The Tigers (7–2, 4–2 SEC) were without sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson and senior running back Charles Scott for most of the second half. They hurt their ankle and right shoulder respectively as LSU mustered just 253 yards on offensive.
The Crimson Tide (9–0, 6–0) was led on offense by sophomores Mark Ingram and Julio Jones.
Ingram finished the day with 144 rushing yards after gaining just 36 yards in the first half. Jones had four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. The score came on a 73-yard catch and run in fourth quarter.
Junior quarterback Greg McElroy went 19–34 for 276 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
“There’s not one part of the team that didn’t play well,” head coach Nick Saban was reported as saying by the Associated Press (AP). “The offense played extremely well. Greg [McElroy] played well. The receivers played well. We ran the ball. The offensive line did a fantastic job.”
The win earns the now No. 2 Tide a rematch with the No. 1 Florida Gators in the SEC championship game. Barring a major upset, a trip to the national championship game for the winner is inevitable.
Dream Season Ends For Iowa
After losing their starting quarterback in the second quarter, Iowa also lost its perfect season and hopes of a national championship in a 17–10 defeat to Northwestern on Saturday.
After junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi went down with an ankle injury, freshman James Vandenberg was unable to generate any offense for the then No. 4 Hawkeyes (9–1, 6–1 Big Ten). Vandenberg went 9–27 for 82 yards with an interception in the losing effort.
Iowa was unable to score without Stanzi as Northwestern (6–4, 3–3 Big Ten) scored 17 unanswered points. The Wildcats scoring began on the play Stanzi injured himself when senior defensive tackle Marshall Thomas recovered Stanzi’s fumble in the end zone.
With the loss, the Hawkeyes dropped to No. 10 and are out of the national title hunt. But they still control their destiny to Pasadena and a Rose Bowl berth.
“There’s no time to hang our heads,” Vandenberg was reported as saying by the AP. “We’re in a race with two other good teams and it’s all going to be about getting back to work.”
Cincy Remains Unbeaten
With back-up quarterback Zach Collaros starting his third straight game, the sophomore had his coming out party.
Collaros threw for 480 yards—second most in school history—with one TD pass. He also ran for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 5 Cincinnati’s (9–0, 5–0 Big East) national title hopes are still alive as they squeaked by Connecticut (4–5, 1–5 Big East) 47–45 on Saturday night.
The Bearcats let a 20-point halftime lead be cut into by the Huskies. UConn put up 35 points in the second half while Cincy scored just 17.
The play of Collaros in senior quarterback Tony Pike’s absence will likely lead to a QB controversy when Pike is ready to return from his wrist injury. Head coach Brian Kelly is changing his mind to automatically benching Collaros when Pike returns from injury.
“He’s made it hard. I’ve changed my mind based on the way he’s played the last three games,” Kelly said as reported by the AP. “I think I have to reconsider my decision.”
Matt Sugam also writes for The Daily Targum at Rutgers University.
