TOP 25 ROUNDUP Solid defense helps USC rout Auburn

The sixth-ranked Trojans blasted the Tigers 23-0.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUBURN, Ala. -- Southern California used a smothering defense to turn a much-hyped matchup into an ugly mismatch.
Matt Leinart passed for 192 yards in his first start and the eighth-ranked Trojans set up 17 points with three turnovers in a 23-0 season-opening win over sixth-ranked Auburn.
The Trojans, who won the final eight games of last season, hardly seemed to miss Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer.
The Tigers hadn't been a preseason Top 10 team since 1995, but were shut out at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time since a 19-0 loss to Virginia in the 1998 opener. They never got past USC's 33-yard line and were outgained 315-164.
The Trojans muzzled the Tigers' heralded tailbacks Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown, and harassed quarterback Jason Campbell into a fumble and an interception.
Domination
USC dominated physically on both lines of scrimmage.
The Trojans only allowed four of 13 opponents to rush for 100 yards last season and limited the Tigers to 43 yards on 36 carries.
Leinart, a sophomore who didn't throw a pass as Palmer's backup last season, was 17-of-30 and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams, making few mistakes in his starting debut. Williams had eight catches for 104 yards.
Hershel Dennis ran for 85 yards on 21 carries. His 14-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter set a few thousand Auburn fans scurrying for the exits after watching the Tigers turn in a listless performance. Daniel Urquhart set up that score by knocking the ball loose from Campbell on the previous play.
Auburn was a popular pick to win the Southeastern Conference, but it was USC that looked more likely to live up to its preseason billing as the Pac-10 favorite.
USC took a 13-0 lead when Ryan Killeen made a 42-yard field goal to cap the opening drive of the second half. Leinart hit wide-open tight end Dominique Byrd for a 42-yard gain and Dennis converted a fourth-and-1 on the drive.
Bad start
Auburn's troubles started early.
Freshman Darnell Bing picked off Campbell on the third play of the game, giving USC the ball 20 yards from the end zone.
Three plays later, Leinart found Williams in the end zone.
Killeen, who kicked three field goals, added a 28-yarder with 3:21 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers had just eight yards on their first three possessions, and weren't able to get their passing game going.
Campbell was 12-of-26 for 121 yards and often was forced to tuck the ball and run when he wasn't being sacked. He lost 25 yards on 16 carries.
No. 11 Georgia 30, Clemson 0
CLEMSON, S.C. -- David Greene threw for one touchdown and ran for another as Georgia handed Clemson its first shutout under coach Tommy Bowden.
Greene went 12-of-17 for 203 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown pass to Fred Gibson. Greene added a 3-yard touchdown run and D.J. Shockley closed the scoring with a 29-yard scoring run.
The defending Southeastern Conference champions were supposed to struggle early on. They had a new offensive line. They were without injured defensive starters Will Thompson and Kentrell Curry. Eight other Bulldogs were suspended by coach Mark Richt. And that's not counting the embarrassing Ring-gate episode where several players sold their rings from the school's first SEC title in 20 years.
No. 12 Tennessee 24, Fresno State 6
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Casey Clausen threw two touchdown passes and Jabari Davis ran 44 yards for another score as Tennessee beat Fresno State.
The Volunteers were determined to show an improved offense from the one that sputtered last year to an 8-5 record, which included an embarrassing 30-3 loss to Maryland in the Peach Bowl.
Tennessee racked up 433 yards of total offense, the most since a six-overtime win over Arkansas last October, and 274 yards rushing behind a stronger and healthy offensive line.
Cedric Houston led Tennessee with 161 yards on 19 rushes.
James Banks had seven catches for 80 yards and a touchdown to lead the receivers, who were criticized last season for not making big plays.
Fresno State was expected to be a formidable opponent considering the Bulldogs are used to playing teams from BCS conferences in season openers.
Fresno State, which beat Georgia Tech in last year's Silicon Valley Bowl, beat Colorado in the 2001 season opener but lost to Ohio State in 2000 and Wisconsin last year.
The Bulldogs were not intimidated, but Tennessee seemed to have an answer for everything they tried on offense, holding them to 117 yards of total offense.
Nebraska 17, No. 24 Oklahoma St. 7
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Josh Davis and Jammal Lord combined for 185 yards rushing and Nebraska limited Oklahoma State to 57 yards in the second half.
The victory was Nebraska's 17th straight in a season opener and ended its six-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
After having their 35-game unbeaten streak in the series ended last year in Stillwater, Okla., the Huskers beat the Cowboys for the 20th straight time in Lincoln.
Nebraska converted two of Oklahoma State's five turnovers into third-quarter touchdowns to turn a 7-3 halftime deficit into a 17-7 lead.
OSU tailback Tatum Bell dropped the ball as he was putting a move on Demorrio Williams, and Barrett Ruud recovered and ran it back 15 yards for a touchdown.
Davis fumbled deep in OSU territory on Nebraska's next possession, but the Huskers got the ball back a couple minutes later when Ryon Bingham recovered quarterback Josh Fields' fumble at the OSU 13.
Judd Davies scored from 2 yards out to put the Huskers up 17-7.
Davis ran 20 times for 95 yards and Lord 18 times for 90.
Tough defense
Oklahoma State, which averaged 411 yards last season, generated only 183 against a Blackshirt defense directed by first-year coordinator Bo Pelini. The Cowboys' seven points were their fewest in 22 games.
All-America receiver Rashaun Woods had only five catches for 47 yards, his lowest production in 15 games. He had two catches for 9 yards in the second half.
Bell led the Cowboys with 87 yards.
Nebraska scored on the opening series of the game on a 28-yard field goal by Sandro DeAngelis.
The Cowboys then moved 52 yards on nine plays to go ahead 7-3. Fields hit Woods for 28 yards to convert a third-and-4, then the two teamed up again six plays later for a 4-yard touchdown pass.
Nebraska outgained the Cowboys 208-126 in the first half but couldn't score again until Ruud's defensive touchdown.
The Huskers drove to the OSU 4 in the second quarter, but they came away with nothing after illegal procedure and holding penalties pushed them back to the 17 and a 34-yard field-goal attempt by DeAngelis bounced off the left upright.
Nebraska was moving again late in the half after Lornell McPherson intercepted Fields at the Huskers' 38. Lord had a 27-yard run and completed two passes to drive Nebraska to the OSU 16 in the final minute, but Paul Duren blocked DeAngelis' 33-yard attempt.
The Cowboys also had a field-goal try blocked in the second quarter when Bingham stuffed Luke Phillips' 43-yard attempt.
Some 800 former Nebraska players ringed the field during a pregame ceremony held in conjunction with the program's largest reunion of lettermen.