No. 3 Alabama edges Auburn in four OTs
AUBURN, Ala. — John Metchie caught a scoring pass from Bryce Young in the fourth overtime to give No. 3 Alabama a 24-22 comeback victory over rival Auburn on Saturday, rescuing the Crimson Tide’s national title hopes.
It was the first overtime in the Iron Bowl.
Freshman Kool-Aid McKinstry tipped away
T.J. Finley’s pass in the final OT and Young hit Metchie just as he did in the previous one.
Alabama (11-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) moves on to face No. 1 Georgia in the league championship game with its College Football Playoff hopes on the line. The Tigers (6-6, 3-5) dropped their fourth straight game after smothering Young and the Tide’s prolific offense most of the way.
Young capped a 97-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown to freshman Ja’Corey Brooks — his third catch and first touchdown this season — with 24 seconds left in regulation.
Young converted a fourth-and-7 to Jahleel Billingsley, followed by two incompletions under pressure for an offense that had been held in check for 59 minutes.
NO. 1 GEORGIA 45 GEORGIA TECH 0
Stetson Bennett passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns and Bulldogs finished their undefeated regular season by overwhelming the Yellowjackets at Atlanta.
Georgia (12-0) gained momentum for next week’s much-anticipated Southeastern Conference championship game against No. 3 Alabama in Atlanta. It is the first undefeated regular season for the Bulldogs since 1982, when they capped a streak of three consecutive SEC championships with tailback Herschel Walker.
Georgia Tech (3-9) finished with three wins for the third consecutive season.
NO. 23 CLEMSON 30 SOUTH CAROLINA 0
Will Shipley ran for 128 yards and a touchdown and the Tigers’ defense
smothered the Gamecocks for their seventh-straight win in the Palmetto State rivalry at Columbia, S.C.
The Tigers (9-3) won their fifth straight this season and matched the longest win streak in the series that they set from 1934-40.
Clemson’s defense limited South Carolina (6-6) to 206 yards, its second lowest output this season.
TENNESSEE 45 VANDERBILT 21
Hendon Hooker threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 75 yards to lead the Volunteers to a season-ending Southeastern Conference victory over the Commodores at Knoxville, Tenn.
Jabari Small rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns as the Volunteers (7-5, 4-4) grabbed bragging rights over their intrastate rival Commodores
(2-10, 0-8).
KENTUCKY 52 LOUISVILLE 21
Will Levis rushed for career highs of four touchdowns and 113 yards, and the Wildcats scored on its first four possessions to cruise past the rival Cardinals at Louisville.
Big contributions by his feet and arm helped the Wildcats’ junior quarterback outgain Louisville by himself (195-144) by halftime. Levis rushed for TDs of 29 and 7 yards on their first two possessions, then followed Matt Ruffolo’s 43-yard field goal with a 5-yard score with 1:53 remaining in the second quarter.
He added a 1-yard TD early in the third to put Kentucky (9-3) up 31-7.
FLORIDA 24, FLORIDA ST. 21
Anthony Richardson came off the bench and led the host Gators to a victory over the Seminoles that made them bowl eligible a week after coach Dan Mullen’s dismissal. Florida had lost nine of its previous 11 games against Football
Bowl Subdivision teams.
Richardson replaced turnover-prone Emory Jones early in third quarter and completed 5 of 7 passes for 55 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown to Justin Shorter that gave the Gators (6-6) some breathing room in a tight game.
Dameon Pierce took over from there, going untouched for a 2-yard score after running around the Seminoles (5-7).