No. 1 Alabama routs Vanderbilt, 59-0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Damien Harris ran for a career-high 151 yards and three touchdowns, Bo Scarbrough added two TDs and top-ranked Alabama routed Vanderbilt 59-0 Saturday in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Alabama (4-0) now has won 19 straight over the SEC East. Better yet, the Crimson Tide hasn’t lost to Vanderbilt since 1984 or in Nashville since 1969. Both streaks were assured at the end of the first quarter with Alabama up 21-0 after the second of Harris’ TDs.
Vanderbilt (3-1) came in as one of the five remaining undefeated teams in the SEC with the nation’s stingiest defense in points, total yards and against the pass. The Commodores had allowed just 13 points combined through three games, yet they proved no match against Alabama’s dominating ground game.
NO. 2 CLEMSON 34, BOSTON COLLEGE 7
In Clemson, S.C., Adam Choice had a 6-yard tiebreaking touchdown in the fourth quarter and Travis Etienne had two scoring runs in the final six minutes as No. 2 Clemson wore down Boston College.
The Tigers, who came in off top-15 wins over Auburn and Louisville the last two weeks, were five-touchdown favorites over the Eagles (1-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). But Boston College quieted the large Death Valley crowd on AJ Dillon’s 1-yard TD late in the third quarter to tie the game at 7-all.
NO. 3 OKLAHOMA 49, BAYLOR 41
In Waco, Texas, Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score the next snap after his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and third-ranked Oklahoma stretched the nation’s longest winning streak to 14 games.
Abdul Adams had a 99-yard touchdown for the Sooners (4-0, 1-0 Big 12), his schoolrecord run coming after a botched kickoff return.
NO. 5 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 30, CALIFORNIA 20
In Berkeley, Calif., Stephen Carr ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown two plays after Southern California’s defense forced one of its six turnovers and the fifth-ranked Trojans won their 13th straight.
USC (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12) has dominated the series with its in-state rival by winning 14 straight against the Golden Bears (3-1, 0-1), but this was one of the tightest matchups in years as the game was tied early in the fourth quarter.
NO. 16 TCU 44, NO. 6 OKLAHOMA ST. 31
In Stillwater, Okla., Darius Anderson ran for a career-high 160 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 16 TCU upset No. 6 Oklahoma State to stamp the Horned Frogs as a Big 12 contender.
Kenny Hill passed for 228 yards for the Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0 Big 12), who put themselves in a great position to start league play. The Frogs ran 52 times for 238 yards.
NO. 8 MICHIGAN 28, PURDUE 10
In West Lafayette, Ind., Chris Evans ran for two touchdowns in the second half and backup quarterback John O’Korn rallied No. 8 Michigan from a halftime deficit.
Evans finished with 14 carries for 97 yards for the Wolverines (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten).
O’Korn was forced into action when starting quarterback Wilson Speight left late in the first quarter with an undisclosed injury, and the former Houston starter came up every bit as big as the Wolverines’ defense in the second half.
NO. 11 GEORGIA 31, NO. 17 MISS. STATE 3
In Athens, Ga., freshman Jake Fromm threw a pair of touchdown passes in another poised showing on the big stage, the defense stifled Nick Fitzgerald and No. 11 Georgia broke out plenty of trickery in a rout of No. 17 Mississippi State.
Georgia established itself as the clear favorite in the Southeastern Conference East with a dominating performance from its very first snap and the most impressive victory of Kirby Smart’s two-year coaching tenure.
NC STATE 27, NO. 12 FLORIDA STATE 21
In Tallahassee, Fla., Ryan Finley threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns as North Carolina State got its first road win over a ranked team since 2008.
Jaylen Samuels had two touchdowns as the Wolfpack broke a 10-game losing streak to ranked teams. Their last win over a Top 25 team coincidentally was against Florida State in 2012. Their last victory on the road over a ranked team was at North Carolina.
NO. 13 VIRGINIA TECH 38, OLD DOMINION 0
In Blacksburg, Va., Josh Jackson threw for three touchdowns and Steven Peoples scored three to lead No. 13 Virginia Tech.Peoples scored on receptions of 17 and 43 yards, the latter when Jackson threw for a well-covered Cam Phillips in the end zone and the ball was tipped into Peoples’ arms.
NO. 14 MIAMI 52, TOLEDO 30
In Miami Gardens, Fla., Malik Rosier threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns, Mark Walton needed only 11 carries to rush for a career-best 204 yards and another score, and No. 14 Miami rallied to beat Toledo.
Travis Homer ran for two touchdowns and Braxton Berrios, Dayall Harris and Christopher Herndon each caught TD throws for the Hurricanes (2-0), who hadn’t played in 21 days because of the effects of Hurricane Irma. Miami gave up 16 unanswered points and trailed 16-10 at the half, before controlling the final 30 minutes.
NO. 15 AUBURN 51, MISSOURI 14
In Columbia, Mo., Kerryon Johnson rushed for a career-high five touchdowns and No. 15 Auburn ended its recent offensive struggles.
Johnson, who had missed the previous two games with a hamstring injury, finished with 48 yards rushing on 18 carries and fell one short of Carnell Williams’ school record of six rushing touchdowns in a game.
NO. 19 LOUISVILLE 42, KENT STATE 3
in Louisville, Ky., Lamar Jackson accounted for three touchdowns to set a Louisville career record and the No. 19 Cardinals rolled past Kent State.
Despite missing Jaylen Smith, the team’s top receiver, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-22 passing. His 16-yard touchdown pass to Javonte Bagley in the third quarter ended the scoring and gave him 88 total touchdowns, breaking Chris Redman’s career mark. In all, Jackson, who did not play in the fourth quarter, finished with 333 yards total offense.
NO. 25 LSU 35, SYRACUSE 26
In Baton Rouge, La., Danny Etling responded to a barrage of bruising blitzes with touchdown passes of 87 and 43 yards, and No. 25 LSU overcame bouts of inconsistency to beat Syracuse.
Darrel Williams rushed for 92 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Backup quarterback Myles Brennan entered the game in the middle of the third quarter with LSU (3-1) leading 21-10. It was unclear if Etling, who was sacked twice and leveled as he released several passes, was in pain. He remained standing on the sideline wearing a headset for three series, returning in the fourth quarter after Brennan threw an interception which helped Syracuse (2-2) pull as close as 28-26 with 5:40 left.