Top 25 roundup: Alabama routs LSU in top-five showdown

Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdown passes and ran 44 yards for a score in his toughest test this season, Alabama’s defense stifled No. 4 LSU, and the top-ranked Crimson Tide remained unbeaten with a 29-0 victory Saturday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Tagovailoa took the field wearing a brace on right knee, threw his first interception of the season late in the first half and also played into the fourth quarter for the first time this season. None of those developments proved consequential. He was 25-of-42 passing for 295 yards and moved as well as well as he needed to, particularly when he sprinted up the middle of the field on his long TD run in the third quarter to give Alabama (9-0, 6-0 SEC, No. 1 CFP) a 22-0 lead.

Tagovailoa limped off the field after that play, went into the medical tent for some treatment and rode a stationary bike on the sideline, but he returned for the next series.

LSU (7-2, 4-2, No. 3 CFP) entered a chance to control of the SEC Western Division with a victory, but that began to look decreasingly realistic with every possession.

Alabama led 16-0 by halftime and forced LSU punts on the Tigers’ first nine possessions. LSU drove to the Alabama 15 on its 10th series early in the fourth quarter, only to miss a field goal with 10:45 to go.

(2) Clemson 77, Louisville 16: Travis Etienne ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns and 350-pound defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence added a 2-yard scoring burst as the Tigers routed the Cardinals in Clemson, South Carolina.

(3) Notre Dame 31, Northwestern 21: Ian Book threw two touchdown passes and ran 23 yards for a score in the closing minutes to lead the Irish past the Wildcats in Evanston, Illinois.

(5) Michigan 42, (14) Penn State 7: Shea Patterson accounted for three touchdowns and the Wolverines put together a dominant performance on defense to beat the Nittany Lions in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

(6) Georgia 34, (11) Kentucky 17: D’Andre Swift ran for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries against the Wildcats’ vaunted defense and the Bulldogs wrapped up their second straight Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title with a win in Lexington, Kentucky.

(7) Oklahoma 51, Texas Tech 46: Kyler Murray recovered from a pair of early interceptions that led to a two-touchdown deficit, throwing for 360 yards and three touchdowns and running for 100 yards and another score to rally the Sooners past the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas.

(8) Ohio State 36, Nebraska 31: J.K. Dobbins ran for three touchdowns and Dwayne Haskins Jr. passed for two more scores to help the Buckeyes beat the Cornhuskers in Columbus, Ohio.

(12) West Virginia 42, (15) Texas 41: Will Grier threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Gary Jennings with 16 seconds left, and then ran in the 2-point conversion to lift the Mountaineers past the Longhorns in Austin, Texas.

Missouri 38, (13) Florida 17: Drew Lock picked apart the Gators’ defense for the second straight year, throwing three touchdown passes to lead the Tigers to a win in Gainesville, Florida.

SMU 45, (17) Houston 31: Ben Hicks threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns and the Mustangs beat the Cougars in Dallas, the second time in three years SMU upset a ranked Houston team.

Purdue 38, (19) Iowa 36: Spencer Evans made a 25-yard field goal with 8 seconds left, lifting the Boilermakers past the Hawkeyes in West Lafayette, Indiana, and putting Purdue back in the Big Ten’s West Division title hunt.

(21) Mississippi State 45, Louisiana Tech 3: Nick Fitzgerald threw for 243 yards and four touchdowns and Mississippi State beat Louisiana Tech in Starkville, Mississippi.

(22) Syracuse 41, Wake Forest 24: Eric Dungey rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown, Jarveon Howard ran for two scores and the Orange defeated the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

(24) Boston College 31, Virginia Tech 21: Travis Levy ran for two touchdowns and the Eagles beat the Hokies in Blacksburg, Virginia, to set up a huge home game against Clemson next week.

Auburn 28, (25) Texas A&M 24: Seth Williams caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jarrett Stidham with 1:41 left and the Tigers rallied to top the Aggies in Auburn, Alabama.