OXFORD, Mississippi: Alabama coach Nick Saban doesn’t know how many of these roller coaster rides he can take.
He watched his top-ranked squad fall behind by three touchdowns and then come roaring back. And when his Tide looked to be in control and leading No. 19 Mississippi by 18 points in the fourth quarter, ‘Bama nearly blew it.
By the end of Alabama’s 48-43 victory over Ole Miss in a Southeastern Conference showdown on Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi, a weary, bleary-eyed Saban looked exhausted when the clock finally hit all zeroes.
‘‘It was an unbelievable game for fans to watch,’’ the 64-year-old Saban said with a wry smile. ‘‘It was really a difficult game for an old coach to have to suffer through. But we made it. We made it and I’m really proud of our players.’’
Alabama freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 158 yards and ran for 146 more, but it was unlikely defensive touchdowns from Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne — along with a special teams score from Eddie Jackson — that proved to be the biggest plays of the game.
Late in the second quarter, Ole Miss (1-2, 0-1) looked like it might be on its way to a third straight win over the Tide.
Instead, it was the Rebels’ second collapse in three games.
‘‘We scored enough points to beat an Alabama team,’’ Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. ‘‘But we did not stop the run and we did not take care of the ball.’’
Mississippi took a 24-3 lead with 2:47 remaining in the first half after defensive end Marquis Haynes’s big hit on Hurts, forcing a fumble that fellow defensive lineman John Youngblood scooped up and ran 44 yards for a touchdown.
But Alabama (3-0, 1-0) responded.
The Tide needed just three plays and 37 seconds to pull within 24-10 after Calvin Ridley ran for a 6-yard score. Ole Miss was forced to punt on the next drive and Jackson returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, evading several tacklers before bolting down the right sideline for the touchdown.
In just 65 seconds, Alabama had turned a 21-point deficit into a manageable 24-17 game at halftime.
Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly threw for a career-high 421 yards and three touchdowns, but it was two costly turnovers in the second half that handed the game to Alabama.
Kelly fumbled deep in Ole Miss territory and Payne recovered before scoring a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game at 24. In the fourth quarter, the Rebels QB was under pressure and threw a ball right to Alabama’s 291-pound Allen, who ran the ball back for a 75-yard touchdown and a 48-30 Crimson Tide lead.
Michigan State 36 Notre Dame 28: Tyler O’Connor threw for two touchdowns, Gerald Holmes ran for two more, including a 73-yard score, and the No. 12 Spartans (2-0) took advantage of mistakes by the No. 18 Fighting Irish (1-2) to hold on in South Bend, Indiana
Michigan State turned what had been a close game at halftime into a 29-point lead with three third-quarter touchdowns. But Notre Dame made it close as DeShone Kizer threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and Notre Dame cut the lead to 36-28 with 6:02 left on a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Durham Smythe.
On Notre Dame’s next possession, Kizer was sacked for a 5-yard loss by Raequan Williams on third-and-2 and Notre Dame punted with 3:37 left in the game and the Spartans ran out the clock.
Michigan 45, Colorado 28 — De’Veon Smith put the fourth-ranked Wolverines ahead with a 42-yard run early in the third quarter and host Michigan (3-0) pulled away to beat the Buffaloes (2-1).
Michigan was behind, 21-7, in the first quarter and by 4 points in the opening minute of the second half.
‘‘There was no level of panic,’’ said Jabrill Peppers, who returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown
Colorado lost QB Sefo Liufau to an ankle injury after throwing his third TD pass, a 70-yarder to Shay Fields that put Colorado up, 28-24, just after halftime.
Liufau, who was shaken up in the first half, grabbed his right ankle after Ryan Glasgow hit him on the go-ahead score. The senior quarterback limped through Colorado’s next series before being replaced by freshman Steven Montez.
Clemson 59 S.C. State 0: Deshaun Watson threw three early TD passes to get the No. 5 Tigers (3-0) rolling in a rout of the visiting Bulldogs (0-3) in which both coaches decided to shorten the game.
An NCAA rule allows for games to be shortened by time if the coaches agree. Clemson led, 45-0, at the half and the third and fourth quarters were 12 minutes each instead of the usual 15.
Stanford 27 Southern Cal 1O: Christian McCaffrey showed off his trademark versatility, slipping out of the backfield for a 56-yard touchdown reception and diving over the pile for a 1-yard score, and the No. 7 Cardinal (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12) beat the visiting Trojans (1-2, 0-1).
The AP player of the year and Heisman Trophy runner-up had a routine 260 all-purpose yards. Michael Rector went 56 yards for a touchdown on a reverse with 3:26 left in the third quarter to make it 27-10.
He watched his top-ranked squad fall behind by three touchdowns and then come roaring back. And when his Tide looked to be in control and leading No. 19 Mississippi by 18 points in the fourth quarter, ‘Bama nearly blew it.
By the end of Alabama’s 48-43 victory over Ole Miss in a Southeastern Conference showdown on Saturday in Oxford, Mississippi, a weary, bleary-eyed Saban looked exhausted when the clock finally hit all zeroes.
‘‘It was an unbelievable game for fans to watch,’’ the 64-year-old Saban said with a wry smile. ‘‘It was really a difficult game for an old coach to have to suffer through. But we made it. We made it and I’m really proud of our players.’’
Alabama freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 158 yards and ran for 146 more, but it was unlikely defensive touchdowns from Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne — along with a special teams score from Eddie Jackson — that proved to be the biggest plays of the game.
Late in the second quarter, Ole Miss (1-2, 0-1) looked like it might be on its way to a third straight win over the Tide.
Instead, it was the Rebels’ second collapse in three games.
‘‘We scored enough points to beat an Alabama team,’’ Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. ‘‘But we did not stop the run and we did not take care of the ball.’’
Mississippi took a 24-3 lead with 2:47 remaining in the first half after defensive end Marquis Haynes’s big hit on Hurts, forcing a fumble that fellow defensive lineman John Youngblood scooped up and ran 44 yards for a touchdown.
But Alabama (3-0, 1-0) responded.
The Tide needed just three plays and 37 seconds to pull within 24-10 after Calvin Ridley ran for a 6-yard score. Ole Miss was forced to punt on the next drive and Jackson returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown, evading several tacklers before bolting down the right sideline for the touchdown.
In just 65 seconds, Alabama had turned a 21-point deficit into a manageable 24-17 game at halftime.
Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly threw for a career-high 421 yards and three touchdowns, but it was two costly turnovers in the second half that handed the game to Alabama.
Kelly fumbled deep in Ole Miss territory and Payne recovered before scoring a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game at 24. In the fourth quarter, the Rebels QB was under pressure and threw a ball right to Alabama’s 291-pound Allen, who ran the ball back for a 75-yard touchdown and a 48-30 Crimson Tide lead.
Michigan State 36 Notre Dame 28: Tyler O’Connor threw for two touchdowns, Gerald Holmes ran for two more, including a 73-yard score, and the No. 12 Spartans (2-0) took advantage of mistakes by the No. 18 Fighting Irish (1-2) to hold on in South Bend, Indiana
Michigan State turned what had been a close game at halftime into a 29-point lead with three third-quarter touchdowns. But Notre Dame made it close as DeShone Kizer threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and Notre Dame cut the lead to 36-28 with 6:02 left on a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Durham Smythe.
On Notre Dame’s next possession, Kizer was sacked for a 5-yard loss by Raequan Williams on third-and-2 and Notre Dame punted with 3:37 left in the game and the Spartans ran out the clock.
Michigan 45, Colorado 28 — De’Veon Smith put the fourth-ranked Wolverines ahead with a 42-yard run early in the third quarter and host Michigan (3-0) pulled away to beat the Buffaloes (2-1).
Michigan was behind, 21-7, in the first quarter and by 4 points in the opening minute of the second half.
‘‘There was no level of panic,’’ said Jabrill Peppers, who returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown
Colorado lost QB Sefo Liufau to an ankle injury after throwing his third TD pass, a 70-yarder to Shay Fields that put Colorado up, 28-24, just after halftime.
Liufau, who was shaken up in the first half, grabbed his right ankle after Ryan Glasgow hit him on the go-ahead score. The senior quarterback limped through Colorado’s next series before being replaced by freshman Steven Montez.
Clemson 59 S.C. State 0: Deshaun Watson threw three early TD passes to get the No. 5 Tigers (3-0) rolling in a rout of the visiting Bulldogs (0-3) in which both coaches decided to shorten the game.
An NCAA rule allows for games to be shortened by time if the coaches agree. Clemson led, 45-0, at the half and the third and fourth quarters were 12 minutes each instead of the usual 15.
Stanford 27 Southern Cal 1O: Christian McCaffrey showed off his trademark versatility, slipping out of the backfield for a 56-yard touchdown reception and diving over the pile for a 1-yard score, and the No. 7 Cardinal (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12) beat the visiting Trojans (1-2, 0-1).
The AP player of the year and Heisman Trophy runner-up had a routine 260 all-purpose yards. Michael Rector went 56 yards for a touchdown on a reverse with 3:26 left in the third quarter to make it 27-10.
