College Roundup: Michigan survives major scare
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ANN ABOR, Mich. (AP) -- Given an unlikely second chance at a game-ending Hail Mary, Bryce Underwood connected with JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard touchdown pass that lifted No. 16 Michigan over Western Michigan.
The Wolverines were 27 1/2-point favorites in coach Kyle Whittingham’s debut. The Broncos and their stingy defense thought they’d secured a historic upset when Underwood’s first Hail Mary sailed out of bounds with the clock expired.
WMU players were already on the field celebrating when officials called for a review. TV replays showed the clock hitting zero before the ball hit the hands of a Western Michigan defender, but officials ruled there was a second left.
Underwood heaved another throw, and Buchanan leaped to snag it and came down with it in the end zone.
NO. 2 OREGON 34, BOISE STATE 27
Eugene, Ore, (AP) -- Dante Moore threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 2 Oregon overcame a slow start to down resilient Boise State 34-27 in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.
After trading field goals to tie the game at 27 in the fourth quarter, Dakorien Moore scored on a 62-yard reception to give the Ducks the lead for good with 7:51 left to play.
Oregon has won 16 straight season openers at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks have 39 straight wins at home against nonconference opponents, the longest streak in the nation.
Boise State returned quarterback in Maddux Madsen, who threw for 181 yards and three scores in the opener after finishing last season with 2,334 yards passing and 18 touchdowns.
NO. 3 GEORGIA 63, TENNESSEE ST. 3
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Gunner Stockton passed for three touchdowns, Nate Frazier ran for three scores and No. 3 Georgia overwhelmed Tennessee State.
The temperature was 101 degrees at kickoff and the heat likely was a factor in some fans leaving Sanford Stadium at the end of the first quarter when the Bulldogs already led 28-0.
Georgia (1-0) scored touchdowns on its first five possessions, all with Stockton at quarterback. Frazier scored on a 48-yard run on his first carry and added a 14-yard touchdown run on his second carry.
Stockton completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
NO. 4 NOTRE DAME 41, WISCONSIN 13
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- CJ Carr threw two touchdown passes, Aneyas Williams ran for 90 yards and two more scores and No. 4 Notre Dame pulled away in the second half to beat Wisconsin 41-13 on Sunday night at Lambeau Field
This was the first college football game at the home of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers since 2016, when Wisconsin upset a fifth-ranked LSU team 16-14. Wisconsin also hung around for a while in this one as a three-touchdown underdog before Notre Dame outscored the Badgers 28-3 in the second half.
Notre Dame’s first touchdown came on a 3-yard reception by Green Bay resident James Flanigan, whose father and grandfather (each named Jim Flanigan) both played for the Packers.
Carr went 19 of 29 for 239 yards. His other touchdown completion was a 28-yarder to Nolan James Jr. with 1:51 left.
NO. 5 TEXAS 59, TEXAS ST. 7
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Arch Manning passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Cam Coleman, and No. 5 Texas eased into the season with a win over Texas State.
Manning connected with Coleman for Texas’ first touchdown and with Ryan Wingo on the Longhorns’ next possession. Graceson Littleton’s 59-yard fumble return touchdown put Texas ahead 28-0 in the second quarter.
Coleman played his first two seasons at Auburn and was one of the top transfers in the country when he signed with Texas. He caught three passes for 70 yards in his Longhorns debut.
NO. 6 INDIANA 52, NORTH TEXAS 16
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Josh Hoover threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns, including a 15-yard score on his first pass with No. 6 Indiana, and Turbo Richard rushed for two more scores to help the defending national champs open the season with a rout of North Texas.
After celebrating last year’s title during a pregame ceremony, Indiana extended the Football Bowl Subdivision’s longest active winning streak to 17 games and the FBS’ longest active home winning streak to 16.
Hoover finished 13 of 16 with no turnovers as he steps in for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
Richard, a transfer from Boston College, had 15 carries for 58 yards and one catch for 38. Charlie Becker had four catches for 64 yards.
NO. 8 TEXAS A&M 50, MISSOURI 0
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Marcel Reed threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns in just over three quarters to help No. 8 Texas A&M roll to a win over Missouri State.
Reed was replaced by Brady Hart with about 13 minutes left and the Aggies up 40-0.
Isaiah Horton, a transfer who played at Miami and Alabama, had four receptions for 76 yards. His first catch as an Aggie was a 15-yard grab for a touchdown on the opening possession.
NO. 9 Mississippi 41, NO. 24 Louisville 38
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Lucas Carneiro kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give ninth-ranked Mississippi a 41-38 victory over No. 24 Louisville on Sunday night in the Music City Kickoff.
The week’s only game between ranked teams started sloppy only to turn into a second-half thriller.
Lincoln Kienholz, in his first career start after three seasons on Ohio State’s bench, tied it for Louisville at 38 with 1:28 left. The quarterback found Lawayne McCoy on the sideline for a 54-yard catch-and-run TD with 4:42 to go before his 7-yard TD run with 1:28 left.
Trinidad Chambliss set up the winning field goal with an 18-yard pass on third-and-6. Chambliss finished with 351 yards passing with three touchdowns, and he also ran for a fourth score all after halftime. Kewan Lacy ran for 61 yards on 17 carries with a 1-yard TD before being sidelined by an injured thigh.
NO. 11 LSU 51, CLEMSON 10
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut was delayed, but by no means derailed.
Sam Leavitt complemented his 113 yards and two rushing touchdowns with 230 yards and a TD passing, edge rusher Jordan Ross returned an interception for a score, and No. 11 LSU rode the “Lane Train” to a resounding victory over Clemson.
Kiffin has gotten commitments from two of his former Mississippi players -- tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris -- who spent part of this offseason with NFL teams. A Louisiana court ruling cleared the way for him to place them on his roster this week. But in the face of fervent opposition from the NCAA and SEC, he elected not to do so. At least, not yet.
NO. 12 TEXAS TECH 33, ABILENE CHRISTIAN 10
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Will Hammond threw for 298 yards and a touchdown in his return from last year’s season-ending knee injury and No. 12 Texas Tech beat Abilene Christian in the opener for the defending Big 12 champion.
Hammond made good on coach Joey McGuire’s declarations throughout the summer that his expected starter would be ready opening night, slightly more than 10 months after tearing the ACL in his right knee.
NO. 13 ALABAMA 48, EAST CAROLINA 10
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Keelon Russell accounted for 335 yards and a touchdown, and Alabama opened the season with a victory over East Carolina.
Russell, a sophomore making his first career start after beating out Austin Mack during training camp, ran for 86 yards and a score. He also threw for 249 yards, including 130 of those to Ryan Coleman-Williams.
Russell directed five consecutive scoring drives to start the game, and Alabama (1-0) finished with 480 yards and 27 first downs.
The Crimson Tide, who ranked 15th in the Southeastern Conference in rushing last season, totaled 227 yards on the ground.
NO. 14 BYU 63, UTAH TECH 7
PROVO, Utah (AP) -- Bear Bachmeier threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns - all before halftime - to lead No. 14 BYU to a victory over Utah Tech.
Legend Glasker caught two touchdown passes and ran for a third score in his collegiate debut. Glasker finished with a team-high 65 receiving yards on three catches.
BYU (1-0) has not lost to an opponent outside the FBS ranks since 1960.
NO. 17 WASHINGTON 24, WASHINGTON ST. 10
SEATTLE (AP) -- Demond Williams Jr. threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, and Washington survived offensive struggles for a victory over Washington State in a season-opening Apple Cup.
Williams also scored on a 5-yard keeper in the 118th meeting of the two teams, who were once both part of the Pac-12. Washington won last year’s meeting 59-24 in Pullman.
Transfer Caden Pinnick made his debut as quarterback for the Cougars, throwing for 142 yards and scoring on an 11-yard keeper in the fourth quarter.
Washington State was one of the remaining members of the Pac-12 left after realignment broke apart the conference ahead of the 2024 season. The Cougars and Oregon State helped re-build the conference, which now includes Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State, along with non-football member Gonzaga.
NO. 18 PENN ST. 45, MARSHALL 0
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Rocco Becht threw for 271 yards with four touchdowns and No. 18 Penn State beat Marshall to begin the Matt Campbell era.
Becht, a transfer who followed Campbell from Iowa State to Happy Valley, was in command in his Beaver Stadium debut and secured his FBS-leading 27th win as a starter.
He had plenty of help from familiar teammates who also left the Cyclones, and a host of new ones who stuck around after former coach James Franklin was fired midway through last season.
The Thundering Herd (0-1) crossed midfield just three times, one thanks to a facemask penalty against Penn State.
NO. 20 TENNESSEE 56, FURMAN 9
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Faizon Brandon threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more to lead No. 20 Tennessee to a victory over Furman.
In a little over two quarters, the freshman hit Mike Matthews on scoring passes of 55 and 57 yards to spark the Volunteers to a 42-0 lead.
NO. 22 IOWA 40, N. ILLINOIS 0
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Kamari Moulton ran for a career-high 183 yards and two touchdowns and No. 22 Iowa’s defense shut down Northern Illinois in a victory in the season opener for both teams.
Moulton, Iowa’s leading rusher last season, passed his previous career high of 114 yards in the first quarter, when he had 132 yards with touchdown runs of 50 and 37 yards.
It was the first regular-season look at the Iowa quarterback battle between Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski, who came into the game sharing the top spot on the depth chart.
Brown finished 12 of 20 passing for 129 yards. Hecklinski was 7 of 16 for 76 yards with an interception. Brown threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Tony Diaz on Iowa’s opening series of the game, and Hecklinski threw a 8-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Williams in the second quarter.
NO. 23 HOUSTON 33, OREGON ST. 20
HOUSTON (AP) -- Conner Weigman threw for 305 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score, Re’Shaun Sanford II and Mekhi Hughes added rushing scores and Houston beat Oregon State in the teams’ season opener.
Weigman completed 20 of 30 passes and tossed a 31-yard scoring pass to Amare Thomas in the first quarter. Weigman also scored on a 1-yard rush with five minutes left in the fourth, increasing Houston’s lead to 33-20.
Sanford had a 56-yard touchdown run with 6½ minutes left in the second quarter to put the Cougars up 16-7. Hughes added a 1-yard score with 6:40 remaining in the third to increase the lead to 26-7.
Thomas caught eight passes for 133 yards, and Hughes rushed for 98 yards for Houston.