Wake Forest escapes upset bid by Liberty
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Liberty scored with about a minute left, but No. 19 Wake Forest stopped CJ Yarbrough’s two-point conversion attempt several yards short of the goal line for a tight 37-36 home win Saturday.
The Demon Deacons’ ground game was ineffective — 21 yards on 26 attempts — so they turned to defense and a passing game, with quarterback Sam Hartman throwing for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Wake Forest remains unbeaten at 3-0.
Liberty (2-1) had pulled within a single point on that late 18-yard, fourth-down touchdown grab by Demario Douglas, who jumped high and took the ball away from two Wake defenders in the end zone.
The second half turned out to be a shootout, pitting Hartman against elusive Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter, a former Tennessee recruit.
NO. 1 GEORGIA 48 SOUTH CAROLINA 7
Stetson Bennett went 16 for 23 for 284 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score for the visiting Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs (3-0) nearly had a second shutout of the season in their Southeastern Conference opener, but the backups allowed a touchdown pass with 53 seconds to go.
NO. 2 ALABAMA 63 LOUSIANA-MONROE 7
Bryce Young passed for three touchdowns and rushed for a fourth, Will Anderson Jr. scored on an interception return as the host Crimson Tide (3-0) rolled.
NO. 3 OHIO STATE 77, TOLEDO 21
C.J. Stroud threw five touchdown passes, and the host Buckeyes (3-0) rolled up 762 yards. Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming each scored twice for Ohio State.
NO. 4 MICHIGAN 59 CONNECTICUT 0
Blake Corum rushed for a career-high four touchdowns in the first half and added a fifth score in the third quarter to match a school record, helping the host Wolverines (3-0) rout the Huskies.
NO. 5 CLEMSON 48 LOUISIANA TECH 20
The host Tigers (3-0) came alive with three third-quarter touchdowns on the way to their ninth straight victory. Will Shipley ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns to help Clemson to its 35th home win in a row.
NO. 9 KENTUCKY 31 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 0
Will Levis accounted for three touchdowns, Kavosiey Smoke ran for a score and the host Wildcats (3-0) shook off a slow start to shut out Youngstown State.
NO. 10 ARKANSAS 38 MISSOURI STATE 27
Rocket Sanders and Bryce Stephens had long scoring plays in a 2:22 span of the fourth quarter to lead the Razorbacks past former coach Bobby Petrino.
Petrino coached Arkansas from 2008 to 2011 before being fired in spring of 2012 after a motorcycle wreck and proceeding scandal.
WASHINGTON 39
NO. 11 MICHIGAN STATE 38
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns, and the host Huskies (3-0) emphatically stated their case as a contender in the Pac-12. Payton Thorne threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns for the Spartans (2-1).
NO. 25 OREGON 41 NO. 12 BYU 20
Bo Nix threw for two touchdowns and ran for three more to lead the host Ducks (2-1), whose 21-game home winning streak is the third-longest in the nation.
Jaren Hall threw for 305 yards and two scores for the Cougars (2-1), who were coming off a big win at home over then-No. 9 Baylor that moved the Cougars up nine spots in the AP Top 25.
NO. 14 UTAH 35
SAN DIEGO STATE 7
Cam Rising threw for 224 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in three quarters to lead the host Utes.
NO. 15 TENNESSEE 63, AKRON 6
Jalin Hyatt caught five passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns to lead the host Volunteers.
Hyatt had scoring passes of 57 and 48 yards in the first half as the Volunteers (3-0) jumped to a 35-0 lead over the Zips
(1-2).
NO. 18 FLORIDA 31 SOUTH FLORIDA 28
Trevor Etienne’s 3-yard touchdown run with 5 minutes remaining helped the host Gators rally.
South Florida’s Spencer Shrader missed a 48-yard field goal with 23 seconds left that likely would have sent the game into overtime.
Shrader had little chance at making the kick after Andrew Beardall dropped the snap while trying to get the ball down.
NO. 20 MISSISSIPPI 42 GEORGIA TECH 0
The Rebels shrugged off their uncertainty at quarterback by running right through Georgia Tech, with Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins leading a 316-yard pummeling on the ground that carried the Rebels (3-0).
NO. 22 PENN STATE 41 AUBURN 12
Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 176 rushing yards and four touchdowns as the visiting Nittany Lions (3-0) cruised against the Tigers.
NO. 23 PITTSBURGH 34 WESTERN MICHIGAN 13
Junior running back Israel Abanikanda carried the ball 31 times for 131 yards and a touchdown to lead the visiting Panthers (2-1).