It’s bombs away for Jones, Tide
Mac Jones launched his first pass far to John Metchie III for a 78-yard touchdown. It was most definitely a sign of things to come.
Jones passed for a career-high 435 yards and four touchdowns, including a pair of deep throws to Metchie and an even longer one to Jaylen Waddle, and No. 2 Alabama romped past No. 13 Texas A&M 52-24 on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.
Briefly threatened early, Jones and the Crimson Tide (2-0) flexed their considerable big-play muscle in the passing game to put away the Aggies (1-1).
For a team once known for running the ball, Bama aired it out.
Metchie looked like the Tide’s latest major receiving threat, alongside Waddle and DeVonta Smith.
Jones topped that initial score with an 87yard touchdown to Waddle, who had sprinted past two Aggies defenders to make the grab with nothing but green in between himself and the end zone. Metchie and Jones hooked up for a 63-yarder in the fourth, giving the sophomore five catches for 181 yards.
Waddle said the emerging receiver possesses “sneaky speed.”
“He got to showcase that today,” he said. Jones finished 19-for-26 passing for a second consecutive surgically precise performance marred by one interception off a deflection.
TCU 33, Texas 31
Quarterback Max Duggan ran for the go-ahead score with four minutes left and the defense made it stand with a goal-line fumble recovery as the visiting Horned Frogs stunned the No. 9 Longhorns in a game that had 26 penalties and ended when TCU took a safety as time ran out.
Texas looked primed for its second consecutive fourth-quarter comeback when Sam Ehlinger connected on a 52-yard pass to Keontay Ingram to put the Longhorns in scoring position. But Ingram fumbled on the TCU 1 with 2:32 to play.
Darwin Barlow ran nine yards to pick up a big first down for the Horned Frogs. Duggan then took a deep snap all the way to the back of the end zone to run out the final six seconds.
Arkansas 21, Mississippi State 14
Feleipe Franks threw two touchdown passes and Arkansas intercepted K.J. Costello three times as the visiting Razorbacks broke a 20-game SEC losing streak by upsetting the No. 16 Bulldogs.
A week after a record-breaking and stunning upset against LSU, the Bulldogs and new coach Mike Leach hardly looked like the same team. Costello was 43-for-59 for 313 yards and one touchdown.
Clemson 41, Virginia 23
Trevor Lawrence threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns, two to Amari Rodgers, and No. 1 Clemson started 3-0 for the sixth consecutive season with a 41-23 victory over the visiting Cavaliers.
The Tigers looked a bit sluggish after a week off, but heated up when offensive stars Lawrence, Rodgers and tailback Travis Etienne got rolling. Clemson was up just 3-0 late in the first quarter when Etienne went for a 16-yard scoring run — nearly losing his balance after a couple of hits before powering into the end zone. Lawrence and Rodgers opened things up with a pair of scoring passes in the final six minutes before halftime.
Iowa State 37, Oklahoma 30
Breece Hall scored the go-ahead touchdown on an eight-yard run with 4:06 left and Isheem Young intercepted Spencer Rattler in the end zone on the No. 18 Sooners’ final drive, giving host the host Cyclones their first win over Oklahoma in Ames since 1960.
The Sooners, beaten at home by Kansas State last week, lost back-to-back regularseason games for the first time since 1999.
The Cyclones wore down the Sooners with the running of Hall, who rushed for 139 yards. Brock Purdy passed for 254 yards and ran for a two-yard touchdown to tie it at 30.
Florida 38, South Carolina 24
Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts hooked up for two more touchdowns, leading the No. 3 Gators past the visiting Gamecocks.
Trask completed 21 of 29 passes for 268 yards, with four touchdowns and an interception. His second-quarter fumble kept South Carolina in the game early.
LSU 41, Vanderbilt 7
Myles Brennan threw for 337 yards and four touchdowns to lead the visiting No. 20 Tigers. The defending national champs never trailed after losing their season opener last week to Mississippi State. LSU also extended its winning streak over the Commodores to nine in a series it leads 24-7-1.