College football: Old Dominion shocks No. 12 Virginia Tech; No. 5 Oklahoma escapes Army in OT; Kentucky and Purdue score upsets

By Associated Press

Sept. 22, 2018 11 PM PT

Blake LaRussa came off the bench to throw for 495 yards and four touchdowns to lead Old Dominion to a 49-35 upset of No. 12 Virginia Tech on Saturday in the Hokies’ first game at the cross-state school that restarted its football program in 2009.

LaRussa, who entered the game on ODU’s second series, completed 30 of 49 and rushed for a touchdown to lead the 28{-point underdog Monarchs (1-3) to a stunning win over the Hokies (2-1) from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Jeremy Cox’s 40-yard touchdown run with 1:34 remaining sealed the biggest win in program history. After the game, the ODU faithful stormed the field.

at No. 5 Oklahoma 28, Army 21, OT: 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 28-21 victory over Army on Saturday night.

Kenneth Murray had a school-record 28 tackles for the Sooners (4-0).

Army had the ball for 44:41 and ran 87 plays to Oklahoma’s 40.

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.

at Kentucky 28, No. 14 Mississippi State 7: 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 28-7 upset Saturday night.

After Tyrell Ajian’s 35-yard interception return to the Bulldogs 36, Snell broke left and down the left sideline for his third score with 8 minutes remaining to break 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 (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) preserved for their second win over a ranked school this month. Kentucky beat then-No. 25 Florida two weeks ago to break a 31-game losing streak to the Gators.

at Purdue 30, No. 23 Boston College 13: Rondale Moore caught two touchdown passes and Purdue picked off four passes, beating No. 23 Boston College 30-13 on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

David Blough passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns for the Boilermakers (1-3), who had opened what was expected to be a promising the season with three straight close losses.

The Eagles (3-1) rolled in unbeaten and ranked for the first time in 10 years, but fell flat. Anthony Brown, coming off a career game with five touchdown passes, threw four interceptions. Star tailback A.J. Dillon was held to 59 yards on 19 carries by Purdue.

When the Boilermakers weren’t picking off Brown, they were disrupting the pocket. Two of Purdue’s four interceptions came by way of tipped passes at the line. The Boilermakers sacked Brown four times.

Moore, the freshman, finished with eight receptions for 110 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown reception, when he bounced off a tackler after a short pass and raced away from the defense. That put Purdue ahead for good in the second quarter.

Purdue defensive back Antonio Blackmon (14) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass in the end zone against Boston College during the third quarter Saturday.

No. 2 Georgia 43, at Missouri 29: Jake Fromm threw three touchdown passes while the Bulldogs had a defensive touchdown and returned a blocked punt for a score.

The Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) blanketed Missouri’s wide receivers, harassed star quarterback Drew Lock, and forced three turnovers in the first half against the seventh-best offense in the country entering the game. Lock, the highly touted NFL prospect, completed 23 of 48 passes for 221 yards for the Tigers (3-1, 0-1 SEC).

No. 3 Clemson 49, at Georgia Tech 21: 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 produced their most complete performance of the season Saturday in a 49-21 rout of 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. The youngster, a native of nearby Cartersville, quickly guided the Tigers on a seven-play, 74-yard drive capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow that made it 14-0 .

Lawrence finished with 176 yards on 13-of-18 passing for the Tigers (4-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), also connecting with Justyn Ross for a 53-yard score , Travis Etienne on a 3-yard touchdown just before halftime and Tee Higgins for a 30-yard TD in the closing minutes.

at No. 4 Ohio State 49, Tulane 6: Dwayne Haskins Jr. threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns in the first half and No. 4 Ohio State routed Tulane 49-6 on Saturday to mark coach Urban Meyer’s return to the sideline following a three-game suspension.

Haskins was nearly flawless, completing his first nine passes on the way to a 21-for-24 effort before giving way to backup Tate Martell in the second half as the No. 4 Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) backed off the gas and cruised.

at No. 6 Louisiana State 38, Louisiana Tech 21: 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 38-21 on Saturday night in a game infused with far more tension than expected.

The Tigers (4-0) were favored by about three touchdowns and raced to a 24-0 lead, only to see the Bulldogs (2-1) pull as close as 24-21 on J’Mar Smith’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Hardy early in the fourth quarter.

No. 8 Notre Dame 56, at Wake Forest 27: Ian Book rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two more after he replaced Brandon Wimbush in the starting lineup. Book completed 25 of 34 passes for 325 yards and rushed 10 times for 43 yards.

He helped the Fighting Irish (4-0) more than double their previous season high for scoring and roll up a season-best 566 total yards, surpassing the previous high midway through the third quarter. Before this one, Notre Dame hadn’t scored more than 24 in a game , and its wins over Michigan, Ball State and Vanderbilt came by a total of 20 points.

Jafar Armstrong had touchdown runs of 1 and 30 yards while gaining 98 yards, and Tony Jones Jr. added a short scoring run for the Irish, who will ride their best start since 2015 into next week’s showdown with No. 7 Stanford. Wake Forest is 2-2 after its second consecutive loss.

at No. 9 Auburn 34, Arkansas 3: 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 34-3 on Saturday night.

Freshman JaTarvious Whitlow ran for two touchdowns as Auburn (3-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) regrouped after last week’s last-second loss to No. 6 LSU. The Tigers were far from dominant on offense as Jarrett Stidham passed for only 134 yards.

at No. 12 West Virginia 35, Kansas State 6: 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 35-6 on Saturday 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.

Texas Tech 41, at No. 15 Oklahoma State 17: Alan Bowman threw for 397 yards and two touchdowns and Texas Tech ended a nine-game losing streak to Oklahoma State with a 41-17 victory over the No. 15 Cowboys on Saturday night.

The win is the third straight since a season-opening loss to Mississippi for the Red Raiders (3-1, 1-0 Big 12), whose last victory over Oklahoma State came in 2008.

at Texas 31, No. 17 Texas Christian 16: 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 31-16 victory Saturday in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

Texas (3-1) had been outscored 153-33 the last four years by TCU and 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’s 38-yard touchdown strike to Lil’Jordan Humphrey with 3:18 left put the game away.

No. 18 Wisconsin 28, at Iowa 17: Alex Hornibrook threw a 17-yard TD pass to A.J. Taylor with 57 seconds left and No. 18 Wisconsin bounced back from last week’s loss by rallying past Iowa 28-17 on Saturday night.

Jonathan Taylor had 113 yards rushing and Alec Ingold ran for a 33-yard score with 22 seconds left for the Badgers (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten), who also got a major leg up on the Hawkeyes — perhaps their biggest threat in the Big Ten West race — in their league opener.

at No. 19 Michigan 56, Nebraska 10: Karan Higdon ran for 136 yards and a touchdown in the first half to help the Wolverines (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) build a big lead and cruise to the win.

Michigan led 20-0 after the first quarter and 39-0 at halftime. The Cornhuskers (0-3, 0-1) are off to their worst start since 1945. They have lost seven in a row dating to last season for the first time since 1957.

at No. 21 Miami, Fla. 31, Florida International 17: 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’ 31-17 victory over FIU on Saturday.

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), who lost top receiver and returner Jeff Thomas in the first quarter for what was believed to be a cramping-related issue.

No. 24 Michigan State 35, at Indiana 21: Brian Lewerke threw two touchdown passes, had his first career catch and made the perfect pitch to kicker Matt Coghlin for a 6-yard scoring run in No. 24 Michigan State’s 35-21 victory over Indiana on Saturday night.

The Spartans (2-1, 1-0 Big Ten) won the Old Brass Spittoon for the 13th time in 15 games, getting a crucial victory in the conference opener. Indiana (3-1, 0-1) has not won consecutive home games in the series since 1991 and 1993.

at No. 25 Brigham Young 30, McNeese State 3: 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 30-3 victory Saturday.

Coming off an upset victory at Wisconsin, the Cougars (3-1) easily pushed aside McNeese State (3-1) for their 12th victory over an FCS school in the last 30 years.

In other games:

— Antonio Williams ran for two scores while Nathan Elliott threw for two more to help North Carolina (1-2, 1-0) claim a 38-35 victory over Pittsburgh (2-2, 1-1) in the Tar Heels’ Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Chapel Hill, N.C.

— Freshman Anthony McFarland ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns, Tre Watson returned an interception for a score and Maryland (3-1, 1-0 ACC) breezed to a 42-13 victory over previously undefeated Minnesota (3-1, 0-1) at College Park, Md.

— Hunter Thedford caught a two-point conversion pass in the first overtime on a play that led to several minutes of discussion by officials and a review before it was held up, and Southern Methodist (1-3, 1-0 AAC) took a 31-30 win over Navy (2-2, 1-1) in Dallas for its first win over the Midshipmen in 20 years and first victory of the season.

— Jordan Ta’amu threw for 442 yards, two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead Mississippi (3-1) over Kent State 38-17 (1-3). Ole Miss had some good moments, especially in the second half, but struggled to shake the malaise from last week’s 62-7 loss to No. 1 Alabama. The game was tied at 7 at halftime.

—Tyree Jackson threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns and Buffalo (4-0) used its big-play offense to remain unbeaten and roll over reeling Rutgers (1-3) 42-13. The win was the first for the Bulls over a Big Ten Conference opponent and pushed their record to 4-0, their best start since 1981.

— Deondre Francois throws for a season-high 352 yards and a pair of touchdown passes as Florida State (2-2) defeats Northern Illinois (1-3). The junior quarterback had his seventh career 300-yard passing day.

—Eric Dungey scored three touchdowns and threw for another, all in the first half, and Syracuse (4-0) continued its early season success with a 51-21 victory over former Big East rival Connecticut (1-3). Syracuse has won its first four games for the first time since 1991 and only the fourth time since the end of World War II.

—Feleipe Franks threw touchdown passes to three different receivers and ran for a fourth score Saturday as Florida (3-1) capitalized on six Tennessee (2-2) turnovers in a 47-21 rout of the Volunteers. Four of Tennessee’s turnovers led to 24 points for Florida. Tennessee also gave up a safety and cost itself a touchdown by fumbling a ball out of the end zone.

Other Scores:

at No. 1 Alabama 45, Texas A&M 23

No. 7 Stanford 38, at No. 20 Oregon 31, OT

at No. 10 Washington 27, Arizona State 20

Arizona 35, at Oregon State 14

at Appalachian State 72, Gardner-Webb 7

at Arkansas State 27, Nevada Las Vegas 20

at Baylor 26, Kansas 7

at Cincinnati 34, Ohio 30

Coastal Carolina 30, at Louisiana Lafayette 28

at Duke 55, North Carolina Central 13

at Houston 70, Texas Southern 14