TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Ryan Williams caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe with 2:18 left and No. 4 Alabama beat No. 2 Georgia 41-34 on Saturday night in a wild Southeastern Conference debut for Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer.
Then, Alabama’s other freshman sporting a No. 2 jersey, defensive back Zabien Brown, intercepted a Carson Beck’s pass in the end zone to secure the victory.
The dynamic 17-year-old Williams turned back to grab the ball in tight coverage, did a quick pivot and sprinted down the right sideline. Milroe then hit Germie Bernard for the two-point conversion for the Tide (4-0, 1-0).
The long TD pass came one play and 13 seconds after Carson Beck’s 67-yard bomb to Dillon Bell gave the Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1) their first lead of the game.
Milroe completed 27 of 33 passes for 374 yards with two touchdowns and an interception that bounced off the receiver. He also ran for 117 yards and a pair of TDs. Williams had six catches for 177 yards.
Beck was 27 of 50 passing for 439 yards with three touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions in the first multi-interception game of his career but put on a show in the second half.
No. 1 TEXAS 35, MISSISSIPPI ST. 13
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Arch Manning passed for two touchdowns and ran for another score, and Texas got another standout performance from its defense to earn a victory over Mississippi State.
Manning was 26-of-31 passing for 324 yards in his second consecutive start in place of Quinn Ewers, who is still recovering from a strained abdomen.
Manning’s 49-yard touchdown pass to Deondre Moore in the second quarter, and his 1-yard TD run in the third, opened up a tighter-than-expected matchup with the Bulldogs, who have lost four in a row.
Texas had cruised through its first four games and raced to an opening touchdown in five plays. But the Longhorns soon bogged down with a turnover, a dropped touchdown pass and a partially blocked punt.
The Longhorns defense did not allow a touchdown until Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren’s 12-yard run with just under 7 minutes left. That score snapped a streak of nine consecutive quarters without giving up a touchdown.
Kentucky upset No. 6 Mississippi 20-17 on Saturday, when Rebels kicker Micah Davis hooked a 48-yard field-goal attempt way wide with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats their highest-ranked road win since 1977.
The Rebels (4-0, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) had a seven-game winning streak snapped and were shocked as a double-digit favorite in their SEC opener.
The Wildcats (3-2, 1-2) took a three-point lead with 2:25 left in the fourth quarter, with a little fumble luck. Backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt was heading toward the goal line with a keeper when an Ole Miss defender knocked the ball free — right to tight end Josh Kattus, who fell into the end zone.
No. 12 MICHIGAN 27, MINNESOTA 24
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Kalel Mullings rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns as the Wolverines held on to the Little Brown Jug with a 27-24 win in the rain against the Gophers.
Michigan led 24-3 going into the fourth quarter, but Minnesota scored three touchdowns to pull within 27-24 with 1:37 left.
The Gophers recovered the onside kick but were flagged for offsides. Mullings grabbed the second kick, allowing the Wolverines to run out the clock.
The Wolverines (4-1, 2-0 Big Ten) extended their school-record conference winning streak to 27 games. They haven’t lost a Big Ten game since Michigan State beat them in 2021.
No. 13 SOUTHERN CAL 38, WISCONSIN 21
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Miller Moss threw two of his three touchdown passes to Ja’Kobi Lane, and the Trojans rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half for a 38-21 victory over Wisconsin.
Lane caught 10 passes for 105 yards, while Duce Robinson scored the Trojans’ go-ahead touchdown with 1:28 left in the third quarter on another sharp throw from Moss, who passed for 308 yards.
USC linebacker Mason Cobb then returned an interception 55 yards for a TD with 5:04 to play to seal it.
Tawee Walker rushed for two touchdowns, but Wisconsin faded badly in the second half of its first game at the Coliseum since 1966. The Badgers have lost 13 of their last 15 games against ranked teams, going 0-4 under coach Luke Fickell.
No. 16 NOTRE DAME 31, No. 15 LOUISVILLE 24 SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Riley Leonard threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, and Notre Dame capitalized on Louisville’s first three turnovers of the season to hold on for a 31-24 victory.
Notre Dame (4-1) relied on a last-minute defensive stand to hand the Cardinals their first loss of the season. Louisville (3-1) had a delay-of-game penalty on a fourth-and-1 at the Notre Dame 46. After the five-yard penalty, an incomplete pass ended the Louisville comeback attempt.
Leonard was 17 for 23 for 163 yards. Louisville’s Tyler Shough was 24 for 41 for 264 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted once. Shough had thrown 88 passes without an interception this season before getting picked off on a deflected pass.
No 21 OKLAHOMA 27, AUBURN 21
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Kip Lewis returned an interception 61 yards for the game-winning touchdown, and Oklahoma rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Auburn for its first-ever Southeastern Conference win.
It was Oklahoma’s first SEC road game after leaving the Big 12. The Sooners bounced back from a loss at home to Tennessee the previous week.
True freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. gained 230 yards of total offense in his first career start for Oklahoma after replacing Jackson Arnold during the Tennessee game. The Sooners (4-1, 1-1 SEC) struggled on offense for much of the game, but they took advantage of several missed opportunities by the Tigers (2-3, 0-2).
Auburn’s Payton Thorne passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns, but his sixth interception of the season turned out to be the decisive play.
No. 22 BYU 34, BAYLOR 28
WACO, Texas (AP) – Crew Wakley had an game-clinching interception with 59 seconds left as the Cougars held on for a 34-28 victory at the Bears to remain undefeated, after the Cougars had twice built three-touchdown leads as Jake Retzlaff threw for two scores and ran for another one.
Wakley made a leaping interception near midfield along the sideline in front of the Baylor bench to secure the first Big 12 road victory for the Cougars (5-0, 2-0 Big 12).
Retzlaff threw two interceptions after halftime, the second a deflection caught by 337-pound nose tackle Elinus Noel III to set up Baylor at the Cougars 45 with 4:01 left. The Bears were stopped on a fourth-and-6 incompletion from the 24 with 1:47 left but still had all of their timeouts and got the ball back with only 13 seconds coming off the clock, but BYU went three-and-out.
No. 23 KANSAS ST. 42, No. 20 OKLAHOMA ST. 20
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Avery Johnson passed for three touchdowns and ran for two as the Wildcats routed the Cowboys.
Johnson passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 60 yards and two scores.
DJ Giddens ran for 187 yards and a touchdown and had a catch for 22 yards for Kansas State for the Wildcats (4-1, 1-1 Big 12), who fell behind early before scoring 35 straight points to take control.
No. 24 TEXAS A&M 21, ARKANSAS 17
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Le’Veon Moss was banged up and bottled up with the Aggies down three points in the fourth quarter of the final scheduled neutral-site game against Arkansas at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Three straight carries covering 46 yards triggered the winning drive in yet another victory for the Aggies over the Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium.
Marcel Reed threw for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead 5-yarder to Tre Watson that was set up by Moss, and ran for a score in the win.
The Associated Press
