Big Ten & SEC Week 13 Recap: Auburn Tops No. 1 ‘Bama In Iron Bowl Upset
Standings and Results
Big Ten
SEC
AP Top 10
1. Clemson
2. Oklahoma
3. Wisconsin
4. Auburn
5. Alabama
6. Georgia
7. Miami
8. Ohio State
9. Penn State
10. TCU
Auburn Tops Alabama in Epic Iron Bowl
Toomer's Corner at sunrise… pic.twitter.com/ax5IrhbQGV
— James Spann (@spann) November 26, 2017
Auburn clinched a berth in the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 2013 with an impressive 26-14 win over No. 1 Alabama Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The win marked the Tigers’ second home victory over a top-ranked Crimson Tide team in as many tries (they also did it in 2013 thanks to a certain memorable kick return), and the 12-point margin of victory was Auburn’s largest in an Iron Bowl since 1969 (23 points).
Auburn was led offensively by running back Kerryon Johnson (30 carries, 104 yards, one touchdown) and receiver Ryan Davis (11 catches, 139 yards), giving the Tigers a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the Iron Bowl for the second time ever and the first time since 1989. Defensively, Auburn held Alabama to 314 yards of offense, its third-lowest output of the season (269 yards vs. Florida State and 299 yards vs. LSU). Up next for Auburn will be a rematch with Georgia, whom the Tigers beat 40-17 in Week 11, when the Bulldogs, like Alabama, were ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Rebels Win Egg Bowl as Miss. State Loses Fitzgerald to Injury
A.J. Brown led Ole Miss with six catches for 167 yards and a touchdown Thursday — and set the Rebels’ single-season receiving yards record in the process (1,252 yards) — in a 31-28 win over No. 14 Mississippi State in Starkville. After an evenly-matched first half, Ole Miss opened things up in the third quarter thanks to a 77-yard touchdown pass to Brown followed by a 63-yard touchdown strike from Jordan Ta’amu to D.K. Metcalf. The scores marked the third time this season Ole Miss has recorded multiple 60-yard touchdown passes in a game, the most among FBS programs.
For the Bulldogs, the game was marred by the loss of star quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to an ankle injury during the first quarter. With Fitzgerald sidelined, the Mississippi State offense committed a season-high five turnovers (three lost fumbles, two interceptions), and while the Bulldogs did make things interesting with a furious 22-7 fourth-quarter rally, it ultimately wasn’t enough to secure back-to-back Egg Bowl wins for the first time since 2010 and 2011.
Buckeyes Notch Sixth Straight Win Over Michigan
The stage is set and the countdown is on! See you in Indianapolis for the 2017 #B1GFCG between @OhioStateFB and @BadgerFootball. pic.twitter.com/rG1k0la3yj
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 26, 2017
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer improved his career record against Michigan to 6-0 on Saturday thanks to a 31-20 win over the Wolverines in front of a crowd of 112,028 in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes’ current six-game winning streak over Michigan is the second-longest in the history of the rivalry, and with the win, Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett became the first Buckeyes starting quarterback to go 4-0 against Michigan. Barrett finished Saturday’s game 84 rushing yards, 30 passing yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one throwing) but was hampered by a knee injury, which he aggravated in a pregame collision with a photographer. Barrett did not return after leaving the game midway through the third quarter.
For its part, Michigan got off to a hot start, holding Ohio State to minus-6 first-quarter yards (the first full quarter in negative yardage for the Buckeyes since 2010) as it took a 14-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter. And even after OSU tied things up before the half, the Wolverines reclaimed a 20-14 lead midway through the third on a Karan Hidden touchdown run. But Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins scored just before the end of the third, and the Buckeyes added a field goal early in the fourth, then sealed the victory with a 25-yard Mike Weber touchdown run with 1:44 to play. Next up for the Buckeyes will be a trip to Indianapolis for a Big Ten Championship Game showdown with unbeaten Wisconsin.
LSU Shines on Offense, Defense in Win Over Texas A&M
LSU racked up a season-high 601 yards of offense Saturday as the Tigers topped Texas A&M for the seventh consecutive time and moved to 9-3 on the season. The Tigers were led on Senior Night by Purdue transfer Danny Etling, who threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns — LSU’s best passing performance since Zach Mettenberger threw for 372 against Georgia on Sept. 28, 2013.
The team also got 106 rushing yards out of Darrel Williams and 127 out of former Citrus Bowl MVP Derrius Guice, who now ranks fifth in LSU program history with 2,976 career rushing yards. Defensively, LSU held A&M to just 282 yards of offense, including 55 on the ground, and the Tigers are now 73-0 all-time when they rush for 100 yards and hold their opponent under 100 yards rushing. Additionally, Overall, LSU’s offense put up 350-plus passing yards and 250-plus rushing yards in a game for the first time since 2003 (Louisiana Tech).
Vote for the Play of the Week!
Week 13 was filled with memorable plays in the Big Ten and SEC. Here were two of our favorites. Make sure you vote for the best in the poll below!
1) Alex Hornibrook gets crushed but still completes this impressive pass to Kendric Pryor against Minnesota:
QB Alex Hornibrook / WR Kendric Pryor, le duo gagnant de #5 Wisconsin depuis quelques temps. Quelle réception du receveur des Badgers !
Minnesota 0, Wisconsin 24pic.twitter.com/zntcpsZ9FU— TBP College Football (@thebluepennant) November 25, 2017
2) Tennessee had a down season, but Marquez Callaway could still be in the running for catch of the year with this one:
Marquez Callaway only needed one hand.
And he made it look easy 👀 pic.twitter.com/cyzTQ0c0JU
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 25, 2017