Sunday, September 23, 2018
No. 1 Alabama 45, No. 22 Texas A&M 23
TUSCALOOSA, ALA.
Tua Tagovailoa passed for 387 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score to lead No. 1 Alabama to a 45-23 rout of No. 22 Texas A&M. Tagovailoa completed 22 of 30 passes before leaving after Henry Ruggs III took a shuttle pass 57 yards for a score late in the third. Damien Harris didn’t get many touches but had a 35-yard run and a 52-yard catch. Aggies quarterback Kellon Mond completed 16 of 33 passes for 196 yards with a touchdown but was intercepted twice, including on his first throw. He collected 98 yards rushing despite getting sacked seven times. The SEC’s top rusher, Trayveon Williams, gained 31 yards on eight carries.
No. 2 Georgia 43, Missouri 29
COLUMBIA, MO.
Jake Fromm threw three touchdown passes and No. 2 Georgia had a defensive touchdown and returned a blocked punt for a score to beat Missouri. Drew Lock, the highly touted NFL prospect, completed 23 of 48 passes for 221 yards for the Tigers (3-1, 0-1 SEC). The Bulldogs opened a 20-7 halftime lead without an offensive touchdown. Fromm completed 13 of 23 passes for 260 yards. Elijah Holyfield rushed 14 times for 90 yards, and D’Andre Swift added 16 carries for 71 yards. Missouri rushed for 172 yards, with Larry Rountree III, Damarea Crockett, Tyler Badie and Lock all scoring rushing touchdowns. Okwuegbunam had nine catches for 81 yards.
No. 3 Clemson 49, Georgia Tech 21
ATLANTA
Freshman Trevor Lawrence took a leading role in Clemson’s quarterback rotation, coming off the bench to throw four touchdown passes as the No. 3 Tigers routed Georgia Tech. After starter Kelly Bryant produced just 13 yards and one first down on Clemson’s first two possessions, Lawrence entered the game early in the second quarter. Lawrence finished with 176 yards on 13 of 18 passing for the Tigers. Bryant also directed a touchdown drive, winding up 6 of 10 passing for 56 yards. The Yellow Jackets fumbled eight times, recovering seven of them but giving up a touchdown when Clelin Ferrell fell on a loose ball in the end zone for Clemson’s first TD.
No. 5 Oklahoma 28, Army 21, OT
NORMAN, OKLA.
Kyler Murray threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb in overtime, and Parnell Motley intercepted Kelvin Hopkins’ fourth-down pass to help No. 5 Oklahoma escape with a victory over Army. Kenneth Murray had a school-record 28 tackles for the Sooners (4-0). Oklahoma led 21-14 at halftime after Army had 16-play, 75-yard touchdown drives on its first two possessions. Murray passed for 123 yards and two touchdows and ran for 40 yards and another score before the break. Hopkins ran for 55 yards in the first half, including a nifty 5-yard touchdown run. Army (2-2) ran 39 times for 183 yards in the first half and had the ball for 22:01 of the 30 minutes.
No. 6 LSU 38, Louisiana Tech 21
BATON ROUGE, LA.
Nick Brossette scored three touchdowns, Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for a career-high 136 yards and two TDs, and No. 6 LSU beat Louisiana Tech. Joe Burrow was 16 of 28 for 191 yards. He still has not thrown an interception this season but did lose his first fumble late in the first half on a sack by Jaylon Ferguson. J’Mar Smith completed 27 of 50 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns, including a 20-yard strike to Hardy in the first half and a short fourth-down pass to Bobby Holly in the third quarter. Adrian Hardy caught 10 passes in all for 181 yards. Brossette finished with 78 yards on 23 carries.
No. 9 Auburn 34, Arkansas 3
AUBURN, ALA.
Noah Igbinoghene scored on a 96-yard kickoff return, and a partially blocked punt by Jordyn Peters set up another touchdown as big plays on special teams on special teams helped No. 9 Auburn beat Arkansas. Freshman JaTarvious Whitlow ran for two touchdowns for Auburn. The Tigers were far from dominant on offense as Jarrett Stidham passed for only 134 yards. Auburn was held to 91 yards rushing. Whitlow ran for 49 yards. Rakeem Boyd had eight carries for 66 yards, but the Razorbacks had few offensive highlights.
No. 12 West Virginia 35, Kansas State 6
MORGANTOWN, W.VA.
Will Grier threw five touchdown passes for the fifth time in his career and No. 12 West Virginia shook off a sloppy start to drill Kansas State in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Grier finished 25 of 35 for 356 yards and the five scores, three of them to David Sills, and two interceptions as the Mountaineers (3-0) had little trouble against the punchless Wildcats (2-2). Sills caught 10 passes for 73 yards and the three touchdowns. Marcus Simms added five receptions for 136 yards — including an 82-yard catch-and-run to open the scoring.
Old Dominion 35, No. 12 Virginia Tech 27
NORFOLK, VA.
Blake LaRussa came off the bench to throw for 495 yards and four touchdowns to lead Old Dominion to an upset of No. 12 Virginia Tech. LaRussa, who entered the game on ODU’s second series, completed 30 of 49 and rushed for a touchdown. Jeremy Cox’s 40-yard touchdown run with 1:34 remaining sealed the biggest win in program history. Jackson threw two touchdown passes before leaving with a leg injury. ODU finished with 632 yards of offense. Cox rushed for 130 yards. Steven Peoples paced the Hokies with a career-high 156 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Kentucky 28, No. 14 Mississippi State 7
LEXINGTON, KY.
Benny Snell Jr. rushed for four touchdowns to break a Kentucky career record, including two in the fourth quarter, and the Wildcats held No. 14 Mississippi State to 56 yards rushing for a upset. After Tyrell Ajian’s 35-yard interception return to the Bulldogs 36, Snell broke Randall Cobb’s previous mark of 37 total touchdowns. The junior wasn’t done and added a 23-yard TD run on the next possession for 21-point cushion the Wildcats. Snell also had TD runs of 1 and 2 yards to finish with 165 on 25 carries. His four rushing TDs also matched a school record. The Bulldogs only managed Nick Fitzgerald’s 1-yard TD run midway through the second quarter.
Texas Tech 41, No. 15 Oklahoma State 17
STILLWATER, OKLA.
Alan Bowman threw for 397 yards and two touchdowns and Texas Tech beat the No. 15 Cowboys. Bowman completed 35 of 46 passes in his Big 12 debut, guiding the nation’s top offense to 621 total yards. Demarcus Felton added a pair of rushing touchdowns for Texas Tech and finished with 121 yards rushing on 12 carries. Ja’Deion High leading the way for the Raiders with eight catches for 79 yards. Justice Hill rushed 12 times for 111 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys. Tylan Wallace had seven catches for 123 yards. Oklahoma State quarterback Taylor Cornelius finished 18 of 38 passing for 258 yards with a touchdown and interception.
Texas 31, No. 17 TCU 16
AUSTIN, TEXAS
Sam Ehlinger passed for two touchdowns and ran for a score, all in the second half, and Texas ended a four-game losing streak to No. 17 TCU with a victory in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Texas trailed 16-10 before the defense forced three turnovers by quarterback Shawn Robinson in the third quarter. A fumble recovery set up a diving touchdown catch by Collin Johnson and an interception return by freshman safety Caden Sterns to the TCU 2 set up Ehlinger’s scoring run one play later. Ehlinger passed for 255 yards. Johnson finished with 124 yards on seven catches. Robinson passed for 197 yards.
No. 21 Miami 31, FIU 17
MIAMI GARDENS, FLA.
N’Kosi Perry came off the bench to throw three touchdown passes, and Miami’s defense was airtight for most of the day in the 21st-ranked Hurricanes’ victory over FIU. Travis Homer rushed 13 times for 114 yards and a touchdown, Lawrence Cager caught two scoring passes, and Miami held FIU to 31 yards on its first 10 possessions. Brevin Jordan also had a TD catch for the Hurricanes (3-1). CJ Worton caught a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes from James Morgan for FIU (2-2). Perry finished 17 of 25 for 224 yards with the three scores and one interception.
No. 25 BYU 30, McNeese State 3
PROVO, UTAH
Freshmen Lopini Katoa ran for two touchdowns, Skyler Southam kicked three field goals and No. 25 BYU took advantage of McNeese State’s second-quarter mistakes in a victory. The Cowboys led 3-0 in the first quarter, but had four turnovers, 10 penalties, a timeout request they no longer had available, a missed field and a blocked field goal. The second errant field goal was returned 35 yards by Troy Warner with 11:36 left in the second quarter and led to Katoa’s 4-yard scoring run. Tanner Mangum, who passed for just 118 yards, found Talon Shumway on a 7-yard strike to make it 14-3. Mangum completed 15 of 25 passes and didn’t throw an interception.
Associated Press