The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jefferson leads Arkansas to easy win over Ga. Southern
KJ Jefferson threw for a careerhigh 366 yards and tied a career high with three touchdowns to lead No. 20 Arkansas to a 45-10 win over Georgia Southern on Saturday.
Host Arkansas all but clinched the win on a 91-yard pass from Jefferson to preseason All-SEC wide receiver Treylon Burks with 11:18 left in the third quarter. It was Jefferson’s final touchdown pass of the game and gave Arkansas a 38-10 lead.
The Razorbacks (3-0) led 14-0 after touchdown runs from Trelon Smith on the first drive and Dominique Johnson on the second. Jefferson capped a seven-play, 99-yard scoring drive midway through the second quarter with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Morris.
Georgia Southern’s touchdown came on a 76-yard run by quarterback Justin Tomlin after Morris scored. The Eagles (1-2) had just 39 yards on their first five drives before Tomlin escaped the Arkansas pass rush and Razorbacks defenders didn’t see him.
Jefferson threw his second touchdown pass on Arkansas’ first drive of the second half, a 60-yard toss to Warren Thompson, giving Arkansas a 31-10 lead.
Jefferson was replaced by redshirt freshman Malik Hornsby, who ran for a 6-yard touchdown for Arkansas’ final score.
Tomlin was 11-of-23 passing for 65 yards.
(At) No. 7 Texas A&M 34, New Mexico 0: Zach Calzada threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to power No. 7 Texas A&M in a rout of New Mexico.
The victory extends A&M’s winning streak to 11 games and gives the Aggies a 3-0 start for the first time since opening the 2016 season with six consecutive wins.
Calzada was thrust into the job last weekend against Colorado when Haynes King was injured on A&M’s second possession. King had surgery last week to repair a broken right leg, leaving Calzada to run the offense.
Calzada looked more comfortable, and the Aggies moved the ball much better Saturday than they did last week while scoring just 10 points in a win over the Buffaloes. They eclipsed their total points from that game in the first six minutes of this one and built a 24-point lead by halftime.
Terry Wilson, a transfer from Kentucky who had 559 yards passing in the first two games, threw for just 33 yards Saturday for New Mexico (2-1) while being hurried and harassed all day. He had an interception, was sacked four times and had three passes broken up by A&M’s stingy defense.
(At) Kentucky 28, Chattanooga 23: Will Levis overcame two interceptions to throw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Isaiah Cummings, safety Tyrell Ajian returned an interception 95 yards with 7:40 remaining, and Kentucky rallied past Chattanooga.
Considered overmatched in their first meeting against the SEC school, the FCS Mocs (1-2) slowly turned a seven-point deficit into a 16-14 lead early in the fourth on Aaron Sears’ 30-yard field goal. The Wildcats (3-0) awoke to drive 77 yards for the go-ahead TD, helped by Levis’ 21-yard run and a defensive pass interference penalty before the QB hit Cummings with a 31-yard TD pass with 10:18 left.
Chattanooga was in Kentucky territory when Cole Copeland, pressured by Wildcats defensive tackle Octavious Oxendine, threw down the middle to Ajian for an easy pick. The senior safety found a hole near the left sideline and was almost untouched to provide a needed cushion.
(At) Memphis 31, Mississippi State 29: Calvin Austin scored three second-half touchdowns, including a questionable 94-yard punt return in the fourth quarter, as Memphis rallied for a victory over Mississippi State.
The victory and Austin’s punt return culminated a wild final three-plus minutes that included onside kicks, penalties and reviews, such as whether Austin could return the punt on which he scored or if the ball was dead.
In the end, Memphis (3-0) escaped with the victory culminated by a 51-yard field goal from kicker Joe Doyle with 2:02 left. A two-play drive from Mississippi State (2-1) after the field goal was capped by a 36-yard touchdown from quarterback Will Rogers to Makai Polk. But Rogers’ run for the two-point conversion failed, preserving the Memphis victory.
(At) Tennessee 56, Tennessee Tech 0: Hendon Hooker threw three touchdown passes and scored one of his own to lead Tennessee to an easy victory over Tennessee Tech.
Hooker, who finished last week’s loss to Pittsburgh after Joe Milton went down with an injury, rolled up 199 yards while completing 17 of 25 passes for the Volunteers (2-1). The only negative was a lost fumble in the second quarter.
Tennessee Tech (0-3) went through three quarterbacks and generated just 179 yards of offense.
(At) Missouri 59, Southeast Missouri 28: Connor Bazelak squeezed a full day of production into one half as he led Missouri to a victory over Southeast Missouri (0-3).
Bazelak completed 21 of 30 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns for the Tigers (2-1). He spread the ball to 10 receivers and connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass to D’onte Smith and a 52-yard TD pass to Chance Luper as Missouri built a 38-0 halftime lead.