BYU takes down No. 6 Wisconsin
BYU coach Kalani Sitake viewed Wisconsin’s brand of smashmouth football as a blueprint for success.
The Cougars followed the plan to perfection Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
Squally Canada ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns, and BYU handed mistake-prone Wisconsin its first nonconference home loss since 2003 with a 24-21 victory. BYU gave sixth-ranked Wisconsin fits on motion plays and sweeps. The Cougars (2-1) tossed in a trick play , too, when receiver Aleva Hifo found open tight end Moroni Laulu-Pututau for a 31yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.
Sitake was so happy with the toughness of his team that he gave the game ball to his strength and conditioning coaches.
“I talked about how much I admire the (Wisconsin) program, the tradition and the smashmouth football that they play,” Sitake said. “But (BYU’s) players were gritty and they played hard and with a lot of toughness.”
Wisconsin (2-1) had one last chance to avoid an upset with a drive that started with 3:55 left at the 8. But normally reliable senior kicker Rafael Gaglianone’s 42-yard field goal attempt to tie with 41 seconds left went wide left .
The Badgers’ 41-game nonconference winning streak the longest active in the nation, came to an end. LSU 22, AUBURN 21 >> Cole Tracy kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play to give No. 12 LSU the victory at No. 7 Auburn in their Southeastern Conference opener. Joe Burrow led LSU (3-0) down the field in the final minutes with clutch plays and two pass interference calls against Auburn (2-1). That set up Tracy’s field goal.
OKLAHOMA 37, IOWA SATE 27 >> A’s draft pick Kyler Murray threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns, and the No. 5 Sooners won on the road in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Marquise Brown had 191 yards receiving and a TD for the Sooners (3-0, 1-0 Big 12), who extended the nation’s longest road winning streak to 17 games while avenging a stunning home loss to the Cyclones a year ago. Iowa State (0-2, 0-1) didn’t make it easy for the Sooners, rallying from a 14-point deficit to make it 34-27 late in the third quarter.
TEXAS 37, USC 14 >> Sam Ehlinger passed for two touchdowns, Anthony Wheeler returned a blocked field goal 46 yards for a score, and the host Longhorns (21) handled the No. 22 Trojans (1-2). Texas held USC to minus-5 yards rushing and scored 34 unanswered points after trailing 14-3. TROY 24, NEBRASKA 19 >> Troy took the money and won again. The Trojans (21) of the Sun Belt Conference stunned the host Cornhuskers (0-2), denying Scott Frost his first win as the Nebraska’s coach, and earned a $1.15 million guarantee in the process. A year ago, the Trojans pocketed just under a million dollars while beating then-No. 25 LSU on the road.
For Nebraska (0-2), the frustrating start to the Frost era continued. The Huskers (0-2) have lost their first two games for the first time since 1957 and have dropped six straight home games since beating Rutgers Sept. 23, 2017. OKLAHOMA STATE 44, BOISE STATE 21 >> Taylor Cornelius ran for two touchdowns and passed for another to help the host No. 24 Cowboys top the No. 17 Broncos. Justice Hill ran for 123 yards and a touchdown, and Tylan Wallace had five catches for 105 yards for the Cowboys (3-0). Boise State’s (2-1) Brett Rypien passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns but was sacked seven times and under heavy pressure throughout the day. NEVADA 37, OREGON STATE 35 >> Jordan Choukair missed a 33-yard field goal as time expired, and the host Wolf Pack (2-1) held off a furious Beavers comeback. Nevada led 30-7 lead with 10:16 left in the second quarter after Asauni Rufus forced Conor Blount to fumble the ball, and Malik Reed picked it up and ran 48 yards for a touchdown.
After the defensive touchdown, Oregon State (1-2) replaced Blount at quarterback with Jake Luton. Oregon State outscored Nevada 28-7 the rest of the way. ARMY CONTAINS HIGH-POWERED HAWAII >> Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald received all the headlines. McDonald led the nation with 1,165 passing yards and 13 touchdown passes for a Hawaii offense that averages 48 points per game. But, it was Kelvin Hopkins, who shone in Army’s win at home. The junior quarterback rushed for two firsthalf touchdowns and a career-high 110 yards as Army (2-1) knocked off Hawaii (31) 28-21.
ROUGH START FOR NEW FLORIDA STATE COACH >> Willie Taggart’s tenure at Florida State has started so poorly the new Seminoles coach is already facing something of a crisis. Florida State has not merely lost two of its first three games in year one for Taggart in Tallassee. Florida State has scored a total of 10 points in a couple lopsided Atlantic Coast Conference losses and needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat FCS Samford in between.