No. 2 Clemson pounds Furman
CLEMSON, S. C. — Freshman Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes and No. 2 Clemson scored on all five of his drives in the Tigers’ 48- 7 victory over Furman on Saturday in the opener for both teams.
Even with Lawrence’s impressive debut, going 9 for 15 for 137 yards and no interceptions, senior starter Kelly Bryant also shined. He went 10 for 16 for 127 yards and a touchdown and ran five times for 44 yards and another score.
It was the romp everyone expected as Clemson overmatched the Paladins from the Football Championship Subdivision. And It also didn’t answer the question of whether one quarterback deserved all the snaps.
NO. 3 GEORGIA 45, AUSTIN PEAY 0
ATHENS, Ga. — Jake Fromm threw two scoring passes while sharing time with freshman Justin Fields and No. 3 Georgia showed off some new firepower in rolling past Austin Peay 45- 0 on Saturday.
Georgia ( 1- 0) flashed big- play potential, including a 59- yard touchdown pass from Fromm to Mecole Hardman and a 72- yard scoring run by Demetris Robertson, who was making his debut.
NO. 5 OHIO STATE 77, OREGON STATE 31
COLUMBUS, Ohio — With coach Urban Meyer serving a suspension, new starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. had a record- setting day, throwing five touchdown passes to help No. 5 Ohio State rout Oregon State 77- 31 on Saturday in the opener for both teams.
The Buckeyes shook off Meyer’s first absence from the Ohio State sideline in six years, scoring on five on the first six possessions and overcoming some defensive sloppiness.
NO. 7 OKLAHOMA 63, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 14
NORMAN, Okla. — Kyler Murray, taking over for Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, passed for 209 yards and two touchdowns to lead Oklahoma.
Murray connected on 9 of 11 passes in just under one half. The first- round Major League Baseball draft pick also ran for 23 yards on four carries. It was Murray’s second college start since transferring from Texas A& M after the 2015 season.
NO. 9 AUBURN 21, NO. 6 WASHINGTON 16
ATLANTA — Jatarvious Whitlow ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 6: 15 remaining and the Auburn defense came through at the end, leading the No. 9 Tigers a 21- 16 victory over No. 6 Washington that provided a big boost to their resume in the very first game of the season Saturday.
Trailing 16- 15 after missing a two- point conversion on their opening drive of the game, Auburn drove 76 yards in 10 plays for the winning score. Jarrett Stidham kept the drive going early with a 12- yard pass to Chandler Cox on thirdand- 9.
NO. 10 PENN STATE 45, APPALACHIAN STATE 38 ( OT)
STATE COLELGE, Pa. — Amani Oruwariye intercepted a Zac Thomas pass in the end zone and No. 10 Penn State held on to beat Appalachian State 45- 38 in overtime on Saturday, exactly 11 years after the Mountaineers stunned Michigan in one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
Miles Sanders rushed 19 times for 91 yards with two touchdowns including the go- ahead score in overtime for the Nittany Lions ( 1- 0). But Penn State let a 31- 17 lead evaporate when Appalachian State scored on three straight possessions over 5: 53 in the fourth quarter and things were tense in Happy Valley.
Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley, who completed 21 of 36 passes for 230 yards and ran for two scores, led a game- tying drive that ended with a 15- yard touchdown pass to KJ Hamler with 42 seconds left.
NO. 15 USC 43, UNLV 21
LOS ANGELES — JT Daniels, the second freshman to start at quarterback in a season opener for Southern California, threw for 282 yards with a 43- yard touchdown pass to Amon- Ra St. Brown to lead the No. 15 Trojans to a 43- 21 victory over UNLV on Saturday.
NO. 16 TCU 55, SOUTHERN U. 7
FORT WORTH, Texas — Shawn Robinson threw three touchdown passss and ran for two more scores while playing only the first half in TCU’s opening blowout.
NO. 17 WEST VIRGINIA 40, TENNESSEE 14
CHARLOTTE, N. C. — Will Grier got his Heisman Trophy campaign off to an impressive start, throwing for 429 yards and five touchdowns as No. 17 West Virginia defeated Tennessee 40- 14 Saturday in a game delayed for more than an hour at halftime due to lightning.
MARYLAND 34, NO. 23 TEXAS 29
LANDOVER, Md. — Maryland emerged from a trying offseason with an emotionally charged 34- 29 upset of No. 23 Texas on Saturday, shaking off a lengthy weather delay to provide Matt Canada a satisfying victory in his debut at the Terrapins’ interim coach.
After blowing a 24- 7 lead, Maryland forced three turnovers in the final 6: 09 and scored the game’s final 10 points to stun the Longhorns in the opener for the second year in a row. This one was even more impressive because of what the Terrapins endured this summer.