Sep 10, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Damien Harris (34) is pursued by Western Kentucky Hilltoppers linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe (4) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide defeated the Hilltoppers 38-10. Photo Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
STILLWATER, Okla. — Central Michigan, literally out of time, stunned No. 22-ranked Oklahoma State on the final play of the game Saturday, completing a wild 30-27 upset at Boone Pickens Stadium.
The Cowboys were penalized for intentional grounding on a play designed to run out the clock. On fourth down with four seconds left from the Central Michigan 41, Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph let time run, then fired deep incomplete as time expired.
But the Cowboys (1-1) were called for the penalty, giving the Chippewas (2-0) one play and an untimed down from their own 49.
Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush fired deep to Jesse Kroll, who then lateraled to receiver Corey Willis, with Willis outracing Cowboys cornerback Ashton Lampkin into the end zone.
Following the game, game referee Tim O’Dey – heading a crew of Mid-America Conference officials – told a pool reporter that the game’s final play, a 51-yard Hail Mary for the game-winning score, should not have occurred. Because the intentional grounding penalty included a loss of down, the game should have ended at that point, without giving Central Michigan another play.
The wild ending wiped out an Oklahoma State rally, as the Cowboys went ahead on a touchdown with 5:12 remaining, then intercepted Rush’s pass with 3:10 remaining.
No. 1 Alabama 38, Western Kentucky 10
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama got two passing touchdowns from quarterback Jalen Hurts and a defensive score en route to the victory in its home opener.
Hurts, a true freshman, earned his first career start for Alabama.
Hurts finished the opening half 10 of 13 for 152 yards, a touchdown and no turnovers. Hurts played the first five series of the first half.
Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley caught five passes for 98 yards and the score, including a long of 51 yards.
No. 2 Clemson 30, Troy 24
CLEMSON, S.C. — Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw three touchdown passes, including two in the final quarter, as Clemson plodded its way to a victory over Troy.
Clemson (2-0) clung to a 13-10 lead entering the final quarter against Troy (1-1), which battled the Tigers on even terms throughout.
Then Watson lobbed a 1-yard scoring pass to defensive end Christian Wilkins with 13:50 left in the game, then connected with wide receiver Deon Cain for a 23-yard touchdown four minutes later to give the Tigers some breathing room — at least temporarily.
But Troy scored twice in the game’s final five minutes to make it close, with the final touchdown coming with 44 seconds left. Clemson recovered an onside kick attempt with 43 seconds left and the Tigers kneeled once to run out the clock.
No. 3 Florida State 52, Charleston Southern 8
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Even with only 4 1/2 days of rest in between games, Florida State looked sharp in its home opener with a rout of FCS foe Charleston Southern.
The Seminoles were likely still feeling some of the effects of an emotional and historic win Monday night in Orlando against Ole Miss, rallying from 22 points down to beat the Rebels 45-34 in what was the biggest comeback victory in school history. But that game actually ended Tuesday morning around 1 a.m., giving the team an unusually short week to prepare for the Buccaneers.
The Seminoles (2-0) scored on five of their first six drives, mounting a 29-point lead over Charleston Southern (1-2) by halftime and a 49-6 edge by the end of the third quarter. Florida State first-year starting quarterback Deondre Francois finished 25 of 32 for 262 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 4 Ohio State 48, Tulsa 3
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the final minutes of the first half that propelled the Buckeyes to victory in a game delayed at halftime by more than an hour because of a thunderstorm at Ohio Stadium.
Safety Malik Hooker came up with the first pick six — his third interception in two games — and cornerback Marshon Lattimore followed with his second of the game in driving rain and Ohio State’s third interception of the first half to send the Buckeyes to a 20-3 halftime lead.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett passed for 149 yards and finished with 55 yards on the ground with the two TDs.
Ohio State’s defense limited Tulsa to 188 total yards and forced six turnovers.
No. 5 Michigan 51, Central Florida 14
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Wilton Speight threw for four touchdown passes to lead Michigan over Central Florida in front of 109,295 fans at Michigan Stadium.
Central Florida (1-1) actually outrushed Michigan (2-0) by a margin of 275-119, but the Wolverines still won convincingly thanks in large part to Speight, the junior who backed up a good debut as the starter last week against Hawaii by completing 25 of his 37 passes for 312 yards.
Michigan senior tight end Jake Butt and senior wideout Amara Darboh each caught two touchdown passes to help Michigan improve to 2-0.
No. 6 Houston 42, Lamar 0
Houston quarterback Greg Ward Jr. did not play because of a shoulder injury, but the Cougars rushed for 381 yards and six touchdowns.
Kyle Postma got the start at quarterback for Houston and he completed 14 of 25 passes for 125 yards. He did not throw a touchdown, but committed only one turnover.
Kevrin Justice rushed for two touchdowns and 111 yards on 27 carries, and Mulbah. Car added 109 yards and one touchdown. Postma contributed a couple of scores on seven carries and 106 yards on the ground.
No. 8 Washington 59, Idaho 14
Washington quarterback Jake Browning threw five touchdown passes and the Huskies limited visiting Idaho to 322 total yards in Seattle.
Browning, a sophomore, completed 20 of 25 pass attempts for 237 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the first half as the Huskies (2-0) led 35-0 lead at halftime. He finished 23 of 28 for 294 yards. He did not throw an interception.
The Vandals (1-1) mustered only four first downs in the first half and finished with 15, mostly against Washington’s reserves. They were 0 for 7 in third-down conversions by halftime and finished 7 for 17.
Washington has scored at least 40 points in five consecutive games dating back to last season, the longest streak in school history.
No. 9 Georgia 26, Nicholls 24
ATHENS, Ga. — A nail-bitter against an unheralded FCS team was probably the last thing anyone expected when ninth-ranked Georgia took the field for its home opener.
However, that’s exactly what happened, as the Bulldogs actually trailed Nicholls late in the third quarter before coming back and ultimately hanging on for a win.
Leading 26-14 in the fourth, the Bulldogs (2-0) appeared on the verge of putting the game away with the ball deep in Colonel territory only to have Nicholls cornerback Jeff Hall intercept freshman quarterback Jacob Eason’s pass and return it 91 yards to the Bulldogs 8. The Colonels settled for a 26-yard field goal by David McKey to close to within 26-17.
Later in the quarter, McKenzie fumbled away the ball at the Georgia Tech 9, giving the Colonels another scoring chance. This time they took full advantage, with John Forecade lobbing a 6-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Bates to draw Nicholls within 26-24 with 3:42 left. Nicholls (0-1) would not get another chance.
No. 10 Wisconsin 54, Akron 10
MADISON, Wis. – Wide receiver Jazz Peavy caught two touchdown passes and running back Corey Clement rushed for two scores to lead Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium.
Clement, who had 21 carries and 111 yards in the first half, suffered a left leg injury and didn’t play in the second half for the Badgers (2-0). Clement is 84 yards shy of the 2,000-yard career rushing mark.
Quarterback Bart Houston was sharp under center for the Badgers. Houston, a senior and first-year starter, completed 15 of 22 passes for 231 yards, two touchdown passes and one interception
The Zips (1-1) got their only touchdown when JoJo Natson ran 55 yards for a score on a punt return with 3:12 to go in the second quarter.
No. 11 Texas 41, UTEP 7
AUSTIN, Texas – Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele threw for 244 yards and four touchdowns as 11th-ranked but injury-depleted Texas shrugged off some midgame doldrums and easily defeated UTEP.
Buechele was 22 of 27 passing, did not throw an interception and hit three different Longhorns receivers for touchdowns.
Chris Warren III, normally the Longhorns’ co-featured back with D’Onta Foreman, ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
Texas (2-0) outgained UTEP 416-208 and won handily despite having three of their starting offensive linemen (and five that are in the two-deep rotation) and their top ground-gainer from last year and last week (Foreman) on the sidelines with injuries.
UTEP starting quarterback Kavika Johnson managed just 42 passing yards on nine completions while replacing Zach Greenlee, who started for the Miners on Sept. 3 against New Mexico State but missed the Texas game with a MCL injury.
No. 14 Oklahoma 59, Louisiana-Monroe 17
NORMAN, Okla.–A week after virtually abandoning the run in a loss to Houston, Oklahoma kept the ball on the ground plenty in a blowout win in its home opener.
The Sooners’ two top running backs — Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon — combined for 175 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and Perine added 38 yards receiving.
Both running backs, like Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield, played just one half as Oklahoma led 42-0 at the break. Mayfield threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns while not being sacked.
Mixon had 14 carries for 125 yards. Perine, limited by a shoulder injury against Houston, looked plenty healthy against ULM. The junior ran for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
Arkansas 41, No. 15 TCU 38
FORT WORTH, Texas — Austin Allen’s 5-yard touchdown run in double overtime gave Arkansas the upset win at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
The junior quarterback powered the ball on third down despite being initially hit at the 3-yard line. Allen also threw for three touchdowns and 223 yards.
Arkansas’ final push ruined a Kenny Hill-KaVontae Turpin inspired rally by TCU in the fourth quarter. The Horned Frogs (1-1) roared back from a 20-7 deficit with three unanswered touchdowns to lead 28-20 with 2:05 remaining.
Allen followed by leading a furious drive that ended with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher. That duo would reconnect on the two-point conversion, but it was a reverse option pass from Hatcher to Allen that tied the game.
Hill finished 36 of 56 passing for 377 yards and an interception. Turpin caught seven passes for 126 yards. Rawleigh Williams had 146 yards rushing on 28 carries for the Razorbacks.
No. 16 Iowa 42, Iowa State 3
IOWA CITY, Iowa — In one of the most one-sided games in the history of the Cy-Hawk rivalry, Iowa dismantled its intrastate foe at Kinnick Stadium.
The 39-point win is the largest margin of victory over Iowa State by Iowa (2-0) under head coach Kirk Ferentz and tied for the third-largest win margin all-time in the rivalry.
Iowa’s success was in large part due to the performance of quarterback C.J. Beathard. The fifth-year senior completed 19 of 28 passes for 235 yards and tossed three touchdown passes to three different receivers, all during the first half.
Iowa State (0-2) got its only score late in the first quarter, when it drove to the Hawkeye 7-yard line. But a pair of sacks forced the Cyclones to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Cole Netten, trimming their deficit down to 11 points.
No. 18 Notre Dame 39, Nevada 10
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Quarterback DeShone Kizer completed 15 of 18 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns, to lead the Irish victory.
Notre Dame running back Josh Adams finished with 106 rushing yards, and Kizer also rushed for 35 yards and a touchdown before giving way to backup quarterback Malik Zaire late in the third quarter with the score out of reach.
Notre Dame (1-1) posted a 444-300 advantage in total yards as it bounced back from a double-overtime loss against Texas in its opening game.
Wolf Pack quarterback Tyler Stewart completed 10 of 23 passes for 113 yards and an interception. Running back James Butler tallied 50 rushing yards and 48 receiving yards for Nevada (1-1).
No. 19 Mississippi 38, Wofford 13
Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 20 of 27 passes for 219 yards and three touchdown passes as Mississippi got the win at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Markell Pack, D.K Metcalf and Quincy Adeboyejo each caught a touchdown pass from Kelly in a dominating first half by the Rebels.
The Rebels play Alabama next week.
No. 20 Texas A&M 67, Prairie View 0
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Trevor Knight accounted for four touchdowns and Texas A&M cruised past Prairie View A&M.
The senior quarterback threw for three scores and ran for another, while piling up 422 yards of total offense. Knight has seven touchdowns on his ledger through two games.
Unlike last week’s 31-24 overtime win over then-No. 16 UCLA, the Aggies (2-0) had no trouble with the FCS Panthers (1-1) in the first meeting ever between the system schools located 50 miles apart.
No. 21 LSU 34, Jacksonville State 13
BATON ROUGE, La. — Derrius Guice played in place of injured All-America running back Leonard Fournette and ran for 155 yards and a touchdown as LSU won its home opener.
Guice, a sophomore who had just one 100-yard game previously, became the focal point of the offense as Fournette rested a sore ankle that he sprained in preseason camp three weeks ago and aggravated in a 16-14 loss to Wisconsin on Sept. 3.
The LSU offense didn’t come to life, though, until Danny Etling made his Tigers debut and replaced struggling Brandon Harris at quarterback at the start of the second quarter. The junior transfer from Purdue led a 70-yard touchdown drive on his first possession, triggering touchdowns on four consecutive LSU possessions as the Tigers took control with a 27-10 halftime lead.
No. 23 Baylor 40, SMU 13
WACO, Texas — Baylor shrugged off an early six-point deficit to dominate SMU.
Bears quarterback Seth Russell to Blake Lynch and ran 19 yards for a score in the third quarter to help Baylor (2-0) gain momentum. Then Bears safety Orion Stewart returned an interception 33 yards to put Baylor ahead 26-6 and effectively squash SMU’s hope for an upset.
SMU freshman quarterback Ben Hicks made his first collegiate start in place of injured starter Matt Davis. Hicks passed for 229 yards and a touchdown, but threw three interceptions.
No. 25 Miami 38, Florida Atlantic 10
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Sophomore Mark Walton and junior Joe Yearby again produced triple-digit rushing games with Walton setting career single-game highs in carries (17), yards (155), and touchdowns (four) and Yearby adding 121 yards on 20 rushes for one score for Miami.
After going to the locker room up only 14-3 at the half, Miami kicked up its game in the second. Walton doubled his rushing yardage from the first half (55) to 110 by the end of the third quarter.
Miami’s defense also did more than its part. The Hurricanes held the Owls to just 214 yards in total offense and a mere 47 rushing. They also came up with seven sacks, six of them against FAU starting quarterback Jeff Driskel, and didn’t allow a third-down conversion until the third quarter.
