No. 3 Georgia dominates 2nd half, beats No. 14 Vols, 44-21
ATHENS, Ga. — Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and No. 3 Georgia bounced back from Tennessee’s goal-line stand on the final play of the first half, dominating the final 30 minutes to beat the 14th-ranked Volunteers, 44-21, Saturday.
The Bulldogs (3-0) knocked off a ranked Southeastern Conference team for the second week in a row, shaking off a a 21-17 deficit to completely wipe out the Volunteers over the final two quarters.
Showing it’s still not ready to compete with the league’s top programs, Tennessee (2-1) turned it over three times and managed just 71 yards total offense in the second half.
Fittingly, Justin Guarantano was sacked on the final play of the game.
Bennett ran for a 10-yard touchdown in the first half, hooked up with Kearis Jackson on a 21-yard scoring pass in the final minute of the third quarter, and sealed the victory with a 1-yard TD flip to 305-pound nose tackle Jalen Carter, who was supposedly in the game as an extra blocker.
For good measure, Monty Rice stripped the ball away from Guarantano, scooped up the loose ball and ran 20 yards for a fitting epitaph to Georgia’s defensive dominance as darkness fell over Athens.
Bennett, the former walkon making his second straight start, completed 16 of 27 for 238 yards. Jackson hauled in four passes for 91 yards. Zamir White added a 1-yard scoring run.
Missouri 45, LSU 41
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Connor
Bazelak threw for 406 yards and four touchdowns, and Missouri’s maligned defense stopped No. 17 LSU four times at the 1-yard line in the final minute, allowing the Tigers to escape with a victory in a shootout moved from Baton Rouge, La., because of Hurricane Delta.
Larry Rountree added 119 yards rushing and Tyler Badie scored touchdowns on the ground and through the air for Mizzou (1-2), which gave new coach Eli Drinkwitz his first win in thrilling fashion at Faurot Field.
LSU had taken a 41-38 lead when Cade York hit a 51-yard field goal on the final play of the third quarter. But when York tried to extend the lead midway through the fourth, his 45-yarder was blocked, and Missouri needed just four plays — the big one a 69-yard pass to Chance Luper — before Bazelak hit Nico Hea with the go-ahead touchdown with 5:18 to go.
Myles Brennan, who threw for 430 yards and four TDs, quickly moved LSU the other direction. Terrace Marshall Jr. had four catches on the drive, the last a completion to the 1-yard line with 44 seconds left. But after Tyrion Davis-Price was stuffed twice up the middle, Missouri batted down two straight passes to preserve the upset.
The defending national champions, who were 0 for 10 on third
down, fell to 1-2 for the first time since 1994.
Marshall finished with 11 catches for 235 yards and three scores. Arik Gilbert added six catches for 97 yards and a TD.
The game was tied 24-all at halftime.
South Carolina 41, Vanderbilt 7
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Collin Hill ran for two touchdowns and Kevin Harris ran for two TDs and a careerhigh 171 yards as the South Carolina Gamecocks pounded Vanderbilt for their first victory of the season.
The Gamecocks (1-2) won their 12th straight in this series by dominating Vanderbilt 486-249 in total offense and three sacks on a rainy day. South Carolina had more yards rushing (290) than the Commodores had total yards.
Sophomore running back Harris had himself a day. He ran for a 25-yard TD early in the third, and he added a career-long 88-yarder early in the fourth.
Vanderbilt (0-3) remains winless after having 56 scholarship players available for this game, just three above the limit set by the Southeastern Conference for a team to play a game.
Parker White kicked a pair of field goals, including a 43-yarder that gave the Gamecocks the lead for good in the first quarter.