FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — After nine months of hype, Deion Sanders had Colorado ready for prime time in his much-anticipated debut as Buffaloes coach.
Shedeur Sanders, the coach’s son, threw for a school-record 510 yards with four touchdowns — the winner a 46-yard catch-and-run by true freshman Dylan Edwards with 4:25 left —- and the Buffs pulled off an opening shocker with a 45-42 win Saturday over 17th-ranked TCU, last year’s national runner-up.
Deion Sanders came to Boulder, Colorado, to revitalize a long-dormant program, with an unprecedented roster flip. Two-way star Travis Hunter, Edwards and Shedeur Sanders are among 87 newcomers at Colorado, which won only one game last season and has only two winning records since 2005.
Edwards caught three touchdown passes, including a 75-yarder in the opening minute of the second half when he turned another short pass into a big play. He also ran for another score.
Hunter, the former top recruit who came with the quarterback and coach from FCS school Jackson State, had 11 catches for 119 yards. As a defensive back, he had one of the two interceptions that TCU’s Chandler Morris threw in or near the end zone. He played over 120 snaps.
Shedeur Sanders completed 38 of 47 passes and the Buffaloes had four 100-yard receivers for the first time ever: Hunter, Edwards (five catches, 135 yards), Jimmy Horn Jr. (11 catches, 117 yards with a TD) and Xavier Weaver (six catches, 118 yards). Colorado outgained TCU 565-541 total yards.
Morris was 24-of-42 passing for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Emani Baily ran for 165 yards. Trey Sanders had three TD runs, including a 1-yard run for a 42-38 lead two plays after Major Everhart’s 86-yard kickoff return.
NO. 1 GEORGIA 48, TENNESSEE-MARTIN 7
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Carson Beck overcame a sluggish first half to throw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Mekhi Mews and Georgia, the two-time defending national champion, leaned on its defense to overwhelm Tennessee-Martin.
Georgia showed it must make progress on offense if it can realize its dream of becoming the first team to win three straight national championships in The Associated Press poll era. The Bulldogs were outgained in the opening quarter and led only 17-0 at halftime against the Football Championship Subdivision Skyhawks,
Beck, placed in the difficult position of following Stetson Bennett’s back-to-back championship seasons at quarterback, gained momentum in the second half. He threw a short completion to his left to Mews, who cut back to the middle of the field, dodged a would-be tackler and used his speed for his first career scoring catch.
It was the longest career completion for Beck, a junior who beat out Brock Vandagriff for the starting job. Beck opened Georgia’s next possession with a 47-yard completion to C.J. Smith before adding a 25-yarder to Mews.
Beck, who had a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, completed 21 of 31 passes for 294 yards with one touchdown. Vandagriff entered the game late in the third quarter and completed a 56-yard pass to Rara Thomas in the fourth before adding a 21-yard scoring pass to tight end Oscar Delp.
NO. 2 MICHIGAN 30, EAST CAROLINA 3
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdown passes to Roman Wilson, helping Michigan rout East Carolina.
The Wolverines were without coach Jim Harbaugh, who began serving a school-imposed, three-game suspension for breaking NCAA rules.
McCarthy completed 26 of 30 passes for 280 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Wilson in each of the first three quarters.
All-America running back Blake Corum, coming off knee surgery, ran for 73 yards on 10 carries and had a 2-yard touchdown run.
Quarterback Mason Garcia was 11 of 18 for 80 yards for the Pirates and had a deflected pass picked off by Mike Sainristil. Garcia shared time with Alex Flinn, who was 6 of 11 for 52 yards.
NO. 3 OHIO STATE 23, INDIANA 3
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Miyan Williams rushed for two touchdowns and new quarterback Kyle McCord picked up his first victory since being named the starter for Ohio State in a win over Indiana.
The Buckeyes have won 23 consecutive season-openers and extended the FBS’ longest active winning streak in a series to 28.
Indiana has lost nine of its last 10 dating to last season.
After Williams capped Ohio State’s opening possession with a 7-yard scoring run, the teams traded field goals to make it 10-3 at halftime. The Buckeyes added a short field goal to make it 13-3 midway through the third quarter before Williams finally broke through with a 3-yard TD run to give the Buckeyes a 20-3 lead with 1:51 remaining in the third.
All-America receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. caught two passes for 18 yards and also had a touchdown nullified by an illegal touching call.
Second-year quarterbacks Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby split snaps for Indiana, combining to go 9 of 21 with 82 yards.
NO. 4 ALABAMA 56, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 7
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Jalen Milroe threw three long touchdown passes and ran for a pair of scores to lead Alabama past Middle Tennessee State.
Milroe emerged on top of a three-man battle to replace Bryce Young in fall camp for the Crimson Tide, and delivered big plays and no costly mistakes in his second career start. He launched on-target touchdown passes of 47 yards to Isaiah Bond, 48 to Jermaine Burton and 29 to Amari Niblack.
Milroe easily passed his first test. He showcased his running ability in turning a terrible snap into a 21-yard touchdown on his opening drive. Milroe had to go back and scoop it up after the ball basically rolled past him, then he raced to the right sideline. He put his left hand on the ground to keep his balance and make a final cut at about the 7.
Touchdown, Milroe. The first of his five total in a 13-of-18, 193-yard effort. He also ran for 48 yards before handing the offensive reins to Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner midway through the third quarter.
NO. 6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 66, NEVADA 14
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Caleb Williams threw for 319 yards and hit Tahj Washington with two of his five touchdown passes, leading Southern California past Nevada.
Zachariah Branch, Michael Jackson III and Brenden Rice also caught TD passes from their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for the Trojans (2-0), who followed up their blowout of San Jose State with another rout of a Mountain West opponent at the Coliseum.
USC’s 668 yards were its most under coach Lincoln Riley, and its 66 points matched the highest-scoring game of his tenure.
Williams passed for 258 yards and four TDs on just 15 completions while USC built a 35-7 halftime lead. He finished 18 of 24 while also rushing for 42 yards and adding another array of remarkable escapes and pinpoint completions to his collection.
NO. 7 PENN STATE 38, WEST VIRGINIA 15
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Drew Allar threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to help Penn State beat West Virginia.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith caught two touchdown passes — including a 72-yard dart launched with a simple flick of Allar’s wrist on his second attempt of the game — while Nick Singleton added a rushing touchdown.
Malik McClain caught another midway through the fourth quarter for the Nittany Lions, who pulled away after leading 14-7 at halftime.
Backup Beau Pribula ran for a touchdown with six seconds left and kicker Alex Felkins added a 25-yard field goal.
It was the first time the two regional rivals played since meeting every year from 1947 until 1992.
NO. 10 WASHINGTON 56, BOISE STATE 19
SEATTLE (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. threw for 450 yards and matched his career high with five touchdown passes and Washington overwhelmed Boise State.
Penix kicked off his final college season and a Heisman Trophy campaign with a terrific passing performance following a couple shaky drives in the opening moments. He connected with Jalen McMillan on two of his TD passes, and McMillan added a 19-yard touchdown run off a direct snap on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Washington a 42-19 lead.
McMillan finished with eight receptions for 95 yards and touchdowns of 7 and 38 yards.
The 56 points were the most allowed by Boise State since an overtime win over Nevada in 2007.
Boise State’s Taylen Green threw for 244 yards, including a 50-yard screen pass touchdown to Ashton Jeanty early in the second half that pulled the Broncos within 28-19. But Green was intercepted twice and had too many unsuccessful drives to keep up with Washington.
NO. 11 TEXAS 37, RICE 10
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Quinn Ewers passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as Texas overcame a sluggish start with an overwhelming third quarter to beat Rice.
Ewers connected with Jonathan Brooks on a 37-yard TD in the first quarter and Bert Auburn kicked three first-half field goals for the Longhorns, the longest a 49-yarder. Ewers connected with Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell for a 9-yard score that put Texas ahead 23-3. Another TD pass to J.T. Sanders and Ewers’ own short scamper to the end zone finished the Texas scoring.
Texas put Rice quarterback J.T. Daniels under relentless pressure and allowed the Owls only 172 total yards.
NO. 12 TENNESSEE 49, VIRGINIA 13
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Joe Milton III threw two touchdown passes and ran for two other scores as Tennessee routed Virginia.
Tennessee and Virginia marked the Cavs’ first football game since a shooting left three players dead last November with a moment of silence before kickoff. The Vols also wore a sticker on the back of their helmets with the numbers of the late Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry.
Tennessee scored on its opening drive and never trailed. Milton’s 1-yard run just before halftime put the Vols up 21-3. Dylan Sampson caught a 9-yard TD pass that capped Tennessee’s first drive. He also had three TD runs of 3 yards or less.
Tony Muskett started for Virginia after transferring from Monmouth and quickly found Southeastern Conference defense is nothing like the Colonial Athletic Association. He was 9 of 17 for 94 yards before being replaced late.
NO. 13 NOTRE DAME 56, TENNESSEE STATE 3
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Sam Hartman passed for 194 yards and two touchdowns and Notre Dame’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown for a second straight game as the Irish beat Tennessee State.
Hartman completed 14 of 17 passes and delighted the Notre Dame Stadium fans in his home debut when he somersaulted into the end zone on a 5-yard run. Hartman turned things over to backup Steve Angeli with the Irish (2-0) leading 35-3 early in the third quarter.
Audric Estime ran 13 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. His longest run went for 50 yards and set up Hartman’s leaping touchdown.
The Irish’s defense has not allowed a touchdown over eight quarters. Tennessee State scored on a field goal in the first quarter.
NO. 15 OREGON 81, PORTLAND STATE 7
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bo Nix threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns before heading for the bench early in the third quarter and Oregon built a 43-point halftime lead en route to a victory over Portland State.
It was the most points for the Ducks in a game in the modern scoring era, and a scoring record at Autzen Stadium.
It was also Oregon’s 19th straight win in a home opener. The Ducks have won 30 straight non-conference games at Autzen Stadium, dating back to 2008.
Dante Chachere threw for 35 yards and the lone touchdown for Portland State.
NO. 16 KANSAS STATE 45, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE 0
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Will Howard threw for 297 yards and two scores, added touchdowns running and receiving to complete a rare trifecta, and led Kansas State past Southeast Missouri State.
DJ Giddens ran for 128 yards and Treshaun Ward, a touted transfer from Florida State, had a TD run, helping the reigning Big 12 champion Wildcats cruise past one of the better teams in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Paxton DeLaurent had 213 yards passing for the Redhawks, who managed just 227 yards of total offense.
NO. 19 WISCONSIN 38, BUFFALO 17
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Chez Mellusi ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns, Braelon Allen added 141 yards and two more scores and Wisconsin started the first season of Luke Fickell’s coaching tenure with a victory over Buffalo.
Mellusi, a Clemson transfer who came to Wisconsin in 2021, had an 89-yard touchdown run in which he navigated through the defense to make it 21-10 in the third quarter. He had 13 carries.
Allen had 14 rushes, and caught seven passes for 25 yards. His 37-yard touchdown run extended the lead to 28-10 in the third.
SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, and two interceptions, in his first start for the Badgers.
NO. 20 OKLAHOMA 73, ARKANSAS STATE 0
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Dillon Gabriel completed 19 of 22 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns — all in the first half — and Oklahoma beat Arkansas State.
Gabriel also ran for a score in the first half to help Oklahoma take a 45-0 lead. The Sooners gained 437 yards before the break while holding Arkansas State to 106.
Oklahoma freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold, a consensus five-star recruit, played most of the second half. He completed all 11 of his passes for 114 yards and a touchdown and ran for 39 yards and another score.
The Sooners held the Red Wolves to 208 total yards and 10 first downs. Arkansas State committed 14 penalties for 111 yards.
Colorado transfer J.T. Shrout connected on 12 of 26 passes for 148 yards for Arkansas State.
NO. 21 NORTH CAROLINA 31, SOUTH CAROLINA 17
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Drake Maye threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, North Carolina’s upstart defense had nine sacks and the Tar Heels beat border rival South Carolina in a neutral-site game.
British Brooks ran for 103 yards and Omarion Hampton added two short TD runs for the Tar Heels.
Maye, who grew up in the Charlotte suburb of Huntersville, led scoring drives on five of North Carolina’s first six possessions, excluding a kneel down at the end of the first half.
The redshirt sophomore made NFL-type throws — back-shoulder fades, deep outs and sidearm tosses under pressure — while repeatedly keeping alive plays with this feet. He wasn’t perfect, with two interceptions in the game’s final 18 minutes as the Tar Heels were trying to put the game away.
NO. 22 MISSISSIPPI 73, MERCER 7
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Jaxson Dart threw four touchdown passes, including three to Tre Harris in the opening four minutes as Mississippi rolled to a rout of Mercer.
Ole Miss opened with four consecutive touchdown drives and built a 38-7 halftime lead. Dart was 11 of 11 for 237 yards in the early surge and finished 18 of 23 passing for 334 yards before yielding to Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders midway through the third quarter.
Harris, a transfer from Louisiana Tech after earning All-Conference USA honors last season, had touchdown receptions of 38, 28, 20 and 16 yards to break a school record for TD receptions in a single game.
Mercer (1-1), ranked No. 22 in the AFCA poll of FCS schools, scored on its first offensive snap, a 75-yard run by quarterback Carter Peevy. The Bears finished with 237 yards of total offense, including 138 from Peevy on 16-of-29 passing, but never seriously threatened again.
NO. 23 TEXAS A&M 52, NEW MEXICO 10
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Conner Weigman threw for 236 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s debut and Texas A&M rolled past New Mexico.
Coach Jimbo Fisher hired Petrino, a former head coach at Louisville, Arkansas and with the Atlanta Falcons, to try to beef up an offense that struggled last season as the Aggies finished 5-7. Petrino took over play-calling duties from Fisher and the decision looked like a good one in the opener.
Weigman and the Aggies were nearly unstoppable in the first half, scoring touchdowns on their first five possessions, with the first four coming through the air. New Mexico’s only stop before halftime came when Tavian Combs blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt by Randy Bond as time expired in the second quarter.
They let up a bit in the second half, adding just one more touchdown before Fisher replaced Weigman with backup Max Johnson to start the fourth quarter with the game in hand.
NO. 24 TULANE 37, SOUTH ALABAMA 17
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Michael Pratt completed 14 of 15 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns and Tulane beat South Alabama.
Three of Pratt’s scoring passes came on deep throws. He hit Jha’Quan Jackson for touchdowns of 48 and 47 yards and connected with Lawrence Keys on a 47-yard scoring play.
Looking to validate its first preseason AP Top 25 ranking against a season-opening opponent that won 10 games last season, the Green Wave raced to a 24-7 lead.
NO. 25 IOWA 24, UTAH STATE 14
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Cade McNamara threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns in his Iowa debut to help the Hawkeyes beat Utah State.
The touchdowns came on Iowa’s first two offensive possessions, and the Hawkeyes didn’t get into the end zone again until Kaleb Johnson’s 3-yard run in the fourth quarter. Iowa, which had one of the worst offenses in the nation last season, finished with 284 yards.
Utah State got field goals from William Testa and Elliott Nimrod and a 16-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Legas to Terrell Vaughn late in the fourth quarter.
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