’Bama thwarts FSU in top-3 tilt
The Alabama defense turned in a dominating performance, the Florida State special teams endured a terrible night, and one of the most anticipated opening games in college football history went to the top-ranked Crimson Tide.
Damien Harris ran for a touchdown and blocked a punt, and Jalen Hurts chipped in with a scoring pass on a night that basically required the sophomore quarterback to make no major mistakes, leading Alabama to a 24-7 beatdown of No. 3 Florida State last night at Atlanta’s new $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
This one was all about that dynamic ’Bama ‘D’.
And those not-to-special teams for the Seminoles.
Alabama picked off a pair of passes by Deondre Francois in the second half, snuffing out any hopes of a Florida State comeback. Throw in a blocked punt, a blocked field goal and a fumble recovery on a kickoff return, and there was really no path to victory for the Seminoles in the first matchup ever between two teams in the top three of The Associated Press preseason rankings.
USC 49, Western Michigan 31 — Ronald Jones II ran 37 yards for the tiebreaking touchdown with 6:57 to play, and the No. 4 Trojans rallied from a second-half deficit for a win over the Broncos in Los Angeles.
Jones rushed for 159 yards and three scores, while freshman Stephen Carr added 69 yards rushing and two TDs in an auspicious debut for the Trojans, who scored 28 points in the fourth quarter.
Clemson 56, Kent St. 3 — Kelly Bryant passed for 236 yards and a touchdown and ran for 77 more yards in his first career start and the No. 5 Tigers hammered the Golden Flashes (0-1) in Clemson, S.C.
Bryant has the hefty responsibility of replacing Deshaun Watson behind center for the defending national champions. The junior, who had thrown just 22 passes in his career, showed he could both run and pass.
Penn St. 52, Akron 0 — Saquon Barkley racked up 226 total yards and two touchdowns to lead the No. 6 Nittany Lions over the Zips in the opener in State College, Pa.
Quarterback Trace McSorley was 18-for-25 passing for 280 yards and two touchdowns to help Penn State’s high-octane offense pick up where it left off when the Big Ten champions won nine of their final 10 games last season.
Oklahoma 56, UTEP 7 — Baker Mayfield passed for 329 yards and three touchdowns in one half of action to help the No. 7 Sooners roll past the Miners in Norman, Okla.
Michigan 33, Florida 17 — In Arlington, Texas, Quinn Nordin became the first UM kicker to make two 50-yard field goals in the same game, one of them in a quick go-ahead spurt after halftime, and the 11th-ranked Wolverines handed the 17th-ranked Gators their first season-opening loss in nearly three decades.
Auburn 41, Ga. Southern 7 — Jarrett Stidham threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score in his debut for the No. 12 Tigers in a win over the Eagles in Auburn, Ala.
Georgia 31, Appalachian St. 10 — Freshman Jake Fromm led three first-half touchdown drives after starting quarterback Jacob Eason hurt his left knee, helping the No. 15 Bulldogs beat the Mountaineers in Athens, Ga.
Louisville 35, Purdue 28 — Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes and compiled 485 total yards, helping the No. 16 Cardinals escape with a win over the Boilermakers in Indianapolis.
Miami 41, Bethune-Cookman 13 — Malik Rosier passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns, Mark Walton ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns and the 18th-ranked Hurricanes walloped the Wildcats (0-1) in Miami Gardens, Fla.
South Florida 31, Stony Brook 17 — Quinton Flowers threw for 186 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns to help the No. 19 Bulls shrug off a slow start in a win over the Seawolves in Tampa, Fla.
Kansas St. 55, Cent. Arkansas 19 — Jesse Ertz threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns in only three quarters of work, sending the No. 20 Wildcats past the overmatched Bears in Manhattan, Kan.
Maryland 51, Texas 41 — Tyrrell Pigrome passed for two touchdowns and ran for another before leaving with an injury and the Terrapins stunned the No. 23 Longhorns in Austin, Texas, spoiling coach Tom Herman’s debut.