No. 6 Clemson dominates FCS Bulldogs
CLEMSON, S.C. — D.J. Uiagalelei ran for two touchdowns and threw for a third as No. 6 Clemson defeated South Carolina State 49-3 on Saturday, cranking up its offense after a sorry showing in a loss to secondranked Georgia a week earlier.
Uiagalelei and the Tigers (1-1) had touchdowns on all four of their firstquarter possessions and pulled away for their 36th straight win over teams from the Football Championship Subdivision.
Uiagalelei began the rout with a 4-yard scoring burst. Will Shipley and Kobe Pace added scoring runs before Uiagalelei closed the surge with an 11-yard pass to receiver Justyn Ross. It was Ross' first touchdown catch since 2019, after he missed last season due to spinal surgery.
No. 4 Oklahoma 76, Western Carolina 0
NORMAN, Okla. — Spencer Rattler threw five touchdown passes, and No. 4 Oklahoma rolled past Western Carolina.
Oklahoma matched its fifth-highest point total in school history. The Sooners led 62-0 after three quarters, and the fourth quarter was shortened to 12 minutes.
Rattler completed 20 of 26 passes for 243 yards before resting in the second half of Oklahoma's 10th straight victory. He joined Jason White as the only Sooners to pass for five touchdowns in a half.
No. 25 Auburn 62, Alabama St. 0
AUBURN, Ala. — Demetris Robertson scored three touchdowns and Jarquez Hunter rushed for 147 yards as No. 25 Auburn raced past FCS program Alabama State.
After a fast start in Bryan Harsin's first game as head coach last week, Auburn (2-0) was held to just one offensive touchdown and fewer than 200 yards in the first half. But the Tigers erupted for 35 points in the third quarter to pull away with ease.
No. 19 Virginia Tech 35, Middle Tennessee 14
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Raheem Blackshear rushed for two touchdowns to lead No. 19 Virginia Tech to a victory over Middle Tennessee.
The Hokies (2-0) scored on their first three possessions of the second half, including back-to-back TDS by Blackshear, in a game they led 14-7 at halftime.
Virginia Tech broke open the game when Jalen Holston scored on a 29yard, third-quarter run to take a 21-7 lead. Blackshear, who rushed for 58 yards, then scored on runs of 6 yards and 1 yard on ensuing possessions to help the Hokies build a 35-7 cushion.
No. 13 Florida 42, South Florida 20
TAMPA, Fla. — No. 13 Florida tuned up for the start of Southeastern Conference play with a rout of overmatched South Florida that may — or may not — have answered the question of whether starter Emory Jones or backup Anthony Richardson is best suited to run the Gators offense.
The quarterbacks shared playing time for the second straight week, with each having his way in the opening half against a USF defense that allowed touchdowns on five consecutive possessions after producing a three-and-out to start the game.
No. 11 Penn State 44, Ball State 13
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Sean Clifford completed 21 of 29 passes for 230 yards, ran for a touchdown and threw for another to lead No. 11 Penn State over Ball State.
Running back Noah Cain added a rushing touchdown and wide receiver Jahan Dotson added another, linebacker Jesse Luketa returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown and Jordan Stout kicked three field goals for the Nittany Lions (2-0).
No. 10 Iowa 27, No. 9 Iowa State 17
AMES, Iowa — Jack Campbell returned a fumble 6 yards for a touchdown and No. 10 Iowa ran its winning streak against No. 9 Iowa State to six games with a victory that ruined the most-anticipated home game in Cyclones history.
In the first Cy-hawk Trophy game matching ranked teams in 65 total meetings, the Hawkeyes (2-0) were not about to play the foil for Iowa State's feel-good story.
No. 8 Notre Dame 32, Toledo 29
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jack Coan has played in only two games for No. 8 Notre Dame, yet he already has a place in Fighting Irish lore by leading them to a come-from-behind victory over Toledo despite dislocating a finger.
The grad transfer from Wisconsin, after having the finger on his throwing hand popped back into place by a trainer, hit Michael Mayer with the game-winning 18-yard touchdown pass with 1:09 remaining for the third lead change in a wild fourth quarter. The comeback by Brian Kelly's Irish (2-0) preserved Notre Dame's home winning streak at 25 games.
No. 7 Cincinnati 42, Murray State 7
CINCINNATI — Jerome Ford rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns, Desmond Ridder passed for 243 yards and two TDS, and No. 7 Cincinnati beat Murray State.
The Bearcats were heavy favorites coming in, but the Racers outgained them 190-83 in the first half and led 7-0 in the second quarter.
No. 2 Georgia, UAB 7
ATHENS, Ga. — Stetson Bennett did his best to create a quarterback controversy at Georgia.
Stepping in for injured starter JT Daniels, Bennett tied a school record with five touchdown passes in the first half to lead No. 2 Georgia to a rout of UAB.
No. 1 Alabama 48, Mercer 14
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Bryce Young threw three touchdown passes and Jase Mcclellan scored three times to help fuel No. 1 Alabama to a rout of FCS Mercer.
The Crimson Tide (2-0) started sluggishly on offense in what amounted to a warmup game before the Southeastern Conference opener at No. 13 Florida, but potentially more notably had star linebacker Will Anderson Jr. leave with a right knee injury.
No. 22 Miami 25, Appalachian State 23
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The Miami Hurricans survived a scare.
D'eriq King threw for 200 yards and rushed for 67 more, freshman Andy Borregales kicked a go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 2:04 remaining and No. 22 Miami rallied from a halftime deficit to beat Appalachian State.
Cam'ron Harris rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown for Miami (1-1), and Don Chaney Jr. had a rushing score before leaving in the first half with a leg injury. King led a 10play, 55-yard drive in the fourth that set up Borregales for what became the winning points.
No. 18 Wisconsin 34, Eastern Michigan 7
MADISON, Wis. — Chez Mellusi ran for 144 yards and a touchdown, leading No. 18 Wisconsin to a victory over Eastern Michigan.
Wisconsin (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten) piled up 352 rushing yards and also dominated on defense against Eastern Michigan (0-2), which had 92 total yards on offense. The Eagles had three first downs.