SUNDAY SPORTS 121320

- although the college football - regular season- is wrapping up across all - conferences... and bowl season- looming just around the - corner... teams are still - fighting- until the very end, making for- some entertaining and - unpredcitable action on the - gridiron this weekend...- especially in the s-e-c.- head coach gus malzahn and- auburn closed out its regular - season slate saturday in- starkville, going head-to-head- with head coach mike leach and- mississippi state in this s-e-c- west- match-up.

- we pick it up in the fourth - quarter, auburn up 9-3.

All - field - goals-- no trips to the endzone- yet for either team.- 1.

Quarterback bo nix rockets - this pass to receiver seth- williams in the endzone for the- 32-yard touchdown-- - capping off a ten play, 95 yard- drive.

Auburn up, 16 - 3.

- 2.

Bulldogs ensuing - possession... quarterback - will rogers to ocean springs- alum -- receiver austin william- for the 8-yard score.

16 - 10,- auburn.

- 3.

Tigers next possession... ni- with the keeper... bulldogs loo- to have him locked down...- psych... nix gets the 3-yard- score - and the last points of the- game... tigers get the road win- over mississippi state 24 - 10.- despite the victory, auburn - announced today the firing of - head coach gus malzahn after 8- seasons with the tigers,- including - the 2013 season when he led - auburn to the national- championship, where they lost t- florida state.

Defensive- coordinator kevin steele will - take over as interim head - coach for the remainder of the- season.

- the bulldogs still have one gam- left of the regular season- next week... when they host - mizzou.

- - number 6 ranked florida already- had their tickets punched to- next's week s-e-c championship- game in atlanta against - alabama.... prior to their- battle against the defending- s-e-c - and national champion tigers- this saturday.- that didn't keep then 3-and-5 - l-s-u from putting on a show on- the - road... in the final game in th- swamp this season.- 1.

Second quarter... quarterbac- and heisman hopeful - kyle trask is picked off for th- first time in four games by - corner back eli ricks who takes- it 68 yards to the house for th- touchdown... tigers on top, - 14-7.

- 2.

Florida right back with the- ball.... gators within striking- distance... trask's pass to - - - - receiver kadarius toney is- deflected and corner back jay - ward comes up with the second - interception of trask on the- night -- on his knees!

Take - - another look at this... ward- with this incredible body - control to- keep his knees in bounds before- falls out of bounds.

L-s-u- takes over at their own 6.- 3.

Third quarter... florida-- - having trailed by as- many as 10, now down by just- three... trask to toney and - toney - zips into the endzone for the - score.

Toney having a career- day with six catches for 140- yards and this t-d.

31-27,- florida.- 4.

Fourth quarter... quarterbac- - - - max johnson finds running back- tre bradford who cruises into - the endzone for the - 4-yard freshman-to- freshman- touchdown.

34 - - 31, tigers.

- 5.

Less than 2 minutes left in- the game... score all tied- up...l-s-u- - - - gets stopped on third down, - however corner marco wilson - throws tight end kole taylor's- shoe... giving l-s-u a first- down- and keeping the drive alive.- 6.

The penalty would set up - kicker cade york for a career-- long 57-yard field goal which h- places straight - through the middle of the - uprights.

37 - 34, tigers...- with 23 - seconds on the clock.

- 8.

Last opportunity for - florida... kicker evan mcpherso- with a chance to send it into - overtime with a 51-yard field - goal..

However it goes wide lef- by an inch... gators get upset- in the swamp on senior night by- defending national champs - l-s-u... 37-34.

- - the saints... who solidified- their spot in the playoffs last- week... traveled to philadephia- to take on the eagles and their- newly appointed starting- quarterback jalen hurts.- heading into the game, new- olreans was riding a 9-game - win streak and boasted a 10-- and-two record -- the best in - the - n-f-c- south.

As for philly...- they were on a 4-game losing- streak- and were behind both washington- and the giants in the n-f-c - east.

- by the end of the game, both- teams' streaks would be - snapped.- 1.

Second quarter... hurts find- receiver alshon jeffrey - at the corner of the endzone fo- the 15-yard touchdown - before getting laid out.

Eagles- get on the board first, 7 - - nothing.- 2.

Later in the second... - running back miles sanders gets- the - handoff from hurts and runs awa- with it for an 82-yard- touchdown... his second 70 plus- yard score of the season.

17 -- zip, eagles.- 3.

Third quarter... saints- finally find the endzone with - this 5-yard touchdown run from- running back alvin- kamara.

17 - 7, philadelphia- 4.

Later in the third...- quarterback taysom hill - tosses it up 37 yards down fiel- to receiver emmanuel- sanders in the endzone for the- score... saints trail by three,- 17-14.- 5.

Fourth quarter... sanders- carries the ball across - the goal line for a one-yard- rushing touchdown-- his - second of the game.

Sanders goe- onto the finish the game- with a season second-best of 11- rushing yards.

24 - 14, - eagles.

- 6.

With less than two minutes - - - - left in the game... saints get- another touchdown by way of a - 20-yard pass from hill to - tight end jared cook-- getting- the score to within 3..

- however, new orleans' onside- kick is recovered by- philadelphia and the eagles tak- a knee and run out the clock.

- philadelphia snaps new orleans- 9-game winning streak - and get the dub, 24 - 21.

- - cam jordan, saints defensive- end: "that first half we let some big runs- go-- something we haven't seen- in the last couple- years playing as a part of our- defense.

Not even playing down- to anybody.

We just - didn't play our standard of - football.

And that's somethig i- - - - take super and very seriously.- and i know all of our teammates- have the same mindset.

When we- take the field the way we are - supposed to, we do a lot of goo- things.

We really - played better ball in the secon- half, but at the same time we - dug a hole for ourselves- and that's something we can't - - - - have happen."

For the first time in 55 games- the saints allowed a 100- - yard rusher.

In fact, they- actually allowed two.

In- addition to sanders' 115 yards,- hurts also had 106- yards on the ground.- next week the saints host - quarterback patrick mahomes - and the defending super bowl- champs... the chiefs.

- - we're staying in the n-f-l for- today's w-x-x-v play of day...- washington football team on the- road, facing the forty-niners - at their temporary home in- arizona.- 49ers ball with a minute to go- in the first half... quarterbac- nick mullens gets chased and- eventually loses the football.- rookie defensive end chase youn- there to pick it up... and with- the - help of some blocking... young- goes 48 yards for his first - career n-f-l touchdown.

- - - before the defensive score, the- former buckeye already- had a sack and four tackles...- now that's filling up a stat- sheet.- here's a fun fact for you - taylor... just last year was- shooting- highlights of chase young when- ohio state came and... quite- when ohio state came and... - - - - quite honestly... pummeled- michigan at home.

However, i go- to walk alongside young - in the tunnel out to the field- and i have never been in the- presence- of such a large human being - before.

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