation-leading offense managed only two FGs in the second half, allowing the Cornhuskers to make it a one-score game until Noah Ruggles kicked a 46-yard FG with 1:29 left.
Ohio State (8-1, 6-0 Big Ten) won its 24th straight game against a conference opponent.
Bearcats still streaking: Desmond Ridder threw for 274 yards and two TDs and No. 6 Cincinnati held off Tulsa 28-20.
Alec Peirce had five catches for 113 yards and a TD to help the Bearcats (9-0, 5-0 American Athletic) extend the nation’s second-longest home winning streak to 25 games.
When Tulsa was stopped short on fourth down at the 4, it appeared the Bearcats would just run out the clock. But Ridder fumbled on a sneak, giving the Golden Hurricane life. On fourth-andgoal from the 1, Steven Anderson fumbled as he was reaching for the goal line.
Defensive score lifts Aggies: Micheal Clemons scored the game’s only TD on a 24-yard fumble return early in the fourth quarter, and No. 14 Texas A&M beat No. 13 Auburn 20-3.
Clemons’ scoop-and-score came after defensive tackle Jayden Peevy poked the ball away from scrambling Auburn QB Bo Nix. Clemons, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end, picked up the ball and sprinted to the end zone, diving to the ground after he crossed the goal line.
Texas A&M improved to 7-2 and 4-2 in the SEC.
Ole Miss gives Freeze cold shoulder: Matt Corral threw for 324 yards and a TD to help No. 16 Mississippi beat former coach Hugh Freeze with a 27-14 victory over visiting Liberty.
The Rebels (7-2) raced to a 24-0 halftime lead, highlighted by an early 70-yard TD run by Jerrion Ealy.
Freeze coached the Rebels from 201216 before being resigning amid scandal.
Ole Miss officials apologized for since-deleted tweets from the team’s official Twitter account that mocked Freeze.
Extra points: Spencer Sanders threw a pair of TD passes to Tay Martion, No. 11 Oklahoma State had eight sacks and the Cowboys beat host West Virginia 24-3. Oklahoma State (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) has won seven straight over the Mountaineers . ... Chandler Morris threw for 461 yards and two TDs in his first start for TCU and the Horned Frogs beat Baylor in their first game without longtime coach Gary Patterson on the sideline since 1997. No. 12 Baylor fell to 7-2 and 4-2 in the Big 12 . ... Graham Mertz threw a seasonhigh three TD passes and No. 21 Wisconsin won its fifth straight game and become bowl eligible for the 20th straight year with a 52-3 road victory over Rutgers. CB Caesar Williams highlighted a dominant performance by the Badgers’ top-ranked defense by returning an INT 29 yards for a TD. Coupled with No. 20 Minnesota’s loss to Illinois, Wisconsin (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) will have a share of first place in the league’s West Division after opening the season 1-3, its worst since 1990 . ... Texas A&M got a commitment from DT Walter Nolen, ESPN’s No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2022 class. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound Nolen, who’s from Powell, Tennessee, is the first No. 1 commit for coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff since joining Texas A&M.