Aaron Murray and No .9 Georgia football team stayed alive in the national title hunt, defeating No.6 Louisiana State 44-41 in a pivotal Southeastern Conference matchup on Saturday.
Murray led the Bulldogs (3-1, 2-0 SEC) with a dominant aerial attack, throwing for 298 yards and four touchdowns.
The Bulldogs offense, led by Murray and assisted by a potent ground game featuring Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall, accumulated 494 yards to keep Georgia’s hopes at a BCS National Championship game appearance.
The Tigers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) wasted a big day from quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns. The Tigers held a 41-37 lead with 4:14 remaining in the game after leading rusher Jordan Hill scored from eight yards out. But LSU could not hold on, as Murray led the Bulldogs back and connected with Justin Scott-Wesley to regain the lead with 1:47 remaining.
Georgia continues its difficult SEC schedule when it travels to Tennessee on Saturday. LSU will stay on the road when it takes on Mississippi State.
Tide stay unbeaten
Top-ranked Alabama alleviated any upset concerns Saturday by shutting out Ole Miss 25-0. The Crimson Tide (4-0, 2-0 SEC) smothered No. 21 Mississippi, allowing only 205 total yards of offense.
Offensively, Alabama’s workmanlike performance was led by quarterback A.J. McCarron, who went 25-32 passing for 180 yards. The Crimson Tide ran the ball 40 times for 254 yards, with T.J. Yeldon leading the ground attack. The combination of McCarron’s efficiency and Bama’s dominance on the ground allowed the Tide to nearly double Ole Miss in time of possession.
Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1 SEC) struggled to generate a ground attack, averaging only 1.8 yards per carry. It could not manage a single score despite an offense which averaged 38 points per game going into the game. The Rebels will try to rebound next week as they travel to Auburn.
Alabama will continue their push towards a national title when they face Georgia State next Saturday at home.
Miller shines in return
Braxton Miller threw four touchdowns in his first game back from knee injury, leading No. 4 Ohio State to a 31-24 victory over No. 23 Wisconsin on Saturday night.
Miller had a full workload in his return to game action, completing 17-of-25 passes for 198 yards and four touchdowns and also carried the ball 22 times for 83 yards.
Ohio State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) improved its unbeaten streak to 17 games and hasn’t lost since 2011. Wide receiver Philly Brown caught the eventual game winner late in the third quarter to put Ohio State up 31-14, one of eight catches for Brown on the day. Brown also totaled 85 yards and added two scores.
Wisconsin (3-2, 1-1 Big 10) played a frantic game of catch up in the fourth quarter, outscoring Ohio State 10-0 and cutting the lead to 31-24 with 2:05 left. The Badgers stopped the Buckeyes and got the ball back with a chance to tie the game, but were backed up in their own territory and turned the ball over on downs.
Ohio State travels to face Northwestern next Saturday, while Wisconsin is off next week and goes to Northwestern the week after.
Ross Gienieckzo can be reached at [email protected].
