Ohio State survives scrappy Notre Dame
COLUMBUS, Ohio — C.J. Stroud threw two touchdown passes and Ohio State’s revamped defense gave its vaunted offense time to find its groove as the second-ranked Buckeyes beat No. 5 Notre Dame 21-10 on Saturday night.
The top-five opening matchup was a homecoming for firstyear Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman, the former Buckeyes linebacker who has made a meteoric rise to lead the Fighting Irish at 36 years old.
Freeman is now 0-2 as a head coach after losing a bowl game just weeks after being named Brian Kelly’s successor.
In the first regular-season meeting of the storied programs since 1996, the Irish hung with the high-scoring Buckeyes for most of three quarters, frustrating Heisman Trophy finalist Stroud and putting together a couple of first-half scoring drives.
But Ohio State’s defense, too generous against the run last season, put the clamps on the Irish and new starting quarterback Tyler Buchner in the second half.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 55, UTAH STATE 0
Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young passed for five first-half touchdowns and even ran for 100 yards and a score for the host Crimson Tide (1-0). Alabama outgained the Aggies 559-136 in total yards.
FLORIDA 29, NO. 7 UTAH 26
Anthony Richardson ran for three scores in his second career start, including a 2-yard scamper with 1:25 remaining, and the host Gators (1-0) got the Billy Napier era off to a rousing start.
Richardson was the best player on the field most of the night. He really showed up down the stretch, although linebacker Amari Burney was the guy who sealed the victory for the Gators.
NO. 8 MICHIGAN 51 COLORADO STATE 7
Cade McNamara had a lackluster performance that was made moot by a dominant defense as the host Wolverines (1-0) rolled. McNamara started 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.
NO. 9 OKLAHOMA 45, UTEP 13
Dillon Gabriel passed for two touchdowns and ran for another and the host Sooners (1-0) dominated for Brent Venables’ first career victory. Venables was a full-time assistant for the previous 26 years in stints at Kansas State, Oklahoma and Clemson. He took over after Lincoln Riley left to take the Southern California job.
NO. 13 N.C. STATE 21 EAST CAROLINA 20
The visiting Wolfpack (1-0) prevailed after Pirates kicker Owen Daffer missed an extra point with 2:58 left and a 41yard field goal with five seconds to go.
NO. 16 MIAMI 70 BETHUNE-COOKMAN 13
Henry Parrish rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns, Tyler Van Dyke passed for two more scores and the host Hurricanes (1-0) won in Mario Cristobal’s debut as coach of the Hurricanes.
NO. 18 WISCONSIN 38 ILLINOIS STATE 0
Braelon Allen had a 96-yard touchdown scamper for the longest run from scrimmage in Wisconsin history and John Torchio had a school-record 100-yard interception return for the Badgers (1-0). Allen ended up with 148 yards and two touchdowns — including a 1-yard score on fourth-and-goal in the third quarter — on 14 carries.
NO. 19 ARKANSAS 31 NO. 23 CINCINNATI 24
KJ Jefferson threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 62 yards and another score to lead the host Razorbacks.
Jefferson ran for the first touchdown of the game in the first quarter, threw a jump-pass touchdown to Trey Knox in the second and found Jadon Haselwood for another score in the third.
NO. 20 KENTUCKY 37 MIAMI (OHIO) 13
Barion Brown returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, Keidron Smith’s fumble return less than a minute later set up another score for the Wildcats (1-0). Mark Stoops’ 60th victory tied him with Paul “Bear” Bryant as the Wildcats’ winningest coach in 10 seasons with the program.
NO. 21 MISSISSIPPI 29, TROY 10
Southern California transfer Jaxson Dart directed three consecutive touchdown drives in the first half to help the host Rebels (1-0 prevail. Dart was 18 of 27 for 154 yards, with a 9yard touchdown pass to Malik Heath to cap the opening series of the second half.
NO. 25 BYU 50, SOUTH FLORIDA 21
The visiting Cougars (1-0) had to wait out a 2½-hour weather delay to get its season started, then took just 11 seconds to score their first touchdown in the blowout victory over South Florida.