ESPN College Football

Rece Davis looks at Saturday's top four game-changing performances in college football.

• Georgia interception preserves win against Kentucky.
• Alabama interception in overtime sparks win over LSU.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Now that we know for sure that Alabama and Florida will play in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 6, let's reward the primetime performers from this past weekend with some helmet stickers:

Rashad Johnson, safety, Alabama: How about Johnson's running skills? On his 54-yard interception return for a touchdown, he showed speed, vision and acceleration. It was his second interception return for a touchdown in as many weeks. Johnson tied a school record with three interceptions against LSU. All three were pivotal plays in the game, too. His first one set up the Tide's first touchdown. He scored the Tide's second touchdown, and his third one ended LSU's possession in overtime.

Tim Tebow, quarterback, Florida: For the second straight week, the Gators' junior quarterback accounted for five touchdowns. Tebow almost made it look too easy against Vanderbilt with three touchdown passes and two touchdown runs. In each of his last three games, he's had two touchdown runs and two touchdown passes. Sounds like Heisman Trophy stuff to me.

Kenny McKinley, receiver, South Carolina: He's fought back from a frustrating hamstring injury earlier this season to solidify his position as one of the Gamecocks' greatest receivers ever. McKinley had seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in South Carolina's 34-21 win over Arkansas. In doing so, he passed Sterling Sharpe as South Carolina's career receiving leader.

Demarcus Dobbs, defensive end, Georgia: These aren't the best of times for the Georgia defense, but Dobbs came through during crunch time for the Bulldogs. He intercepted Kentucky quarterback Randall Cobb's screen pass with 46 seconds to play after the Wildcats had driven to the Bulldogs' 13-yard line.

Julio Jones, receiver, Alabama: You can watch football a long time and not see a freshman as good and physically ready to play as Jones. He's oozing talent, but works feverishly on his game. There's not a tougher cover one-on-one in the SEC. Jones finished with seven catches for a season-high 128 yards in the win over LSU and set up the game-winning touchdown in overtime with a nifty 24-yard grab where he showed freakish body control to pull in the ball and then drag the defender to the 1.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Alabama coach Nick Saban didn't want to waste any time.

He told offensive coordinator Jim McElwain and quarterback John Parker Wilson that he wanted to take a shot on the Crimson Tide's first play in overtime.

	Chris Graythen/Getty Images
	Alabama freshman wide receiver Julio Jones is 'the best (athlete) I've ever seen' according to Tide quarterback John Parker Wilson.

It's no coincidence that first shot went to freshman receiver Julio Jones, whose catch down on the goal line was the kind of play Alabama fans salivated about when he signed with the Crimson Tide back in February.

"He's a special guy. He works so hard. He's a tremendous athlete, the best I've ever seen," Wilson said. "The way he carries himself and makes plays and doesn't let anything affect him ... he's really good and going to be really good for a long time."

Jones' body control on his 24-yard catch to set up Wilson's game-winning touchdown plunge in overtime was amazing enough. He came out of his route, went high in the air and made a tough adjustment on the ball look routine in Alabama's 27-21 win over LSU.

It's the kind of play Alabama players have become accustomed to seeing from the 6-4, 210-pound Jones.

"He's been doing that since the first day he got here," Alabama senior center Antoine Caldwell said. "If the ball's thrown around him, he's going to go get it."

Here's the other thing about Jones: He's a bull after the catch. He's so strong and rarely goes down with the first hit.

He also uses his size to his advantage when smaller cornerbacks try to match up one-on-one against him.

Jones finished with seven catches for a season-high 128 yards, the second time in his last three games that he's had more than 100 yards receiving. In those three games, Jones has a total of 18 catches for 293 yards.

He's such a dynamic presence on the perimeter that he makes teams that want to stack the line pay to stop Alabama's bruising running game. The only player who's really come close to successfully covering Jones one-on-one this season has been Kentucky's Trevard Lindley.

For all the hype Jones generated during the recruiting process last year, it's obvious that he's the real deal. And when it counted, he was the best (and most talented) player on the field Saturday.

But is he the best freshman receiver in the SEC?

Georgia's A.J. Green has better numbers, but something tells me that Alabama wouldn't trade Jones for anybody right now.

"There's a reason we called his number," Caldwell said.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Senior safety Rashad Johnson has been the rock of the Alabama secondary all season.

"He makes up for a lot of things that go wrong," Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain said.

	AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
	Alabama safety Rashad Johnson (49) makes an interception on a pass intended for LSU's Brandon LaFell (1) in overtime. The Tide defeated the Tigers 27-21.

From the perspective of beleaguered LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee, Johnson also made a lot of things go wrong Saturday in Alabama's 27-21 overtime escape against LSU.

Without Johnson, the Crimson Tide probably aren't unbeaten right now.

Without Lee, they probably aren't, either.

Johnson and the Alabama defense preyed on the LSU redshirt freshman quarterback, who served up four interceptions and has now thrown 14 for the season.

Three of those picks went to Johnson, who returned one 54 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to tie the game at 14-14. It was the sixth interception Lee has thrown this season that the opponent has returned for a touchdown.

"We knew if we put pressure on him, he would throw us a couple," Alabama defensive end Brandon Deaderick said.

But four?

The last one was the worst of the night. LSU had first shot in overtime. And on third down from the 21, Lee threw into double coverage into the end zone. Johnson was in perfect position to make the pick.

"It's trying to make big-time plays in the ballgame that aren't there," said Lee, doing his best to explain the four picks.

It was obvious as the game wore on that LSU wasn't completely comfortable with Lee throwing the football. But Alabama was loading up the line of scrimmage so much that the Tigers had no choice.

"Just from watching film, I knew he had a lot of pick-sixes and made some mistakes," said Johnson, who tied a school record with his three interceptions. "I knew there was a possibility we could come in here and rattle him."

Johnson returned his first interception 10 yards to the LSU 15, setting up Alabama's first touchdown in the first quarter. He took his second interception to the house in the second quarter, the second consecutive game in which Johnson has scored on an interception return.

Still, it was his third one that might have been the most important.

Tiger Stadium was rocking after Ricky Jean-Francois blocked Leigh Tiffin's 29-yard field goal attempt to send the game into overtime. It's the kind of game-changing play that beats most teams on the road.

But not this Alabama team ... and not with Johnson patrolling the Crimson Tide secondary.

"Before we went out there, coach (Kirby) Smart said, 'Make a play to where we have the possibility to go ahead and end the game now,' " recounted Johnson, who saw Lee roll out and knew what was coming.

"It was a great play-call, to blitz him on that side so he couldn't get all the way out and throw the out route like he normally does. He looked for seven and overthrew it."

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

	Icon SMI
	Nick Saban returned to the school he once coached and guided Alabama to a 27-21 overtime victory over LSU.

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Somewhere along the way in every championship season, you stumble across a game like this.

The components are the kind all coaches fear: Uncharacteristic mistakes, the other team coming out with more intensity, a disastrous play in the kicking game and a hostile crowd that can smell the upset.

"We had a lot of things go against us, and a lot of it was our fault," Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain said. "But when we had to get it done, we got it done. That's all we care about. We don't care about how it looked, what anybody says or anything else.

"We care about winning and moving on."

Not only did the No. 1 Crimson Tide (10-0, 6-0 SEC) move on Saturday night thanks to a 27-21 overtime win against LSU, but they moved into their first SEC Championship Game appearance since 1999.

And they did it without playing their best football.

"This team is a special team," Alabama senior center Antoine Caldwell said. "This game had a little bit of everything in it. We led. We were behind. We had a blocked field goal, (three) turnovers, but we still found a way to come back and win.

"That tells you the fight this team has. That's why I think we have a special team."

Alabama coach Nick Saban may be a perfectionist, but he's also a realist.

He's been down this road before.

During the 2003 national championship season at LSU, the Tigers won a game 17-14 at Ole Miss about this same date on the calendar. It was a game they probably didn't deserve to win.

Yet, they found a way to win.

As Saban made his way through the mass of humanity (mostly the dozen or so police officers following his every move) to get off the Tiger Stadium field, you wonder if his mind drifted back to that Ole Miss game.

Was this that game for Alabama?

"For the first time this season, we had to come from behind, play the whole game and win in overtime," said Alabama senior quarterback John Parker Wilson, whose 1-yard touchdown run in overtime won it for the Tide.

"I think it was great for our team. Offensively, we didn't play very well the whole game. We missed some shots and opportunities. The defense played great, and we were able to win the game."

Alabama has home games remaining against Mississippi State next week and Auburn on Nov. 29. But regardless of what the Crimson Tide do in those two games, they've clinched a trip to Atlanta to play in the SEC Championship Game.

Florida is routing Vanderbilt and well on its way to locking up the Eastern Division title, which would mark the earliest the SEC Championship Game matchup has been set since its inception in 1992.

"It feels great to win the West, but we're not going to stop there," McClain said. "We're not going to worry about the SEC championship.

"We're going to worry about Mississippi State."

Playing for Saban, that's all they better worry about.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Alabama was far from perfect and looked downright vulnerable at times.

But the No. 1 Crimson Tide found a way to win Saturday night when they weren't at their best, escaping with a 27-21 overtime victory against LSU at Tiger Stadium to clinch the Western Division title.

Alabama (10-0, 6-0 SEC) had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but LSU's Ricky Jean-Francois blocked Leigh Tiffin's 29-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

The Tigers (6-3, 3-3 SEC) took it to the Crimson Tide up front like nobody else has this season. But in the end, they couldn't overcome four interceptions from redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee.

His final pick came in overtime when he threw into double coverage on third down, and Rashad Johnson was there to collar his third interception of the game in the end zone for a touchback.

Johnson returned his second pick 54 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. It was the sixth interception Lee has thrown this season that was returned for a touchdown by the opposition.

Alabama didn't waste any time in overtime. Quarterback John Parker Wilson hit freshman receiver Julio Jones for 24 yards on first down and bulled in for the winning touchdown two plays later.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

BATON ROUGE, La. -- If Alabama is going to hang onto its national championship hopes, the Crimson Tide will have to do it in overtime.

LSU's Ricky Jean-Francois went skyward to block Leigh Tiffin's 29-yard field goal attempt as time expired in regulation.

The two teams head to overtime tied at 21-21, and a once quiet Tiger Stadium has become unglued.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Alabama has the lead. Now we'll see if the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide can hold it.

Alabama's offensive line answered the call coming out of halftime and got the kind of push it had in the first quarter. The Tide drove 67 yards in seven plays and took a 21-14 lead at the end of the third quarter.

This is Alabama tailback Glen Coffee's type of game right now, and he was big part of the Tide's go-ahead drive. His 3-yard touchdown run was a reminder of what Alabama likes to do when things get tight: run behind left tackle Andre Smith.

Coffee took the pitch and scored easily after Smith wiped out that side of the LSU defense.

It continues to be a struggle, for LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee. He threw his third interception of the game when he was hit on a corner blitz while throwing.

Lee saw Alabama cornerback Ali Sharrief coming, but didn't get rid of it in time. The ball was batted into the air and intercepted by Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain.

The Tigers ended the third quarter with 10 straight possessions of not scoring. They're also playing without starting center Brett Helms, who suffered a blow to the head.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Give Georgia credit for making a play at the end when it had to.

Demarcus Dobb's interception of Randall Cobb's screen pass in the final minute with Kentucky threatening saved the Bulldogs in a 42-38 victory Saturday over the Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium.

Clearly, though, all is not well with the Georgia defense.

In their last three games, the Bulldogs have given up a total of 125 points. They've given up 38 points or more in all three games, yet have still managed to win two of those games.

They escaped against Kentucky because Matthew Stafford essentially refused to let them lose with 376 passing yards and three touchdowns. Senior receiver Mohamed Massaquoi also came through with the best game of his career -- eight catches for 191 yards.

Massaquoi's 78-yard catch with the Bulldogs backed up inside their own 20, setting up their go-ahead touchdown, was the biggest play of the game. It also made up for Massaquoi's fumble on Georgia's previous possession.

As good as Georgia has been on offense, you wonder if the Bulldogs can win out this season playing defense the way they are right now.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Alabama isn't making a convincing case for being the best team in the country.

And there's still the matter of whether or not the Crimson Tide are even the best team on the field Saturday.

Alabama and LSU are tied at 14-14 in a game that's been more sloppy than anything. The two teams have combined for five turnovers in the first half.

The only reason the Crimson Tide are not trailing is LSU redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Lee, who has had a horrid first half.

The Tigers have played some of their best football of the season on the offensive line with 154 rushing yards at the half. They're doing to Alabama what nobody has been able to do all season -- run the football.

Remember, Alabama was second nationally against the run coming into this game.

As well as LSU is playing up front offensively and defensively, the Tigers are going to have to get more consistent play from Lee in the second half. He's 4-of-16 passing in the first half and threw his sixth interception of the season that was returned for a touchdown.

Alabama safety Rashad Johnson picked off an errant Lee pass over the middle and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown with 4:33 to play in the second quarter.

If Lee can just be serviceable in the second half, you've got to like the Tigers' chances.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

This one is on the Vols' players, their embarrassing 13-7 loss to Wyoming on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

All the talk about sending Phillip Fulmer out a winner and all their angry talk directed at Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton for forcing Fulmer out turned out to be all show.

Besides, don't talk about how hard you're going to play for a coach and how much that coach means to you after there's nothing you can do about it.

The time to stand up for Fulmer was against UCLA, Florida, Georgia, Alabama ...

Well, you get the idea.

This thing had clearly gotten away from Fulmer, and that's why he won't be back at his alma mater after 30-plus years as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

But the Tennessee players shoulder a big part of what will undoubtedly go down as one of the worst seasons in this program's proud history.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Wow, a new concept for Alabama's football team.

The No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide are behind, and not only are they behind, but they were completely out of character in the first quarter.

LSU took a 14-7 lead into the second quarter thanks in large part to two costly turnovers by the Crimson Tide and an offensive line that has clearly come to play in this game.

Now we get to see what everybody has been wondering all season about this Alabama team: Can the Crimson Tide come from behind to win a football game?

Alabama trailed for the final 5:57 of the first quarter after LSU's Charles Scott ripped through a huge hole to the right side and sprinted 30 yards for a touchdown. Previously, Alabama had trailed for only 1 minute and 15 seconds all season.

LSU took over on the Alabama 30 after Javier Arenas lost a fumble on a punt return while trying to get something extra on the return when there was nothing there.

Alabama came into this game with the reputation of being one of most physical teams in the country, but LSU is the one setting the tone right now as far as laying the crunching licks. The LSU defense has also been able to get some good pressure on Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson and force him out of the pocket a couple of times.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The much anticipated arrival of Nick Saban to Tiger Stadium with the rest of the Alabama team was pretty uneventful.

Saban was the first one off the team bus and was surrounded by security personnel. There were actually as many Alabama fans, if not more, than LSU fans gathered outside the stadium to wait on the Crimson Tide buses.

The boos by the LSU fans were drowned out by the cheers from Alabama fans, who were there in force to support their man.

The only thing halfway interesting about Alabama's arrival was that Saban was wearing a purple tie.

A peace offering? Probably not.

Outside the stadium, there were some pretty catchy signs and shirts.

One Alabama fan (one brave Alabama fan) was carrying around a large sign that read: We've got Saban, and you've got Les.

There were also a ton of purple shirts all over campus that read: Don't be a Nick.

On Friday night, LSU fans burned an image of Saban in effigy at an apartment complex in Baton Rouge. The scarecrow that was burned had a picture of Saban's face and a headset on the head. Someone dressed in a Mike the Tiger outfit actually lit the fire.

Not everybody in Baton Rouge despises Saban. Kevin Scarbinsky of The Birmingham News spent the week here and caught up with several of the Sabans' friends to get their perspective on all the hoopla.

Saban spent part of his Friday night speaking at the high school in Baton Rouge of former LSU receiver Michael Clayton, who was one of Saban's first big signees when he got the job at LSU.

And people wonder why Saban is such a good recruiter.   

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

Phillip Fulmer's forced resignation earlier this week has really inspired the Tennessee players.

Yeah, right.

The listless Vols trail Wyoming 13-7 early in the third quarter, as the Cowboys surged ahead 13-0 at the half on the strength of two long interception returns.

The Vols haven't lost a home game to a non-BCS conference team (excluding Notre Dame) since losing 25-21 to Army on Oct. 11, 1986.

Also, if Tennessee (3-6) doesn't rally for the win, it will be only the second time in school history the Vols will reach seven losses in one season. The most losses in school history came in a 4-7 season in 1977. Tennessee has been playing football since 1891.

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

It's been anything but easy Saturday for Georgia, which is trailing Kentucky 24-21 in the third quarter.

But for sophomore tailback Knowshon Moreno, there was a milestone of sorts. His 22-yard run early in the game put him over the 1,000-yard mark, meaning Herschel Walker is the only other Georgia running back in history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.