Ducks stun Buckeyes
Oregon visited No. 3 Ohio State and won 35-28. See a roundup of top 25 college games.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — C.J. Verdell ran for 161 yards and had three touchdowns as shorthanded No. 12 Oregon exploited a porous Ohio State defense, handing the No. 3 Buckeyes their first regular-season loss in nearly three years, 35-28 on Saturday.
Ohio State (1-1, 1-0 Big Ten) never led despite being more than a two touchdown favorite and gaudy numbers from freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud. Its front seven struggled to contain Verdell, control the edge and get after Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown in front.
The Ducks (2-0, 2-0 Pac-12) were without star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux and linebacker Justin Flowe.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 48, MERCER 14
In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Bryce Young threw three touchdown passes and Jase McClellan scored three times in Alabama’s rout of FCS Mercer.
The Crimson Tide (2-0) started sluggishly on offense in what amounted to a warmup game before the Southeastern Conference opener at No. 13 Florida, but potentially more notably had star linebacker Will Anderson Jr. leave with an apparent right leg injury.
NO. 2 GEORGIA 56, UAB 7
In Athens, Ga., Stetson Bennett tied a school record with five touchdown passes filling in for injured starter JT Daniels, leading the Bulldogs in the rout.
NO. 4 OKLAHOMA 76, WESTERN CAROLINA 0
In Norman, Okla., Spencer Rattler threw five touchdown passes, and Oklahoma matched its fifth-highest point total in school history.
The Sooners led 62-0 after three quarters, and the fourth quarter was shortened to 12 minutes.
NO. 5 TEXAS A&M 10, COLORADO 7
In Denver, Sophomore backup quarterback Zach Calzada threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Spiller with 2:41 remaining and Texas A&M edged Colorado.
Spiller’s TD gave the Aggies (2-0) their first lead in a game in which they lost freshman QB Haynes King to a lower right leg injury and eight of their first nine drives were three-and-outs.
NO. 6 CLEMSON 49, SOUTH CAROLINA STATE 3
In Clemson, S.C., D.J. Uiagalelei ran for two touchdowns and threw for a third as Clemson cranked up its offense after a sorry showing in a loss to second-ranked Georgia a week earlier.
Uiagalelei and the Tigers (1-1) had touchdowns on all four of their first-quarter possessions and pulled away for their 36th straight win over teams from the Football Championship Subdivision.
NO. 7 CINCINNATI 42, MURRAY ST. 7
In Cincinnati, Jerome Ford rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns, Desmond Ridder passed for 243 yards and two TDs, and Cincinnati scored on four of its first five possessions in the second half.
The Bearcats (2-0) were heavy favorites coming in, but the Racers (1-1) outgained them 190-83 in the first half and led 7-0 in the second quarter. The score was tied at halftime.
NO. 8 NOTRE DAME 32, TOLEDO 29
In South Bend, Ind., Jack Coan hit Michael Mayer for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 1:09 remaining for the third lead change in a wild fourth quarter and Notre Dame held off determined Toledo.
NO. 10 IOWA 27, NO. 9 IOWA STATE 17
In Ames, Iowa, Jack Campbell returned a fumble 6 yards for a touchdown and Iowa ran its winning streak against Iowa State to six games with a victory that ruined the most-anticipated home game in Cyclones history.
NO. 11 PENN STATE 44, BALL STATE 13
In State College, Pa., Sean Clifford completed 21 of 29 passes for 230 yards, ran for a touchdown and threw for another as Penn State won its sixth straight game dating to last season.
NO. 13 FLORIDA 42, S. FLORIDA 20
In Tampa, Fla., Florida tuned up for Southeastern Conference play with a rout of the overmatched Bulls. The win did little to answer the question of whether starter Emory Jones or backup Anthony Richardson is best suited to run the Gators offense.
ARKANSAS 40, NO. 15 TEXAS 21
In Fayetteville, Ark., Arkansas piled up 333 rushing yards and got touchdowns from four players on the ground while its defense stuffed Texas.
Dominique Johnson scored from 5 yards in the second quarter, Trelon Smith from 1, and Raheim Sanders from 26 in the third and AJ Green from 30 in the fourth as the Razorbacks (2-0) racked up its most rushing yards since 2016, their last winning season.
NO. 18 WISCONSIN 34, EASTERN MICHIGAN 7
In Madison, Wis., Chez Mellusi ran for 144 yards and a touchdown, leading Wisconsin past Eastern Michigan.
NO. 19 VIRGINIA TECH 35, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 14
In Blacksburg, Va., Raheem Blackshear rushed for two touchdowns and the Hokies scored on their first three possessions of the second half.
NO. 20 MISSISSIPPI 54, AUSTIN PEAY 17
In Osford, Miss., Matt Corral threw for five touchdowns — four in the first half — as Mississippi routed FCS member Austin Peay.
NO. 22 MIAMI 25, APPALACHIAN STATE 23
In Miami Gardens, Fla., D’Eriq King threw for 200 yards and rushed for 67 more, freshman Andy Borregales kicked a go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 2:04 remaining and Miami rallied from a halftime deficit.
NO. 24 NORTH CAROLINA 59, GEORGIA STATE 17
In Chapel Hill, N.C., Sam Howell threw three touchdown passes and rushed for two more scores as the Tar Heels shook off the disappointment a loss in its opener with a rout of Georgia State.
NO. 25 AUBURN 62, ALABAMA ST. 0
In Auburn, Ala., Demetris Robertson scored three touchdowns and Jarquez Hunter rushed for 147 yards as the Tigers raced past their overmatched FCS foe.
Auburn (2-0) was held to just one offensive touchdown and fewer than 200 yards in the first half before erupting for 35 points in the third quarter against the Hornets (1-1).