NO. 13 ALABAMA 38, NO. 8 GEORGIA 10
ATHENS, Ga. -- With its season in the balance, No. 13 Alabama had quite a response Saturday.
The Crimson Tide are still very much a force in the national race.
Jake Coker ran the offense to perfection, the defense turned in a dominating performance, and No. 13 Alabama even got a touchdown from its special teams in a 38-10 rout of No. 8 Georgia.
Alabama (4-1, 1-1 SEC) jumped ahead 24-3 going into halftime and sealed the victory on Georgia's first offensive play of the second half. Eddie Jackson intercepted a pass from the Bulldogs' second quarterback, Brice Ramsey, and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown.
After a discouraging, five-turnover loss to Mississippi in its SEC opener two weeks ago, the Tide looked more like themselves on a rainy day between the hedges.
"I told them before the game that the plan we had for them, ordinary men couldn't go out there and get it done," said Coach Nick Saban, whose team avoided its first 0-2 start in the SEC since 1990. "We needed them to be extraordinary."
They were, and Saban was about as close to gleeful as he can get.
"I know they've been criticized a lot, but I thought we played an outstanding game today, every part of the game," he said.
Indeed, the Tide scored touchdowns on offense, defense and in the kicking game.
Coker, with an assist from Lane Kiffin's play-calling, completed 11 of 16 for 190 yards and 1 touchdown and ran for another. Derrick Henry rushed for 148 yards and scored on a 30-yard run that put Alabama ahead to stay midway through the second quarter.
"Ever since I was little, I've dreamed of beating Georgia and all those good schools," said Coker, a transfer from Florida State who is in his first season as the Tide's starter. "This is pretty sweet."
Georgia (4-1, 2-1) yanked starting quarterback Greyson Lambert late in the first half but it didn't matter. He went back in after Ramsey threw his second interception.
"Their defense made plays and covered our guys well," Lambert said. "This just wasn't our day."
After completing 33 of 35 passes in the previous 2 games against South Carolina and FCS opponent Southern University, Lambert was 10 of 24 for 86 yards and 1 interception on his final throw. Ramsey was even worse (1 of 6 for 20 yards), leaving Georgia with a huge question mark at the most prominent position on the field.
"We've got to re-evaluate everything," Coach Mark Richt said. "The quarterback play, everything."
With the game tied at 3-3, Henry burst untouched through the middle of the line to cap an eight-play, 76-yard drive. Little did the home crowd of more than 91,000 realize, the Tide were just getting warmed up.
Minkah Fitzpatrick darted through the line to block a Georgia punt, with the ball bouncing right into his arms at the 1 for an easy touchdown. Then, after Georgia went three and out for the sixth time in its first seven possessions, offensive coordinator Kiffin went for the jugular on his team's next play.
Coker sucked in the defense with play action and launched a 45-yard touchdown to Calvin Ridley, hitting the freshman receiver in stride down the middle of the field.
For good measure, Coker added a 1-yard run for a touchdown that stretched Alabama's lead to 38-3 less than 5 minutes into the second half.
The steady rain really started coming down after halftime. Midway through the third quarter, Georgia fans were streaming toward the exits on a dreary evening that thoroughly matched the mood of the red-clad crowd.
The game was a virtual repeat of Alabama's last visit to Sanford Stadium in 2008, when a Georgia team that started the season ranked No. 1 came out wearing black jerseys as part of a "blackout," only to fall behind 31-0 at halftime. The 41-30 victory signaled the start of Saban's dominating run in Tuscaloosa, which has resulted in three conference titles and three national championships.
The Bulldogs wore their regular red jerseys against the Crimson Tide this time, but it didn't make any difference.
Georgia added to its reputation of flopping in the biggest games. Even though the Bulldogs have a favorable schedule the rest of the way and still have a reasonable shot at playing in the SEC Championship Game, it's hard to imagine a team that lost so badly on its home field getting any serious consideration in the national picture.
The only highlight for the home team was Nick Chubb's 83-yard touchdown run in the waning seconds of the third quarter. That provided the bulk of his 146-yard effort, which extended his streak of 100-yard games to 13 in a row.
Only a smattering of Georgia fans were still around to see it.
MISSOURI 24,
SOUTH CAROLINA 10
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Three turnovers helped Missouri on its way to a victory against South Carolina.
Freshman Drew Lock started at quarterback for Missouri in place of Maty Mauk, who was suspended Tuesday for violating team policies. Lock completed 21 of 28 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Tigers (4-1, 1-1) win their first Southeast Conference game of the season.
Lorenzo Nunez threw three interceptions in his second start for the Gamecocks (2-3, 0-2), finishing 15 of 24 for 172 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball 15 times for 60 yards. Missouri gained a season-high 163 rushing yards on 42 attempts. Ish Witter had 17 rushes for 98 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Russell Hansbrough had 11 rushes for 43 yards. The Tigers host No. 25 Florida next Saturday in the school’s 104th homecoming. South Carolina will return home to face No. 9 LSU.
VANDERBILT 17,
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 13
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Ralph Webb ran for a 39-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to lift Vanderbilt past Middle Tennessee.
The Commodores overcame a 10-point deficit with two touchdowns in the final 6:14. Quarterback Johnny McCrary scored on a 29-yard run before Webb scored with 1:12 left to play. It was Vanderbilt’s (2-3) first victory against an FBS opponent this season. Webb finished with 155 yards on 25 carries for his first 100-yard rushing game of the season and third of his career.
Brent Stockstill threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ed’Marques Batties to give Middle Tennessee (2-3) a 13-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Stockstill was 32-of-51 passing for 286 yards. His 32 completions were the second most in a game in school history. Cody Clark sandwiched field goals of 44 and 28 yards between a Tommy Openshaw 40-yard field goal to give the Blue Raiders a 6-3 halftime lead.
KENTUCKY 34,
EASTERN KENTUCKY 27, OT
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Patrick Towles threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score in overtime, to lead Kentucky over Eastern Kentucky.
The Wildcats (4-1) scored two touchdowns in the final seven minutes of regulation along with the overtime touchdown to avoid a stunning upset. Eastern Kentucky (2-2) held a 27-13 lead with 7:39 remaining, but JoJo Kemp’s 7-yard TD run with 4:59 remaining, followed by Towles’ 5-yard touchdown pass to Dorian Baker with 52 seconds left in regulation, tied the score at 27-27.
The Colonels got the ball back and ran out the clock, forcing the extra period. The momentum carried over into overtime for the Wildcats. Towles’ 3-yard pass to Baker on Kentucky’s first series of the extra period gave the Wildcats the touchdown they needed to avoid the upset.
Sports on 10/04/2015