Florida State rebounds, routs South Florida
TAMPA, Fla. — Dalvin Cook rushed for a career-high 267 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as No. 14 Florida State rebounded from the most lopsided loss in school history with a 55-35 rout of previously unbeaten South Florida.
Cook scored on a 75yard run on the Seminoles’ first play, after USF started the game with Quinton Flowers and Rodney Adams teaming on an 84yard catch-and-run for a quick 7-0 lead.
“It was very important to answer back. USF came out with a very aggressive game plan and we had to respond with points,” Cook said.
The 213-pound junior’s rushing total on 28 carries topped his previous best of 266 yards against South Florida last year.
Florida State (3-1) bounced back from being trounced 63-20 by Louisville.
South Florida (3-1) is off to its fastest start since 2011, however the Bulls were no match for the Seminoles.
Marlon Mack’s 1-yard TD run gave USF a brief lead before Cook, Freddie Stevenson and Bobo Wilson scored on Florida State’s next three possessions to put the Seminoles ahead 28-14.
“I looked at this game as an opportunity for our football team to get a little more respect nationally,” South Florida coach Willie Taggart said. “We didn’t take advantage of that.”
Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois threw for 169 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. The redshirt freshman added a 35-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter.
OTHER GAMES
No. 6 Houston 64, Texas State 3 at San Marcos, Texas: D’Eriq King caught a touchdown pass, threw one and returned a kickoff for a score in a blowout victory for the Cougars (4-0).
King, a freshman recruited to play quarterback, is playing at wide receiver while Greg Ward Jr. directs the offense. Ward passed for two touchdowns and ran for one before leaving the game after one series in the third quarter. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 289 yards.
King made a mistake by calling for a fair catch on the Houston 5 during a first-quarter Texas State punt. He soon compensated for that, however, catching a short pass from Ward on a bubble screen and taking it in for a touchdown from 48 yards. Early in the second quarter, King took a handoff from Ward and threw a high pass to the end zone that Steven Dunbar pulled in for a 15yard touchdown.
King began the second half by returning the kickoff 99 yards for another touchdown.
Houston gained 563 yards and limited Texas State (1-2) to 142.
Virginia Tech 54, East Carolina 17 at Blacksburg, Va.: Jerod Evans threw three touchdown passes and rushed for one to lift the Hokies (3-1) past the Pirates (2-2).
The Hokies scored on their final five possessions of the first half, including all four of their secondquarter possessions, to overwhelm East Carolina and snap a two-game losing streak to the Pirates.
Evans completed 13 of 20 passes for a career-best 282 yards and rushed for a career-best 97. He entered the game having thrown an ACC-best 10 touchdown passes and just one interception.
ECU quarterback Philip Nelson had 362 yards passing and two touchdown passes to Jimmy Williams to lead the Pirates.
Cincinnati 27, Miami (Ohio) 20 at Cincinnati: Tion Green ran for 83 yards and a late touchdown, rallying the Bearcats (3-1) to their 11th victory in a row over the Bobcats (0-4).
The Bearcats (3-1) pulled it out with a field goal and Green’s 2-yard run with 5:09 to go, overcoming the loss of starting quarterback Hayden Moore. Moore sprained an ankle during a 40-16 loss to Houston in the last game. In his first start, redshirt freshman Russ Trail was 25 of 38 for 276 yards with two interceptions and an 11-yard touchdown run. He also fumbled on a sack.
Cincinnati rushed for 185 yards, taking the pressure off the passing game.
Coach Tommy Tuberville said there’s a chance that Moore could be back next Saturday against South Florida. If not, Trail will start.
Tulsa 48, Fresno State 41 (2OT) at Fresno, Calif.: Dane Evans threw four touchdown passes and ran 18 yards for the winning touchdown in the second overtime as the Golden Hurricane (3-1) rallied from 31 points down to beat the Bulldogs (1-3) for the program’s largest comeback victory.
Evans was 22 of 32 for 273 yards, Keevan Lucas caught two 40-yard touchdown passes, and Josh Atkinson and Justin Hobbs each had scoring catches. D’Angelo Brewer ran for a career-best 252 yards on 46 carries, and James Flanders ran for 101 yards and a touchdown for Tulsa.
Aaron Peck caught a pass from Chason Virgil on the Bulldogs’ second play of overtime, but he fumbled. Then Tulsa’s Redford Jones missed a 42-yard field goal attempt to force a second OT.
Virgil ran for two scores and threw a 65-yard TD pass to Jamire Jordan to give the Bulldogs a 31-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the second quarter.
Syracuse 31, UConn 24 at East Hartford, Conn.: Amba Etta-Tawo caught 12 passes for a school-record 270 yards and two touchdowns as the Orange (2-2) held off the Huskies (2-2).
The graduate transfer from Maryland scored twice in the first five minutes on receptions of 57 and 30 yards. His 59-yard catch on third down highlighted a 12-play, 99-yard fourth-quarter drive that put the game away for the Orange.
Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey completed 26 of 40 passes for 407 yards and those two scores. He also scored on a 6-yard run.
Noel Thomas had 14 receptions for 111 yards for UConn.
Temple 48, Charlotte 20 at Philadelphia: Phillip Walker threw two touchdown passes as the Owls (2-2) used a quick-strike offense in a 28-point second quarter to roll past the 49ers (1-3).
Walker threw touchdown passes of 51 yards to Adonis Jennings and 40 yards to Brodrick Yancy to cap a pair of drives that combined for five plays and 125 yards. Jahad Thomas scored on a 13yard run one play after a turnover as the Owls raced to a 31-7 halftime lead.
Austin Jones kicked a pair of field goals for Temple, giving him 16 straight.
UCF 53, Florida International 14 at Miami: Dontravious Wilson rushed for three touchdowns as the Knights (2-2) steamrolled the Golden Panthers (0-4).
Wilson scored on runs of 1, 15 and 12 yards on just 10 carries in the first half, becoming the first UCF back to rush for three touchdowns in a half since Storm Johnson in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl.
Adrian Killins added a TD run of 62 yards, C.J. Jones added a 1-yard rush and Nick Patti scored on a 9-yard run as the Knights compiled six rushing TDs in a game for the first time since 2011.