No. 1 Georgia rolls to playoffs
With all sorts of turmoil behind them in the rankings, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs left no doubt about the top team heading into the College Football Playoff, dismantling No. 11 LSU, 50-30, in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday in Atlanta.
Stetson Bennett’s threw a season-high four touchdown passes in another stellar postseason performance, while Christopher Smith gave the Bulldogs an early spark with a heads-up play that turned a seemingly harmless blocked field goal into a 96yard TD.
Not that any fortuitous breaks were needed, but Georgia (13-0, No. 1 CFP) caught a big one when a deflected pass bounced off an LSU receiver’s helmet and wound up being picked off by the Bulldogs, setting up a score that contributed to a 35-10 lead by halftime.
LSU’s hopes of denying the reigning national champs for 154 yards in the game. The Toledo offense held the Bobcats to 262 yards of total offense. The win gave the Rockets an 8-5 overall record, 5-3 in the MAC, and dropped to Ohio to 9-4, 7-1.
American Athletic Conference: Tulane survived in a wild finish with Central Florida that ended in a 45-28 win. The teams combined for 35 points in the fourth quarter with the Blue Wave (11-2) getting the last two touchdowns on a 60-yard pass from Shae Wyatt to Michael Pratt and an 18-yard run by Pratt. UCF fell to 9-4.
Mountain West Conference: Fresno State scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to wrap up a 28-16 win against Boise State. The Bulldogs (9-4) made it 21-9 on Zane Pope’s 22-yard scoring pass to Jake Haener and increased the lead to 28-9 five minutes later on Jordan Mims’ 3-yard TD run. The Broncos (9-4) finished the scoring with a 52-yard pass from Davis Koetter to Taylen Green.