No. 1 Alabama rolls past Arkansas, 52-3
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. » DeVonta Smith returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown as No. 1 Alabama scored 28 points in a span of 11 minutes in the first half and rolled past Arkansas 52-3 on Saturday.
After the teams traded field goals, Smith started the Crimson Tide (10-0, CFP No. 1) spree. Najee Harris scored touchdowns 14 seconds apart and a final plunge from 1 yard by Brian Robinson Jr. had Alabama cruising toward the Southeastern Conference championship game next week against No. 6 Florida.
It was an otherwise quiet day for Smith, with three catches for 22 yards, but the receiver bolstered his surging case for Heisman Trophy consideration on one play.
Crimson Tide defenders racked up eight sacks, the fifth of which resulted in a fumble by quarterback Feliepe Franks that was was recovered by DJ Dale at the Razorbacks 4. Harris scored on the next play.
Alabama allowed just 188 yards and kept Arkansas (37) from registering a first down during a streak of seven straight possessions from the first quarter to the third. NO.12GEORGIA49,MISSOURI14» JT Daniels threw three touchdown passes, two to George Pickens, and Georgia routed Missouri.
Zamir White ran for 126 yards and a score for Georgia (7-2). Missouri (5-4) managed just 200 yards of offense after topping the 600-yard mark each of the past two weeks.
The game was tied at 14 when Pickens reached to his shoe tops to gather in a 36-yard touchdown toss from Daniels in the final minute of the first half. The pair connected again on the first drive of the second half, with Pickens catching a short pass on a slant route, stepping out of a tackle attempt and racing 31 yards for a score.
Daniels completed 16 of 27 passes for 299 yards. Pickens caught five passes for 126 yards and James Cook caught a TD pass and ran for a score.
NO. 15 NORTHWESTERN 28, ILLINOIS 10 » Cam Porter ran for a career-high 142 yards and two touchdowns, Evan Hull added a season-best 149 yards on the ground, and Northwestern tuned up for the Big Ten championship game by beating Illinois.
Porter came in with just 32 yards and one TD. But the freshman broke out in a big way, leading the Wildcats (6-1, No. 14 CFP) to an easy victory over the Illini (2-5).
Northwestern’s focus now shifts to the Big Ten championship game against No. 3 Ohio State next week. It’s the second title matchup in three years between the teams.
Northwestern won the Big Ten West after finishing last in the division in 2019.
UTAH 38, NO. 21 COLORADO 21 » Ty Jordan scored twice, including a sealing 66-yard burst, and Utah’s revamped defense forced three turnovers to help the Utes rally past Colorado in the snow to thwart the Buffaloes’ Pac-12 title hopes.
The soon-to-be-unseated Pac-12 South champion Utes (2-2, 2-2 Pac-12) found their footing on the frozen field in the second half, turning around a 21-10 deficit by scoring 28 straight points.
Colorado freshman receiver/ Brenden Rice, the son of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, showed off his speed by scoring twice — on an 81-yard punt return and on a 61-yard catch off a bubble screen. But it wasn’t enough as the Buffaloes (4-1, 3-1, No. 21 CFP) suffered their first loss under new coach Karl Dorrell during the earliest kickoff (10:05 a.m. local time) in Folsom Field history.
NO. 24 BUFFALO 56, AKRON 7 » Jaret Patterson ran for 105 yards and matched a major college football record by reaching 1,000 yards for the season in five games.