Spurs Hammer Bulls
(San Antonio, TX) — The Spurs held a 22-point lead after one quarter and went on to hammer the Bulls, 133-94, in San Antonio. Eight Spurs scored in double figures, led by 21 points and 10 boards from Pau Gasol. Dejounte Murray added 17 off the bench as San Antonio shot 18-of-27 from beyond the arc. The Spurs moved to 8-and-5. Bobby Portis and Robin Lopez each scored 17 points to lead Chicago. The Bulls shot just 6-of-23 from deep as they fell to 2-and-9 on the season.
Cavaliers Pick Up Road Win In Dallas
(Dallas, TX) — Kevin Love scored 29 points and hauled in 15 boards as the Cavaliers beat the Mavericks 111-104 in Dallas. LeBron James had 19 points and 11 rebounds, while and JR Smith contributed 17 points for Cleveland. Kyle Korver scored all 13 of his points in the final quarter as the Cavs improved to 6-and-7. Harrison Barnes led Dallas with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Dennis Smith Junior tallied 21 in defeat. The Mavs 2-and-11, tied with Hawks for the worst NBA record.
Islanders Cruise Past Blues
(St. Louis, MO) — The Islanders jumped out to a 4-0 lead and held on to cruise past the Blues 5-2 in St. Louis. John Tavares, Casey Cizikas, and Jordan Eberle gave the Isles a three-goal lead after one and Joshua Ho-Sang extended it to four 3:35 into the second. Anders Lee buried an insurance goal in the third to go along with an earlier assist. Thomas Greiss made 35 saves for New York as it improved to 9-6-and-2. Brayden Schenn and Scottie Upshall tallied goals for the Blues in defeat. St. Louis went scoreless on three power play attempts as it lost for just the third time in its last 12 games.
Blackhawks Clip Hurricanes In OT
(Raleigh, NC) — Brandon Saad lit the lamp 1:44 into the overtime period to complete the comeback as the Blackhawks clipped the Hurricanes 4-3 in Raleigh. Alex DeBrincat and Gustav Forsling each found the back of the net to tie the game in the third for Chicago. DeBrincat also tallied a goal in the second and assisted on the OT game-winner. Anton Forsberg made 35 saves for the Blackhawks as they improved to 8-7-and-2. Brock McGinn scored a pair of goals for Carolina in defeat. Jeff Skinner also tickled the twine as the Canes lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Auburn Knocks Off Top-ranked Georgia
(Auburn, AL) — Number-10 Auburn made easy work out of top-ranked Georgia in a 40-17 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Jarrett Stidham threw for three scores and rushed for another to guide the Tigers to an upset victory. Kerryon Johnson rushed for 167 yards and caught a 55-yard touchdown pass as Auburn moved to 8-and-2. Jake Fromm threw for 184 yards and a score for UGA, which will be knocked from the top spot in the rankings. Nick Chubb rushed for a score in defeat. The Bulldogs are now 9-and-1.
Alabama Escapes Mississippi State
(Starkville, MS) — DeVonta Smith hauled in a 26 yard touchdown from Jalen Hurts with 25-seconds left to lift Alabama over Mississippi State 31-24 in Starkville. ‘Bama had to survive a pair of last-second Hail Mary attempts to secure the victory. Hurts finished with 242 passing yards and added 40 on the ground with a rushing score. Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs also ran for touchdowns as number-two Alabama improved to 10-and-0 overall and 7-and-0 in SEC play. Aeris Williams piled up 97 yards and a two touchdowns on the ground for the 16th-ranked Bulldogs. Signal-caller Nick Fitzgerald gathered 66 rushing yards and a touchdown with 158 passing yards as Mississippi State fell to 7-and-3 and 3-and-3.
Miami Destroys Notre Dame
(Miami, FL) — Miami’s turnover chain got all the attention as the seventh-ranked Hurricanes destroyed Notre Dame, 41-8, in Miami. The ‘Canes forced four turnovers, including a 65-yard pick-six by Trajan Bandy in the blowout win. Malik Rosier threw for a score and ran for another for Miami. DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer combined for 199 rushing yards and two scores as the Hurricanes improved to 9-and-0. The Irish trailed 27-0 at halftime and never got into a rhythm. Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush tossed two interceptions before being briefly replaced by Ian Book, who threw one of his own. The Irish are now 8-and-2.
Sooners Roll Over TCU
(Norman, OK) — Rodney Anderson scored four touchdowns and amassed 290 yards from scrimmage as the number-five Sooners thumped the number-six Horned Frogs 38-20 in Oklahoma to take sole possession for first place in the Big 12. Anderson rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Baker Mayfield threw for 333 yards and tossed three scores. TCU quarterback Kenny Hill threw for 270 yards and one touchdown, and added a rushing score. Frogs defensive end Mat Boesen was kicked out in the second quarter for kicking an OU player. The Sooners are 9-and-1 overall and 6-and-1 in the Big 12. TCU fell to 8-and-2 and 5-and-2.
Oklahoma State Holds Off Iowa State
(Ames, IA) — Mason Rudolph tossed two of his three touchdown passes in the final 5:55 as Oklahoma State clipped Iowa State 49-42 in Ames. Rudolph found Marcell Ateman to tie the game and Dillon Stoner just over two minutes later to put the Cowboys ahead for good. Justice Hill piled up 134 yards on the ground plus three rushing touchdowns for Number-15 Oklahoma State. The Cowboys improved to 8-and-2 overall and 5-and-2 in the Big 12. Cyclones’ signal caller Kyle Kempt left in the first half and did not return with an unspecified injury. Kempt had 101 passing yards with a touchdown and his replacement Zeb Noland had 263 with no scores and a pick. David Montgomery churned out 105 rushing yards and three touchdowns as 21st-ranked Iowa State fell to 6-and-4 and-4and-3.
Wisconsin Stymies Iowa
(Madison, WI) — Wisconsin used a smothering defense to overcome four turnovers and clobber 20th-ranked Iowa 38-14 in Madison. The Badgers defense allowed only five first downs while giving up 66 total yards and creating three takeaways of their own in the winning effort. Alex Hornibrook threw two touchdowns but also tossed three picks and Jonathan Taylor ran for 157 yards. Bradrick Shaw and Kendric Pryor added rushing scores as number-eight Wisconsin improved to 10-and-0 and 7-and-0 in Big Ten play. Joshua Jackson intercepted two passes and took both to the house to account for all of the Hawkeyes points. Iowa fell to 6-and-4 and 3-and-4.
Ohio State Crushes Michigan State
(Columbus, OH) — This top 25-matchup turned into a blowout as 13th-ranked Ohio State crushed number-12 Michigan State, 48-3, in Columbus. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 35-3 halftime lead and cruised down the stretch. J.T. Barrett accounted for two touchdowns each in the air and on the ground. J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber combined to rush for 286 yards and two scores as the Buckeyes improved to 8-and-2. The Spartans managed just 195 yards of offense and committed three turnovers. Brian Lewerke threw for 131 yards and two interceptions as Michigan State fell to 7-and-3.
Georgia Tech Upsets Virginia Tech
(Atlanta, GA) — TaQuon Marshall accounted for four touchdowns as Georgia Tech upset number-17 Virginia Tech, 28-22, in Atlanta. Marshall completed just two passes, one for an 80-yard score to Ricky Jeune and the other a 60-yard TD-strike to Brad Stewart. Marshall added 64 yards and two scores on the ground as the Yellow Jackets improved to 5-and-4. Sean Savoy and Jalen Holston ran for touchdowns for the Hokies in defeat. Virginia Tech had the ball on the Yellow Jacket 32 with 1:09 left in the game, but couldn’t convert on fourth-and-one, falling to 7-and-3 on the season.