Georgia outlasts LSU
ATHENS: Aaron Murray threw four touchdown passes, including a 25yarder to Justin Scott-Wesley with 1:47 remaining, and No. 9 Georgia rallied to beat No. 6 LSU 44-41 in a thrilling game between Southeastern Conference powerhouses Saturday.
The Bulldogs (3-1, 2-0) completed their opening-month run through a gauntlet of top-10 teams with a victory that propelled them back into the thick of the national championship race.
LSU (4-1, 1-1) got a career-best 372 yards passing from former Georgia quarterback Zach Mettenberger in his return to Athens, and the Tigers went ahead 41-37 on Jeremy Hill’s 8-yard touchdown run with 4:14 to go.
But that was plenty of time for Murray and the high-powered Bulldogs on a day when neither defense had much success. He completed three straight passes to quickly move the Bulldogs into LSU territory, and freshman JJ Green broke off an 18-yard run to the Tigers 25.
Then it was Scott-Wesley, breaking wide open behind the secondary to haul in a pass and tiptoe just inside the pylon for the winning score.
ALABAMA 25, MISSISSIPPI 0
At Tuscaloosa, TJ Yeldon rushed for 121 yards, Kenyan Drake gained 99 and a dominating defense powered Alabama past Mississippi.
Yeldon scored on a 68-yard run and Drake added a 50-yard scamper to revive a struggling running game for the Crimson Tide (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference), which outgained the Rebels 434-205.
Ole Miss (3-1, 1-1) was seeking its first 4-0 start in 43 years but instead was shut out for the first time since Arkansas did it in November 1998.
OREGON 55, CAL 16
At Eugene, Oregon, Marcus Mariota threw for two touchdowns and ran for another for Oregon in the rain-drenched Pac-12 opener for both teams.
Bralon Addison returned two punts for touchdowns and Byron Marshall ran for 130 yards and two more scores for the Ducks (4-0, 1-0).
The game was played as a strong storm swept across the Pacific Northwest, leaving it a sloppy mess on the field, with eight fumbles - four for each team - in the first half alone. The Ducks handled the soggy conditions better, building a 41-3 halftime lead.
CLEMSON 56, WAKE FOREST 7
At Clemson, South Carolina, Tajh Boyd became the second Atlantic Coast Conference quarterback to account for 100 career touchdowns, leading Clemson to the easy win.
Boyd threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another score. He stands at 102 TDs, joining former North Carolina State star Phillip Rivers in the ACC’s century club
He had touchdown throws of 64 yards to Sammy Watkins, 75 yards to D.J. Howard and 14 yards to Mike Williams as Clemson (4-0, 2-0) built a 35-7 halftime lead.
STANFORD 55, WASHINGTON ST. 17
At Seattle, Kevin Hogan picked apart Washington State, throwing for 286 yards and three touchdowns, and Stanford won its 12th straight.
Hogan connected with Devon Cajuste on touchdowns of 57 and 33 yards in the first half then found Michael Rector on a 45-yard TD during a third-quarter blitz where the Cardinal scored 21 points as part of a stretch where they ran just two offensive plays. Jordan Richards and Trent Murphy both returned interceptions 30 yards for touchdowns 2:04 apart in the third quarter as the Cardinal (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) quickly turned a 17-3 halftime advantage into a 38-3 lead.
FLORIDA STATE 48, BOSTON COLLEGE 34
At Boston, Jameis Winston threw for four touchdowns for Florida State, including a 55-yard Hail Mary as time expired in the first half.
Winston had first-half touchdown passes of 56 and 10 yards to tie the game after BC, coming off a 28-point loss to Southern California, opened a 17-3 lead.
The desperation heave to Kenny Shaw made it 24-17, and then Winston added a fourth TD pass in the second half as the Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) pulled away.
TEXAS A&M 45, ARKANSAS 33
At Fayetteville, Arkansas, Johnny Manziel accounted for 320 total yards of offense and threw two touchdown passes to Mike Evans to help Texas A&M pull away.
Manziel, who totaled 557 yards of offense in a win over the Razorbacks last season, was 23-of-30 passing for 261 yards and he rushed for 59 yards for the Aggies (4-1, 1-1 SEC).
WEST VIRGINIA 30, OKLAHOMA STATE 21
At Morgantown, West Virginia, Clint Trickett threw a touchdown pass in his first start at West Virginia, and Ishmael Banks returned an interception for a touchdown. Josh Lambert kicked three field goals for West Virginia (3-2, 1-1 Big 12).
SOUTH CAROLINA 28, CENTRAL FLORIDA 25
At Orlando, Florida, Mike Davis rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns as South Carolina overcame an injury to its starting quarterback, four turnovers and a halftime deficit to get the win.
OKLAHOMA 35, NOTRE DAME 21
At South Bend, Indiana, Blake Bell threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard in the fourth quarter, and Oklahoma jumped to a twotouchdown lead in the opening three minutes. It was the Sooners’ second win over the Fighting Irish in 11 meetings.
MIAMI 49, SOUTH FLORIDA 21
In Tampa, Florida, Stephen Morris threw for two touchdowns before limping off with an ankle injury and Duke Johnson scored a TD in his eighth consecutive game, helping Miami roll to the win.
Miami (4-0) is off to its best start in nine years heading into next weekend’s Atlantic Coast Conference opener at home against Georgia Tech.
WASHINGTON 31, ARIZONA 13
At Seattle, Bishop Sankey carried a school-record 40 times for 161 yards and a touchdown and Keith Price threw for two touchdowns to lead Washington.
FLORIDA 24, KENTUCKY 7
At Lexington, Kentucky, Matt Jones rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown and Tyler Murphy threw for 156 yards and a score as Florida beat Kentucky for the 27th straight time. —AP