MORE TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECAPS FROM SATURDAY

No. 12 Notre Dame 24, No. 14 Michigan 17

SOUTH BEND, IND.

Brandon Wimbush connected on a long touchdown pass to help Notre Dame jump out to a big first-half lead, Te’von Coney and the defense made it stand with a late takeaway for the Fighting Irish as the rivalry returned after a three-year hiatus. A Green-out crowd welcomed the Wolverines back to Notre Dame Stadium and the Fighting Irish scored fast on their first two drives against a defense loaded with future NFL draft picks. Chris Finke hauled in a deep throw from Wimbush that went through a defender’s hands in traffic for a 43-yard score to put Notre Dame up 14-0 midway through the first half. Jafar Armstrong’s second touchdown, a 4-yard run with 3:55 left in the second quarter made it 21-3. Ambry Thomas gave the Wolverines a much-needed jolted with a 99-yard touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, but otherwise the Michigan debut of quarterback Shea Patterson was mostly disappointing. Michigan’s only offensive touchdown came with 2:18 left in the fourth quarter, when Karan Higdon rushed in from 3 yards to cut the lead to seven. Patterson, the touted transfer from Mississippi, went 20 for 30 for 227 yards and faced steady pressure. Michigan got a final opportunity with 1:48 and got as far as its 45. Patterson was flushed out of the pocket, grabbed by Jerry Tillery and stripped by Khalid Kareem. Coney recovered the loose ball with 46 seconds and sealed Notre Dame’s second straight win against the Wolverines.

No. 2 Clemson 48, Furman 7

CLEMSON, S.C.

Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for three touchdowns and Clemson scored on all five of his drives as the Tigers opened their season with a rout of Furman. Even with Lawrence’s impressive debut, going 9 for 15 for 137 yards and no interceptions, senior starter Kelly Bryant also shined. He went 10 for 16 for 127 yards and a touchdown and ran five times for 44 yards and another score. The Paladins (0-1) gained just 163 yards and the one touchdown came with 1:18 left after Clemson emptied its bench.

No. 3 Georgia 45, Austin Peay 0

ATHENS, GA.

Jake Fromm threw two scoring passes while sharing time with freshman Justin Fields and Georgia showed off some new firepower in rolling past Austin Peay. Georgia (1-0) flashed big-play potential, including a 59-yard touchdown pass from Fromm to Mecole Hardman and a 72-yard scoring run by Demetris Robertson. Fromm completed 12 of 16 passes for 157 yards, including a 10-yard scoring pass to Riley Ridley. Fields, one of the headliners in coach Kirby Smart’s top-ranked class of signees, made his debut on the Bulldogs’ first second-quarter possession and started the second half. Fields completed 7 of 8 passes for 63 yards, including a 12-yard scoring pass to Isaac Nauta. Fields also had three carries for 33 yards in his first opportunity to flash his dual-threat talents. Walk-on quarterback Matthew Downing played most of the second half. Austin Peay (0-1) was held to 152 yards.

No. 9 Auburn 21, No. 6 Washington 16

ATLANTA

Jatarvious Whitlow ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 6:15 remaining and the Auburn defense came through at the end, leading the Tigers a victory over No. 6 Washington that provided a big boost to their resume in the very first game of the season. Trailing 16-15 after missing a two-point conversion on their opening drive of the game, Auburn drove 76 yards in 10 plays for the winning score. Jarrett Stidham kept the drive going early with a 12-yard pass to Chandler Cox on third-and-9. Then, facing third-and-7 deep in Washington territory, Auburn handed off inside to Whitlow, who knocked over a Washington defender as he smashed into the end zone. Washington drove to the Auburn 37 with plenty of time to pull off the comeback, but Myles Gaskin was thrown for a 3-yard loss and Jake Browning was stymied by a fierce pass rush on back-to-back plays to preserve the Tigers’ victory.

No. 7 Oklahoma 63, Florida Atlantic 14

NORMAN, OKLA.

Kyler Murray passed for 209 yards and two touchdowns to lead Oklahoma over Florida Atlantic. Murray connected on 9 of 11 passes in just under one half of action and ran for 23 yards on four carries. Marquise Brown caught six passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, and Rodney Anderson rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries. Lee Morris caught a 65-yard touchdown pass and blocked a punt for the Sooners. Oklahoma led 42-0 at halftime — the most points the Sooners have scored in a first half since 2008. Former Oklahoma quarterback Chris Robison passed for 157 yards for Florida Atlantic.

No. 10 Penn State 45, Appalachian State 38, OT

STATE COLLGE, PA.

Amani Oruwariye intercepted a Zac Thomas pass in the end zone and Penn State held on to beat Appalachian State in overtime, exactly 11 years after the Mountaineers stunned Michigan in one of the biggest upsets in college football history. Miles Sanders rushed 19 times for 91 yards with two touchdowns including the go-ahead score in overtime for the Nittany Lions (1-0). But Penn State let a 31-17 lead evaporate when Appalachian State scored on three straight possessions over 5:53 in the fourth quarter and things were tense in Happy Valley. Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley, who completed 21 of 36 passes for 230 yards and ran for two scores, led a game-tying drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to KJ Hamler with 42 seconds left. Thomas, who returned from injury to lead his team’s comeback, completed 25 of 38 passes for 270 yards, threw for two TDs and ran for another for Appalachian State (0-1).

No. 15 USC 43, UNLV 21

LOS ANGELES

JT Daniels, the second freshman to start at quarterback in a season opener for Southern California, threw for 282 yards with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown to lead the Trojans to a victory over UNLV. Daniels was 22 of 35 passing for the Trojans (1-0), with fellow freshman St. Brown making seven receptions for 98 yards. The former Mater Dei High School teammates connected for their first college touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, with St. Brown getting a step behind cornerback Jericho Flowers on a post route to give USC a two-possession lead over the Rebels (0-1). Aca’Cedric Ware rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown.

No. 16 TCU 55, Southern U 7

FORT WORTH, TEXAS

Shawn Robinson threw touchdowns to three different receivers and ran for two more scores while playing only the first half as No. 16 TCU opened the season with a win over Southern University. The Horned Frogs scored on their first six drives to take a 38-7 lead before fellow sophomore Michael Collins, a former transfer from Penn, took over after halftime. Derius Davis caught a 12-yard TD from Robinson and the true freshman later returned a punt 73 yards for a score as the Frogs won their 17th consecutive home opener under coach Gary Patterson, who started his 18th full season.

No. 17 West Virginia 40, Tennessee 14

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Will Grier got his Heisman Trophy campaign off to an impressive start, throwing for 429 yards and five touchdowns to help West Virginia rout Tennessee in a game delayed for more than an hour at halftime due to lightning. Grier connected on TD passes of 33 yards to David Sills, 28 yards to Gary Jennings, and 14 yards to Kennedy McCoy in the third quarter as the Mountaineers opened a 33-14 lead. Grier, who grew up in the Charlotte area and once threw for 10 TD passes in a high school playoff game, was 14 of 19 for 275 yards and four TDs in the second half. Sills had seven grabs for 140 yards and two touchdowns after 18 TD receptions last season.

Maryland 34, No. 23 Texas 29

LANDOVER, MD.

Maryland emerged from a trying offseason with an emotionally charged upset of No. 23 Texas. After blowing a 24-7 lead, Maryland forced three turnovers in the final 6:09 and scored the game’s final 10 points to stun the Longhorns in the opener for the second year in a row. Maryland has dedicated its season to offensive lineman Jordan McNair, who collapsed on the practice field on May 29 and died two weeks later of heatstroke. The Terrapins paid tribute to McNair by lining up with 10 players on their first offensive play of the game. Maryland waited for a delay of game to be called, and Texas declined the penalty in a show of sportsmanship.

Associated Press