No. 3 Alabama beats Auburn in 4th OT after late rally

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) – John Metchie caught a scoring pass from Bryce Young in the fourth overtime to give No. 3 Alabama a 24-22 comeback victory over rival Auburn on Saturday, rescuing the Crimson Tide’s national title hopes. It was the first overtime in the Iron Bowl. Freshman Kool-Aid McKinstry tipped away T.J. Finley’s pass in the final OT and Young hit Metchie just as he did in the previous one. Alabama (11-1, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) moves on to face No. 1 Georgia in the league championship game with its College Football Playoff hopes on the line. The Tigers (6-6, 3-5) dropped their fourth straight game after smothering Young and the Tide’s prolific offense most of the way. Young capped a 97-yard drive with a 28-yard touchdown to freshman Ja’Corey Brooks – his third catch and first touchdown this season – with 24 seconds left in regulation. Young converted a fourth-and-7 to Jahleel Billingsley, followed by two incompletions under pressure for an offense that had been held in check for 59 minutes. The teams traded touchdowns and field goals in the first overtime and both delivered scoring passes after lining up from the 3. The Tigers had been trying to win their third straight Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and nearly pulled it off. Alabama was without two of its top offensive players in the overtime periods. Tailback Brian Robinson was on the sideline with an apparent leg injury sustained earlier in the game. Star receiver Jameson Williams was ejected for targeting on punt coverage in the first half. Bottled up most of the game, Young finished 25 of 51 for 317 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Metchie caught 13 passes for 150 passes. Auburn’s T.J. Finley, who started the final two games after Bo Nix’s season-ending ankle injury, was 17 of 26 for 137 yards and a pair of touchdowns. NO. 6 MICHIGAN 42, NO. 2 OHIO STATE 27 ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Hassan Haskins scored five touchdowns, Aidan Hutchinson had three sacks and Michigan beat Ohio State to give Jim Harbaugh his first coaching victory over the Buckeyes. The Wolverines (11-1, 8-1, No. 5 CFP) won the Big Ten East and will play in the conference title game next week with playoff hopes in hand after snapping an eight-game losing streak to Ohio State (10-2, 8-1) . Michigan advanced to the conference championship for the first time. The Wolverines have a chance to win a Big Ten title for the first time since 2004 and a national championship for the first time since 1997. Ohio State had a school-record winning streak in the rivalry, taking 15 of 16 to turn The Game into its game. The Buckeyes blew their chances to continue their dominance with 10 penalties, many before the snap, and because they simply could not stop Michigan’s running game. Haskins had 169 yards rushing on 28 carries, scoring a go-ahead touchdown late in the second half and four more after halftime to pad Michigan’s lead. Blake Corum returned from a two-plus game absence to run six times for 87 yards, helping the Wolverines gain a total of 297 yards on a ground against a rival that has pushed them around for much of this century. Harbaugh also seemed to out coach Ryan Day, who had not lost a Big Ten game, by sprinkling in some surprise plays such as a slot-around with A.J. Henning running for a 14-yard run to cap the game-opening 10-play, 75-yard drive. And in the end, the Buckeyes looked like they had enough when they didn’t put up much of a fight on Haskins’ 4-yard run with 2:17 left that gave Michigan a 15-point lead. NO. 1 GEORGIA 45, GEORGIA TECH 0 ATLANTA (AP) – Stetson Bennett passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns, two to tight end Brock Bowers, and Georgia finished its undefeated regular season by overwhelming Georgia Tech.