nation
Alabama posts second straight shutout
Top-ranked Tide rolls; Michigan routs Rutgers
Josh Jacobs ran for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass and No. 1 Alabama had its second straight shutout in a 24-0 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.
With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa still battling a gimpy right knee, the Crimson Tide (10-0, 7-0) turned to defense for another vintage performance.
The offense raced to a fast start but mostly stalled from there against the Bulldogs (6-4, 2-4) and the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense.
Tagovailoa started the fourth quarter on a stationary bike after getting his right knee checked out in the medical tent following a hard hit. He didn’t return and wasn’t needed.
Fresh from a 29-0 victory over No. 9 LSU, the Tide defense hasn’t allowed a point in nine-plus quarters. Alabama had five sacks and Mississippi State had four in a rough day for both quarterbacks.
Tagovailoa was 14 of 21 for 164 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also lost a fumble on a botched exchange with Damien Harris. Backup Jalen Hurts missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. Jacobs ran for 97 yards on 20 carries as Alabama. He scored on a 1-yard run and a 14-yard catch.
The Wolverines (9-1, 7-0 Big Ten) have won nine straight and remain in first place in the conference’s East Division. They have a final tuneup against Indiana next week at the Big House before closing the regular season at No. 8 Ohio State.
Rutgers (1-9, 0-7) didn’t have a yard passing until the third quarter.
Swift rushed for 186 yards to power another big game by Georgia’s running attack, which finished with 303 yards. Having already locked up a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game, the Bulldogs (9-1, 7-1) couldn’t afford to slip up against the Tigers.
Chasing a berth in the Big 12 championship game, West Virginia (8-1, 6-1) had no trouble against the injury-riddled Horned Frogs (4-6, 2-5).
Grier was 25 of 39 for 343 yards. TCU was held to a season-low 222 yards of offense, the third time in four games it has had fewer than 300.
The Buckeyes (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) enjoyed a huge advantage in field position during the second half. Chrisman’s punts forced Michigan State (6-4, 4-3) to start its first five drives after halftime from its own 5, 6, 3, 1 and 2-yard line.
The Cougars (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12, No. 8 CFP) won their sixth straight, but it wasn’t as easy as expected against the Buffaloes (5-5, 2-5), who lost their fifth straight despite the return of star receiver Laviska Shenault Jr.
Minshew was 35 of 58 for 335 yards and two TDs. He had a 10-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.
Shenault was rusty in his return from a right turf toe injury. He caught 10 passes for 102 yards but cost his team dearly with back-to-back drops and a lost fumble in the second half.
Taylor also forced and recovered a fumble to help Tennessee (5-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) beat Kentucky (7-3, 5-3) at Neyland Stadium for a 17th straight time.
Guarantano was 12 of 20 for 197 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown pass to Dominick Wood-Anderson that extended Tennessee’s advantage to 24-0 in the third quarter.
Love's 491 passing yards were the third-highest single game total for a Utah State quarterback. Darwin Thompson had 140 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries along with 115 yards and a pair of scores on four receptions for the Aggies (9-1, 6-0 Mountain West). They became the 17th team in NCAA history to gain at least 800 total yards in a game. The 804 yards and 33 first downs were both school records.
Josh Love threw for 210 yards and a touchdown for Jose State (1-9, 1-5). Tre Walker added a career-high 209 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches.
Franks dived across the goal line on a fourth-down play from inside the 1 with 4:09 to play, putting the Gators (7-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) ahead for the first time. Florida overcame a 17-point deficit in the second half to beat the Gamecocks (5-4, 4-4).
Miles Sanders ran for 159 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, and McSorley completed 19 of 25 passes for 160 yards and a TD while matching Todd Blackledge’s victory total from 1980-82.
DeAndre Thompkins caught a touchdown pass for Penn State (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten). The Nittany Lions held the Badgers (6-4, 4-3) to 125 yards in the second half and sacked backup quarterback Jack Coan five times. Jonathan Taylor ran 20 times for 185 yards and a touchdown for Wisconsin.
Purdy threw for 230 yards as Iowa State (6-3, 5-2, No. 22 CFP) won a fifth straight Big 12 game in the same season for the first time. Deshaunte Jones caught a TD pass and threw for a 2-point conversion.