Auburn topples No. 1 Alabama
AUBURN, ALA. » Jarrett Stidham passed for 237 yards and ran for a fourth- quarter touchdown and No. 6 Auburn beat top-ranked Alabama 26-14 Saturday with a berth in the Southeastern Conference title game on the line.
The Tigers ( 10-2, 7-1 SEC) mostly shut down the league’s top scoring offense for their second win in three weeks over the top team in the playoff rankings. They won the Western Division to earn a rematch with No. 7 Georgia in the SEC championship game Dec. 2 with a playoff spot almost certainly on the line.
The Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1) made a rare assortment of mistakes for a team that had appeared to be headed toward a shot at a fourth consecutive SEC title and playoff berth.
Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson delivered a jump pass for a touchdown and ran 30 times for 104 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injury.
OHIO STATE 31, MICHIGAN STATE20 » DwayneHaskins replaced injured star J.T. Barrett in the third quarter and No. 8 Ohio State rallied to beat Michigan 3120 on Saturday, the Buckeyes’ sixth straight win in the rivalry.
The Buckeyes (10-2, 8-1 Big Ten) head to the conference championship game next week to face No. 5 Wisconsin, with hopes of making the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines (8- 4, 5- 4) have lost 13 of 14 to Ohio State, including the last three with coach Jim Harbaugh.
Michigan was relegated to starting John O’Korn because Brandon Peters wasn’t cleared to play after having a concussion and Wilton Speight is still out with cracked vertebrae. The fifth-year senior O’Korn simply didn’t make the most of the opportunity, completing fewer than half of his passes. He threw an interception with about two minutes left and the Buckeyes ahead 24-20.
Mike Weber sealed it for Ohio State with a 25-yard touchdown run with 1:44 left
Haskins, a redshirt freshman, was 6 of 7 for 94 yards and had a 22yard run that set up J.K. Dobbins’ 1-yard touchdown gave Ohio State a 21-20 lead late in the third quarter.
Barrett appeared to hurt his right knee on a run midway through the third quarter. He limped off the field and toward the locker room before returning to watch the rest of the game from the sideline.
NO. 7 GEORGIA 38, GEORGIA TECH 7 » Sony Michel ran for 85 yards and a touchdown, Jake Fromm threw two touchdown passes and Georgia protected its playoff hopes.
The Bulldogs had 247 yards rushing. Michel, Nick Chubb and D’Andre Swift ran for touchdowns. Fromm threw scoring passes of 21 yards to Javon Wims and 78 yards to Ahkil Crumpton.
Georgia (11-1, No. 7 CFP) will play in the Southeastern Conference championship game next week against the winner of the game Saturday between No. 1 Alabama and No. 6 Auburn.
Georgia Tech (5- 6) was denied the win it needed to become bowl- eligible. The Yellow Jackets now must hope for a bowl waiver based on their academics if there is a shortage of bowleligible teams.
NO. 17 MEMPHIS 70, EAST CAROLINA 13 » Riley Fergu- son threw for three touchdowns, Darrell Henderson scored twice and rushed for 122 yards and Memphis dominated in a tuneup for the American Athletic Conference title game.
Patrick Taylor ran for 127 yards and scored twice for Memphis.
The Tigers (10-1, 7-1, No. 20 CFP) completed their first undefeated home season at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium since it opened in 1965. Memphis won its sixth straight, the lone loss coming Sept. 30 against No. 13 Central Florida, which the Tigers will face in next Saturday in Orlando, Florida.
Memphis scored on its first play from scrimmage on an 89-yard pass from Ferguson to Anthony Miller.
Even when the Pirates (3- 9, 2- 6) were able to reach the end zone — the first time on a 33-yard pass from Gardner Minshew to Jimmy Williams in the third quarter — the ensuing extra point was blocked. And to make things worse, when the Pirates kicked off, Memphis’ Tony Pollard returned it 100 yards for his fourth kickoff return for a touchdown this season.
NO. 18 OKLAHOMA STATE 58, KANSAS 17 » Mason Rudolph passed for 438 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two scores in his final home game to lead Oklahoma State.
James Washington, Dillon Stoner and Marcel Ateman each went over 100 yards receiving for Oklahoma State (9-3, 6-3 Big 12).
Peyton Bender was 17 of 32 passing for 172 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas (1-11, 0-9). The Jayhawks lost their 45th consecutive road game.
Oklahoma State’s bigplay offense delivered again, scoring on five consecutive first-half possessions en route to a 34-10 lead at halftime. The Cowboys then made it 41-10 a minute into the third quarter on Rudolph’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Washington. Randolph has been responsible for 45 touchdowns this season, breaking the school record of 44 set by Barry Sanders in his 1988 Heisman.Trophy season.
BOSTON COLLEGE 42, SYRACUSE 14 » AJ Dillon didn’t practice all week, didn’t run, didn’t do anything physically — until Saturday.
Boston College’s stellar freshman tailback rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns, and the resurgent Eagles beat Syracuse 42-14 in the season finale for both teams.
Boston College (7- 5, 4- 4 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won five of six and won in the Carrier Dome for only the second time in six tries.
“It’s not easy to do. It’s a credit to our players,” BC coach Steve Addazio said. “We played physical. We played relentlessly. We played together for each other. That’s what I really enjoyed seeing the most.”
It was the fifth straight loss for Syracuse (4-8, 2- 6) since its riveting upset of then-No. 2 Clemson just over a month ago.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed about the loss and the seniors leaving in this manner,” Orange coach Dino Babers said. “It was difficult to stop them.”
Syracuse was coming off consecutive lopsided losses to Wake Forest and Louisville in which the Orange allowed 120 points and a whopping 782 yards rushing, a perfect scenario for the Eagles and their star freshman tailback.