Florida hands one over to rival Miami

MIAMI 21, NO. 12 FLORIDA 16

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — As Miami celebrated its biggest victory in years, Hurricanes Coach Al Golden threw his right arm skyward and sprinted over to the Florida sideline for the postgame handshake.

He offered congratulations. He probably could have offered thanks.

Stephen Morris threw two first-quarter touchdown passes to put Miami ahead, and Florida gave the ball away on four trips inside the 20 to make sure the Hurricanes stayed there as Miami knocked off the 12th-ranked Gators 21-16 on Saturday, almost certainly ensuring that the Hurricanes — dogged for the past 26 months by an unresolved NCAA investigation — will return to The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2010.

“It’s been such a hard road,” Golden said. “We’ve just been battling this thing and obviously they’re one of the teams they’ve been battling during this thing. I think you guys can figure that out.

“It was just a very cathartic moment. It was a great moment for our guys, all those guys that not only chose the University of Miami during this but stood there and fought.”

Duke Johnson added a 2-yard touchdown run for a 21-9 lead with 3:29 left for Miami (2-0), which has won four in a row dating to last season, the longest such streak for the Hurricanes since 2008.

Jeff Driskel completed 22 of 33 passes for a career-best 291 yards and a late touchdown for Florida (1-1), which had started 2-0 each of the previous eight seasons, but he had two interceptions, fumbled once and was stopped on a fourth-down try for another giveaway.

It was all part of a messy effort by the Gators.

“It started with me,” Driskel said. “I was careless with the ball.”

The offensive numbers were ridiculously one-sided in favor of the Gators. Florida outgained Miami 413-212, had a 22-10 edge in first downs, outran the Hurricanes 122-50, enjoyed nearly a 2-to-1 edge in time of possession and held Miami to an abysmal 1-for-11 effort on third-down chances.

The Gators still lost, only blaming themselves afterward.

“You cannot keep shooting yourself in the foot, especially on the road,” Florida Coach Will Muschamp said.

Miami had 143 yards in the first quarter, averaging 7.9 yards per play. The rest of the way: 69 yards, an average of 2.0 per play. It was Miami’s lowest yardage total in a victory since Oct. 26, 1996, when the Hurricanes managed only 162 against then-No. 12 West Virginia.

For Florida, that was particularly true when it moved inside the Miami 20.

The one touchdown Florida had in the red zone was a gift, set up by a blocked punt in the first quarter. The other Florida trips deep into Miami territory ended this way:

Interception by Rayshawn Jenkins.

Stopped on downs by Denzel Perryman and Olsen Pierre.

Fumble by Trey Burton that was forced by Jimmy Gaines. Field goal Interception by Tracy Howard.

“I’m putting it on myself,” Burton said. “I made many mistakes.”

Driskel was sacked by Miami’s Tyriq McCord deep in Florida territory with 4:32 left, setting up the touchdown by Johnson that figured to put the game out of reach.

Still, the Gators had a chance. Driskel, who also ran for a score, found Solomon Patton for a 21-yard touchdown with 2:08 left to get the Gators within five. Miami recovered the ensuing onside kick and wound up punting the ball away, but Florida went nowhere at the end and Miami had a celebration that was long in the making.

“This is why you come to The U, to play the Florida Gators,” McCord said.

So the last chapter of the series — at least for the foreseeable future — between the Sunshine State rivals went to the Hurricanes and gave Golden easily his biggest victory since coming to Miami. The Hurricanes had lost 12 of their past 14 games against teams ranked No. 12 or higher, often getting blown out.

Not this time, though they received plenty of help from the Gators in this one.

“We knew all week it was going to be a high trash-talking game,” Morris said. “I can’t tell you what was being said. It was dirty out there.”

NO. 7 TEXAS A&M 65, SAM HOUSTON STATE 28

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Johnny Manziel threw for 426 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score in less than three quarters to give No. 7 Texas A&M a victory over Sam Houston State.

The Heisman Trophy winner played about a quarter more than he did last week when he sat out the first half while serving a suspension for what the school called an “inadvertent” violation of NCAA rules involving signing autographs.

Texas A&M’s suspension-depleted defense was burned for several big plays by the Southland Conference’s Bearkats (1-1), the FCS runner-up the past two seasons, in the final tuneup before next week’s rematch with topranked Alabama.

Sam Houston State’s Timothy Flanders had 170 yards rushing with two scores and added a TD reception.

Mike Evans had a career-high 155 yards receiving, Tra Carson ran for 51 with two touchdowns and Ben Malena had 68 yards rushing and a score for Texas A&M (2-0).

NO. 9 LSU 56, ALA. - BIRMINGHAM 17

BATON ROUGE — Zach Mettenberger passed for an LSU single-game record five touchdowns, receiver Odell Beckham Jr. scored one of his four touchdowns on a 100-yard field goal return, and the ninth- ranked Tigers overwhelmed Alabama-Birmingham.

LSU Coach Les Miles decided to end running back Jeremy Hill’s benching in the second quarter of the second game of the season. Hill, who was arrested last spring for landing a punch outside a bar, scored on a 3-yard run on his first carry.

Mettenberger finished 16 of 19 for 282 yards and was not intercepted. Beckham’s 136 yards and three TDs receiving were both career highs. He led LSU (2-0) with 331 all-purpose yards.

Darren Reaves and Jamarcus Nelson each had touchdowns in the first half for UAB (0-2).

MISSISSIPPI 31, SE MISSOURI 13

OXFORD, Miss. — Quarterbacks Bo Wallace and Barry Brunetti directed Mississippi to a 31-point outburst in a 20-minute span in the first half to highlight a victory over Football Championship Subdivision member Southeast Missouri.

The Rebels (2-0) scored on five consecutive series in the decisive surge, highlighted by touchdown passes of 64 and 67 yards from Wallace to Evan Engram and Donte Moncrief, respectively. Wallace was 8 of 15 for 188 yards and did not play in the second half.

Brunetti scored a 4-yard touchdown run and had a game-high 111 yards on 18 carries.

Ole Miss accounted for 532 yards in total offense, including a 10-yard touchdown run from I’Tavious Mathers and a 37-yard field goal from Andrew Ritter.

Southeast Missouri (0-2) of the Ohio Valley Conference, was led by Scott Lathorp, who finished 16 of 24 passing for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns.

VANDERBILT 38, AUSTIN PEAY 3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Austyn Carta-Samuels ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as Vanderbilt beat Austin Peay.

The Commodores (1-1) led 3-0 before scoring touchdowns on four consecutive possessions in the second quarter.

Carta-Samuels, making his third career start for Vanderbilt, had a 1-yard touchdown run with 9:23 remaining in the second. Later in the quarter, he connected with receiver Jordan Matthews on a 39-yard touchdown play.

Carta- Samuels’ second rushing touchdown came with 24 seconds remaining in the first half.

KENTUCKY 41, MIAMI (OHIO) 7

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Maxwell Smith threw three long touchdown passes and Jalen Whitlow and Raymond Sanders added scoring runs as Kentucky beat Miami (Ohio).

The Wildcats made a winner of Coach Mark Stoops and Smith, who started for the first time since a season-ending ankle injury last September.

MISSOURI 38, TOLEDO 23

COLUMBIA, Mo. — James Franklin made crucial big plays on consecutive scoring drives in the second half and Missouri pulled away from Toledo.

Missouri (2-0) led 24-23 after Toledo (0-2) scored its first two touchdowns of the year, but Franklin’s 21-yard keeper set up Henry Josey’s second 1-yard touchdown run of the game which extended Missouri’s lead to eight.

The quarterback later had a 6-yard carry on fourth-and-3 and an 11-yard gain on third-and-9 to set up Marcus Murphy’s 8-yard run to conclude the scoring with 10:29 to go.

MISSISSIPPI STATE 51, ALCORN STATE 7

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Dak Prescott threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start and Mississippi State breezed past Alcorn State.

Mississippi State (1-1) didn’t use several regular starters, including quarterback Tyler Russell, who suffered a concussion in the Bulldogs’ season-opening loss to Oklahoma State.

It didn’t matter. The Bulldogs led 21-0 by early in the second quarter and 37-0 by halftime. It was the most points in the first half for the program since 1996.

Mississippi State’s Ashton Shumpert rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns.