Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Clemson outlasts Texas A&M
Kelly Bryant threw for 205 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score to help No. 2 Clemson escape with a 28-26 victory over Kellen Mond and Texas A&M on Saturday night.
Mond was spectacular in the second half, throwing for three touchdowns, with a 14-yard pass to Kendrick Rogers cutting the lead to 28-26 with 46 seconds left. But his big performance came up just short when the 2-point conversion attempt was intercepted in the end zone.
“The moment was not too big for him ... his composure in the game and his decision-making was excellent,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said it was a shame anyone had to lose this one.
“I thought we had opportunities to really get control of the game in the first half and we didn’t take advantage of it,” Swinney said.
Mond finished with a careerhigh 430 yards passing and Rogers had 120 yards receiving and two TDs.
“Just one play short and those small details matter the most,” Mond said.
Kyler Murray threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores, and Oklahoma (2-0) lost star running back Rodney Anderson to a leg injury in a victory over UCLA (0-2).
Anderson ran for 10 yards on the final play of the first quarter, and then got up slowly. He limped off on his own, and trainers tended to the preseason All-Big 12 pick before he headed to the locker room. He was back on the bench later, out of uniform.
Tua Tagovailoa passed for three first-quarter touchdowns and Jalen Hurts added two more before halftime for Alabama.
Jake Fromm threw for 194 yards and a touchdown, all three of Georgia’s latest running combo scored touchdowns and the expected Southeastern Conference showdown turned into a blowout. Dwayne Haskins Jr. threw four touchdown passes and Ohio State rolled to the 900th victory in program history.
Johnnie Dixon grabbed two of Haskins’ scoring strikes, and backup quarterback Tate Martell added another touchdown pass and a 47-yard scoring run on a gray, misty afternoon. The Buckeyes, playing in their second game without suspended coach Urban Meyer, piled up 579 offensive yards. Jonathan Taylor ran for a careerhigh 253 yards and three touchdowns, and Wisconsin asserted its dominance after allowing a score on the game-opening drive.
Jalen Elliott had two interceptions that Notre Dame turned into touchdowns and the Fighting Irish held off stubborn Ball State.
Jake Browning threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns, Ty Jones had two touchdown receptions, and Washington pulled away in the second half.
Steven Peoples had two first-half touchdown runs, and Josh Jackson threw for a touchdown and ran for another for Virginia Tech.
Nick Fitzgerald returned from a suspension to throw two touchdown passes, Kylin Hill ran for 211 yards and accounted for three scores for Mississippi State.
Shea Patterson threw three touchdown passes, one in each of the first three quarters, to help Michigan beat Western Michigan.
Justin Herbert threw for 250 yards and four touchdowns for Oregon before heading to the bench in the third quarter.