Spartans off to best start since 2015
After turning the ball over seven times in a loss to Rutgers last year, No. 11 Michigan State turned to the the big-play approach with its new cast of players. It worked to perfection.
Jalen Nailor caught touchdown passes of 63, 63 and 65 yards from Payton Thorne and transfer Kenneth Walker scored on a school-record 94-yard run as the Spartans remained unbeaten with a 31-13 victory over the reeling Scarlet Knights on Saturday.
Michigan State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) is off to its best start since it won its first eight games in 2015, when it reached the College Football Playoff.
“We still have multiple playmakers that y’all haven’t seen yet,” said Nailor, who finished with five catches for a careerbest 221 yards, a stadium record. “We have a lot of young guys that are emerging, but it’s just getting more in tune with the playbook and we’ve just been working hard, just trying to get everybody on the same page so far.”
The loss was the third straight for Rutgers (3-3), all against ranked opponents. The Scarlet Knights fell to No. 9 Michigan two weeks ago and No. 7 Ohio State last week. Overall, Rutgers has dropped 33 straight to ranked teams since beating then-No. 23 South Florida 31-0 on Nov. 12, 2009.
“I look at this game, we gave up big plays,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “We gave up four big plays. We haven’t done that. We haven’t given up big plays. You give up big plays, it’s going to be hard to do anything, right? You’re behind the 8-ball.”
Michigan State, which lost to Rutgers 38-27 at home in Mel Tucker’s debut as coach, rewrote part of its record book in the game, and one for SHI Stadium, Rutgers home.
The run by Walker, who came into the game leading all Football Bowl Subdivision players in rushing, was the longest offensive play in Michigan State history. The previous long run for the Spartans was 90 yards by Lynn Chandnois in 1949 against Arizona; their longest pass play is a 93-yarder from Tony Banks to Nigea Carter against Indiana in 1994.
OSU cruises behind Stroud’s five touchdown passes:
Ohio State scored on nine straight possessions and piled up 598 yards of offense as the Buckeyes (5-1, 3-0 Big Ten) had their way with Maryland (4-2, 1-2) on Saturday.
C.J. Stroud threw for 406 yards, including two touchdown passes each to star wideouts Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson against a depleted Maryland secondary.
Buckeyes freshman TreVeyon Henderson, after managing just 17 yards rushing in the first half, finished with 102 and two touchdowns. He also caught a 26-yard TD pass in the first half. Master Teague had a touchdown plunge as Ohio State beat Maryland for the seventh consecutive time.
It wasn’t until the Buckeyes’ 10th and final drive of the game, when the regulars were all out of the game, that the Terps managed to stop them on downs.
Georgia rolls Auburn: Stetson Bennett passed for 231 yards and two touchdowns and led No. 2 Georgia past No. 18 Auburn for the second straight year in a 34-10 victory Saturday.
The nation’s top defense gave up only its second touchdown of the year for the Bulldogs (6-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference), who were still without injured starting quarterback JT Daniels. None of that kept Georgia from another comfortable SEC win and a fifth straight in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
Bennett, who made his first college start in a Top 10 matchup with Auburn (3-2, 1-1) last season, completed 14 of 21 passes and hit Ladd McConkey in stride for a 60-yard third quarter score. He also had a 30-yard run.
Wake Forest 6-0 for first time since 1944: A.T. Perry caught a 22-yard pass from Sam Hartman in the left corner of the end zone, his third touchdown of the game, and No. 19 Wake Forest rallied to defeat Syracuse 40-37 in overtime Saturday.
A 38-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt gave Syracuse (3-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) a 37-34 lead on its first possession in overtime, but the Demon Deacons (6-0, 4-0) scored six plays later to start 6-0 for the first time since 1944.
Sean Tucker scored on a 28-yard pass from Garrett Shrader with 21 seconds to go in regulation to cap a 94-yard drive and tie the game at 34 after the Demon Deacons had taken a 34-27 lead just three minutes earlier on a 10-yard run by Christian Beal-Smith.
Boise State knocks off BYU: Hank Bachmeier threw for 172 yards and Boise State forced four turnovers in a 26-17 upset victory over No. 10 BYU on Saturday.
Cyrus Habibi-Likio ran for a seasonhigh 75 yards and a touchdown, and Andrew Van Buren added a season-high 60 yards and a touchdown. The Broncos (3-3) snapped a two-game losing streak in the series. Jaren Hall threw for a careerhigh 302 yards and a touchdown for BYU (5-1). Tyler Allgeier ran for 73 yards and a touchdown. The Cougars outgained Boise State 413-312 in total yards.