Texas keeps College Football Playoff hopes alive with overtime win
Texas fans saw their season flash before their eyes on Saturday.
The Longhorns dominated in the early going of the game, taking a 17-0 lead in the first 19 minutes.
Backup quarterback Maalik Murphy had 152 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter but was shut down the rest of the game.
After the first quarter, he threw for just 98 yards and two interceptions.
Down 27-7 late in the third quarter, Kansas State scored three touchdowns in under three minutes.
However, kicker Chris Tennant missed the go-ahead extra point, leaving the score tied at 27-27.
Down three points with just under two minutes, Tennant missed a game-tying 27-yard field goal. Tennant was given another chance and made good on it, cashing in a 45-yard equalizer with one second left.
In overtime, Texas settled for a field goal after going three and out.
The Wildcats got themselves in a first-and-goal situation, where a touchdown gave them the win.
After a two-yard run and two incomplete passes, Kansas State faced a fourth goal from the four-yard line.
Instead of kicking a 21-yard field goal to force a second overtime, Chris Klieman kept his offense on the field.
Quarterback Will Howard threw up a prayer as he got sacked, but the ball was knocked down short of the end zone, securing the win for the Longhorns.
Georgia stays atop the SEC East
The Missouri Tigers walked into Athens and gave the Bulldogs their best shot.
The Tigers took a 7-3 lead in the first quarter, but Georgia took back the lead when receiver Dominic Lovett scored against his former team on a 6-yard touchdown pass.
Missouri kicked a field goal before half to tie the game at 10-10.
In the third quarter, Missouri had a promising drive going, but the Bulldog defense kept them out of the end zone, forcing another field goal attempt.
Kicker Harrison Mevis hit the 42-yarder, putting the road team up 13-10.
Georgia dominated the next eight minutes, outscoring the Tigers 14-0, taking a 24-13 lead.
Down two scores for the first time, Missouri quickly cut the lead to 24-21 on a 12-yard touchdown run by running back Cody Schrader, followed by a successful two-point attempt.
Georgia extended the lead to 27-21 with a field goal.
As Missouri attempted to drive down the field for a go-ahead touchdown, the Bulldogs defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse got an interception.
Georgia would then kick another field goal to extend the lead to 30-21, and on the pursuing drive, forced another interception of Missouri quarterback Brady Cook to seal the win.
Oklahoma State gets last laugh in Bedlam Series
The Cowboys and the Sooners met up for the final time in the foreseeable future, as Oklahoma will be leaving for the SEC next year.
Oklahoma has dominated the series with a record of 91-20-7, but they stumbled in the final meeting between the two as Big 12 teams.
The game started off fast-paced, with both teams scoring a touchdown within the first five minutes. The early part of the second quarter favored the Cowboys, who would take a 17-7 lead.
The Sooners’ defense took over during the middle of the game, giving up no points while their offense worked to take a 21-17 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys went on an eight-play, 97-yard drive to reclaim a 24-21 lead.
Oklahoma then extended it to 27-21 on a field goal.
A questionable no-call by the refs on a potential pass interference in the end zone forced the Sooners to settle for a field goal, leaving them trailing 27-24.
The Sooners were given one more chance to win and keep their playoff hopes alive but turned it over on downs, having to walk off the field in defeat as their rival fans stormed the field.
Huskies stay unbeaten in shootout
After back-to-back weeks when the Huskies underperformed, they showed up to play against USC.
The game went as most people thought it would, with the two teams combining to score 94 points.
The Trojans jumped out on top, only for the Huskies to answer back with a ten-play scoring drive.
USC held a 14-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter after they retook the lead.
In a second-quarter featuring 42 combined points, 28 went to Washington.
Fourteen of their points came in the final 80 seconds of the half.
Wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk tied the game at 28-28 on a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Then, on USC’s ensuing drive, quarterback Caleb Williams fumbled, setting up the Huskies’ touchdown to take a 35-28 halftime lead.
Each defense played better in the second half, but USC’s did not play well enough.
They gave up 17 points in the second half, while their offense only scored 14.
Each defense gave up over 500 yards of offense, but the Huskies came out of Los Angeles with the 52-42 victory.
Alabama avenges last year’s loss to LSU
After LSU ended the Tide’s playoff hopes last year, the two met up again in a very similar situation.
Tigers quarterback Jayden Davis looked to do something only one quarterback has done before – defeat Alabama coach Nick Saban in consecutive matchups.
LSU scored first on a 46-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Malik Nabers, but Alabama would take a 14-7 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter featured good defense until the final minutes when LSU scored to tie the game, only to be answered by Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe’s third touchdown run of the half.
In under a minute, LSU raced down the field to score with five seconds left and tie the game 21-21 at halftime.
The Tigers would take a 28-21 lead early in the third, but Alabama scored the game’s final 21 points, winning 42-28.
Alabama has two conference games left and needs to win either one to secure a trip to the SEC Championship game.
Since 2014, the Crimson Tide have been in six conference championship games, winning all six.
Demetri Manousos is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
