Safety second for Hawkeyes
Iowa’s defense came up with two secondhalf safeties, and the Hawkeyes opened the season with a 7-3 win over South Dakota State on Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa.
Neither team could do much offensively. Iowa finished with 166 yards of offense, while South Dakota State had 120. The two teams combined for more punts (21) than first downs (16).
“Obviously a very unusual scoring line,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “You’ve got 3 [in the first quarter], 2 [in the third quarter], 2 in the fourth. I’ve never been around a game like that. But we’ll take it today.”
The first safety came after Iowa’s Tory Taylor had his punt downed at the South Dakota State 1-yard line in the third quarter. One play later, Campbell grabbed running back Isaiah Davis after he took the handoff and brought him down one yard short of getting out of the end zone.
The second safety came in the fourth, when Iowa’s Joe Evans sacked quarterback Mark Gronowski, a Neuqua Valley product, in the end zone on a second-and-11 play.
“We’re trying to score as much as we can on the defensive side, however we can do it” said Iowa safety Quinn Schulte.
Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras completed 11 of 25 passes for 109 yards. Leshon Williams had 72 rushing yards.
Gronowski was 10 of 26 passing for 87 yards. Davis had 18 carries for 50 yards.
Michigan 51, Colorado State 7
Cade McNamara, who got the first crack as the starter, had a lackluster performance that was made moot by a dominant defense as the No. 8 Wolverines rolled at home.
The fourth-year player started the opener and is scheduled to sit at the beginning of the Hawaii game next week when J.J. McCarthy, a former Nazareth star, gets his shot.
“I would definitely say it’s pretty unusual,” said McNamara, sounding surly. “It was kind of a thing that I wasn’t expecting. By the end of camp, I thought I had my best camp and put myself in a good position.”
When coach Jim Harbaugh was told that McNamara wasn’t happy, he didn’t seem to be concerned. “I don’t think I have to manage anything,” Harbaugh said. “I just need to let them go out there and compete and do what they do.”
McNamara began 1 of 5 and finished 9 of 18 for 136 yards, a total boosted by a short pass he threw that Roman Wilson turned into a 61-yard touchdown early in the first quarter. With McNamara under center, the Wolverines stalled at the Rams’ 13, 8 and 16 and settled for field goals in the first half that ended with them ahead 23-0.
McCarthy made the most of his limited opportunity to play — running for a 20-yard score and going 4 of 4 for 30 yards passing.
“He was electric when he got in,” Harbaugh said. “There’s no question about that. He also went through his reads very well. He was super cool, calm and collected.”
Nebraska 38, North Dakota 17
Anthony Grant ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns, with the second one breaking a tie late in the third quarter to lift the host Cornhuskers, who snapped a seven-game losing streak. Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson threw touchdown passes of 19 yards to Nate Boerkircher and five yards to Chancellor Brewington.
Wisconsin 38, Illinois State 0
Braelon Adams ran for 148 yards, including a 96-yard score, and Graham Mertz threw for 219 yards to lift the host No. 18 Badgers. Safety John Torchio opened the scoring with a 100yard interception return in the first quarter.
Rutgers 22, Boston College 21
Al-Shadee Salaam scored on a 22-yard run with 2:43 to play, capping a 12-play (11 runs), 96-yard drive, lifting the visiting Scarlet Knights to the comeback victory.
Maryland 31, Buffalo 10
Roman Hemby scored on touchdown runs of 33 and 70 yards and Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 290 yards to lift the host Terrapins.