Fields sharp as Buckeyes breeze to opening win
No. 5 Ohio State 52, Nebraska 17
COLUMBUS, Ohio —Justin Fields completed 20 of 21 passes for two touchdowns and ran for another, Master Teague III rushed for a pair of scores and Ohio State rolled in its opener Saturday.
Fields, a Heisman Trophy finalist last season, completed his first 12 passes and threw for 276 yards. He ran for another 52 — including a stunning 17-yard thirdquarter touchdown scramble around the left side as he spun past a defender into the end zone.
Nebraska (0-1, 0-1 Big Ten) tied the score at 14 in the second quarter, but a field goal by Ohio State (1-0, 1-0 Big Ten), a stop and Teague’s second TD run gave the Buckeyes a 24-14 lead at the half.
Then came Fields’ nifty touchdown run and a 55-yard scoop and score by Buckeyes cornerback Sevyn Banks, and Ohio State had it under control.
No. 2 Alabama 48, Tennessee 17
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Alabama lost wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for the rest of the season on the opening kickoff. That was about the only thing that didn’t go the Crimson Tide’s way.
Mac Jones threw for 387 yards and ran for a touchdown, with Najee Harris rushing for three more TDs as Alabama routed Tennessee for the 14th straight win in this rivalry.
Playing the Vols proved costly for Alabama a second straight season. A year ago, Tua Tagovailoa hurt an ankle in the second quarter. On Saturday, Waddle rolled his right ankle on the opening kickoff.
No. 6 Oklahoma State 24, No. 17 Iowa State 21
STILLWATER, Okla. — Spencer Sanders passed for 235 yards and ran for 71, and Oklahoma State defeated Iowa State.
Sanders had been out since injuring his right ankle in the season-opener against Tulsa. Chuba Hubbard ran for 139 yards and a touchdown for Oklahoma State. With the win, Oklahoma State joined Kansas State as the only remaining undefeated teams in Big 12 conference play. Iowa State’s Breece Hall ran for a careerhigh 185 yards.
The Cyclones vaulted onto the national radar by beating Oklahoma earlier in the month and were seeking their first 4-0 start in league play.
No. 20 Kansas State 55, Kansas 14
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Phillip Brooks returned a pair of punts for touchdowns, and Kansas State took advantage of an embarrassing day of special teams by its biggest rival.
Will Howard threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns while Justin Gardner returned an interception 25 yards for another score, helping the Wildcats (4-1) improve to 4-0 in the Big 12 for the first time since 2014.
Deuce Vaughn added 71 yards rushing and another touchdown as Kansas State beat the Jayhawks (0-5, 0-4) for a seriesrecord 12th straight time. Kansas has not beaten its Interstate 70 rival since Nov. 1, 2008, in Lawrence.
No. 25 Coastal Carolina 28, Georgia Southern 14
CONWAY, S.C. — Backup quarterback Fred Payton three three touchdown passes as Coastal Carolina won its first game as an FBS Top 25 team.
The Chanticleers (5-0, 3-0 Sun Belt) played without starting passer Grayson McCall, who had an upper-body injury.
Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell said the team prepared all week as if Payton would get the start, but wanted to see how McCall felt on game day for a final decision was made.
Payton, a junior who started 10 games the last two seasons, threw a 24-yard TD pass to running back C.J. Marable with 8:53 remaining to break a 14-all tie. Reese White added a 20-yard scoring run to likely guarantee CCU another week in the Top 25.
No. 22 Marshall 20, Florida Atlantic 9
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Brenden Knox rushed for 101 yards and caught one of redshirt freshman Grant Wells’ two touchdown passes for the Thundering Herd against pandemic-depleted FAU. Marshall (5-0, 3-0 Conference USA) managed enough offense to hold off the pesky Owls (1-1, 1-1).
FAU brought 57 players on its first trip of the season, just above the mandated minimum of 53 available scholarship players. The Owls held a third-quarter lead before Marshall scored the final 13 points.
With FAU missing both of its starting offensive tackles due to the virus, the Owls were limited to 234 yards of offense.
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No. 14 Wisconsin 45, Illinois 7
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz gave a star-making performance on the opening night of the Big Ten’s pandemic-delayed season.
Mertz threw five touchdown passes Friday to match the Wisconsin record in a commanding first college start.
Mertz set a school record for completion percentage on 20-of-21 passing, finishing with 248 yards. His lone incompletion was a pass that running back Garrett Groshek dropped midway through the third quarter.