NORMAN, Okla. — Xavier Robinson set career highs with 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns as Oklahoma defeated No. 7 Alabama 24-3 on Saturday night, securing bowl eligibility and severely damaging the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff hopes.
Quarterback Jackson Arnold contributed 131 rushing yards on 25 carries and completed 9 of 11 passes for the Sooners (6-5, 2-5), who gave coach Brent Venables a much-needed win on Senior Night. This was Oklahoma’s first SEC home victory since moving from the Big 12 earlier this year.
With 28 seconds left, Sooners fans stormed the field and brought down both goalposts. After the celebration subsided, Oklahoma kneeled the ball before fans poured back onto the field.
Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who had been one of the top performers in college football, had a tough outing, completing 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards with 3 interceptions. He also struggled on the ground, gaining only seven yards on 15 carries. The Sooners’ defense limited Alabama to just 234 total yards.
Robinson’s 18-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds remaining in the second quarter gave Oklahoma a 10-3 lead, a margin that held until halftime. The Sooners outgained Alabama 242 yards to 97 before the break.
Milroe was held to 62 passing yards on 2 of 7 attempts and ran for minus-2 yards before halftime. In the second quarter, Oklahoma outgained the Crimson Tide 118 yards to 15 and controlled the ball for over 11 minutes.
Oklahoma’s Eli Bowen intercepted Milroe on the third play of the second half and returned it 25 yards to the Alabama 14-yard line. Robinson’s 1-yard touchdown run extended Oklahoma’s lead to 17-3.
On the very next drive, Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis intercepted Milroe and returned it 49 yards for another touchdown, putting the Sooners up 24-3 with 8:05 left in the third quarter.
LSU 24, VANDERBILT 17
BATON ROUGE — Josh Williams scored two rushing touchdowns, and Garrett Nussmeier threw for 332 yards as LSU defeated Vanderbilt at Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers (7-4, 4-3) snapped a three-game losing streak, their longest since 2021.
Leading 14-10 at halftime, LSU saw its lead cut to 14-13 after a 47-yard field goal by Brock Taylor on Vanderbilt’s first possession of the second half.
In a pivotal moment, LSU’s offense, which had struggled in recent weeks, mounted a 77-yard, 10-play drive capped off by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Nussmeier to Kyren Lacy, pushing the lead to 21-10. The drive featured a key 24-yard pass on a fourth down to C.J. Daniels inside Vanderbilt’s territory.
Lacy finished with 85 yards on six catches, including the touchdown.
After forcing a Vanderbilt punt, LSU extended its lead to 24-10 with a 28-yard field goal by Damian Ramos.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia pulled the Commodores within 24-17 with a late 1-yard touchdown run, but LSU controlled the clock for the final 5:47, sealing the win.
Pavia finished with 43 yards rushing on six carries and was 13-of-24 passing for 186 yards for Vanderbilt (6-5, 3-4).
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