STARKVILLE, Miss. — Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury he suffered late in the first half of the Crimson Tide’s victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.
Tagovailoa was injured while being dragged down late in the first half, with the Tide up four touchdowns, and No. 4 Alabama went on to beat Mississippi State 38-7.
Tagovailoa had been nursing an ankle injury and Alabama was considering holding him out of this game.
Alabama officials confirmed Tagovailoa was flown by helicopter to the St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Hours later the school announced he has sustained a dislocated right hip.
Tagovailoa was injured after a scramble when he was tackled from behind by Bulldogs linebacker Leo Lewis. The star quarterback needed help getting to his feet and was carted off the field with 3:01 left in the second quarter.
The junior had been nursing an ankle injury that needed surgery four weeks ago and caused him to miss a game and a half. Alabama Coach Nick Saban said the injury Saturday was unrelated to the ankle. Saban called it a “freak injury.”
Saban told ESPN at halftime the plan was to remove Tagovailoa from the game before the series when the quarterback was injured. Alabama was already up 35-7, but it was decided to let Tagovailoa play one possession to get some work in the two-minute drill.
The Crimson Tide (9-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) were coming off a 46-41 loss to LSU that nudged it out of College Football Playoff position to fifth in the latest selection committee rankings. Now the Crimson Tide is facing the possibility of trying to impress the committee without Tagovailoa.
(2) OHIO STATE 56, RUTGERS 21: Justin Fields threw for a career-high 305 yards and matched his best with four touchdown passes to lead the Buckeyes (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) to a workmanlike win over the Scarlet Knights (2-8, 0-7) in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Favored by a whopping 51 points, the Buckeyes rolled to their 16th straight win over the past two seasons. J.K. Dobbins ran for two touchdowns and cornerback Shaun Wade set up two early TDs with an interception and a forced fumble.
Isaih Pacheco scored on a 26-yard run, Johnny Langan threw a 45-yard scoring pass to Bo Melton and ran a yard for another touchdown with 1:09 left for Rutgers. The loss was the 19th straight conference game for Rutgers, which fired coach Chris Ash in late September.
(3) CLEMSON 52, WAKE FOREST 3: Trevor Lawrence tied his career high with four touchdowns, three to Tee Higgins, and the Tigers (11-0, 8-0, No. 3 CFP) won their 26th straight game and completed a second-straight perfect Atlantic Coast Conference regular season with a win over the Demon Deacons (7-3, 3-3) in Clemson, South Carolina.
The Tigers opened quickly and, after an uncomfortable stretch of four series with just a field goal, turned it on again right before halftime to win their 11th in a row over the Demon Deacons.
Lawrence and Higgins connected on a 14-yard scoring pass on Clemson’s first drive and Travis Etienne followed with a 14-yard run for a 14-0 lead five minutes into the game. The Tigers got it going again in the half’s final minute with Lawrence finding Higgins between a pair of defenders on another 14-yard scoring pass with 42 seconds left. Cornerback A.J. Terrell got an interception with 20 seconds left — the second pick thrown by Wake Forest passer Jamie Newman — and Lawrence threw a perfect strike to Higgins from 30 yards out as Clemson led 31-3 at the break.
(5) GEORGIA 21, (13) AUBURN 14: Jake Fromm passed for three touchdowns and the Bulldogs’ defense produced two late stops, clinching the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title with a victory in Auburn, Alabama.
The Bulldogs (9-1, 6-1 SEC, No. 4 CFP) sailed through three quarters with a 21-0 lead before Auburn (7-3, 4-3) rallied in the fourth.
Georgia held on to become the first team to win three consecutive SEC East titles since Florida won five in a row from 1992-96.
Fromm and De’Andre Swift delivered enough offense to keep the Bulldogs on track for a shot at the College Football Playoffs. Most of the way, though, it was clear the game featured two of the league’s top defenses.
(23) IOWA 23, (7) MINNESOTA 19: Nate Stanley threw two touchdown passes and Tyler Goodson ran for a score to help the Hawkeyes (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) beat the Gophers (9-1, 6-1, No. 8 CFP, handing Minnesota its first loss while hurting its playoff prospects, in Iowa City, Iowa.
The Hawkeyes struck quickly, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions, then held off Minnesota’s charge in the second half for their first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
The Gophers haven’t won at Kinnick Stadium since 1999, losing nine straight on the road in the series.
Utah running back Zack Moss (2) leaves UCLA defensive back Rayshad Williams (3) behind on his way to a touchdown during the first half Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
NO. 8 UTAH 49, UCLA 3: Zack Moss ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns and added 65 receiving yards to help Utah rout UCLA in Salt Lake City.
Moss moved into second-place for career all-purpose yardage at Utah. Tyler Huntley threw for a season-high 335 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-18 passing. Brant Kuithe had a career-high 132 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
The Utes (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12, No. 7 CFP) beat the Bruins for the fourth straight season. Utah totaled 536 yards on offense.
UCLA (4-6, 4-3 Pac-12) saw a three-game winning streak snapped after committing five turnovers and averaging just 3.7 yards per play.
(9) PENN STATE 34, (24) INDIANA 27: Quarterback Sean Clifford scored three touchdowns Saturday, leading the Nitany Lions (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten, No. 9 CFP) past the Hoosiers (7-3, 4-3) to keep their playoff hopes alive, in State College, Pennsylvania.
(11) FLORIDA 23, MISSOURI 6: Kyle Trask threw two touchdown passes after a sluggish first half by the Gators (9-2, 6-2 SEC) beat the Tigers (5-5, 2-4) in Columbia, Missouri.
(14) MICHIGAN 44, MICHIGAN STATE 10: Shea Patterson threw for a season-high 384 yards and four touchdowns, sending the Wolverines (8-2, 5-2 Big 10, No. 15 CFP) to a romp the Spartans (4-6, 2-5), in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
(15) WISCONSIN 37, NEBRASKA 21: Jonathan Taylor ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns, Aaron Cruickshank ran back a kickoff 89 yards for a score, and the Badgers (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten, No. 14 CFP) beat the Cornhuskers (4-6, 2-5) in Lincoln, Nebraska.
(16) NOTRE DAME 52, (21) NAVY 20: Chase Claypool caught four touchdown passes to match a school record and the Irish (8-2, No. 16 CFP) shut down Navy’s triple-option in a rout on the Midshipmen (7-2, No. 23 CFP) in South Bend, Indiana.
(18) MEMPHIS 45, HOUSTON 27: Brady White threw for 341 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another score and the Tigers (9-1, 5-1 American) overcame a 10-point first-quarter deficit to beat the Cougars (3-7, 5-1) in Houston.
IOWA STATE 23, (22) TEXAS 21: Connor Assalley kicke a 36-yard field goal as time expired and the Cyclones (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) knocked off the Longhorns (6-4, 4-3) to snap a two-game losing streak, in Ames, Iowa.
(25) OKLAHOMA STATE 31, KANSAS 12: Chuba Hubbard ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 42 yards in the Cowboys (7-3, 4-3 Big 12, No. 22 CFP) beat the Jayhawks (3-7, 1-6) in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
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