No. 9 Tennessee scores on OT fumble, tops Appalachian State
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Exactly nine years to the day after it pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football history, Appalachian State nearly did it again.
A couple of missed kicks and an inability to recover an overtime fumble prevented the Mountaineers from getting it done.
Running back Jalen Hurd pounced on quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ fumble in the end zone, and No. 9 Tennessee overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to escape with a 20-13 victory over Appalachian State on Thursday.
The Mountaineers were trying to stage a repeat of their 2007 upset of No. 5 Michigan, which marked the first time a Football Championship Subdivision program had beaten a Top 25 team. Appalachian State since has left the FCS ranks and had their first season as a full-fledged Bowl Subdivision member last year.
Tennessee faced third-and-goal from the 2 when Dobbs ran to his right and lost control of the ball as he tried to stretch his arms across the goal line. Hurd won the scramble for the ball in the end zone to give the Volunteers their only lead.
South Carolina 13, Vanderbilt 10 — At Nashville, Tenn., Elliott Fry kicked a 55-yard field goal with 35 seconds left as the Gamecocks rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to win in Will Muschamp’s debut as coach in a Southeastern Conference opener. Fry also kicked a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Deebo Samuel scored on an 8-yard end-around with 7½ minutes left. ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
No. 19 Louisville 70, Charlotte 14 — At Louisville, Ky., Lamar Jackson accounted for a school-record eight touchdowns and 405 yards of offense by halftime. He was 17 of 23 passing for 286 yards and ran 11 times for 119 yards.
Wake Forest 7, Tulane 3 — At Winston-Salem, N.C., Kendall Hinton had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter for the Demon Deacons, who COLLEGE FOOTBALL managed 175 yards of offense. The Green Wave totaled 280 yards and had a 10-minute edge in possession time.
North Carolina State 48, William & Mary 14 — At Raleigh, N.C., graduate transfer Ryan Finley was 17 of 21 passing for 174 yards and two touchdowns for the Wolfpack, and Jaylen Samuels and Matt Dayes combined to score five touchdowns. BIG TEN
Minnesota 30, Oregon State 23 — At Minneapolis, Rodney Smith ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns for Minnesota, which overcame three ejections for targeting. Darrell Garretson threw for 228 yards and three TDs for the Beavers, who were held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Indiana 34, Florida International 13 — At Miami, Richard Lagow passed for one touchdown and ran for another in the fourth quarter, and the Hoosiers returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Alex McGough threw three interceptions for the Panthers. MOUNTAIN WEST
New Mexico 48, South Dakota 21 — At Albuquerque, N.M., Teriyon Gipson had touchdown runs of 84 and 75 yards on his first two touches for the Lobos and finished with 181 yards on 10 carries. Coyotes quarterback Chris Streveler ran for 131 yards, including touchdowns of 55 and 42 yards.
Utah State 45, Weber State 6 — At Logan, Utah, Devante Mays ran for 208 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 15-minute span for the Aggies, who held a 428-108 edge in yards rushing. Mays had two 18-yard TD runs in the first quarter and a 66-yard dash for a score in the second. PAC-12
Utah 24, Southern Utah 0 — At Salt Lake City, Santa Monica College transfer Troy Williams, the Utes’ first full-time starter at quarterback since 2012, threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns. The Thunderbirds mustered 158 yards of offense.