Missouri survives to beat Toledo
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Defying the game plan, James Franklin led the way with his legs. Out the window went Missouri’s aim to keep the quarterback healthy by staying in the pocket and being a distributor.
Franklin made crucial plays on consecutive scoring drives in the second half, lowering his shoulder more than once while pulling the Tigers out of danger in a 38-23 victory over Toledo on Saturday. After finishing with a team-leading 77 yards on 17 carries, his most yards since the 2011 Independence Bowl, Franklin said he was supposed to run just a little.
“I don’t know if people ever called him out for his toughness,” guard Max Copeland said. “But if they were, they’re probably eating their words now.
“Because that’s one tough dude.”
Missouri (2-0) led 24-23 after Toledo (0-2) scored its first two touchdowns of the year but Franklin’s 21-yard keeper set up Henry Josey’s second 1- yard touchdown run of the game to end the third quarter.
No. 7 Texas A&M 65, Sam Houston State 28 At College Station, Texas, Johnny Manziel threw for 426 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score in less than three quarters to give No. 7 Texas A&M its second win over Sam Houston State.
The Heisman Trophy winner played about a quarter more than he did last week when he sat out the first half serving a suspension for what the school called an “inadvertent” violation of NCAA rules involving signing autographs.
Texas A& M’s suspensiondepleted defense was burned for several big plays by the Bearkats, the FCS runner-up the last two seasons, in the final tuneup before next week’s rematch with top-ranked Alabama.
Kentucky 41, Miami (Ohio) 7 At Lexington, Ky., Maxwell Smith threw three long touchdown passes and Jalen Whitlow and Raymond Sanders added scoring runs as Kentucky beat Miami (Ohio).
The Wildcats made a winner of first-year coach Mark Stoops and Smith, who started for the first time since a season-ending ankle injury last September.
Most importantly for the Wildcats (1-1) was how Smith helped offensive coordinator Neal Brown’s pass-oriented “Air Raid” philosophy take flight with TD passes of 48 yards to Jonathan George, 88 to Javess Blue and 56 to Jeff Badet. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 310 yards, 210 by halftime.
Auburn 38, Arkansas State 9 At Auburn, Ala., Cameron Artis- Payne rushed for 102 yards, Tre Mason gained 99 and Nick Marshall passed for two touchdowns to lead Auburn over Arkansas State.
Marshall passed for 147 yards and ran for 53 for the Tigers ( 2- 0), who halted Arkansas State’s ninegame winning streak. That streak started began during Auburn coach Gus Malzahn’s one-year reign over the Red Wolves (1-1) that resulted in a second straight Sun Belt Conference championship.
Mississippi State 51, Alcorn State 7 At Starkville, Miss., Dak Prescott threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start and Mississippi State breezed past Alcorn State.
Mississippi State ( 1- 1) didn’t use several regular starters, including quarterback Tyler Russell, who suffered a concussion in the Bulldogs’ season- opening loss to Oklahoma State.
It didn’t matter. The Bulldogs led 21-0 by early in the second quarter and 37-0 by halftime. It was the most points in the first half for the program since 1996.
Mississippi 31, Southeast Missouri 13 At Oxford, Miss., quarterbacks Bo Wallace and Barry Brunetti directed Mississippi to a 31-point outburst in a 20-minute span in the first half to highlight a win over FCS member Southeast Missouri.
The Rebels (2-0) scored on five consecutive series in the decisive surge, highlighted by touchdown passes of 64 and 67 yards from Wallace to Evan Engram and Donte Moncrief, respectively. Wallace was 8-of-15 for 188 yards and did not play in the second half.
Vanderbilt 38, Austin Peay 3 At Nashville, Austyn Carta- Samuels ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as Vanderbilt beat Austin Peay.
Leading 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Commodores (1-1) opened the game up in the second, scoring touchdowns on four straight possessions.
Carta-Samuels, making his third career start for Vanderbilt, had a 1-yard touchdown run with 9: 23 remaining in the second. Later in the quarter, he connected with receiver Jordan Matthews on a 39-yard touchdown play.
Carta- Samuels’ second rushing touchdown came with 24 seconds remaining in the first half.
No. 9 LSU 56, UAB 17 At Baton Rouge, La., Zach Mettenberger passed for an LSU single-game record five touchdowns, receiver Odell Beckham Jr. scored one of his four touchdowns on a 100-yard field- goal return, and the ninth-ranked Tigers overwhelmed UAB.
LSU coach Les Miles also decided to end running back Jeremy Hill’s benching in the second quarter of the second game of the season. Hill, who was arrested last spring for landing a punch outside a bar, scored on a 3-yard run on his first carry.
Mettenberger finished 16-of-19 for 282 yards and was not intercepted. Beckham’s 136 yards and three TDs receiving were both career highs. He led LSU (2-0) with 331 all-purpose yards.