Georgia shuts down Hooker, Vols’ offense
Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and No. 1 Georgia shut down No. 2 Tennessee’s highpowered offense, dominating the Volunteers 27-13 on Saturday in an SEC showdown of the nation’s top-ranked teams.
Georgia (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) turned the 25th regularseason matchup of the top two teams in the AP poll into rout that made clear the defending national champions are still the team to beat.
In a deafening and soggy Sanford Stadium, Georgia led 27-6 before Tennessee scored its first touchdown with 4:15 remaining.
Hendon Hooker, who entered as the Heisman Trophy frontrunner after taking down Alabama last month, passed for only 195 yards for Tennessee (8-1, 4-1) and was sacked six times by star defensive tackle Jalen Carter and the Bulldogs’ defense.
Hooker threw an interception, lost a fumble that nearly resulted in a safety for Georgia and didn’t throw a touchdown pass.
Tennessee’s final possession ended with Hooker dropped for no gain on a fourth-down run with less than 3 minutes remaining. The Volunteers came in averaging almost 50 points per game.
The Volunteers rode that Alabama victory to the top spot in the first College Football Playoff ranking. Georgia was No. 3.
That will change Tuesday. The Bulldogs also took control of the SEC’s East Division in the race. They should cruise to another conference championship game.
Hooker and his potent top receivers, Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, were contained by Georgia.
The Vols were held to two first-half field goals as Georgia took a 24-6 halftime lead. Rain in the second half made it only more difficult to move against the Bulldogs’ defense.
Bennett threw scoring passes of 37 yards to Ladd McConkey and 5 yards to Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint in the first half. Bennett also had a 13-yard scoring run.
Bennett passed for 257 yards, completing 17 of 25 passes.
There were more big plays in Georgia’s passing game. Bennett had completions of 52 yards to Arian Smith and 49 yards to running back Kenny McIntosh.
The Vols struggled in the big-game atmosphere, especially on offense where crowd noise contributed to a series of false starts and illegal procedure calls.
Tennessee’s playoff hopes are far from gone, but the Vols are now going to need some help.
No. 2 Ohio St. 21, Northwestern 7: Miyan Williams ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and the Buckeyes (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten, No. 2 CFP) got all they could handle from the host Wildcats (1-8,
1-5) on a rainy and windy afternoon. What figured to be an easy win turned into a struggle. Ohio State didn’t score until the closing minutes of the first half, when Emeka Egbuka ran it in from the 15, with the rain and whipping wind. C.J. Stroud, the Big Ten leader in yards passing, set a career low with 76.
No. 7 TCU 34, Texas Tech 24: Derius Davis returned the first punt 82 yards for a touchdown, Kendre Miller ran for the go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter and the host Horned Frogs pulled away to beat the Red Raiders (4-5, 2-4 Big 12). The Horned Frogs reached 9-0 for the first time since 2010. The nine-game winning streak is the longest since the Horned Frogs won 16 straight over the 2014-15 seasons.
No. 8 Oregon 49, Colorado 10: Bo Nix and the Oregon offense found creative ways to score, including an offensive lineman catching a touchdown pass and a linebacker scoring from short, as the the Ducks (8-1, 6-0 Pac-12, No. 8 CFP) cruised past the host Buffaloes
(1-8, 1-5). In windy conditions, the Ducks breezed to their eighth straight win.
Michigan St. 23, No. 14 Illinois 15: Payton Thorne passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns as the Spartans (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) ended a troubling week where eight players were suspended by defeating the host Illini (7-2, 4-2). The Spartans' players were suspended for a postgame fight against Michigan last week. Michigan State's defense stopped the Illini five times on fourth down. Time ran out on an Illinois comeback after it had advanced to the Michigan State 25. The victory boosted the Spartans bowl hopes. They need to win two of their last three to qualify for the postseason.
No. 16 Penn St. 45, Indiana 14: Kaytron Allen rushed for 86 yards and had a season-high three scores to help the Nittany Lions (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) rout the host Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5). Nicholas Singleton ran for 73 yards and another touchdown. The Nittany
Lions have won eight of the last nine in this series. Six of their wins this season have come by double digits. Indiana lost its sixth straight and perhaps its top two quarterbacks.
No. 17 North Carolina 31, Virginia 28: Drake Maye threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and the Tar Heels (8-1, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 17 CFP) rallied from a halftime deficit to beat the host Cavaliers (3-6, 1-5). Elijah Green scored twice and Josh Downs caught 15 passes, including a touchdown, for the Tar Heels. Virginia lost for the fifth time in six games and needs to win its last three to qualify for a bowl game.
Kansas 37, No. 18 Oklahoma St. 16: Devin Neal ran for 224 yards and had 110 receiving yards and the host Jayhawks
(6-3, 3-3 Big 12 Conference) beat the Cowboys (6-3, 3-3). The Jayhawks are bowl eligible for the first time since 2008 when they beat Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Kansas’ ground game led the way with 351 yards as a team with Neal setting career highs in both rushing and receiving yards. Oklahoma State was without starting quarterback Spencer Sanders. Freshman Garrett passed for 304 yards and a pair of touchdowns but also threw interceptions on the first two drives.
No. 19 Tulane 27,
Tulsa 13: Tyjae Spears ran for 157 yards and a touchdown and Shaadie Clayton-Johnson gained 106 to lead the Green Wave (8-1, 5-0 American Athletic Conference) over the host Golden Hurricane (3-6, 1-4).
Pittsburgh 19, No. 22 Syracuse 9: Rodney Hammond ran for a career-high 124 yards and a touchdown to lead the host Panthers (5-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) past the Orange (6-3, 3-2). The Panthers snapped a twogame losing streak by relying heavily on Hammond, who was filling in for injured starter Israel Abanikanda.
No. 23 Liberty 21, Arkansas 19: Johnathan Bennett threw three touchdown passes in the first half and the Flames (8-1) used a late goal-line stop on a 2-point conversion try to beat the host Razorbacks (5-4). Liberty stopped KJ Jefferson’s conversion attempt with 1:11 left to seal the win. Liberty raced to a 21-point lead behind Bennett’s three first-half TD passes. Bennett finished 15 of 25 for 224 yards. Jefferson was 23 of 37 passing for 284 yards with two touchdown passes, both to tight end Trey Knox, and two interceptions.