NCAA Football Weekend of 11.30
NCAA Football Top Ten-Weekend of Nov. 30, 2013
The seventh ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys were the only Top Ten team that had off this week. Oklahoma State will not play again until Dec. 7, when they host the eighteenth ranked Sooners of Oklahoma.
#4 Auburn 34 vs. #1 Alabama 28
This was the 78th edition of the Iron Bowl in a rivalry that has lasted since 1893. Entering this game, Alabama held the lead in the series with a 42-34-1 record and they were looking to close out Auburn en route to their third consecutive National Championship, while the Tigers were hoping to play the role of spoiler.
A.J. McCarron completed 17 of 29 passes for 277-yards and three touchdown passes, including a 99-yard strike to Amari Cooper, who caught six passes for 178-yards. T.J. Yeldon also scored a touchdown while rushing for 141-yards on 26 carries as Alabama built a 21-7 lead. However, two missed field goals by Cade Foster and a blocked attempt helped keep the Tigers within striking distance. Tre Mason scored from a yard out as he ran for 164-yards on 29 carries while Nick Marshall completed 11 of 16 passes for 97-yards and two touchdown passes, including the game tying touchdown to Sammie Coates from 39-yards out. Marshall also rushed for 99-yards and a touchdown. The Tide got in field goal range and Adam Griffith came in for the beleaguered Foster to attempt a 57-yarder with a single second left. Griffith’s kick fell short, Chris Davis caught the ball in the end zone and ran it back for a 109-yard touchdown to provide the Tigers with a thrilling upset over the defending two time National Champions.
With the win, Auburn stole the Southeastern Conference Championship berth away from Alabama. The Tigers also completed the greatest single season turnaround in Southeastern Conference history by going from 3-9 in 2012 to 11-1 this season.
#2 Florida State 37 @ Florida 7
Jameis Winston completed 19 of 31 passes for 327-yards and a trio of touchdown passes which all went to Kelvin Benjamin, who made nine catches for 212-yards. The Seminoles held the Gators to eight first downs and 193-yards of total offense. Florida State will head on to face number 24 Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game. Duke defeated North Carolina by a score of 27-25 to clinch the Coastal Division title as well as their first ten win season in school history.
#3 Ohio State 42 @ Michigan 41
One week after clinching their spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Buckeyes still had another game that they wanted to secure and that was the traditional final contest of the season against the arch-rival Michigan Wolverines. Ohio State would be traveling to the Big House where their undefeated record would be on the line in their toughest matchup of the year.
Braxton Miller completed only six of 15 passes for 133-yards, but he threw for two touchdown passes, including a 53-yard strike to Devin Smith. Miller did more damage on the ground by rushing for 153-yards and three touchdowns while Carlos Hyde carried 27 times for 226-yards and added a score. The Wolverines would come back behind the arm of Devin Gardner, who completed 32 of 45 passes for 451-yards and four touchdown passes, including one to Jeremy Gallon, who caught nine passes for 175-yards. Gardner hit Devin Funchess for a scoring pass with 32 seconds remaining to pull Michigan within one, but the Wolverines failed on the two point conversion and Ohio State hung on to preserve their unblemished record.
#5 Missouri 28 vs. #21 Texas A&M 21
In the race for the Eastern Division Title, South Carolina beat Clemson, 31-17. Missouri needed to defeat Johnny Manziel and number 21 Texas A&M in order to win the division and clinch a berth in the SEC Championship Game against Auburn.
James Franklin completed 18 of 28 passes for 233-yards and a pair of touchdown passes to help give the Tigers a 21-14 lead. Texas A&M hung with Missouri as Manziel completed 24 of 35 passes for 195-yards and a touchdown pass and Ben Malena’s fourth quarter scoring run tied the game at 21. With 3:34 remaining, Henry Josey ran for a 57-yard touchdown run to put the Tigers back on top. Josey gained 96-yards on 13 carries as Missouri rushed for 225-yards. The offense got the ball back with just over two minutes remaining and they effectively ran out the clock to win the game.
#10 South Carolina 31 vs. #6 Clemson 17
Connor Shaw completed 14 of 26 passes for 152-yards with a touchdown pass while gaining 94-yards on 22 carries and adding a touchdown on the ground. Tajh Boyd completed 19 of 27 passes for 225-yards with a rushing touchdown and Roderick McDowell carried 14 times for 111-yards while scoring a touchdown. Clemson came back from a ten point deficit to tie the game at 17, but two South Carolina touchdowns put the game out of reach.
#8 Stanford 27 vs. #25 Notre Dame 20
Kevin Hogan completed 12 of 18 passes for 158-yards and a touchdown pass while Tyler Gaffney gained 189-yards on 33 carries while scoring himself as the Cardinal built a 21-6 third quarter lead. The Irish would mount a comeback as Tommy Rees threw three touchdown passes to close the gap to four. In the fourth quarter, Stanford’s defense responded as Wayne Lyons made two interceptions to officially slam the door on Notre Dame’s comeback threat.
#9 Baylor 41 @ Texas Christian 38
Bryce Petty completed 19 of 38 passes for 206-yards and two touchdown passes while running for another score. Baylor’s defense responded by returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns to help the Bears build a 34-17 lead. However, the Horned Frogs mounted a comeback as Casey Pachall passed for 267-yards and a pair of touchdown passes with a rushing touchdown. With 1:34 remaining, the TCU offense mounted a drive which brought them all the way down to the Baylor 23-yard line. However, Pachall’s pass was intercepted by Terrell Burt with 11 seconds remaining as the Bears hung on for the victory.
Changes in the Top Ten (from 11/23-11/30)
- Auburn moved from #6 to #4 despite having the week off.
- Baylor dropped from #4 all the way down to #9 following their 49-17 loss to Oklahoma State.
- Missouri moved from #8 to #5 following their 24-10 win over Ole Miss.
- Oregon dropped from #5 all the way down to #13 following their 42-16 loss to Arizona.
- Clemson moved from #7 to #6 following their 52-6 win over The Citadel.
- Stanford moved from #9 to #8 following their 63-13 win over California.
