TUSCALOOSA, Ala.-Josh Jacobs ran for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass and No. 1 Alabama had its second straight shutout in a 24-0 victory over No. 18 Mississippi State on Saturday.
With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa still battling a gimpy right knee, the Crimson Tide (10-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 1 CFP) turned to defense for another vintage performance.
The offense raced to a fast start but mostly stalled from there against the Bulldogs (6-4, 2-4) and the nation's No. 2 scoring defense.
Tagovailoa started the fourth quarter on a stationary bike after getting his right knee checked out in the medical tent following a hard hit. He didn't return and wasn't needed, mainly because of a defense that was overshadowed by an offense that had led the nation in scoring much of the season.
Saban said Tagovailoa could have returned if needed.
Fresh from a 29-0 victory over No. 9 LSU, the Tide defense hasn't allowed a point in nine-plus quarters.
Alabama had five sacks and Mississippi State had four in a rough day for both quarterbacks.
Tagovailoa was 14 of 21 for 164 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also lost a fumble on a botched exchange with Damien Harris.
Backup Jalen Hurts missed his second straight game with an ankle injury.
Jacobs ran for 97 yards on 20 carries as Alabama. He scored on a 1-yard run and a 14-yard catch.
The Bulldogs stuffed Harris on the goal line on a late fourth-down attempt.
Nick Fitzgerald was 11 of 20 for 125 yards for Mississippi State, which gained 44 just yards on 30 rushes.
Alabama scored touchdowns on its first two drives, consuming more than 10 minutes combined with 156 yards. The Bulldogs mostly held the Tide's prolific offense in check after that.
Alabama outgained Mississippi State 305-169 in total yards.
The Tide's third TD was set up by a fumbled punt return at Mississippi State's 27 in the second quarter.
Florida 35,
South Carolina 31
GAINESVILLE, Fla.-Feleipe Franks placed his index finger across his lips after both touchdown runs, sending a message to a home crowd that booed him earlier.
After the second one, there was nothing Franks could have done to silence the Florida faithful.
Franks accounted for three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with a little more than four minutes remaining, and the 19th-ranked Gators rallied to beat South Carolina 35-31 Saturday and end a two-game losing streak.
"I'm a super emotional player," Franks said. "That what makes it a two-way street. Lots of people are going to like me and lots of people aren't going to like me. Maybe that's something I shouldn't have did. But at the same time, I'm an emotional player. I want to win as much as anybody in the world. I'm an emotional guy. That's the way I play my game. I do apologize for that."
Franks dived across the goal line on fourth down from inside the 1-yard line to put the Gators (7-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference, No. 15 CFP) ahead for the first time all day and for good.
Coach Dan Mullen said he didn't hesitate to go for it even though a short field goal would have tied the game. The Gators overcame a 17-point deficit in the second half to prevent former Florida coach and current South Carolina coach Will Muschamp from getting a win in his second trip back to Gainesville.
Tennessee 24, Kentucky 7
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.-Jarrett Guarantano threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Callaway on the final play of the first half and Darrell Taylor recorded four sacks as Tennessee trounced No. 12 Kentucky 24-7 on Saturday.
Taylor also forced and recovered a fumble to help Tennessee (5-5, 2-4 SEC) beat Kentucky (7-3, 5-3, No. 11 CFP) at Neyland Stadium for a 17th straight time. Kentucky hasn't earned a road victory in this annual series since a 17-12 triumph in 1984.
Tennessee has won 32 of the last 34 overall meetings, though the Wildcats won last year's game 29-26 at Kentucky.
"One thing we want to do here in the future as a program, is we want to be able to finish a season and play our best ball at the end," Tennesse coach Jeremy Pruitt said. "We're 2-0 in November. That's a good thing."
The Volunteers broke the game open by scoring two touchdowns in the last three minutes of the second quarter.
After Tim Jordan's 3-yard TD run gave Tennessee a 10-0 lead with 2:56 left before halftime, the Vols forced a punt and got the ball back at their own 28-yard line with a minute remaining.
Tennessee initially appeared intent on running out the clock, but the Vols called a timeout after Ty Chandler's 14-yard carry with 13 seconds left. Guarantano threw a 17-yard completion to Callaway that put Tennessee on Kentucky's 39 with 6 seconds remaining.
Rather than trying a short, quick pass to set up a long field-goal attempt, Guarantano threw deep. Callaway was at the front of a crowd in the right side of the end zone when he snared the ball to give Tennessee a 17-0 halftime advantage.
Missouri 33, Vanderbilt 28
COLUMBIA, Mo.-Missouri's defense bent but didn't break
during Vanderbilt's final drive, and the Tigers defeated the Commodores 33-28 to clinch bowl eligibility on
Saturday.
Missouri kicker Tucker McCann had a chance to ice the game with 1:48 remaining, but the junior missed a 31-yard field goal to give Vanderbilt a last chance. The Commodores drove down to Missouri's 25-yard line, but couldn't convert a last-second heave to win the game.
In the end, the Tigers (6-4, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) are going bowling, and the
Commodores (4-6, 1-5) will need to win both its remaining games to guarantee bowl
eligibility.
Vanderbilt had led all game until Missouri running backs Damarea Crockett and Larry Rountree III fueled a 99-yard drive to start the fourth quarter. The drive started after Vanderbilt failed to convert a 4th-and-goal opportunity on Missouri's 1-yard
line.