| Advertisement |
CLEMSON, S.C. -- No. 5 Clemson amassed 665 yards of offense en route to a 56-3 victory against Kent State in the season opener for both teams on Saturday. Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant passed for 236 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 77 yards and a score in the first start of his career.
Advertisement
The defending national champion Tigers dominated from the outset, scoring on their first three possessions to set the tone in front of 80,121 at Clemson's Memorial Stadium.
While Clemson's offense wasted little time in getting untracked, the Tigers' defense also appeared to be in midseason form, limiting the Golden Flashes of the Mid-American Conference to 120 yards. Clemson outgained Kent State 326-54 in the first half in building a 28-3 lead.
No. 4 USC 49, Western Michigan 31
LOS ANGELES -- Dropped passes, missed tackles and turnovers threatened to spoil the highly anticipated season opener for No. 4-ranked USC, but the Trojans rallied for a come-from-behind win over Western Michigan.
USC slammed the door on upset-minded Western Michigan with a 52-yard touchdown rush from running back Stephen Carr with 3:49 left, followed 36 seconds later by a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown by safety Marvel Tell to cap the scoring.
The Trojans took the lead for good late in the fourth quarter when a 42-yard toss from quarterback Sam Darnold to wide receiver Deontay Burnett helped set up running back Ronald Jones II's third rushing touchdown of the afternoon, a 37-yarder. The Broncos sacked preseason Heisman Trophy candidate Darnold three times. He was sacked just six times in his 10 starts of the 2016 season.
No. 6 Penn State 52, Akron 0
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Sixth-ranked Penn State opened the season in dominant fashion with a rout of Akron on a rainy afternoon at Beaver Stadium.
Trace McSorley was intercepted in the end zone on Penn State's first drive before rebounding to throw for 280 yards on 18-of-25 passing and two touchdowns. He also ran for 48 yards and a TD, giving him more than 300 yards of total offense for the sixth time in his career and fourth in the past six contests.
Tight end Mike Gesicki caught two scoring passes from McSorley and finished with six receptions for 58 yards. Junior running back Saquon Barkley had two second-quarter touchdown runs. He finished with 172 yards rushing on 14 carries and three catches for 54 yards for the Nittany Lions (1-0).
No. 7 Oklahoma 56, UTEP 7
NORMAN, Okla. -- Baker Mayfield didn't need much time to rack up huge numbers as No. 7 Oklahoma blew out UTEP in Lincoln Riley's first game as Sooners' head coach
Mayfield played just one half, completing all but one of his 20 passing attempts and finishing with 329 yards and three touchdowns. Coming off a third-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting as a junior a year ago, Mayfield didn't look bothered by the Sooners' lack of proven playmakers at receiver.
Tight end Mark Andrews, about the only proven receiver for the Sooners, had a monster first half with seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown as Oklahoma jumped out to a 35-7 lead.
No. 11 Michigan 33, No. 17 Florida 17
ARLINGTON, Texas -- No. 11 Michigan overcame a pair of early pick-sixes to come back and beat No. 17 Florida in the AdvoCare Classic.
Ty Isaac rushed for 114 yards for the Wolverines (1-0) and Quinn Nordin kicked four field goals, including two from 50 or more yards. Despite being one of the premier non-conference matchups from opening weekend, mistakes and sloppy play plagued both ranked teams.
Wolverines quarterback Wilton Speight had two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the second quarter. The Gators lost two fumbles in their territory in the third, each leading to Michigan scores. Florida (0-1) managed only 192 yards in offense and didn't score an offensive touchdown against a Michigan defense that lost 10 starters from last season. The Gators' offensive woes were startling, even with standout receiver Antonio Callaway and running back Jordan Scarlett among the 10 players out due to suspensions.
No. 15 Georgia 31, Appalachian State 10
ATHENS, Ga. -- Losing your starting quarterback in the first quarter of the opening game would ordinarily be a devastating blow. Fortunately for No. 15 Georgia, freshman Jake Fromm proved otherwise, as the touted newcomer came in to spark the Bulldogs to a victory over Appalachian State.
Fromm, who was forced into action when starter Jacob Eason injured his left knee after a late hit out of bounds with six minutes remaining in the first quarter, completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown for Georgia (1-0), which moved to 2-0 all-time against the Mountaineers (0-1).
He had plenty of help. Georgia also rushed for 221 yards, with seniors Nick Chubb and Sony Michel nearly reaching 100. Chubb rushed 15 times for 96 yards and two scores, with Michel putting up 87 yards on 16 carries, with all the yardage coming in the first three quarters.
No. 18 Miami 41, Bethune-Cookman 13
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Junior quarterback Malik Rosier passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns and junior running back Mark Walton rushed for 148 yards and two scores to lead No. 18 Miami to an opening victory over Bethune-Cookman.
Making his second career start, Rosier was 17 of 28 passing and had completions of 46 yards to Darrell Langham, 33 to Lawrence Cager, and 22 to Braxton Berrios (for a touchdown). He also rushed four times for 41 yards, including a run of 23 yards on his opening play from scrimmage. Langham and Cager had 5-yard touchdown receptions.
Rosier was lifted midway through the fourth quarter. The Hurricanes (1-0) outgained the visitors 555-350 in total offense, amassing a 322-121 advantage in rushing.
No. 19 South Florida 31, Stony Brook 17
TAMPA, Fla. -- No. 19 South Florida got a scare from FCS opponent Stony Brook, which led at halftime and was tied in the fourth quarter before the Bulls pulled out the victory.
USF (2-0) was held in check for three quarters, but got a 65-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Quinton Flowers to Tyre McCants to take the lead with 11:23 left in the game.
Stony Brook (0-1) had tied the game at 17-17 with 13:04 left on a 54-yard touchdown run by Stacey Bedell. The Seawolves got the ball with a chance to tie late, but did so from its 2-yard line with three minutes to play. Mazzi Wilkins intercepted a pass with 2:38 left that the win was sealed for USF. The Bulls added a late touchdown with 1:40 left by Darius Tice.
Maryland 51, No. 23 Texas 41
AUSTIN, Texas -- Tyrrell Pigrome passed for 175 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 64 yards and another score before suffering a knee injury late in the third quarter as Maryland stunned No. 23 Texas.
Ty Johnson added 132 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries for the Terrapins (1-0), who outgained Texas 482-473 despite running just 58 plays to 84 for the Longhorns. Maryland enjoyed a 263-98 advantage in rushing yards.
Texas quarterback Shane Buechele passed for 375 yards and two touchdowns and ran three yards for another score in a losing cause as the Longhorns (0-1) opened the Tom Herman coaching era in Austin with a thud. Buechele connected with 10 different receivers, but was sacked five times as the Longhorns struggled to run the ball despite return four starters on the offensive line.
