Three of the four home favorites won in the first round of the 2022 College Football Playoff, with the exception being USC going into Tuscaloosa and shocking Alabama in a defensive battle. Tennessee needed overtime to beat Kansas State while TCU and Ohio State both won easily.
2022 CFB Playoff “What If” Home Page
First Round:
(8) Tennessee defeats (9) Kansas State, 38-30 (OT)
(5) TCU defeats (12) Tulane. 34-10
(10) USC defeats (7) Alabama, 19-16
(6) Ohio State defeats (11) Penn State, 38-27
Quarterfinals:
(1) Georgia vs. (8) Tennessee
(4) Utah vs. (5) TCU
(2) Michigan vs. (10) USC
(3) Clemson vs. (6) Ohio State
Tennessee 38, Kansas State 30 (OT)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State | 0 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 30 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 38 |
Tennessee took several 10-point leads, including 23-13 at the start of the fourth quarter. But Kansas State scored the final 10 points of regulation, including a late touchdown run by Adrian Martinez. Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker threw his third and fourth touchdown passes of the game in overtime. After his last one in the second OT, Kansas State needed to match, but the Volunteers picked off Will Howard to end it.
| Quarter | Tennessee | Kansas State | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | punt | ||
| punt | |||
| interception | |||
| punt | |||
| FG missed | |||
| punt | |||
| 2 | TD (Hendon Hooker pass to Bru McCoy), XP missed | 6-0 | |
| FG good (Chris Tennant) | 6-3 | ||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| TD (Jabari Small run), XP good | 13-3 | ||
| end of half | |||
| 3 | punt | ||
| punt | |||
| FG good (Chris Tennant) | 13-6 | ||
| FG good (Chase McGrath) | 16-6 | ||
| TD (Will Howard pass to Malik Knowles), XP good | 16-13 | ||
| 4 | TD (Hendon Hooker pass to Bru McCoy), XP good | 23-13 | |
| FG good (Chris Tennant) | 23-16 | ||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| TD (Adrian Martinez run), XP good | 23-23 | ||
| end of half | |||
| OT1 | TD (Will Howard pass to Ben Sinnott), XP good | 23-30 | |
| TD (Hendon Hooker pass to Jimmy Holiday), XP good | 30-30 | ||
| OT2 | TD (Hendon Hooker pass to Jalin Hyatt), 2-PT conversion good | 38-30 | |
| interception |
TCU 34, Tulane 10
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tulane | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| TCU | 14 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 34 |
The Horned Frogs scored on four of their first five possessions to jump out to a 24-3 second-quarter lead. Three second-half turnovers by the Green Wave made a comeback near-impossible.
| Quarter | TCU | Tulane | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TD (Max Duggan run), XP good | 7-0 | |
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| TD (Kendre Muller run), XP good | 14-0 | ||
| 2 | FG good (Valentino Ambrosio) | 14-3 | |
| FG good (Griffin Kell) | 17-3 | ||
| punt | |||
| TD (Max Duggan pass to Quincy Brown), XP good | 24-3 | ||
| punt | |||
| end of half | |||
| 3 | punt | ||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| interception | |||
| punt | |||
| TD (Michael Pratt pass to Shae Wyatt), XP good | 24-10 | ||
| punt | |||
| fumble | |||
| 4 | FG good (Griffin Kell) | 27-10 | |
| punt | |||
| TD (Max Duggan pass to Savion Williams), XP good | 34-10 | ||
| fumble | |||
| punt | |||
| end of half |
USC 19, Alabama 16
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USC | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
| Alabama | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 16 |
Both defenses were excellent, as each offense only scored one touchdown. So it came down to field goals. USC’s Denis Lynch went 4-for-4, while Alabama’s Will Reichard went 3-for-4. Tied 16-16 late in the fourth quarter, Reichard missed on his final attempt, while the Trojans went down and Lynch connected on the go-ahead three-pointer. The Crimson Tide ran out of time on their final possession.
| Quarter | Alabama | USC | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FG good (Denis Lynch) | 0-3 | |
| punt | |||
| FG good (Denis Lynch) | 0-6 | ||
| FG good (Will Reichard) | 3-6 | ||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| 2 | punt | ||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| interception | |||
| TD (Caleb Williams pass to Jordan Addison), XP good | 3-13 | ||
| end of half | |||
| 3 | FG good (Will Reichard) | 6-13 | |
| FG good (Denis Lynch) | 6-16 | ||
| FG good (Will Reichard) | 9-16 | ||
| punt | |||
| TD (Bryce Young run), XP good | 16-16 | ||
| punt | |||
| fumble on punt return | |||
| 4 | punt | ||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| FG missed | |||
| FG made (Denis Lynch) | 16-19 | ||
| end of game |
Ohio State 38, Penn State 27
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn State | 6 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 27 |
| Ohio State | 7 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
The game wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicated, as the Buckeyes took a 38-6 lead early in the third quarter before taking their foot off the gas. C.J. Stroud threw three touchdown passes in all as OSU scored on its final four full possessions of the first half, and its first two of the second half. The Nittany Lions suffered three straight fumbles at one point.
| Quarter | Ohio State | Penn State | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | punt | ||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| FG good (Jake Pinegar) | 0-3 | ||
| TD (C.J. Stroud pass to Kamryn Babb), XP good | 7-3 | ||
| FG good (Jake Pinegar) | 7-6 | ||
| 2 | TD (C.J. Stroud pass to Emeka Egbuka), XP good | 14-6 | |
| punt | |||
| TD (Xavier Johnson run), XP good | 21-6 | ||
| FG blocked | |||
| FG good (Noah Ruggles) | 24-6 | ||
| fumble on kickoff | |||
| end of half | |||
| 3 | fumble | ||
| TD (C.J. Stroud pass to Marvin Harrison Jr.), XP good | 31-6 | ||
| fumble | |||
| TD (Dallan Hayden run), XP good | 38-6 | ||
| FG missed | |||
| punt | |||
| TD (Nicholas Singleton run), XP good | 38-13 | ||
| 4 | punt | ||
| punt | |||
| punt | |||
| TD (Sean Clifford run), XP good | 38-20 | ||
| interception | |||
| TD (Sean Clifford pass to Brenton Strange), XP good | 38-27 | ||
| end of game |
ROGER SPORTS & GAMES 