Championship Recap: Sooners Capture Red River Rematch and Kirby's Not-So-Smart Decision Kills Dawgs' Chances

By Andrew Ellis on December 2, 2018 at 7:05 am
Alabama topped Georgia in another instant classic.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
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The conference champions have been crowned and now we wait until this afternoon to see how the committee ranks them. I'm not sure there's a ton of doubt surrounding the top five or six teams, but perhaps we'll see a bit of a surprise here in a few hours.

Coaches have been making their pitches since yesterday evening and Urban Meyer did the same following last night's festivities in Indy. The Buckeyes put on a show against Northwestern and Dwayne Haskins was as spectacular as ever while taking home MVP honors. The defense had a few struggles but nothing like what we saw against Maryland and some other opponents. 

A recap of the rest of the noteworthy conference title games:


No. 1 Alabama 35, No. 4 Georgia 28

Tua Tagovailoa is human yet Alabama still won the SEC title thanks to some beyond questionable play-calling from Kirby Smart. A ridiculously timed fake punt is what very likely doomed the Bulldogs in this one, and it's something Smart is going to be questioned about for a very long time. With the game tied at 28 in the fourth, the blunder gave the Crimson Tide the ball back with prime field position, allowing them to score the game-winner.

It was a bit of a role reversal under center with Jalen Hurts coming in to save the day for Nick Saban. Tagovailoa struggled immensely while throwing for 164 yards with a touchdown and a pair of picks. Hurts was brought in in relief when Tua went down with a foot injury after being stepped on by a teammate. He hit on 7 of 9 passes for 82 yards and a score. Hurts also scored the game-winner on a 15-yard scamper. True freshman wideout Jaylen Waddle caught four passes for 113 and a touchdown as well.

Jake Fromm played extremely well for the Bulldogs as the sophomore threw for 301 and a trio of scores. D'Andre Swift totaled 138 yards and score twice while Isaac Nauta and Riley Ridley were also on the receiving end of touchdown strikes. 

There looked to be some pass interference on a late Fromm heave to the end zone, but I'm not sure it's a call you'll ever really see the officials make. Either way, Kirby Smart's already receiving plenty of criticism and the Tide are playoff bound yet again. 

No. 5 Oklahoma 39, No. 14 Texas 27

Womp womp womp. Texas didn't provide the Buckeyes with any help yesterday, but in all fairness you really shouldn't put yourself in a position where you're reliant on someone else's success or failure. Still, it would have been nice to see a win from Texas Tom and a subsequent playoff berth for the good guys. 

The Horns started off strong with a 7-0 lead and held the Sooners to a field goal in the game's first frame, but Kyler Murray eventually found his stride and the Oklahoma defense actually came through with a couple much-needed plays; including a crucial safety that ended up leading to the touchdown that sealed the deal.

Murray threw for 379 yard and three scores and added another 39 with his legs. Trey Sermon was the game's leading rusher with 65 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. CeeDee Lamb hauled in six passes for 167 and a touchdown. Sam Ehlinger was pretty much the entire offense for Texas as he put up just shy of 400 total yards and four scores. Collin Johnson continued his fine season with eight receptions for 177 yards and a touchdown.

Not ideal for Ohio State's chances.

No. 2 Clemson 42, Pittsburgh 10

I'd say this was the game that had the least amount of doubt surrounding it and Clemson tailback Travis Etienne put any doubts to rest in a hurry. Etienne dashed for a 75-yard touchdown on the game's first play and ended up rushing for 156 yards and a pair of scores. Trevor Lawrence didn't have to do a whole lot as the true freshman completed 12 of 24 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. 

Clemson's defense is superb and that certainly didn't change in the ACC title game. Pitt managed just 200 yards of total offense while turning the ball over three times. Tailback Qadree Ollison scored the Panthers' lone touchdown and Youngstown native Darrin Hall rumbled for 86 yards on 14 carries. 

And just like that Dabo is back in the playoffs yet again. 

No. 11 Washington 10, No. 17 Utah 3

Friday night's game wasn't the most exciting thing in the world and the stands only looked to be about a quarter of the way full. It was the story of two stout defenses as Chris Petersen and the Huskies had a 3-0 lead heading into the half and held steady the rest of the way to earn a spot in the Rose Bowl. The game-changing moment came late in the third quarter courtesy of the Washington defense. 

The Huskies have been producing in the defensive backfield, and Byron Murphy' was the best player on the field Friday night. The defense picked off three passes and Murphy was responsible for a pair. Utah was trying to get down the field to tie things up late, but Washington held on 4th and 12. Murphy was in coverage on the play and did appear to make contact with the receiver just before the ball arrived. Many pundits have the redshirt sophomore projected as a first-round Draft pick.

On the offensive side of the ball, there's not a whole lot to say. The Utes managed just 188 yards with quarterback Jason Shelley throwing for 137 and the three interceptions. Washington's Jake Browning connected on 21 of 33 passes for 187 yards and one pick. Myles Gaskin was the game's leading rusher with 71 yards on 23 carries.

No. 8 UCF 56, Memphis 41

I didn't watch this one but did check in sporadically. At one point Memphis was up by 17 and then the next time I looked UCF was up by two scores late. There was almost 1,300 yards of total offense so defense was clearly optional in Orlando.

Darriel Mack Jr. filled in admirably for McKenzie Milton as he put up over 400 yards and six total touchdowns. Tailback Greg McCrae went for 206 yards and a score while Dredrick Snelson – a former Minnesota commit and teammate of Torrance Gibson – caught four passes for 120 yards. Memphis' Darrell Henderson had a spectacular showing with 210 yards and three scores on just 16 carries.

The Knights are undefeated once again and we'll see what power-5 program draws this tough matchup during bowl season.


The final playoff rankings will be unveiled this afternoon, and while Ohio State put together two fine showings against Michigan and Northwestern, it's probably not going to be enough. A Rose Bowl matchup against a solid Washington team would certainly be interesting and what a fine consolation prize Pasadena would be. 

My guess for today's rankings: 1. Alabama, 2. Clemson, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Oklahoma, 5. Ohio State, 6. Georgia

What's your top five or six looking like?

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