College football: Toledo upsets No. 18 Arkansas; LSU tops Mississippi State

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Former Alabama reserve quarterback Phillip Ely threw for 237 yards and the Toledo defense rattled No. 18 Arkansas into a number of mistakes in a 16-12 upset on Saturday.

Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen threw his first interception since last Nov. 1 — after 134 attempts. He misfired on two passes from the Toledo 16 in the final six seconds.

Deep in their own territory, the Rockets gave up a safety with 52 seconds left that cut their lead to 4 points. Arkansas received the free kick, then drove from its 32 to the Rockets’ 16 with no timeouts before Allen’s throws sailed away.

No. 14 LSU 21, No. 25 Mississippi State 19

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Leonard Fournette ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns, and LSU won when Mississippi State’s Devon Bell missed a 52-yard field goal as time expired.

Fournette’s hard running was the highlight of a bruising Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound sophomore had several good moments, including an impressive 26-yard dash to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

LSU had a 21-6 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Mississippi State’s offense shook off an ugly first half to score two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

The last featured six straight pass completions for Dak Prescott, capped by a 5-yard touchdown throw to De’Runnya Wilson to pull the Bulldogs to 21-19 with 4 minutes remaining, but the 2-point conversion to tie failed. LSU (1-0, 1-0 SEC) beat Mississippi State (1-1, 0-1) for the 15th time in 16 seasons.

No. 1 Ohio State 38, Hawaii 0

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ezekiel Elliott scored three touchdowns on short runs as No. 1 Ohio State started slowly but scored a flurry of points late in a 38-0 win over Hawaii on Saturday.

Elliott score on 1- and 3-yard runs in the first half, and added a 1-yard score with about nine minutes left for a 24-0 lead.

The Buckeyes (2-0) add two more touchdowns, with safety Vonn Bell scooped up a fumble and ran 14 yards less than two minutes later and Bri’onte Dunn then ran for another score.

Cardale Jones made his first start at quarterback at Ohio Stadium, and passed for 100 yards. He fumbled twice, but recovered each one. J.T. Barrett replaced him for the final three series of the second, but Jones returned to start the third quarter.

Quarterback Max Wittek of Hawaii (1-1) threw for 67 yards and had two interceptions. Rainbow Warriors running back Paul Harris, a Columbus native, ran for 46 yards on 14 carries.

No. 2 Alabama 37, Middle Tennessee 10

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Jake Coker passed for 214 yards in the first half and Derrick Henry ran for three touchdowns to lead Alabama to the win.

The Crimson Tide (2-0) started slowly against the five-touchdown underdogs minutes after rival No. 6 Auburn eked out an overtime win over FCS team Jacksonville State. There was no such scare at Bryant-Denny Stadium, though.

Coker started for the second straight game and gave no indication he’s going to yield the job to Cooper Bateman, who played the second half against the Blue Raiders (1-1). Coker was 15 of 26 passing with a touchdown but also was intercepted after throwing into double coverage downfield.

Henry has three TDs in each of Alabama’s first two games and gained 96 yards. Backfield mate Kenyan Drake set up one TD with a 69-yard catch and run and scored on a 14-yard pass from Bateman.

No. 3 TCU 70, Stephen F. Austin 7

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Trevone Boykin threw for 285 yards and four touchdowns in a little more than a half, Aaron Green ran for two scores as Texas Christian beat lower-division Stephen F. Austin.

The Horned Frogs (2-0) won their 14th straight home opener under Gary Patterson since losing to Northwestern State of the FCS in his Amon Carter Stadium debut as head coach in 2001.

The Lumberjacks (0-2), facing the highest-ranked opponent in school history, dropped to 0-9 against Big 12 teams.

Kolby Listenbee had six catches for 142 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown that was one of five scores in span of about 10 minutes after Stephen F. Austin passed on a chance to get the game’s first points and came up short on fourth-and-goal from the TCU 10 in the first quarter.

No. 4 Baylor 66, Lamar 31

WACO, Texas -- Corey Coleman had a Baylor-record four touchdown catches, and the Bears had 785 total yards in their victory over FCS team Lamar.

Seth Russell completed 23 of 34 passes for 342 yards with the four scores. Coleman had six catches for 182 yards.

Shock Linwood added 130 yards rushing and three TDs to help Baylor (2-0) win its 17th consecutive home game, matching second-ranked Alabama for the longest current streak.

Russell threw an interception on a play when there appeared to be a miscommunication with Coleman, setting up Lamar (1-1) at the Baylor 19.

No. 6 Auburn 27, Jacksonville State 20

AUBURN, Ala. -- Peyton Barber ran 4 yards for a touchdown on No. 6 Auburn’s first possession in overtime and the Tigers dodged a major upset with the win over FCS power Jacksonville State.

Melvin Ray’s leaping 10-yard catch in the right corner of the end zone with less than 1 minute remaining in regulation saved Auburn (2-0) from a stunning loss that would have been among the biggest upsets in college football.

Troymaine Pope’s 5-yard touchdown run with less than 6 minutes remaining gave Jacksonville State a 20-13 lead.

Jacksonville State (1-1) was denied its bid to become the first Football Championship Subdivision team to beat a ranked FBS team since Aug. 31, 2013, when Eastern Washington beat No. 25 Oregon State 49-46.

No. 10 Georgia 31, Vanderbilt 14

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nick Chubb ran for 189 yards, Isaiah McKenzie returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown for Georgia in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Sony Michel had a 31-yard touchdown run and the Bulldogs (2-0) shook off a sluggish start that included linebacker Lorenzo Carter’s ejection for targeting and a shanked field goal.

Jordan Jenkins had two of Georgia’s three sacks, and the Bulldogs intercepted three passes, with Dominick Sanders returning the third 88 yards for the final touchdown.

Chubb and the Bulldogs’ defense helped Georgia overcome a shaky performance by its quarterbacks. Greyson Lambert didn’t complete a pass in the first half, though he finished with 116 yards.

Vanderbilt (0-2) pulled to 24-14 and recovered an onside kick with 4:30 left, but Jake Ganus intercepted Johnny McCrary’s pass in the end zone.

No. 11 Florida State 34, South Florida 14

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Dalvin Cook rushed for 266 yards in 30 carries and three touchdowns as the Seminoles had their second-best rushing game in school history and the first 200-yard game by a Florida State back since Sammie Smith had 212 yards against Tulane in 1988.

Greg Allen has the school record with 322 yards against Western Carolina in 1981.

Cook’s 74-yard touchdown in the first quarter started the scoring and might be one of the plays of the weekend in college football. He found an opening on the right side of the line, gained speed toward the middle of the field, where he juked past USF’s Jamie Byrd and then bounced off Tajee Fulwood at the Bulls’ 27 before racing along the left sideline for the score.

With the score tied 7-all at halftime, Cook put the Seminoles (2-0) ahead for good with a 24-yard touchdown run along the right sideline. It was also the sophomore’s fifth straight 100-yard game, which is one off the school record. He then added a 37-yard score late in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.

Florida State scored on all five of its second-half drives to put the game away.

No. 12 Clemson 41, Appalachian State 10

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Deshaun Watson threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in Clemson’s his first game without injured all-ACC receiver Mike Williams to lead the Tigers to the victory.

Watson and the offense looked tentative at the start with 1,000-yard receiver Williams in a neck brace, out indefinitely with a fractured bone.

Watson threw his first interception and Clemson managed only a field goal in its first four drivers. But Watson found his stride and perhaps a new favorite target in Charone Peake, a fifth-year senior who caught scoring passes of 24 and 59 yards.

Clemson (2-0) led 31-0 at halftime.

Watson hit Artavis Scott with a 41-yard TD pass in the third quarter.

No. 15 Georgia Tech 65, Tulane 10

ATLANTA -- Justin Thomas passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Yellow Jackets to a win over lowly Tulane.

Thomas got a chance to shine after playing only the first quarter in a 69-6 win over Alcorn State to open the season. He threw a 17-yard scoring pass to Qua Searcy late in the first half, and then hooked up with Micheal Summers on a 30-yarder midway through the third quarter. The junior quarterback also scored on a 4-yard run.

Thomas went to the bench late in the third quarter with the Yellow Jackets (2-0) leading 44-7.

Tulane (0-2) has been outscored 102-17 this season. The Green Wave were especially bad on special teams, getting a punt blocked to set up a short touchdown drive for Georgia Tech, and then snapping it over the punter’s head for a safety.

No. 16 Texas A&M 56, Ball State 23

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Kyle Allen threw for 126 yards and three touchdowns in the first half and Texas A&M rolled past Ball State.

It was the perfect party to celebrate the first game after a $485 million redevelopment of Kyle Field that increased its capacity to 102,733, making it the largest stadium in the Southeastern Conference and No. 4 in the nation.

A field goal by the Cardinals (1-1) on their first drive cut the lead four. The Aggies (2-0) then reeled off 42 straight points, helped by a defensive score, to make it 49-3 at halftime.

Kyler Murray took over for Allen with about 2 minutes left in the first half and threw his first career touchdown pass for 10 yards to Christian Kirk to cap the first-half scoring.

No. 17 Mississippi 73, Fresno State 21

OXFORD, Miss. -- Chad Kelly threw for 346 yards and four touchdowns and Quincy Adeboyejo caught three touchdown passes to lead Ole Miss.

Kelly started his second straight game after winning what coach Hugh Freeze called a close quarterback race during preseason camp against Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade.

He was sharp from the outset, leading the Rebels to a 28-0 lead after one quarter. He completed 20 of 25 passes during the game.

Ole Miss had two interceptions in the third quarter that ended any hope of a Fresno State comeback. Trae Elston’s was returned for a 38-yard touchdown, which was his second straight game with an interception return for a score.

Ole Miss finished with 607 total yards.

Fresno State’s Chason Virgil completed 12 of 18 passes for 140 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Marteze Waller ran for 91 yards.

BYU 35, No. 20 Boise State 24

PROVO, Utah -- Freshman Tanner Mangum threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Juergens with 45 seconds left to give BYU another last-second, come-from-behind victory.

BYU (2-0) trailed for most of the game. Mangum was far from perfect, completing 17 of 28 passes for 309 yards and throwing two interceptions. He was making the first start of his career after completing a Hail Mary to beat Nebraska last week.

Boise State’s Ryan Finley threw for 297 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Running back Jeremy McNichols finished with 95 total yards and two touchdowns for the Broncos (1-1).

No. 21 Missouri 27, Arkansas State 20

JONESBORO, Ark. -- Maty Mauk threw three touchdown passes and Missouri extended its road winning streak to 11 games, rallying in the second half to beat Arkansas State.

The Tigers (2-0) haven’t lost on the road since a 59-29 loss at Texas A&M on Nov. 24, 2012.

Mauk accounted for 223 total yards for Missouri, which trailed 17-10 at halftime before holding the Red Wolves (0-2) to 37 yards of offense in the second half. Nate Robinson, Sean Culkin and Wesley Leftwich caught touchdown passes for the Tigers.

Fredi Knighten threw a pair of touchdown passes for Arkansas State (0-2) before leaving with a leg injury in the third quarter.

Wisconsin 58, Miami of Ohio 0

MADISON, Wis. -- Joel Stave threw for 236 yards and three scores, and Wisconsin’s dominating defense had three interceptions in Paul Chryst’s home debut as head coach.

Rob Wheelwright had two touchdown catches for Wisconsin (1-1), and Dare Ogunbowale had 112 yards rushing and a touchdown in place injured starter Corey Clement.

He wasn’t needed against the overmatched RedHawks (1-1).

Stave was 19 of 30 before leaving in the third quarter with Wisconsin leading 44-0.

Playing receiver and safety, Tanner McEvoy became the first Badger to record a catch and interception in the same game since 2003. McEvoy’s 41-yard interception return set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Taiwan Deal for a 27-point lead with 6:32 left in the second quarter.

Miami played Drew Kummer and Billy Bahl at quarterback. The ineffective duo combined to go 13 of 34 for 160 yards.

Penn State 27, Buffalo 14

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State recovered from a sluggish start to outlast Buffalo through heavy rain at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

True freshmen Brandon Polk and Saquon Barkley each ran for touchdowns for Penn State (1-1) Christian Hackenberg completed 14 of 27 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown and Joey Julius kicked a pair of field goals in the 27-14 win.

Buffalo quarterback Joe Licata tossed touchdown passes to Ron Willoughby and Marcus McGill. But the Bulls struggled to move the ball into the red zone for most of the afternoon. Buffalo (1-1) punted nine times, turned the ball over on downs once and Licata was intercepted by defensive end Carl Nassib in the second quarter.

Bowling Green 48, Maryland 27

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Matt Johnson threw for a career-high six touchdowns, including two to Roger Lewis, to lead Bowling Green to the road win.

Johnson also connected with Robbie Rhodes, Ryan Burbink, Derek Lee and Gehrig Dieter while throwing for 491 yards to best another career high set last week at Tennessee. Lewis’ 200 receiving yards also marked a career high.

Travis Greene added a rushing touchdown for the Falcons (1-1), who won their first road game against a Power Five conference school since 2008 and their second overall against a Big Ten foe in as many seasons.

Connecticut 22, Army 17

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- UConn quarterback Bryant Shirreffs threw for 270 yards and the Huskies got touchdown runs from Arkeel Newsome and Ron Johnson to beat Army.

The win give’s UConn its first 2-0 start since 2008 and drops the Black Knights to 0-2 for the first time since 2012.

Army’s Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 129 yards, including a 56-yard first-half touchdown. His backup, A.J. Schurr, threw a 71-yard touchdown to Joe Walker in the fourth quarter to make the game close.

But safety Andrew Adams intercepted a pass with 2:21 left and the Huskies ran the clock out.

UConn receiver Noel Thomas caught four balls for 83 yards and kicker Bobby Puyol hit three field goals.

UConn was just 2-10 last year, including a 35-21 setback to Army at Yankee Stadium in which the Huskies gave up 330 yards on the ground. Army rushed for 180 yards on Saturday.

Houston 34, Louisville 31

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Greg Ward Jr. threw for three touchdowns, including a 15-yarder to Demarcus Ayers with 3:09 remaining to rally Houston to the road win.

Ward earlier hit Linell Bonner for a 22-yard TD during a wild fourth quarter that began tied 17-all before the teams erupted for 31 combined points. The Cougars ultimately got the final word in the back-and-forth contest thanks to their mobile junior QB and special teams, which partially blocked John Wallace’s 53-yard field goal attempt with 54 seconds remaining to seal the signature win for first-year coach Tom Herman.

Houston (2-0) outgained Louisville, 462-395, and recorded four turnovers and broke a three-game losing streak to the Cardinals (0-2). Brandon Wilson also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Ward combined for 334 yards on offense, completing 23 of 33 attempts for 236 yards with one interception. He also carried 21 times for 98 yards.

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