Wolverines don’t forget, rip Huskers
Frost’s words with UCF perhaps prove tough on Nebraska
Michigan was very motivated to beat Nebraska, using Scott Frost's words against him.
Karan Higdon ran for 136 yards and a touchdown in the first half to help the 19th-ranked Wolverines build a huge lead, and they coasted to a 56-10 home victory Saturday.
In Frost's last visit to the Big House two years ago, he said Central Florida “outhit” Michigan in a 51-14 loss.
“We didn't forget that,” offensive tackle Jon Runyan said.
Michigan moved Nebraska around on offense, clearing huge holes for the running game and giving Shea Patterson plenty of time to throw. On defense, the Wolverines hit hard early and often, perhaps in part because defensive coordinator Don Brown told them what Frost said after his last visit.
“We really took that to heart,” Wolverines linebacker Devin Bush said. “And, we wanted to make a statement.”
Mission accomplished. “Physicality, we got whipped,” Frost acknowledged.
The Wolverines (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) led 20-0 after the first quarter and 39-0 at halftime.
“It just seemed like they really didn't want to be out there at some points,” Michigan defensive end Chase Winovich said.
The Cornhuskers (0-3, 0-1) are off to their worst start since 1945. They have lost seven in a row dating to last season for the first time since 1957.
“We're really going to find out who loves football and who loves each other and who is going to band together,” Frost said.
Michigan rested Higdon, who missed the previous game with an injury, in the second half. Patterson played only the first series of the second half, giving Dylan McCaffrey an extended opportunity to play.
Patterson was 15 of 22 for 120 yards with a 5-yard TD pass to Zach Gentry midway through the second quarter that put the Wolverines ahead 30-0.
Fullback Ben Mason ran for three touchdowns — for a total of 6 yards — to match the number of times he had scored previously.
Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez was cleared to play after missing last week's loss to Troy because of a knee injury. The freshman was 7 of 15 for 22 yards with an interception, and he lost 12 yards rushing.
“I don't know how many times I've been a part of a game like that, but we got beat in every phase,” Frost said.
No. 1 Alabama 45, No. 22 Texas A&M 23: Tua Tagovailoa passed for 387 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the hosts in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) easily passed the first test against a top-25 team. Kellen Mond and the Aggies (2-2, 0-1) couldn't put up nearly the fight they had in a 28-26 loss to No. 3 Clemson.
Tagovailoa completed 22 of 30 passes before leaving after Henry Ruggs III took a shuttle pass 57 yards for a score late in the third. Tagovailoa's first attempt went for a 30-yard touchdown to a diving DeVonta Smith, and he hit tight end Hale Hentges for two more scores.
Damien Harris didn't get many touches but had a 35-yard run and a 52-yard catch.
No. 2 Georgia 43, Missouri 29: Jake Fromm threw three touchdown passes for the visiting Bulldogs, who had a defensive touchdown and returned a blocked punt for a score.
The Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) blanketed Missouri's wide receivers, harassed star quarterback Drew Lock, and forced three turnovers in the first half against the seventh-best offense in the country entering the game. Lock completed 23 of 48 passes for 221 yards for the Tigers (3-1, 0-1).
The Bulldogs opened a 20-7 halftime lead without an offensive touchdown. In the first quarter, Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell stripped Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, scooped up the ball and returned it 68 yards for a touchdown — along the way, picking up an accidental downfield block from an official against Lock. In the second quarter, Eric Stokes burst off the left side of the Georgia line, blocked a punt and returned it 8 yards for another TD.
No. 4 Ohio State 49, Tulane 6: Dwayne Haskins Jr. threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns in the first half as Ohio State marked coach Urban Meyer's return to the sideline following a three-game suspension.
Haskins was nearly flawless, completing his first nine passes on the way to a 21-for-24 effort before giving way to backup Tate Martell in the second half as the No. 4 Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) backed off the gas and cruised.
Haskins, a third-year sophomore, is among the nation's leaders in touchdown passes with 16 through the first four games and is on track to eclipse J.T. Barrett's school record of 35 set last season.
No. 12 West Virginia, 35 Kansas State 6: Will Grier threw five touchdown passes for the fifth time in his career in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
Grier finished 25 of 35 for 356 yards and the five scores, three of them to David Sills, and two interceptions as the Mountaineers (3-0) had little trouble against the punchless Wildcats (2-2). Sills caught 10 passes for 73 yards and the three touchdowns.
Friday
No. 16 Central Florida 56, Florida Atlantic 36: McKenzie Milton, a junior from Kapolei, Hawaii, ran for a career-best three touchdowns while throwing for three more, helping the Knights rally from a second-quarter deficit to remain unbeaten and extend the nation's longest winning streak with a 56-36 rout in Orlando.
"When things got a little shaky," Milton said, "we didn't flinch."
The 2017 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year completed 21 of 32 passes for 306 yards without an interception. And the Knights (3-0), who trailed 17-14 late in the second quarter, won for the 16th straight time to set a record for consecutive victories by an AAC team.
No. 10 Penn State 63, Illinois 24: Miles Sanders set career highs by rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns, Trace McSorley threw for three TDs and ran for a personal-best 92 yards, and the Nittany Lions scored 35 points in the fourth quarter to pull away in Champaign, Ill.
Penn State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) scored the final 42 points after Illinois went up by three early in the third quarter, breaking it open after getting all it could handle from a team showing signs of a turnaround in coach Lovie Smith's third season.
Illinois (2-2, 0-1) opened the second half with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Sanders answered with a 48-yard scoring run, and Penn State put this one away with two TDs in the opening minute of the fourth. It was the Nittany Lions' third straight game with more than 50 points.