MIAMI (Sporting Alert, Box Score) — No. 19 Ole Miss beat No. 4 Mississippi State to put a massive dent in the Bulldogs’ chances of staying in the College Football Playoffs runnings.
Junior running back Jaylen Walton ran for a 91-yard touchdown and a total of 148 yards to help Ole Miss to a 31-17 victory over Mississippi State in the highlighted college football top 25 game on Saturday.
“To win a rivalry game against a very good football team and reclaim the prize of this program in the Egg Bowl, it’s a priority we have every year,” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said.
“To get that done tonight facing some adversity with injuries and other things, I’m so proud of our young men that put everything in the trash and prepare for this one with clear hearts, mind and eyes.”
Quarterback Bo Wallace, who was clearly not at his for the contest, found it difficult to connect with his teammates and completed just 13 of 30 passes.
Nevertheless, he still finish with 296 yards and ran for a score to help the Rebels (9-3, 5-3 SEC) to victory. Evan Engram caught five passes for 176 yards for Ole Miss, which recovered from last week’s 30-0 embarrassing shutout at Arkansas.
Dak Prescott threw for 282 yards and a touchdown for Mississippi State (10-2, 6-2 SEC), who will more than likely be replaced in the CFP top four by No. 5 TCU, which hammered Texas 48-10 on Thursday night.
No. 3 Florida State (12-0, 8-0 ACC) stayed undefeated this season with another hard-fought victory over state rivals Florida.
Quarterback Jameis Winston had a career-high four interceptions, but threw two second quarter touchdown passes in the Seminoles’ 24-19 victory.
The win extended the defending national champion’s winning streak to 28 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, No. 1 Alabama survived the challenges of No. 15 Auburn on their way to scoring an exciting 55-44 victory in the highest-scoring Iron Bowl.
Blake Sims went 20 of 27 completed passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns, but threw three interceptions for the Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1 SEC). The quarterback also ran for the 11 yard go-ahead touchdown with 14:33 left in the fourth quarter.
Amari Cooper had 13 catches for an Iron Bowl record 224 receiving yards and three touchdowns, which include pulling down a 75-yard scoring pass from Sims.
Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall ended the contest with a school-record 456 yards passing and three touchdowns with one interception. He also collected another 49 rushing yards for a total of 505 yards, which was also a school record.
Sammie Coates had five catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers (8-4, 4-4 SEC) in the defeat, while Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon had 19 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 16 Georgia Tech upset No. 9 Georgia 30-24 in overtime.
Harrison Butker made a 53 yard field goal on the final play of regulation and then Zach Laskey scored in overtime for the Yellow Jackets to take their first win in the series since 2008.
Laskey rushed 26 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns for Georgia Tech (10-2), which won its fifth straight game and setup an ACC championships clash with No. 3 Florida State at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 6.
Hutson Mason went 18 for 28 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown and one interception for the Bulldogs (9-3), while Malcolm Mitchell caught the ball seven times for 56 yards and a touchdown in the defeat.
Nick Chubb had 25 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown for Georgia, which dropped their third game of the season.
However, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 21 Clemson and No. 22 Louisville had no problems taking care of their respective challengers on the same day.
The Buckeyes stayed perfect in Big Ten Conference play with a 42-28 victory over Michigan.
Ezekiel Elliott scored two touchdowns, including a 44 yard run with 4:58 left and finished with 121 rushing yards for Ohio State (11-1, 8-0 Big Ten).
Quarterback J.T. Barrett also running for two scores before he was forced off the field with a lower leg injury.
Barrett completed 13 of 21 of his passes and threw for 176 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for 89 yards on 15 carries for the Buckeyes, prior to leaving the game and replaced by Cardale Jones.
Elsewhere in the early kick-offs, No. 22 Louisville survived the challenge of Kentucky to secure a close 44-40 rivalry win, while No. 21 Clemson picked up a 35-17 result over South Carolina.
NCAAF Top 25 Scores
No. 1 Alabama 55, No. 15 Auburn 44 – Box Score
No. 2 Oregon 47, Oregon State 19 – Box Score
No. 3 Florida State 24, Florida 19 – Box Score
No. 19 Ole Miss 31, No. 4 Mississippi State 17 – Box Score
No. 6 Ohio State 42, Michigan 28 – Box Score
No. 7 Baylor 48, Texas Tech 46 – Box Score
No. 10 Michigan State 34, Penn State 10 – Box Score
No. 12 Kansas State 51, Kansas 13 – Box Score
No. 14 Wisconsin 34, No. 18 Minnesota 24 – Box Score
No. 16 Georgia Tech 30, No. 9 Georgia 24 (OT) – Box Score
No. 21 Clemson 35, South Carolina 17 – Box Score
No. 22 Louisville 44, Kentucky 40 – Box Score
No. 23 Boise State 50, Utah State 19 – Box Score
No. 25 Utah 38, Colorado 34 – Box Score
