No. 1 Alabama, Tagovailoa dominate against No. 4 LSU

Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdown passes and ran 44 yards for a score in his toughest test this season, visiting Alabama’s defense stifled No. 4 LSU, and the topranked Crimson Tide remained unbeaten with a 29-0 victory Saturday night.

Tagovailoa took the field wearing a brace on his right knee, threw his first interception of the season late in the first half and also played into the fourth quarter for the first time this season. He was 25-of-42 passing for 295 yards and moved as well as he needed to, particularly when he sprinted up the middle on his TD run in the third quarter to give Alabama (9-0, 6-0 SEC) a 22-0 lead.

LSU (7-2, 4-2) entered with a chance to take control of the SEC Western Division with a victory, but that began to look less likely with every possession.

Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow completed 18 of 35 passes for 184 yards. He was sacked five times and threw an interception in the end zone late by linebacker Mack Wilson.

Alabama finished with a 576-196 advantage in total yards and spent 35:18 in possession of the ball. #2 Clemson 77, Louisville 16: Travis Etienne ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns and 350-pound defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence added a 2-yard scoring burst as the host Tigers (6-0 ACC) improved to 9-0 for the third time in four seasons by beating the Cardinals (2-7, 0-6). #3 Notre Dame 31, Northwestern 21: Ian Book threw two touchdown passes and ran 23 yards for a score in the closing minutes to lead the visiting Irish (9-0), who remained in line for a College Football Playoff spot. The Wildcats (5-4) had won four in a row to grab the Big Ten West lead.

#5 Michigan 42, #14 Penn State 7: Shea Patterson accounted for three touchdowns and the host Wolverines (8-1, 6-0 Big Ten) moved a step closer to their goals of winning a conference championship for the first time since 2004 and earning their first spot in the playoffs. The Nittany Lions (6-3, 3-3) scored with 1:59 left to avoid getting shut out for the first time since 2001 against Michigan.

#6 Georgia 34, #11 Kentucky 17: D’Andre Swift ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries against the Wildcats’ vaunted defense and the visiting Bulldogs (8-1, 6-1) wrapped up their second straight SEC East title. Kentucky (7-2, 5-2) hadn’t allowed anyone to exceed 20 points all year.

#7 Oklahoma 51, Texas Tech 46: Kyler Murray recovered from two early interceptions that led to a two-touchdown deficit, throwing for 360 yards and three TDs and running for 100 yards and another score to rally the visiting Sooners (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) past the Red Raiders (5-4, 3-3).

#8 Ohio State 36, Nebraska 31: J.K. Dobbins ran for three touchdowns and Dwayne Haskins Jr. passed for two more scores to help the host Buckeyes (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) win for the first time in three weeks. Adrian Martinez threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two scores for the Cornhuskers (2-7, 1-5).

#12 West Virginia 42, #15 Texas 41: Will Grier threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Gary Jennings with 16 seconds left, then ran in the two-point conversion to give the visiting Mountaineers (7-1, 5-1 Big 12) a win over the Longhorns (6-3, 4-2). Missouri 38, #13 Florida 17: Drew Lock picked apart the Gators’ defense for the second straight year, throwing three touchdown passes to lead the visiting Tigers (5-4, 1-4 SEC) past Florida (6-3, 4-3). Lock completed 24 of 32 passes for 250 yards. Florida coach Dan Mullen benched quarterback Feleipe Franks late in the third quarter — the home crowd cheered wildly — and backup Kyle Trask promptly directed a 75-yard touchdown drive on which he converted two fourth downs.

SMU 45, #17 Houston 31: Ben Hicks threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns and the host Mustangs (4-5, 3-2 American) beat the Cougars (7-2, 4-1), the second time in three years SMU has defeated at ranked Houston squad.

Purdue 38, #19 Iowa 36: Spencer Evans made a 25-yard field goal with eight seconds left as the host Boilermakers (5-4, 4-2 Big Ten) beat the Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-3). With its fifth win in six games, including three against ranked teams, Purdue moved within one game of West Division leader Northwestern.

#21 Mississippi State 45, Louisiana Tech 3: Nick Fitzgerald threw for 243 yards and four touchdowns and the host Bulldogs (6-3) trounced Louisiana Tech (6-3).

#22 Syracuse 41, Wake Forest 24: Eric Dungey — whose average of 294.1 total yards per game ranks second in the ACC — was 23 of 35 passing for 157 yards and also ran for 119 yards, including a 26-yard score, to help the visiting Orange (7-2, 4-2) beat the Demon Deacons (4-5, 1-4). It was Syracuse’s first win as a Top 25 team since 2001.

#24 Boston College 31, Virginia Tech 21: Travis Levy ran for two touchdowns and the visiting Eagles (7-2, 4-1 ACC) limited the Hokies (4-4, 3-2) to 32 yards in the third quarter and erased a 14-7 deficit with 21 straight points after halftime.

Auburn 28, #25 Texas A&M 24: Seth Williams caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Stidham with 1:41 left and the host Tigers (6-3, 3-3 SEC) rallied with a 14-point outburst over the final 5:14 to beat the Aggies (5-4, 3-3).

JUNIOR COLLEGES

CCSF 62, Santa Rosa 14: The Rams (7-2, 3-1 Bay 6) remained in contention for a conference title with strong performances from DeShawn Collins (168 rushing yards, two touchdowns), Frank Hall (146 yards receiving, TD) and Jack Newman (257 yards passing, two touchdowns). CCSF returned three interceptions for touchdowns against visiting Santa Rosa (5-4, 2-2). CCSF visits San Mateo (7-2, 4-0) on Saturday in the Bay 6 finale with a share of the conference title at stake.