Meyer-less Buckeyes roll
Ohio State routs Oregon State 77-31 without its coach. See the Top 25 roundup.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Amani Oruwariye intercepted Zac Thomas’ pass in the end zone and No. 10 Penn State held on to beat Appalachian State 45-38 in overtime Saturday, exactly 11 years after the Mountaineers stunned Michigan in one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
Miles Sanders ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns, including the goahead score in overtime for the Nittany Lions in the opener for both teams. But Penn State let a 31-17 lead evaporate when Appalachian State scored on three straight possessions over 5:53 in the fourth quarter.
Penn State’s Trace McSorley, who completed 21 of 36 passes for 230 yards and ran for two scores, led a tying drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to KJ Hamler with 42 seconds left. NO. 5 OHIO STATE 77, OREGON STATE 31
In Columbus, Ohio, with coach Urban Meyer serving a suspension, new starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. had a record-setting day, throwing five touchdown passes to help Ohio State rout Oregon State in the opener for both teams.
The Buckeyes shook off Meyer’s first absence from the Ohio State sidelines, scoring on five on the first six possessions and overcoming defensive sloppiness. MARYLAND 34, NO. 23 TEXAS 29
In Landover, Md., Maryland emerged from a trying offseason after a player died with an emotionally charged upset of Texas, shaking off a weather delay to provide Matt Canada a satisfying victory in his debut as the Terrapins’ interim coach.
After blowing a 24-7 lead, Maryland forced three turnovers in the final 6:09 and scored the game’s final 10 points to stun the Longhorns in the opener for the second year in a row. This one was even more impressive because of what the Terrapins endured this summer. NO. 2 CLEMSON 48, FURMAN 7
In Clemson, S.C., freshman Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes and Clemson scored on all five of his drives in the season-opening rout. NO. 3 GEORGIA 45, AUSTIN PEAY 0
In Athens, Ga., Jake Fromm threw two scoring passes while sharing time with freshman Justin Fields and Georgia showed off some new firepower. NO. 7 OKLAHOMA 63, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 14
In Norman, Okla., Kyler Murray, taking over for Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, passed for 209 yards and two touchdowns to lead Oklahoma.
Murray connected on 9 of 11 passes in just under one half. The first-round Major League Baseball draft pick also ran for 23 yards on four carries. It was Murray’s second college start since transferring from Texas A&M after the 2015 season. NO. 9 AUBURN 21, NO. 6 WASHINGTON 16
In Atlanta, Jatarvious Whitlow ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 6:15 remaining and the Auburn defense came through at the end, leading the Tigers in the opener.
Trailing 16-15 after missing a two-point conversion on their opening drive of the game, Auburn drove 76 yards in 10 plays for the winning score. Jarrett Stidham kept the drive going early with a 12-yard pass to Chandler Cox on third-and-9. NO. 15 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 43, UNLV 21
In Los Angeles, JT Daniels, the second freshman to start at quarterback in a season opener for Southern California, threw for 282 yards, and had a 43-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. NO. 16 TCU 55, SOUTHERN U. 7
In Fort Worth, Texas, Shawn Robinson threw three touchdown passss and ran for two more scores while playing only the first half in TCU’s opening blowout. NO. 17 WEST VIRGINIA 40, TENNESSEE 14
In Charlotte, N.C., Will Grier got his Heisman Trophy campaign off to an impressive start, throwing for 429 yards and five touchdowns to help West Virginia rout Tennessee in a game delayed for more than an hour at halftime due to lightning. NO. 18 MISSISSIPPI STATE 63, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 6
In Starkville, Miss., Keytaon Thompson threw for 364 yards and five touchdowns, Mississippi State had 17 tackles for a loss and the 18th-ranked Bulldogs cruised in their opener. NO. 22 BOISE STATE 56, TROY 20
In Troy, Ala., Brett Rypien passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns, and Sean Modster had 167 yards receiving, to lead Boise State in the opening victory.
The Broncos raced to a 35-7 halftime lead over a Trojans team coming off an 11-win season, largely with the Rypien-toModster connection.