AUBURN, Ala. — Jalen Milroe stood in the pocket for what felt like an eternity before spotting Isaiah Bond and launching the pass that kept Alabama’s playoff hopes alive.
And etched “fourth-and-31” in Iron Bowl lore in the process.
Milroe and Bond rescued No. 8 Alabama's chances of making the College Football Playoff, connecting for a last-minute touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 31 to beat Auburn 27-24 on Saturday.
“I’ll never forget this game, ever in my life,” Milroe said. Neither will fans who witnessed Alabama's fourth straight victory in the bitter rivalry.
Milroe found Bond in the left corner of the end zone with 32 seconds left, and the Crimson Tide (11-1, 8-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 8 CFP) came out on top in the latest improbable finish at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Milroe — who was given all the time he needed to throw by Auburn — insisted he never had doubts: “One hundred percent. I saw IB one-on-one and I knew we were going to score."
Alabama has won 10 straight since losing at home to Texas on Sept. 9, but still needs to beat No. 1 Georgia in next week's SEC Championship game to make the playoff.
Trailing by four with 1:43 left, Alabama had first-and-goal at the Auburn 7 before moving backward. The Tide lost 18 yards on a bad snap and were pushed back 5 more yards with an illegal downfield pass on third down after Milroe crossed the line of scrimmage.
Then came a play that Bond called “The Gravedigger,” the latest example of what Alabama coach Nick Saban called the “weird stuff” his teams have experienced at Jordan-Hare.
“We’ve been on both sides of the good fortune and the misfortune, and I’ve gotta admit, we had good fortune,” Saban said. “But it still comes down to ability to execute.”
Bond said he was just thinking "it’s mine” once Milroe's final pass was in the air.
“Big-time players make big-time plays,” he said. “That’s the one quote my mom instilled in me as a young child.”
Two years ago, Alabama needed four overtimes to beat the Tigers on the Plains, where the Kick Six — Chris Davis' return of a missed 57-yard field goal try by Alabama on the final play — went down in college football history a decade ago.
Alabama nearly returned an interception for another touchdown on the last play. But this game will be remembered around the state for fourth-and-31. Auburn will be second-guessed for not trying to pressure Milroe, who stood in the pocket for at least five seconds before throwing.
Ja’Varrius Johnson had scored on a 27-yard touchdown catch and a 12-yard run to put the Tigers (6-6, 3-5) — 12 1/2-point underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook — in position for the upset in coach Hugh Freeze's first Iron Bowl.
“It’s a lot of hurt in that locker room, and it stinks," Freeze said. "Our kids gave themselves a chance to win the Iron Bowl tonight, and it’s going to stick with us for a while.”
Milroe passed for 259 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 107 yards. Jermaine Burton had 107 yards receiving, including a 68-yard touchdown. Bond had five catches for 75 yards.
Payton Thorne passed for 91 yards and a touchdown and ran for 58 yards for Auburn. Jarquez Hunter ran for 93 yards and Damari Alston gained 85.
A muffed punt gave Alabama the ball on the Auburn 30 with 4:48 left. But cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett upended a scrambling Milroe a yard shy of the first down on third-and-20. Roydell Williams took a pitch and converted the fourth down, setting up the go-ahead score.
Midway through the third quarter, Thorne hit a wide-open Johnson for a touchdown that put Auburn ahead 21-20. Alex McPherson's 21-yard field goal made it 24-20 with 10 minutes left.
Bond celebrated his winning score by emulating James Bond, holding his hands against his chest as if cradling a pistol.
“That's the 007 pose, so if anybody wants to use that, I did it first," said Bond, who has a diamond-encrusted “007” hanging on a chain.
Wildcats stun No. 10 Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky was down though never truly out against Louisville, needing just a spark to create momentum in a game that matters more than others.
Barion Brown provided that with a huge kickoff return, and Ray Davis took over from there.
Davis broke free for a go-ahead, 37-yard touchdown run with 1:02 remaining and caught two second-half touchdowns, helping the Wildcats rally past No. 9 Louisville 38-31 on Saturday in the Governor's Cup.
Davis' third score capped a wild second half for the Wildcats (7-5) in which the Bluegrass State rivals combined for 52 points and closed alternating touchdowns. The winner came after Louisville (10-2, No. 10 CFP) tied the game at 31 on Jack Plummer's 21-yard touchdown pass to Ahmari Huggins-Bruce with 2:33 remaining. Jarvis Brownlee Jr. set up that improbable opportunity for the Cardinals by intercepting Devin Leary's floating pass as he was hit by Ashton Gillotte.
Kentucky took the kickoff and quickly drove into Louisville territory, and Davis found room on the left side and was gone for his 20th score that broke Benny Snell's season record set in 2017. Davis carried 14 times for 76 yards and caught four passes for 51 yards, including two 20-yard TDs from Leary. Davis beamed over his second TD.
“The coaches told us just to stay calm and stay with it,” said Davis, a Vanderbilt transfer who also broke 1,000 yards rushing for the second consecutive season. “Before I scored, I took a deep breath and Devin said, ‘Let’s let it rip.’ I was proud of Leary.”
Kentucky had plenty of players worth praising.
Leary completed 12 of 22 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns, including a 9-yarder to Dane Key midway through the second quarter to tie the game at 7. He was also sacked twice before halftime, but found time to complete longer throws such as a 55-yarder to Izayah Cummings before the first 20-yard score to Davis.
Kentucky linebacker J.J. Weaver helped set up chances by forcing Jawhar Jordan's fumble near midfield that led to a tying field goal. His recovery of Jack Plummer's fumble on a scramble led to Davis' go-ahead score midway through the fourth.
“It feels good,” Weaver said after a joyous postgame celebration. "I just want to be consistent and keep my head down.”
It all started with Brown, whose 100-yard, third-quarter kickoff return brought Kentucky within 17-14, a key play that awoke his team to eventually tie the game and then lead.
“It was nice to see Ray run like Ray and get tough difficult yards, critical yards,” said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, whose team also trailed 24-14 before rallying to tie on Davis' first TD and Alex Raynor's 46-yard field goal. “For this team to pick itself up after falling down is a credit to this team.”
The Wildcats ended up winning their fifth consecutive Governor's Cup. Kentucky is bowl bound but limped in with five losses in six games; Louisville is about to play for the Atlantic Coast Conference title and a possible New Year's Six bowl game under first-year coach Jeff Brohm, a former Cardinals standout QB.
Louisville now must move past a stinging loss before facing No. 4 Florida State.
“This one hurts more than the others," Brohm said. "We wanted to win this game. We put a lot of emphasis on it. I give Kentucky credit. They came in here and beat us. So, congrats to them. We didn’t do a good enough job, and yeah, it stinks.”
Plummer completed 24 of 33 passes for 242 yards and two scores for Louisville, which outgained Kentucky 403-289 and scored on drives consuming 8:19 and 9:10. Jordan rushed for 67 and two scores on 17 carries, while ex-Kentucky QB Joey Gatewood caught an 11-yard TD.
The Wildcats were just more efficient with their possessions, allowing them to retain ownership of a coveted prize — bragging rights.
Daniels makes final Heisman case
BATON ROUGE, La. — Jayden Daniels momentarily dropped to one knee after taking what might have been his final snap in an LSU uniform. He tossed the ball to an official as he stood back up, raised both arms repeatedly to acknowledge the roaring crowd and hugged receiver Brian Thomas.
Then he walked into the tunnel behind Tiger Stadium’s north end zone believing he had “most definitely” done enough against one of the nation’s top defenses to bolster his Heisman Trophy resume.
Daniels passed for four touchdowns and accounted for 355 yards of total offense, helping No. 14 LSU beat Texas A&M 42-30 on Saturday.
“He’s a dynamic player and he’s up for the Heisman for a reason," Texas A&M interim coach Elijah Robinson said. “At any given point, he can make a play — and he did."
Daniels completed 16 of 24 passes for 235 yards and ran 11 times for 120 yards — a fine day by most quarterbacks' standards but somewhat short of his usual production this season.
“First of all, (Texas A&M) is a top-10 defense in the country and I think their defensive line is outstanding," LSU coach Brian Kelly said. "You throw for four touchdown passes against that defense and put up 42 points, it sure as heck can’t hurt you. And obviously running the way he did, I just think he strengthened his case for the Heisman.”
Time will tell if Daniels did enough to win over Heisman voters, who'll get an additional look at two other top candidates — Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon QB Bo Nix — when their teams meet in the Pac-12 title game on Friday.
The finalists will be invited to New York for the trophy presentation on Dec. 9.
“We've got to see what the other guys do,” Daniels said. “But I think I made my case to get invited up there."
Malik Nabers caught six passes for 122 yards and two TDs for LSU (9-3, 6-2 SEC). In the process, he became LSU’s career record holder in receptions with 186, eclipsing Wendell Davis' mark of 183.
“It was an emotional game for me," said Nabers, a projected first-round pick in the NFL draft. "I knew what I needed to come in here and do in my last game in Tiger Stadium.”
Nabers has 2,980 career receiving yards, 21 short of Josh Reed's LSU record.
“I'm still going to break that one,” Nabers said, pledging to play in LSU's bowl game.
The Aggies (7-5, 4-4) closed to 35-30 when Jaylen Henderson found tight end Max Wright for a 51-yard touchdown with 7:20 left.
Daniels quickly directed LSU back downfield with a 45-yard completion to Nabers that might have been a 75-yard TD if not for a holding call on Kyren Lacy at the A&M 30. Still, Daniels got the Tigers in the end zone with his 15-yard strike to Lacy for the final margin.
Daniels' biggest play with his feet was a 49-yard scramble on fourth-and-4 to set up Josh Williams' short TD run, cutting A&M's lead to 24-21 in the third quarter.
Aggies kicker Randy Bond missed a 32-yard field goal and Henderson was intercepted by linebacker Greg Penn, allowing LSU to take a 28-24 lead on Daniels’ 23-yard fade to Brian Thomas in the corner of the end zone.
Nabers’ leaping touchdown catch along the sideline made it 35-24.
LSU took a 7-0 first-quarter lead on Logan Diggs’ short TD run, which was set up by Daniels’ 21-yard scramble.
The Aggies responded with 10 straight points on Le’Veon Moss’ 2-yard TD and Bond’s 48-yard field goal.
Daniels had scrambles of 13 and 23 yards to help set up his 6-yard TD pass to Nabers for a 14-10 lead. But the Aggies took a 17-14 halftime lead on Jake Johnson’s catch-and-run for a 14-yard score.
Seminoles stay undefeated
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Trey Benson ran for three touchdowns, including a 26-yarder on third down with less than three minutes to play, and No. 5 Florida State beat rival Florida 24-15 on Saturday night to extend its winning streak to 18.
Benson finished with 95 yards on 19 carries and helped take pressure off new quarterback Tate Rodemaker as the Seminoles (12-0) moved a victory from a potential spot in the College Football Playoff.
With star quarterback Jordan Travis watching from the visiting athletic director’s suite with his left leg in a walking boot, Rodemaker came up huge when it mattered most. He completed a dart to Ja'Khi Douglas with cornerback Jaydon Hill in tight coverage on a fourth-and-3 play from the Florida 34 in the fourth quarter. It set up a short field goal that put the Seminoles ahead for good.
Rodemaker was knocked out of the game for four plays on the ensuing possession, but he returned in time to hand off for Benson for the game-sealing score. Kalen Deloach squashed any thoughts of a late-game miracle when he intercepted Max Brown's pass on the next drive.
Rodemaker did little to make anyone forget about Travis, a Heisman Trophy candidate whose season ended with a gruesome injury last week against North Alabama. But he did enough to help Florida State beat its in-state rival for the seventh time in the last 10 meetings.
Rodemaker completed 12 of 25 passes for 134 yards.
Brown was less effective, finishing 9-of-16 passing for 86 yards. Montrell Johnson led the Gators (5-7) with 107 yards rushing.
When it was over, Florida State receiver Keon Coleman did a backflip at midfield.
Clemson rolls on the road
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Clemson defensive back Khalil Barnes scored his team's lone touchdown and kicker Jonathan Weitz made his three longest field goals of the year as Clemson won its fourth straight with a 16-7 victory over rival South Carolina on Saturday night.
Barnes, a freshman, jumped on a backwards pass thrown by Spencer Rattler that bounced off Xavier Legette's hands. The freshman scooped it up and went 42 yards for the touchdown 35 seconds into the game.
Weitz, called back to Clemson by coach Dabo Swinney in September, had his best game since the return, hitting from 50, 49 and 42 yards — all longer than his career-best of 41 coming in.
Clemson players planted the team flag in the Gamecocks logo at midfield after celebrating in front of their band and supporters as time ran out.
Following South Carolina's only TD, a 1-yard run by Luke Doty in the first quarter, it punted its next eight drives. The Gamecocks last chance ended when Rattler's pass to Doty on fourth down came up short with 3:19 to play.
Barnes also intercepted Rattler on the next South Carolina play.
Rattler ended 16-of-32 passing for a season-low 112 yards.
Weitz has had his up-and-down moments this year, including missing a 30-yarder late in a tie game with No. 5 Florida State that the Tigers eventually lost in overtime.
But he came up huge in this one, connecting on the 50-yard kick to put Clemson up for good, 10-7 before adding the others.
The rivalry featured an appearance from former President Donald Trump, who was guest of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. The two strolled on the field at halftime with Trump waving to the sold-out crowd of 80,172. He was cheered loudly — with a few jeers — and chants of “U-S-A” broke out.
Georgia wins 29th in a row
ATLANTA — Kendall Milton ran for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns and No. 1 Georgia held off Georgia Tech 31-23 on Saturday night to cap its third consecutive undefeated regular season with its sixth straight victory in the state rivalry.
Georgia (12-0, No. 1 College Football Playoff) extended its school-record winning streak to 29 games. The Bulldogs have won 19 of the last 22 against Georgia Tech (6-6), but this was more competitive than most recent battles for the Governor's Cup Trophy.
Quarterback Haynes King had two touchdown runs and Jamal Haynes also ran for a score. Eric Singleton Jr. had four catches for 96 yards as the Yellow Jackets gained 363 yards, including 205 on the ground.
King's 5-yard scoring run with 3:46 remaining cut Georgia's lead to 31-23. Georgia recovered an onside kick and relied on its running game, led by Milton and Daijun Edwards, to run out the clock. Milton's rushing total set a season high for a Georgia running back.
Georgia protected its hopes of becoming the first team to win three straight national championships in The Associated Press poll era. The Bulldogs will play No. 8 Alabama in next week's Southeastern Conference Championship game in Atlanta.
Georgia Tech led 7-0 in the first quarter and 10-7 in the second before the Bulldogs answered with 24 consecutive points to lead 31-13 late in the third.
Georgia was missing three of its top five receivers and a starting offensive lineman. Tight end Brock Bowers (ankle) and wide receivers Ladd McConkey (ankle) and Rara Thomas (foot sprain) did not play. Right guard Tate Ratledge (knee) also was held out.
The Bulldogs' depleted offense hurt itself with a turnover on its first snap. Edwards fumbled when hit by linebacker Kyle Efford. Jamon Dumas-Johnson recovered for the Yellow Jackets at the Georgia 37. Following King's 28-yard pass to Brett Seither, King's 9-yard scoring run gave Georgia Tech a 7-0 lead.
Carson Beck's 29-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Lovett tied it. Milton and Edwards had 3-yard scoring runs to give Georgia a 21-13 halftime lead.
The Bulldogs outscored the Yellow Jackets 134-21 the last three years, including a 45-0 rout in 2021 and a 37-14 win last season.
Milton's 6 TDs lead Vols over Vandy
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Joe Milton III threw a career-high four touchdown passes and ran for two more scores to lead No. 25 Tennessee to a 48-24 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
The game had several incidents late in the second quarter that led to skirmishes and six unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
“I was upset ... there were two consecutive snaps where after the whistle our quarterback ended up on the ground,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said of what lit the fuse. “Part of my job is to fight for our players and their safety.”
“It got pretty chippy for a bit,” said Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. “We talked at halftime about playing smart football.”
Milton passed for 383 yards, his top production in six seasons — three for the Volunteers and three for Michigan. Ramel Keyton caught four passes for 122 yards and two TDs to help Tennessee (8-4, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) end a two-game losing streak.
“I'm proud of (Milton's resilience)," Heupel said. “He was decisive. There was smart decision-making and he was accurate with the football.”
“Joe can't be Joe without the other 10 guys,” Milton said. "Six TDs won't happen without the other guys. It was important to go out with a bang. I wanted to end the season right.”
The Commodores (2-10, 0-8) lost their final 10 games of the season. They came into the game averaging 237 yards of total offense in their last four games, but showed improvement (223 yards through three quarters) with AJ Swann at quarterback for the first time since late September.
Swann left with an injury late in the third quarter. Vandy finished with 306 yards of total offense.