#2 Georgia @ #4 Alabama – 41-34 Bama
The most hyped game of the 2024 College Football Season went from being an early season dud in the first 30 minutes to another Georgia-Alabama instant classic in the last 30. After blowing a 28-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Alabama still came out with the victory, 41-34.
If you missed the first quarter in this game, then you missed half of Alabama’s points. QB Jalen Milroe was masterful. He played perhaps his best half of football as a member of the Crimson Tide in the first half of this game. He led the Crimson Tide to down the field for three first quarter touchdowns. added another 36-yard rushing touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 28-0.
After the Dawgs first three drives ended with two punts and an interception, they finally struck for a seven-yard rushing touchdown from RB Trevor Etienne halfway through the second quarter. However, QB Carson Beck did not look like his usual self in the first half. He could not evade Alabama’s rush and missed a lot of open Bulldogs down the field.
However, the second half was a completely different game. Carson Beck was back to being Carson Beck.
In the final 30 minutes of play, college football fans got watch maybe the most exciting two quarters of football thus far in the 2024 season. Carson Beck marched the Dawgs up and down Saban Field to bring them all way back. His two second half touchdown passes capped off with a bomb to Dillon Bell gave the Dawgs the leads 34-33 within the final three minutes.
However, Milroe Magic struck again for the Tide. The 17-year-old freshman sensation, Ryan Williams, made one of the best catch and runs you will ever see to score the game-winning touchdown and secure another win over UGA.
Alabama stays perfect at 4-0 and has now won the nine of their last ten against Georgia. The Crimson Tide will travel to Nashville on Saturday to play Vanderbilt at 4:15pm. UGA drops to 3-1 and will face Auburn at home on Saturday at 3:30pm.
#19 Illinois @ #9 Penn State – 21-7 PSU
In this new age showdown, it was very reminiscent of a throwback Big 10 game from years past. Penn State flexed their muscle on defense and came out victorious, 21-7.
The only blemish on the Nittany Lions defense all night came on the initial drive of the game, as the Fighting Illini capped off an 11-play drive with a four-yard passing touchdown. Penn State answered back with a touchdown on their first offense drive of the evening to tie the game up at 7-7.
What maybe could have been perceived as what would end up being an offensive shootout was far from it. The first half ended with six drives, three for each team, that resulted in a combined three punts and two missed field goals. However, the Nittany Lions would strike fast to begin the second half. They capped off their initial drive of the third quarter with a four-yard rushing touchdown from Nicholas Singleton.
Both teams exchanged punts and turnovers to end the third quarter. Penn State would cap off the scoring with a late fourth quarter rushing touchdown from Kayton Allen to make the final 21-7. The Nittany Lions controlled the line of scrimmage and dominated Illinois, even if they only won by two touchdowns.
Penn State stays undefeated at 4-0 and will UCLA at home on Saturday at noon. Illinois falls to 4-1 and will have a bye this week.
Stanford @ #17 Clemson – 40-17 CU
The first time Stanford ever made their way to the Palmetto State, they ran into one of the hottest offenses in the whole country. Clemson and QB Cade Klubnik aired the Cardinal out, as Clemson won 40-14.
After an abysmal Week One performance against UGA, Klubnikhas transformed into a completely different football player. He scored a 34-yard rushing touchdown on the first Tigers offense drive of the night.
Clemson’s defense also stepped up, forcing a turnover on each of the first three Stanford drives. The Tigers Offense was able to capitalize on two of the three takeaways, scoring 10 points offturnovers. Klubnik added his first passing touchdown of the day at the end of first half, while Stanford put seven on the board as well to make it 17-7 at the break.
The Tigers added 10 more points in the third quarter, including a 43-yard passing touchdown from Cade Klubnik to Cole Turner. The impressive night for Klubnik continued to get even better, after he added two more fourth quarter passing touchdowns to cap off his night with five total touchdowns.
Clemson moves to 4-1 on the year and will head to Tallahassee this week to play FSU. Stanford falls to 2-2 and will host Virginia Tech this week in their first home conference game.
