Last Week's Game of the Week: Completely shut down by the nation's top scoring defense and down 10-0 at the half in a boisterous and hostile Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the No. 5 LSU Tigers had their work cut out for them. Somehow, the Tigers found a way to fight back and squeaked out a 16-13 victory in overtime to ruin the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide's perfect season.
LSU came out strong in the second half and was able to tie Alabama at 10 in the third quarter. The Tigers' touchdown was the first given up by the Alabama defense in 17 quarters. After a back-and-forth final quarter that ended up scoreless, the game went to overtime.
In its first possession in the extra period, the Crimson Tide could not get a first down and had to settle for a 34-yard field goal attempt by Jamie Christensen. The sophomore, who earlier in the year won two games with his foot, nailed the field goal to put Alabama up 13-10.
But now it was LSU's turn. The Tigers came out with a bang on their first play, as sophomore quarterback JaMarcus Russell found Justin Vincent on a swing pass for a 10-yard gain. Three plays later, on third and seven, Russell found receiver Dwayne Bowe for the 11-yard game-winning touchdown that sent the Tiger players into a celebratory frenzy.
The loss, which dropped the Crimson Tide to 9-1 and eighth in the BCS rankings, all but ends their national title hopes. In fact, they will need help just to play in the SEC Championship game.
The Tigers, on the other hand, strengthened their status as the fifth-best team in the country, and if they beat Mississippi and Arkansas in their final two games, which they should, they will play for the conference title.
More from Week 11: The only other two undefeated teams, No. 1 USC and No. 2 Texas, cruised to victories Saturday.
The Trojans played an all-around solid game to defeat California in Berkeley 35-10. LenDale White rushed for three touchdowns, and Matt Leinart rushed for two more of his own as USC jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead and never looked back.
California sorely missed starting quarterback Nate Longshore, who has been out since the opening game of the year with a broken leg. Backup quarterback Joe Ayoob has struggled in the starting position and was no different against USC. The junior college transfer never found a rhythm, consistently missing open receivers. Ayoob was harassed by the Trojan defensive line all day and finished 9-19 for 98 yards, with neither a touchdown nor an interception.
Texas also coasted to an expected easy win, beating Kansas 66-14 in Austin. The Longhorns led by a ridiculous 52-0 margin at halftime before the Jayhawks were able to find the end zone twice in the third quarter.
Quarterback Vince Young got things rolling early by finding Limas Sweed for a 45-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter. Young added touchdown passes of 64, 29, and three yards before halftime, each to a different receiver. The junior finished the day with 281 yards passing and four touchdowns.
In the other big SEC matchup, the No. 15 Auburn Tigers notched a minor upset against the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs with a wild 31-30 victory in Athens. Auburn, down two with the ball and under a minute to play, converted a fourth down attempt that ended up going for 62 yards.
However, Devin Aromashodu fumbled at the end of the long play and the ball went into the end zone. Just before the ball rolled out, which would have been a turnover, teammate Courtney Taylor recovered it, and John Vaughn kicked a 20-yard field goal with six seconds left to provide the final margin.
Player of the Week: UCLA quarterback Drew Olson. The senior completed 22 of 27 passes for 510 yards and five touchdowns in the Bruins' 45-35 victory over Arizona State in Pasadena. Olson was unstoppable, connecting with tight end Marcedes Lewis for two of the scores.
Upcoming Game of the Week: No. 9 Ohio State at No. 17 Michigan. This is one of the greatest rivalries in college football, and with the two teams as good as they are this year, it should be an epic battle. Look for the Wolverines to use the raucous crowd at the Big House to their advantage and edge the Buckeyes.
The Civil War, featuring Oregon State at No. 10 Oregon, will, as always, be a great game.
