Costello sets record as Bulldogs upset Tigers
K.J. Costello passed for a Southeastern Conference record 623 yards and five touchdowns in the Mississippi State debut of coach Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense, and the Bulldogs knocked off sixth-ranked and defending national champion Louisiana State 44-34 on Saturday in Baton Rouge, La.
Costello’s passing yardage in his first game since transferring from Stanford to Starkville, Miss., eclipsed the 544 yards Georgia’s Eric Zeier had against Southern Mississippi in 1993 to set the SEC record.
And Costello, who played at Santa Margarita High, needed most of it to make up for his two interceptions and two lost fumbles, which helped LSU rally to tie the score at 34 before he engineered a pair of scoring drives in the final 10 minutes.
LSU became the first defending national champion to lose its opening game since Michigan in 1998 lost at Notre Dame.
No. 16 Tennessee 31, at South Carolina 27: Jarrett Guarantano threw a tiebreaking touchdown to Josh Palmer with 9:35 left and the Volunteers won their seventh straight game.
The Volunteers appeared to have things in hand when they went ahead 21-7 on Eric Gray’s 12-yard scoring run on their opening drive of the third quarter.
But South Carolina rallied behind first-time starter quarterback Collin Hill with two touchdowns and a field goal the next four series to tie the score at 24-all in the fourth quarter.
That’s when Guarantano, the fifth-year senior, struck with back-to-back big plays for the deciding score.
No. 2 Alabama 38, at Missouri 19:
Mac Jones threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns in less than three quarters of work, many of his throws landing in the capable hands of Jaylen Waddle, and the Crimson Tide began their SEC-only schedule with a romp over the rebuilding Tigers.
Waddle finished with eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and Najee Harris ran for 98 yards and three more scores, helping the Crimson Tide spoil the debut of Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and win their 27th straight over the SEC East.
No. 4 Georgia 37, at Arkansas 10: Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs rallied to beat the Razorbacks in the season opener for each school.
Bennett replaced D’Wan Mathis in the second quarter and finished 20 for 29 for 211 yards.
No. 5 Florida 51, at Mississippi 35:
Kyle Pitts gives Florida an almost unfair advantage.
The star tight end caught four of Kyle Trask’s six touchdown passes and No. 5 Florida the Gators spoiled the head coaching debut of the Rebels’ Lane Kiffin.
Trask completed 30 of 42 passes for 416 yards including touchdown passes of one, 16, 71 and 17 yards to Pitts.
at No. 8 Auburn 29, No. 23 Kentucky 13: Bo Nix threw for 233 yards and three secondhalf touchdowns, including a pair to Seth Williams, and the Tigers scored twice in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Wildcats in the season opener.
at No. 10 Texas A&M 17, Vanderbilt 12:
Isaiah Spiller had 117 yards rushing and Ainias Smith ran for a touchdown to help the Aggies overcome three turnovers in a mistake-filled game to beat the Commodores in the seasonopener for both teams.