A late touchdown pass from quarterback A.J. McCarron gave No. 1 Alabama a 21-17 victory over No. 5 Louisiana State in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday night.
With 51 seconds left in the game, McCarron connected with running back T.J. Yeldon for a 28-yard score, capping off a 72-yard drive to give the Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) the lead over the Tigers (7-2, 3-2 SEC) for good.
In a battle of SEC title contenders, LSU rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit to take a 17-14 lead with roughly 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter on touchdowns by running back Jeremy Hill and wide receiver Jarvis Landry.
While they out gained Alabama in total yards, the Tigers defense was unable to keep the Crimson Tide out of the endzone when it mattered most, as McCarron led the Alabama offense to the game-winning touchdown. He finished with 165 yards and a touchdown pass, and a touchdown run..
The Crimson Tide look to remain undefeated when they take on Texas A&M at home on Saturday, while LSU also has a home game when it faces Mississippi State on Saturday.
Oregon offense too much for USC
No. 2 Oregon exploded for 62 points in a 62-51 offensive shootout win over No. 17 USC Saturday night.
Despite a five touchdown performance from quarterback Matt Barkley, the Trojans (6-3, 4-3 PAC 12) suffered their third loss of the season, all coming in conference play.
Running back Kenjon Barner erupted for 321 rushing yards and five touchdowns for the Ducks (9-0, 6-0 PAC 12) and quarterback Marcus Mariota threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns.
The Ducks gained a total of 730 yards on the day, while USC picked up 615 total yards – 484 coming through the air. Trojan wide receiver Marqise Lee led all receivers in yards with 157 yards. He caught 12 passes and two touchdowns.
USC hopes to snap its two-game losing-skid when it hosts Arizona State on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. Oregon travels to California next Saturday to take on the Golden Bears at 10:30 p.m.
Notre Dame wins in three overtimes
Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson scored a game-winning touchdown in triple overtime to keep the No. 3 Fighting Irish undefeated for the season, as they defeated Pittsburgh 29-26 in South Bend, Ind., Saturday afternoon.
After Panthers (4-5, 1-3 Big East) kicker Kevin Harper missed a potential game-winning field goal in the second overtime, Notre Dame (9-0) capitalized in the third
overtime Golson ran for a one-yard touchdown to give the Irish the win.
Trailing 20-6 after the third quarter, touchdown receptions by wide receiver T.J. Jones and running back Theo Riddick tied the game for Notre Dame, sent it into overtime. Golson finished with 227 passing yards and two touchdowns. Ray Graham led the offensive attack for the Panthers, picking up 172 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. Pittsburgh quarterback Tino Sunseri threw for 164 yards and a touchdown on the day.
Pittsburgh’s next game is Friday night when it travels to Connecticut, while Notre Dame travels to Boston College on Saturday night.
Jason Kates can be reached at [email protected].
