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Texas & Big 12 Capsules: Newton's 3 TDs lead No. 5 Texas over Rice 34-17
HOUSTON (AP) — Mack Brown insisted this offseason that with Colt McCoy gone, No. 5 Texas would re-establish a running game that had gone stale as the Longhorns leaned on their star quarterback in recent years.
At least for the first game of the post-Colt era, the Longhorns' coach showed he was serious.
Tre' Newton ran for three touchdowns and Texas ran twice as much as it passed in Garrett Gilbert's first games as starting quarterback, a 34-17 victory against Rice on Saturday.
Gilbert, who threw four interceptions filling in for McCoy in the loss to Alabama in the BCS title game, didn't turn the ball over in this one. Still, his day didn't go as smoothly as Longhorns fans had hoped.
He finished 14 of 23 for 172 yards. Texas ran 46 times for 197 yards.
Texas was stopped on fourth-and-goal down at the 1 on its first drive and settled for a 51-yard field goal on the second. Gilbert bounced a few passes, but showed pinpoint accuracy on others, including a 47-yard throw to Malcolm Williams in the third quarter.
Brown got a bit snappy when asked if he'd rather run than pass though.
"I am at a point where I would rather win," he said. "I don't care. I really don't. I liked Colt McCoy completing 80 percent of his passes. Some people didn't. It really bothered them. (They) got emotional, got counseling. I liked it. I liked Garrett completing a bunch of passes tonight."
Texas finally got going on its first full drive of the second quarter taking a 10-3 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Newton. He ran up the middle and just out of reach of the outstretched arms of two Rice defenders for that score.
That drive was fueled by a 22-yard catch and run by Marquise Goodwin, a play where the Longhorns finally seemed to find a rhythm. The Longhorns gained just 53 yards in the first quarter, but piled up 69 on their first touchdown drive.
"I think there is a lot of things we need to work on, but it is something we can build upon," Gilbert said.
The defense got involved after Newton's first score, with Sam Acho sacking Rice freshman Taylor McHargue and causing a fumble. Keenan Robinson scooped it up and returned it for a 10-yard touchdown and Texas had turned a 3-3 tie into a 17-3 lead in less than two minutes.
"There will be an upset today when we start looking at scores from other games across the country, and that scares you to death," Brown said. "You're excited to win the opener, and I told the players they ought to be real proud to be 1-0, but there are a lot of things that we can work on."
Newton, who finished with 61 yards, also had a 2-yard score in the second quarter and a second 1-yard TD in the third.
"There is probably a lot (to work on), but the coaches will let us know tomorrow," Newton said. "We'll get to see the mistakes that we made today. We'll learn from them and we'll move on."
Newton lost the starting job to Cody Johnson, but still got plenty of carries. The 250-pound Johnson had trouble early. The Longhorns had a first down at the Rice 4 in the first quarter. Johnson gained a yard on first down and two on second before being stuffed on third and losing four yards on fourth down.
Johnson had 15 carries for 59 yards and Fozzy Whittaker added 51 yards rushing.
"I thought the running game was good, but I didn't like the short yardage and the two times we didn't make it," Brown said. "But we were physical, and we used three backs that all made yards."
Rice's first touchdown came on a fluke play. McHargue's pass bounced off the hands of Vance McDonald and right into the arms of Randy Kitchens. Kitchens had a step on Christian Scott, but Scott grabbed his leg and hung on as Kitchens dragged him to the goal line for the 47-yard score which made it 24-10 just before halftime.
"You get lucky every now and then," McHargue said. "Really that's it."
Rice coach David Bailiff was pleased with McHargue's debut.
"He did some great things and he did some freshman quarterback things," Bailiff said. "He's got four more years to continue to grow and we really think he's going to be something special."
Rice's Sam McGuffie had 14 carries for 47 yards in his Rice debut after sitting out for a year after transferring from Michigan. McHargue was 6 of 11 for 90 yards and an interception.
"Overall this is a game that we can look at and build on and improve," Bailiff said.
Texas opened away from home for the first time since 1995 at Hawaii. But this could hardly be called an away game with the overwhelming majority of the crowd of 70,445 at Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans, clad in burnt orange and rooting for the Longhorns.
McCoy's younger brother Case McCoy took over at quarterback with about six minutes remaining. He attempted one pass.
Michael rushes for 105 yards in A&M’s 48-7 win
COLLEGE STATION (AP) — The new catch phrase for the Texas A&M defense is "fanatical," and the Aggies played that way in their season opener.
Christine Michael rushed for 105 yards and A&M's defense showed obvious improvement from last season in the Aggies' 48-7 victory Saturday night over lower-division Stephen F. Austin.
A&M ranked near the bottom nationally in nearly every defensive category last season, a far cry from the glory days of the "Wrecking Crew" units from the 1980s and '90s. Tim DeRuyter replaced the retired Joe Kines as defensive coordinator in the offseason, and the Aggies have switched to a 3-4 alignment.
So far, so good. A&M's defense held Stephen F. Austin to 266 yards and 13 first downs, swarming to ball carriers and playing with the kind of energy that DeRuyter and Coach Mike Sherman have been preaching at practice.
"We talk about having fanatical effort, and I thought, at times, I saw really great effort," Sherman said. "It was nice to see, but we have a ways to go. We talked about getting 11 guys to the football, and I thought we had that for the most part."
The Aggies held the Lumberjacks to 31 yards rushing.
"We talk to our players about what it takes to have a championship-type defense — takeaways, play physical, play with fanatical effort," DeRuyter said. "I thought we tackled well and we got some stops. Overall, I think we played OK."
A&M senior quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who set eight school records in 2009, completed 28 of 40 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson was off-target on some deep throws, but it hardly mattered in this one.
The Aggies finished with 539 yards — 192 coming on 55 rushes.
"I really wanted to get the running game going," Sherman said. "We probably sacrificed some things just to put the emphasis on the run game."
Jeremy Moses, Stephen F. Austin's all-time leading passer, went 19-of-37 for 171 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Lumberjacks led the FCS in passing yards (343 per game) in 2009.
"I don't see where their weakness is defensively," SFA coach J.C. Harper said. "We're not going to see a better defense this year."
A&M's offense sputtered early, and Sherman turned to the ground game late in the first quarter to get it moving. Michael carried five times for 47 yards on a 10-play drive, finishing it with a 15-yard touchdown run up the middle.
A&M converted its first third down with 10 minutes left in the half, and on the next play, Johnson hit Ryan Swope for a 15-yard gain to the Lumberjacks' 23. The drive stalled, and Randy Bullock kicked a 32-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.
On the next play from scrimmage, A&M cornerback Dustin Harris intercepted a Moses pass and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown. It was A&M's first interception return for a score since 2008.
Stephen F. Austin converted a fourth-and-8 from the A&M 37 on its next series, and Moses threaded a 21-yard TD pass to Cordell Roberson with 4:24 left before halftime to pull within 17-7.
Bullock kicked a 27-yard field goal in the last minute to extend the lead to 20-7. The Aggies felt like they should've led by more.
"At one point, we looked up and saw that we had almost 300 yards of offense and only one touchdown," Johnson said. "There are a lot of things we can work on."
The Aggies marched 69 yards in 15 plays on their initial drive of the second half, and Johnson scored on a 1-yard run. SFA freshman Malcolm Mattox fumbled the ensuing kickoff, the Aggies recovered and Johnson threw a 7-yard TD pass to Jeff Fuller with 6:52 left in the third quarter.
Later in the quarter, Michael took a shovel pass from Johnson and ran 46 yards to the SFA 4. He scored on the next play for a 41-7 lead.
Johnson threw another short TD pass to Fuller in the fourth quarter. Fuller has 18 career TD receptions, one shy of the school record set by Bob Long between 1966-68.
Both teams used mostly reserve players for the final 10 minutes.
The schools, separated by only 120 miles, were playing for the first time since 1935. The announced crowd of 81,287 was a Kyle Field record for a season opener.
A&M senior Von Miller, who led the nation in sacks last season, sprained his ankle and did not play in the second half. Sherman was hopeful that Miller would recover in time for next week's game against Louisiana Tech.
-- Chris Duncan
Dalton leads No. 6 TCU to 30-21 win over Oregon St
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The TCU Horned Frogs realize they likely will have to be perfect again in the regular season for the chance at a BCS do-over.
The sixth-ranked Horned Frogs didn't slip up in a difficult season-opening test, despite a less-than-perfect performance.
Andy Dalton ran for two touchdowns and threw for another score, making up two interceptions and leading TCU to a 30-21 victory Saturday night over No. 24 Oregon State, which just missed making it to the Rose Bowl last season.
"We just beat the a 24th-ranked team that I think should be ranked higher. I think it was a pretty good game. That's how I judge quarterbacks," coach Gary Patterson said. "A game like this, it didn't have to be style points."
Eight months after Dalton threw three interceptions in a Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State that soured the Horned Frogs' breakthrough season, he scored on a 4-yard keeper at the end of the third quarter to put TCU ahead for good.
"I didn't play the way I'm capable of playing," Dalton said. "That is unacceptable on my part."
The fourth-year starter has set some high standards.
Dalton hit 17 of 27 passes for 175 yards and ran 17 times for another 64 yards while becoming TCU's winningest quarterback. His 30th career victory snapped a tie with "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh, who had held the mark alone since the mid-1930s.
Dalton is also the winningest active FBS quarterback.
"He's very confident, crafty, and quick," Beavers coach Mike Riley said. "Quick decision-maker, impressive player with really a lot of quick weapons around him."
Ed Wesley ran for 134 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Jeremy Kerley caught six passes for 49 yards and a score, and set up a touchdown with an impressive punt return.
The loss spoiled the homecoming for brothers Jacquizz and James Rodgers. Both scored touchdowns for Oregon State in their first college game in their home state. They are from Richmond, about 4½ hours south in the Houston area.
"Those guys did a great job containing us, but we left a lot of plays out there today," said James Rodgers, who had four catches for 75 yards.
Jacquizz Rodgers, who ran 18 times for 75 yards, was the Texas AP high school player of the year in 2007, playing at Lamar Consolidated.
Dalton's interceptions came on the first TCU drive of each half, and both led to Beavers touchdowns.
Linebacker Dwight Roberson stepped in front of tight end Evan Frosch on a short third-down throw at the Beavers 13 in the second half — after the Frogs had held the ball for seven minutes. That led to Jacquizz Rodgers scoring from a yard out for a 21-all tie.
TCU then went 71 yards in 12 plays, the last Dalton's 4-yard run.
"I didn't let those (interceptions) affect me," Dalton said. "I knew I had to come back and play well."
Dalton threw only five interceptions in the regular season a year ago. He now has five in his last two games.
Ryan Katz made his first start at quarterback for the Beavers and was 9 of 25 for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He also had to kick the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety with about 4 minutes left. The play also gave the ball back to TCU and pretty much ended any chance the Beavers had to come back.
Katz was calling an audible when the center snapped the ball over the quarterback's right shoulder.
"We should have stayed with the play," Katz said. "That was on me. It was just a bad check."
Kerley caught a 1-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14 midway through the second quarter, then set up another score before halftime when he took a low punt on the run and bolted 34 yards up the right sideline.
Wesley made it 21-14 on an 8-yard run in the final minute of the first half.
While not as gutsy as the fake punt Boise State used to set up the decisive score in the Fiesta Bowl against TCU, the Beavers used a little trickery of their own. On fourth-and-1 from its 43, Hekker took the deep snap and then threw a 23-yard pass to Jordan Poyer.
Katz threw a 34-yard TD on the next play to Jordan Bishop for a 14-7 lead.
Dalton was picked off by Lance Mitchell at the TCU 31 on TCU's opening drive and two plays later, Katz hit James Rodgers running open into the end zone for a 30-yard score.
Dalton quickly made up for his first turnover scrambling in from the 6 to tie it at 7.
"Andy is a really good leader. He doesn't let the play affect him," said defensive end Wayne Daniels, who had both of TCU's sacks. "He plays every play like it's a brand new play. Since he does it, we all do it."
-- Stephen Hawkins
Griffin leads Baylor past Sam Houston State 34-3
WACO (AP) — Robert Griffin was thrilled simply getting to run out of the tunnel instead of walk. Soon, his teammates and a huge gathering of Baylor fans were feeling even better.
Griffin threw a 68-yard touchdown pass on his second series, ran 30 yards for a touchdown on his next possession and led Baylor to a 34-3 victory over Sam Houston State on Saturday night in his first game since tearing a knee ligament early last season.
"I'm just happy to be back out there," Griffin said.
A freshman sensation in 2008, he played only 2½ games last season. He came back bigger and stronger, but also wearing a brace on his right knee.
He proved right away that his arm was fine, completing his first three passes and drilling the short pass that turned into the longest TD throw of his career. The big tests were running and taking his first hit.
Both came at the start of the third drive. He scrambled right for 15 yards, getting jerked down by his legs. He jumped right up, drawing a huge cheer. A few plays later, he scrambled left, saw an opening and zipped through the defense, holding up his right index finger as he crossed the goal line. He had another TD run in the fourth quarter called back because of a penalty.
"That shows everybody I still have the burst I used to have," Griffin said. "Running around felt good with people trying to take my head off. In practice, its like (they take it easy). In games, they're serious. They're really trying to destroy you."
Griffin stretched the lead in the second quarter. Two plays after freshman Tevin Reese narrowly missed a juggling touchdown catch, Griffin saw Terrance Williams break free toward the goal line and hit him for the easy score.
The Bears went up 28-0 when Jay Finley, who is coming back from offseason ankle surgery, ran 44 yards up the middle for a touchdown on the first play of the second half.
"We lost some of our mental toughness after that," coach Art Briles said.
Griffin went 19-of-36 for 242 yards, playing all but Baylor's final drive. He was sacked once and didn't have any turnovers. He also ran six times for a team-best 59 yards.
"I threw the ball well early, then tapered off," he said.
Sam Houston State — an FCS school breaking in a new coach and quarterback, and with unproven running backs and receivers — hardly put up a challenge.
The Bearkats didn't break Baylor's 20-yard line until the fourth quarter, then had to settle for a 27-yard field goal. They gained just 195 yards.
"We are learning how to play hard," Sam Houston State coach Willie Fritz. "We are still not there yet, but we are learning how to do it and we are competing on every single play."
Baylor's defense enjoyed a first-half shutout for the first time since 2006. Sam Houston's only points came with 10:35 left.
"The D-line up front was getting such a push, a lot of time I came to the ball and it was behind the line of scrimmage," Bears linebacker Elliot Coffey said.
The Bears are hoping Griffin's return and a soft schedule will end a 15-year bowl drought, which matches Duke for the longest among schools in BCS conferences. Anticipation was so high that this game drew a crowd of 42,821, the third-largest for an opener in school history.
The crowd also got to applaud the men's basketball team, which came on the field during a second-quarter break to receive rings for reaching the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament this past season. The group included Ekpe Udoh, the sixth overall pick in the NBA draft.
"It was an outstanding crowd, the way college football is supposed to be," Briles said. "It made our players feel responsible, to a certain extent. We had a lot of people pulling for us, loving us. We need to return the favor."
-- Jamie Aron
Tuberville’s Texas Tech to debut vs. improving SMU
LUBBOCK (AP) — June Jones knows the order is a tall one for his improving SMU squad.
The Mustangs will open the season Sunday in Lubbock as the first opponent for new Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville, who vowed when he took over in January not to dismantle the Red Raiders’ dizzyingly successful aerial attack.
Facing a coach — and a program — eager for a win in the post-Mike Leach era, SMU also faces some daunting history. Texas Tech has won the past 13 meetings between the two former Southwest Conference rivals dating to 1989.
Jones, who in his second season last year led SMU to the most wins (8-5) since 1984, said the Mustangs will need to be sharp. After going 1-11 in Jones’ first year, SMU’s seven-win improvement was the largest for any team in Division I last season.
“We feel like we have to go in there and play our best football game to win,” Jones said. “We have our hands full, obviously. I think they are a very talented team.”
Tuberville is hoping so — particularly on defense, long maligned and a stepchild to Leach’s passing offense that had most of his quarterbacks leading the nation in passing. Linebacker Bront Bird said the Tech defense is more complicated then in previous years.
“In the past, a lot of guys were satisfied knowing what they were supposed to do, but you are a better player when you understand the whole scheme of what everyone is doing, as far as coverages,” Bird said.
Jones thinks Texas Tech’s offense, behind starting quarterback Taylor Potts, will run more.
“But that doesn’t mean they’re not going to throw it 60 times a game,” Jones said. “It’s not going to be just like Mike Leach’s offense.”
It’s Texas Tech’s first game in Lubbock since 1999 without Leach on the sideline. University officials fired Leach Dec. 30, two days after suspending him amid allegations he mistreated a receiver with a concussion. Leach has denied he mistreated the player and has a lawsuit pending against the school.
Tuberville, who is beginning his 15th year as head coach after stints at Auburn and Mississippi, said he thinks the game will answer many questions.
“I wanted everyone to see what this program is about,” he said. “We are still here and we are going to be able to throw the football, run it and play defense and play special teams.”
Is he nervous about the game?
“I’m more nervous for the players and what they’re doing and if they can get it done,” Tuberville said. We’ll go into this game knowing we’ve pretty much done everything we can. We’ll be a little nervous about execution and how we handle certain situations.”
SMU will rely on quarterback Kyle Padron, who took over at midseason as a freshman last year and went 5-1 as a starter, throwing for a school-record 460 yards and two touchdowns in the 45-10 win over Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. That game ended a 25-year bowl drought for the program that took years to rebound from the NCAA’s so-called death penalty.
“I think his best football is ahead of him, certainly,” Jones said of Padron. “We just have to keep getting good around him. I think we have a guy that can take us to the promised land.”
A seasoned offensive line will be protecting him, and Tuberville said a strong pass rush will be “huge” for the Red Raiders defense.
“First we have to stop the run,” he said. “The quarterback is a young guy, who has had some success. He’s a pretty seasoned veteran but hopefully we can give him some problems.”
He doesn’t expect much different from Jones, who last week got a contract extension expected to keep him at the school through the 2014 season.
“He’s coached in pro and college and he’s does the same things,” Tuberville said. “He hasn’t done anything different. We’ll be able to prepare on what he has done.”
In two weeks, Texas Tech hosts No. 5 Texas — a huge Big 12 test for Tuberville, who said he won’t hold back anything this week for that game.
“You’ll see it all (Sunday). You need to run things to see if you can execute,” he said. “We’ll always add one or two things. I think we have a good game plan.”
-- Betsy Blaney
Running duo leads Clemson past North Texas 35-10
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — There's a new storm at Clemson — and plenty of life left in the Tigers' backfield with former star C.J. Spiller off to the NFL.
Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper each scored twice and rushed for over 100 yards in a 35-10 victory over North Texas on Saturday in the Tigers first game without last season's ACC player of the year.
Ellington had 122 yards and Harper 102 yards, the first time that's happened for Clemson since James Davis and Spiller, the "Thunder and Lightning" duo, accomplished it against Maryland in 2007.
"Learned a lot from those guys, C.J. and James," Harper said. "We're just trying to come out there with a 'New Storm' and show everybody."
If Ellington and Harper look like this each game, get ready for more turbulance in Tiger Town.
Ellington got things started with a 60-yard TD run on Clemson's second snap for a 7-0 lead 16 seconds into the game. Harper close the half with a 17-yard burst to set up his 8-yard touchdown catch a play later and give the Tigers a 21-7 lead at the break.
"We were ready to execute the way were supposed to and that's what we did," Ellington said.
The two kept things up in the second half. Ellington had a 14-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Harper added a 49-yard run and finished the Tigers scoring with his scoring burst from 3 yards out.
Many wondered if Ellington and Harper were up to filling Spiller's enormous cleats. He rushed for 1,212 yards and accounted for 21 of Clemson's 54 touchdowns as they won the ACC's Atlantic Division. The new co-starters showed they know how to gain yards, too.
"Our guys have the mentality that if we run the football, something positive is going to happen," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
For much of the first half, it was North Texas runner Lance Dunbar who looked the most like Spiller and the Mean Green offense that was in control.
Dunbar wracked up 96 yards by half. North Texas outgained the Tigers and had the ball more than three times as much.
"I thought Lance did a fabulous job of making some really tough yards. I thought out offensive line played with a tremendous amount of heart and guts," North Texas coach Todd Dodge said. "It probably wasn't pretty at times, but they were facing a pretty good-looking bunch."
And Clemson's defense did indeed tighten up when it counted most. It had five sacks and got two interceptions.
Tiger defensive coordinator Kevin Steele was not pleased with his group. "The bottom line is there's a scoreboard at the end of the field and it says 35-10 and in this business you ought to be grateful for that," he said. "Can we fix what the deal is? Absolutely."
Tiger quarterback Kyle Parker added two touchdowns passes, including a 70-yarder to Brandon Clear.
For much of the first half after Ellington's quick score, the biggest reason to cheer for the 75,000 at Memorial Stadium was Dawson Zimmerman's 79-yard punt, the second longest in school history.
Parker's long bomb to a wide-open Clear put Clemson ahead 14-0. After North Texas' only TD on a 13-yard reception by Darius Carey — he drew a celebration penalty for pumping his fist at the dozen or so Mean Green fans in that end zone — Clemson bounced back with Harper's first score.
North Texas of the Sun Belt Conference appeared to wear out in the second half as Clemson took control.
"I feel good — not real good — but good about how our players battled," Dodge said.
-- Pete Iocobelli
Keenum throws 5 TDs in 68-28 rout for Houston
HOUSTON (AP) — Case Keenum completed 17 of 22 passes for 274 yards and five touchdowns to lead Houston to a 68-28 rout of Texas State Saturday in front of the largest crowd to watch a game at Robertson Stadium, 32,119.
Keenum only played the first half, but had touchdown passes of 40 yards to Michael Hayes, 63 yards to Patrick Edwards, 25 and 21 yards to Kierrie Johnson and 17 yards to James Cleveland as Houston built a 54-7 halftime lead.
Keenum, who also had two interceptions, set career school records for completions (1,098) and yards passing (13,179) in the win — breaking the marks held by current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb.
Bryce Beall rushed five times for 48 yards and two touchdowns in the first half for the Cougars, who extended their home winning streak to a school-record 16 games and finished with 499 yards of offense.
Edwards finished with four catches for 80 yards; Cleveland also had four catches for 45 yards; and Johnson had three grabs for 61 yards. All three only played the first half.
Texas State quarterback Tyler Arndt was 14-of-22 passing for 153 yards and a touchdown, and added two touchdown runs. Karrington Bush and Dexter Imade both had 73 yards rushing for the Bobcats.
Texas State cut the lead to 13-7 on a 14-yard TD run by Arndt that capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with 4:26 left in the first half. But Houston responded with 55 unanswered points before Arndt found Eric Gentry for a 2-yard score in the third.
Banyard, Frazier lead UTEP to 31-10 victory
EL PASO (AP) — Joe Banyard and Vernon Frazier combined for 183 yards rushing and four touchdowns Saturday, leading UTEP to a 31-10 season-opening victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Banyard finished with 94 yards and a pair of scores on 19 carries, while Frazier had 89 yards and two TDs on just six carries.
UTEP trailed 7-0 midway through the first quarter before Frazier scored from 33 yards out. Banyard added a 1-yard TD run in the second quarter to put the Miners up for good, 14-7.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff pulled within 14-10 on Chris Ewald's 38-yard field goal at the end of the first half, but UTEP scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to put the game away.
Trevor Vittatoe completed 17 of 27 passes for 229 yards for UTEP.
Pine Bluff quarterback Josh Boudreaux was 20-of-32 for 202 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. Raymond Webber had 10 catches for 123 yards.
Bower helps McNeese State hold off Lamar 30-27
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Jacob Bower threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as McNeese State took a 30-27 win Saturday night over Lamar, which resumed its football program after a 21-year absence.
Bower, a transfer from Tulsa, completed 18 of 31 passes for 288 yards for the Cowboys, who are coming off a Southland Conference championship season. McNeese State freshman tailback Marcus Wiltz rushed for 182 yards.
The Cowboys, who lost three fumbles in the first half, led 16-10 at the break on a 2-yard run by Bower and three field goals from Josh Lewis.
Andre Bevil threw for 426 yard and three touchdowns for the Cardinals, including two scoring passes in the fourth quarter to keep Lamar close.
McNeese State held the Cardinals to only 20 yards on the ground on 16 carries
Lamar's last game before dropping its program was a 22-16 win over McNeese State on Nov. 18, 1989.
West Texas football player killed in accident
CANYON (AP) — West Texas A&M says one of its football player has died in a traffic accident.
The university said Saturday that Kendrick Cutsinger, a junior tight end, was killed Friday afternoon. Another student, Julio Rada-Moya, a Venezuelan, was critically injured. Rada-Moya was on the 2009 soccer team. The accident occurred in Llano County, in Central Texas.
Authorities reported that Cutsinger was driving along a two-lane highway toward Austin when he overcorrected on a big left-hand curve. Cutsinger's truck rolled, and both passengers were thrown from the vehicle. Neither was wearing a seat belt.
Cutsinger died at the scene, and Rada-Moya was taken to a hospital in Austin in critical condition. Cutsinger was from Austin and attended Westlake High.
Big 12
No. 7 Sooners squeak by Utah State 31-24
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Given a few extra moments to think about it, Bob Stoops made a pivotal decision about how best to stave off a surprising charge from Utah State.
Needing less than a yard to move the chains, he put the ball in DeMarco Murray's hands and went for it on a fourth down in his own territory.
Murray needed to dive and stretch the ball out in front of him as he headed toward the sideline, picking up the most crucial of his career-best 218 yards rushing and sending No. 7 Oklahoma to a 31-24 victory against the Aggies on Saturday night.
"I thought we could make a half a yard," Stoops said. "And I was almost wrong."
Two plays later, Murray went zooming down the left sideline for a 63-yard touchdown run — his second of the night — to extend the Sooners' lead to 28-17 midway through the third quarter. That was just enough to hold off Utah State and Diondre Borel, who shredded Oklahoma's inexperienced secondary for 341 yards and two touchdowns.
"No disrespect to Utah State, but they should have never been that close to us," said Murray, who also had a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. "We didn't help the defense out, going three-and-outs a couple times in a row, and offensively we should have put a lot more points out there.
"We're still young, we're still learning."
Oklahoma's Jamell Fleming secured the 800th win in the program's history by intercepting Borel's pass in the final 5 minutes, dragging his feet to stay inbounds near the sideline. The Sooners are only the seventh Division I school to reach that mark, joining a handful of powerhouses including Michigan, Texas and Notre Dame.
It certainly didn't come easy.
"As players, we thought we were at the top of the world, ranked seventh, all that," linebacker Travis Lewis said. "A Utah State team comes in here and they almost beat us. So, it's a great humbling experience as a team, as a defense and as players."
Utah State had lost 54-3 in Norman three years earlier and was paid $500,000 to come to Owen Field. The Aggies nearly got the biggest win in the history of the program to go along with that big payday. They have only one victory against a Top-25 team and they have never beaten a top-10 team.
"We came in and played our hearts out," said Aggies receiver Dontel Watkins, who had 91 yards receiving and a touchdown. "All summer long, coach told us, 'Don't put Oklahoma on a pedestal.'"
It was the second straight rough opener against a Utah-based team for Oklahoma, which started last season with a 14-13 loss to BYU in which 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was injured.
At least this one ended with a victory.
"Both sides of the ball, I thought we were inconsistent and I'm really not at all pleased with it in any way," Stoops said.
Oklahoma certainly can't feel comfortable with Christian Ponder and No. 20 Florida State coming to town next weekend. Ponder had four touchdown passes in a 59-6 rout of Samford, and he didn't even play in the second half.
The Sooners were still working hard after intermission.
After falling behind 21-0, the Aggies could have come back to tie it had receiver Eric Moats' touchdown pass on a fake field goal not been called back because of a penalty. Instead, they settled for Peter Caldwell's 40-yard field goal before Michael Smith's 4-yard TD run and Borel's 42-yard score to Watkins.
Murray, no longer sharing carries as he did in his first three seasons, rushed a career-high 35 times and was still out chewing up the clock after Fleming's pick with 4:12 to play.
"For the game to end the way it did, I'm kind of shocked, to be honest," Murray said.
Landry Jones, thrust into a relief role when Bradford was hurt in last year's opener, was regularly off-target and finished with 217 yards on 17-for-36 passing with two interceptions and two first-half touchdown passes to Ryan Broyles.
Jones said he rushed himself and didn't trust his protection enough — maybe
"I was a little off tonight. I didn't play very good," he said. "It's frustrating not playing the way you know you're capable of playing. I'll get better."
-- Jeff Latzke
Oklahoma State storms past Washington State 65-17
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Those who had forgotten about Kendall Hunter might recall the Oklahoma State running back after his outing Saturday night.
Hunter, a former All-American who missed much of last season with an ankle injury, rushed for 257 yards and four touchdowns out of Oklahoma State's new-look offense and the Cowboys beat Washington State 65-17.
Oklahoma State (1-0) hired offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen away from Houston during the off-season and Hunter thrived in Holgorsen's system, scoring on runs of 3, 9, 2 and 39 yards.
"I ain't never seen anything like that," Holgorsen said about Hunter's performance. "That was pretty special. This whole profession, the whole game, everything, is all about 'What have you done for me lately?' The guy was an All-American two years ago. There was a reason he was an All-American. ... Is he back to normal? It sure looks like it to me."
Brandon Weeden threw three touchdown passes for the Cowboys, all to Justin Blackmon and Blackmon also scored on a 7-yard blocked punt return. The Cowboys have won 15 straight home openers, the longest streak in school history.
Oklahoma State's point total was its highest since a 66-24 win over Baylor on Nov. 11, 2006.
Jeff Tuel completed 14 of 29 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown for Washington State (0-1).
Washington State went 3-22 the past two seasons and things began badly for the Cougars on Saturday as James Montgomery — making a return from a career-threatening leg injury he suffered last season — fumbled on the game's first play and Oklahoma State's Ugo Chinasa recovered at the Cougars' 20.
Two plays later, Hunter scored and Washington State never recovered, falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter.
"We're fragile enough and young enough we get in spells and things go against us and we didn't respond very well," Washington State coach Paul Wulff said. "I thought our kids played tight early for quite awhile. We just didn't play. I think we wanted to really bad and they really want to do great."
But the Cougars had no answer for Hunter. He was a third-team All-America pick after rushing for 1,555 yards as a sophomore, but the ankle injury limited him to eight games, two starts and 382 yards as a junior. By halftime Saturday, he had rushed for 208 yards, the first time an Oklahoma State back had passed the 200-yard mark in a half since Barry Sanders had 217 yards against Kansas during his Heisman Trophy season in 1988.
Weeden said at times, he caught himself watching Hunter when he should have been looking at coaches on the sideline.
"I told you guys, the kid is special," Weeden said. "He doesn't get much credit, which probably helped him even more tonight."
Among Oklahoma State running backs, only Sanders has rushed for more touchdowns in a game than Hunter did Saturday. Sanders had five rushing touchdowns three times in 1988, against Tulsa, Kansas and Wyoming. Hunter's 257 yards ranked 12th on Oklahoma State's single-game list. Sanders has five of the Cowboys' top six rushing efforts.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said there was talk on the sidelines that if Hunter — who left the game with 21 carries after one series in the third quarter — had kept playing, he could have threatened Sanders' school record of 332 yards.
Hunter also moved into eighth place on Oklahoma State's career rushing list.
"I just love to play football," Hunter said. "I forget all that other stuff."
Hunter's stellar outing eased the pressure on Weeden, a 26-year-old junior making his first start since the fall of 2001 as a high school senior. The former New York Yankees minor-league pitcher finished 22 of 30 for 218 yards before also exiting in the third quarter. His favorite target was Blackmon, who caught eight passes for 125 yards.
A 56-yard field goal by Nico Grasu — the sixth-longest in Washington State history — and a 48-yard touchdown pass from Tuel to Marquess Wilson pulled the Cougars within 17-10. But Oklahoma State quickly answered, with Weeden hitting Blackmon for a 42-yard touchdown.
Hunter's 66-yard run to the 1 set up a short scoring pass from Weeden to Blackmon and Hunter scored his third touchdown on the final play of the half to make it 38-10. He added a 39-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. Blackmon scored again on a 24-yard catch on Oklahoma State's next series, making it 51-10 and giving the Cowboys touchdowns on five straight possessions.
Wilson had four catches for 108 yards for Washington State, which was picked in the preseason to finish last in the Pacific-10 Conference. The loss was the Cougars' worst in a season opener since 1967, when they lost 49-0 to Southern California.
"We've got to have success," Wulff said. "We've got to have games where we come in and compete with somebody and we've got to start winning some games."
Oklahoma State now has won 19 of its last 20 games at Boone Pickens Stadium against nonconference opponents. The Cowboys are 5-0 all-time when opening the season against a Pac-10 team, with all of those wins since 1984.
-- Murray Evans
Martinez leads Huskers to 49-10 win over W. Ky
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Taylor Martinez's teammates call him "T-Magic," and now Nebraska fans know why.
Martinez ran for 127 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 136 yards in a sensational debut that led No. 8 Nebraska to a 49-10 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday night.
The redshirt freshman's performance featured elusive and tough running along with sudden bursts of speed, the likes of which Nebraska hasn't seen for a while from its quarterbacks. He also showed he could pass a little.
All in all, Martinez validated coach Bo Pelini's decision to elevate him over 2009 starter Zac Lee and last year's top backup, Cody Green.
"I think I'm ready for it," Martinez said.
The only redshirt or true freshman quarterback to start a season opener for Nebraska, Martinez became the first Husker signal-caller since 2003 to run for more than 100 yards in a game.
Martinez led Nebraska to touchdowns on his first two series and on four of his eight. Green led the Huskers to touchdowns on his two series. Lee, who entered in the middle of the fourth quarter, handed off twice on a short touchdown drive and then ran out the last four minutes.
Pelini said Martinez's body of work in preseason practices gave him the edge over Lee and Green.
"It was a really close race," Pelini said. "In the end he was the guy who won the job. It wasn't like one particular day or scrimmage."
Martinez ran only seven times and averaged 18.1 yards a carry. His TDs were from 46, 19 and 15 yards.
"He gets to top speed in a hurry," said receiver Niles Paul, who gave Martinez the "T-Magic" nickname. "He's surprisingly tough, and he can break tackles. He's a playmaker, and you saw it today."
Martinez overshadowed a Nebraska defense that Pelini called an "embarrassment" against a Western Kentucky team that was winless in 2009 and has lost 21 straight.
WKU's Bobby Rainey rushed 30 times for a career-high 155 yards and a TD against a unit that was ninth nationally against the run last season.
The Hilltoppers, who crossed midfield once in the first half — and then only because of a Nebraska penalty — dented the Huskers' defense in the second half, when they generated 219 of their 299 yards.
"I don't like anything we did defensively," Pelini said. "There were a couple of things we did OK, but we did not play up to our standard."
Casey Tinius kicked a 25-yard field goal and Rainey had a 5-yard touchdown run for WKU. Rainey almost had another touchdown, but DeJones Gomes stripped the ball just as he was about to cross the goal line to finish a 47-yard run. Eric Hagg recovered in the end zone for a touchback.
"That hurt from a momentum standpoint," said first-year WKU coach Willie Taggart. "You make a play like that and you get your guys fired up, then you fumble and just that quick 'Uncle Mo' jumps back on Nebraska's side."
Pelini kept the identity of his starting quarterback under wraps until about a half-hour before the game. That's when the Huskers' starters introduced themselves in a video on the big-screen scoreboard. The crowd roared when Martinez's face appeared.
"I got chills throughout my body," Martinez said. "I was glad the fans wanted me to start."
Since last spring Pelini and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson have raved about the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder's athleticism. Husker fans found out why on his first touchdown.
Martinez kept the ball on a zone read, squirted through the line, juked a linebacker and darted left, shifting into a higher gear while outrunning cornerback Kareem Peterson to the end zone for his 46-yard TD.
Martinez, who was 9 for 15 passing, hit Rex Burkhead in stride across the middle for a 28-yard gain to start the next series, which Burkhead finished with a 20-yard TD run.
The Huskers went three-and-out on Martinez's last two series of the half, but he started the third quarter with a 43-yard run that featured a spin move after he broke through the line. That drive ended when he faked an inside handoff and scored from 19 yards.
Martinez showed some strength on his 15-yard TD, shaking his foot loose from Peterson's grasp just before going into the end zone.
"You got to see his speed and how he can get downfield in a hurry," Burkhead said. "He did a good job making quick decisions. He makes it exciting and fun."
Martinez gets a chance to polish his game next week at home against Idaho before the Huskers play a big road game at Washington.
"I've never been around a football team that played its best football in game one," Pelini said. "You play that first one and move on. We have to make a big jump between game one and game two."
-- Eric Olson
Thomas leads Kansas State past UCLA 31-22
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Culturally and geographically it's a long, long way from the beaches of Southern California to the farms and hamlets of the Kansas Flint Hills.
With Daniel Thomas carrying the ball, the difference in football is very thin.
The quick, rugged senior rushed for 235 yards and scored two touchdowns and Kansas State beat UCLA 31-22 Saturday before the biggest home-opening crowd in school history.
Altogether, the Wildcats rushed for 313 yards.
"I looked up at the scoreboard walking off the field, and I think that they had over 300 yards rushing," said UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel. "That's not UCLA football. That's not how we play, and it can't be how we play if we expect to have any kind of success."
Thomas had runs of 44 and 29 yards to set up two scores. After the Wildcats pounced on UCLA's onside kick, he broke through the line and galloped 35 yards into the end zone with 58 seconds left, clinching Kansas State's 21st consecutive home opening win.
"Coach (Bill) Snyder said we needed to go out and make a statement. And we did that," said Thomas, who transferred from junior college last year and led the Big 12 with 1,265 yards rushing.
Thomas scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter but the Wildcats trailed 10-7 at halftime and managed only nine yards of total offense in the second quarter. But they erupted for 272 yards in the second half.
Coach told us (at halftime) straight up the defense is doing their job but offense, we needed to pick it up," Thomas said. "I think we did a good job in the second half."
The crowd of 51,059 was treated to a thrilling finish that included three touchdowns in the final 123 seconds as Kansas State avenged a 23-9 loss last year at UCLA.
After Carson Coffman's 5-yard TD pass to Brodrick Smith put Kansas State ahead 24-16 with 2:03 left, Kevin Prince led the Bruins on a lightning-quick drive, hitting Cory Harkey for 35 yards and then connecting with Ricky Marvray on a 29-yard TD toss. There was 1:19 to play, and the Bruins elected to go for 2. But Prince's pass into the end zone fell incomplete and Kansas State's Travis Tannahill recovered the ensuing onside kick.
"We ran a jerk route where I run and sit in the middle and then came outside, and the defensive player just made a great play," said UCLA wide receiver Taylor Embree.
William Powell had 72 yards on just six carries for Kansas State, which erupted in the second half after managing only nine total yards in the entire second quarter. Coffman was 11 for 16 for just 66 yards and was sacked five times by a Bruin defense that had an answer for everything except Thomas. The preseason pick for offensive player of the year in the Big 12 also had two receptions, including one for 21 yards that set up the first touchdown.
"Wins are hard to come by," Snyder said. "I do not care if you are the coach, the quarterback or the water guy. They are hard to come by, and they are important and good for everyone involved."
On Kansas State's first drive, the Bruins held on fourth-and-goal from the 1, but an illegal participation penalty on UCLA gave Kansas State another shot and Thomas scored.
A 60-yard punt and a great open-field tackle pinned Kansas State deep in the second quarter and Coffman fumbled the snap. Akeem Ayers recovered for the Bruins, and on the next play, Prince faked left and bootlegged right, dashing untouched into the end zone.
UCLA's Kai Forbath, who struggled all week with a sore groin, kicked three field goals and ran his streak to 40 in a row from inside 50 yards. His 44-yarder put UCLA on top 10-7 near the end of the first half, and he added one from 35 and one from 42. The last one came with 6:28 to go and pulled UCLA to 17-16.
Thomas' tackle-breaking 44-yard run in the third quarter was followed by Powell's 28-yard touchdown run, giving Kansas State a 14-10 lead.
Kansas State's Josh Cherry had a 35-yard field goal near the end of the third quarter following Thomas' 29-yard burst. Thomas was the first from Kansas State to rush for more than 200 yards in six years.
Prince was 9 for 26 for 120 yards.
"Kansas State is a great team," said UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin. "They came very far from last year. I feel like they'll have a great season. They just wanted it more in the end, and they won the game."
-- Doug Tucker
North Dakota State shocks Kansas 6-3
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Don't tell North Dakota State it can't handle the big boys of college football.
The Bison, picked to finish sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference, turned some heads Saturday night by knocking off Kansas 6-3 for its first win over a team in the Big 12.
Ryan Jastram kicked field goals of 44 and 32 yards, and the Bison defense smothered Kansas to prompt a raucous celebration for the North Dakota State fans who made their way to Memorial Stadium.
"We felt like we could beat them when we hopped on the plane," North Dakota State coach Craig Bohl said. "We came in feeling like we had a heck of a shot to win and that's not being arrogant."
The longer North Dakota State hung around, the more confidence it seemed to gain. Jastram's second field goal was the only scoring of the second half and gave the Bison a 6-3 lead with 8:04 left in the third quarter.
Kansas had a golden opportunity to take the lead when it faced third-and-goal from the North Dakota State 7 late in the third quarter. But Matt Anderson intercepted a pass in the end zone, and the Bison were able to turn back every Kansas possession the rest of the game.
The loss spoiled Turner's Gill coaching debut. It was the eighth consecutive loss for the Jayhawks dating back to last season.
"It's one game and that's how you have to take it," Gill said. "Just move on from there. From an offensive standpoint, we just have to get those things collected and execute better."
In an effort to jump-start the offense, Gill pulled starting quarterback Kale Pick in favor of Jordan Webb two series after Pick threw the end zone interception.
But Webb wasn't able to get the Jayhawks a touchdown either.
"This was a huge game," Bison quarterback Jose Mohler said. "We don't have an NFL team in Fargo and football is huge. These (fans) are here for us, and we brought them home a nice victory."
Kansas' hopes faded on its next-to-last possession when Tim Biere fumbled at the Kansas 36 following a reception and a big hit by Daniel Eaves. It was that kind of slip-and-slide night for the Jayhawks.
The Jayhawks converting just 2-of-8 opportunities on third down in the first half but got a big play from wide receiver Daymond Patterson to set up a field goal by Jacob Branstetter that gave Kansas a 3-0 lead with 1:58 left in the first quarter.
Taking the ball on a reverse, Patterson broke free on a 51-yard run that put the ball on the Bison 14. The Jayhawks stalled, but Branstetter hit his sixth field goal in his last seven attempts dating back to last season.
Later Branstetter missed a 42-yarder with 6:50 remaining that could have tied the game.
"I thought our guys really made a lot of plays," Bohl said. "It certainly wasn't error free, but our effort was there."
The Bison had a chance to take the lead after Mike Sigers' blocked punt put North Dakota State at the Kansas 10 in the second quarter. However, Isiah Barfield intercepted a pass from Mohler in the end zone on third down. Barfield tried to run the ball out, but was tackled at the Kansas 1.
The poor field position ultimately cost Kansas as the Jayhawks subsequently punted from the end zone. An 18-yard punt return by Ryan Smith and a late-hit penalty put Jastram in position for a 44-yard field goal and tied the game 3-all with 3:20 left in the half.
North Dakota State then got the second Jastram field goal for the only scoring of the second half.
Kansas had three turnovers to negate a 293-168 edge in total offense.
Missouri rallies to beat Illinois 23-13
ST. LOUIS (AP) — After stumbling for a half, Missouri distanced itself from a distressing preseason.
Blaine Gabbert rallied the Tigers from a 10-point deficit with two touchdown passes and Carl Gettis made a leaping one-handed interception and downed a punt at the 1 in the fourth quarter of a 23-13 opening victory over Illinois on Saturday.
"We showed our guts," Gabbert said. "We came out in the second half and dominated."
Missouri won without Derrick Washington, the school's leading rusher the last two seasons, who was kicked off the team earlier in the week after being charged with sexual assault. The school also had a handful of DUI arrests during the summer.
Coach Gary Pinkel said in the days leading up to kickoff, those off-field topics were pushed to the background.
"It doesn't matter," Pinkel said. "We had to focus on playing football."
T.J. Moe had 13 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown, and the Tigers' defense shut out Illinois in the second half. Kenji Jackson also intercepted Nathan Scheelhaase in the fourth quarter to help seal it for Missouri, which finished the neutral-site Arch Rivalry series with six straight victories.
Missouri, 8-5 last year, has won 18 straight against non-conference opponents. It shut out its opponent in the second half for the first time since blanking Colorado 58-0 Oct. 25, 2008 in Columbia, Mo.
"We just needed to get a little momentum," Gabbert said. "We were killing ourselves, they were all internal problems. It was nothing they were doing."
Mikel Leshoure had 112 yards on 20 carries for Illinois, coming off a 3-9 season. Scheelhaase, a redshirt freshman, was 9 for 23 for 81 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He also rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries in his first career start.
"This is not the kind of game he would have liked to have had," coach Ron Zook said. "Nathan will learn from his mistakes. Some of the things that maybe weren't quite the way you wanted was because he was trying too hard."
Missouri was a 12-point favorite and totaled 129 points the previous three meetings, but scuffled in the first half. Illinois controlled the clock for nearly 18 minutes and scored twice in the final 2:10 to take a 13-3 lead on A.J. Jenkins' 10-yard catch and Derek Dimke's career-best 52-yard field goal to end the half.
"We soul-searched a little bit," Pinkel said. "I thought we were very poised. The defense, they were the ones that really set the tone."
Illinois didn't have to punt in the first half. In the second half, the Illini were held to 85 yards and four first downs.
"We just came out flat, I'm not sure what it was," Leshoure said. "Maybe some people were a little comfortable and thought the game was over."
Gabbert was 34 for 48 for 281 yards, 167 of them coming in the second half.
Gettis leaped high to steal the ball away from Jenkins at the Illinois 45 early in the fourth quarter, halting Illinois' first possession after Michael Egnew's 6-yard catch put the Tigers ahead 17-13.
After Missouri's ensuing drive stalled, Gettis downed Matt Grabner's punt at the 1. That led to a three-and-out for Illinois.
"Everyone came in and did their job and stepped up," Gettis said. "Everyone had a great game."
Illinois took advantage of a terrible two-play sequence in the first half. A wide open Wes Kemp dropped a pass at the Illinois 25, a gain that would have been at least 25 yards, and Gabbert was sacked for a 14-yard loss to force a punt.
Illinois' last drive ended after Leshoure was ruled out of bounds on a potential first-down catch at the Missouri 46 after officials reviewed the play. Grant Ressel added a 35-yard field goal in the final minute.
Missouri had 98 yards rushing, including 78 on 16 carries by De'Vion Moore.
Authorities reported that Cutsinger was driving along a two-lane highway toward Austin when he overcorrected on a big left-hand curve. Cutsinger’s truck rolled, and both passengers were thrown from the vehicle. Neither was wearing a seat belt.
Cutsinger died at the scene, and Rada-Moya was taken to a hospital in Austin in critical condition. Cutsinger was from Austin and attended Westlake High.
-- R.B. Fallstrom
McKnight leads Colorado to 24-3 win over CSU
DENVER (AP) — Speedy wide receivers Toney Clemons, Travon Patterson and Paul Richardson joined the Colorado lineup Saturday, and senior slot receiver Scotty McKnight still stole the show.
McKnight became Colorado's career receptions leader with a 27-yard touchdown grab that sparked the Buffaloes to a 24-3 season-opening win over archrival Colorado State on Saturday.
McKnight found himself wide open on the blitz.
"I'd love to tell you I just smoked someone off the line, but it didn't happen," McKnight said. "They brought the perfect defense against it and as an older guy, I thought, 'Wow. I'm going to be wide open on this play.' ... It just seemed like the ball hung in the air for two weeks."
McKnight's 168th career catch broke the mark set by Michael Westbrook from 1991-94. The senior finished with six catches for 78 yards. McKnight now has 171 receptions and his 16 TDs are four shy of the school record.
Making his memorable day all the sweeter was having his childhood friend Mark Sanchez, quarterback of the New York Jets, watching from the stands.
"He sat with my family incognito. No one recognized him," McKnight said.
Sanchez was thankful he was on hand to see his buddy break the record.
"That was a perfect call," Sanchez told The Associated Press. "I was fired up and to happen on a touchdown like that? It was scripted perfect. It couldn't have been any better.
"I'm so happy I could be here. I'm so happy that Rex (Ryan) gave us a couple of days off and is so lenient about stuff like this because he knows how important it is to me. He's like a family member. He deserves it. He worked hard and hopefully it's a good start to their season."
This is a crucial year for Colorado coach Dan Hawkins, who has yet to post a winning season since arriving in Boulder from Boise State in 2006.
With three interceptions, freshman quarterback Pete Thomas had a rough debut for the Rams, who lost their last nine games of last season to finish 3-9, same as the Buffaloes.
"I feel like I got that first game under my skin, and we're only going to get better from here," said Thomas, who finished 24 of 32 for 196 yards.
Tyler Hansen was 17 of 25 for 192 yards, two TDs and an interception. He scored on a 1-yard keeper.
McKnight has caught a pass in a school-record and NCAA-active-best 38 straight games, counting the 2007 Independence Bowl.
After he hauled in his record-breaking catch, the Buffaloes made it 17-0 on Aric Goodman's 28-yard field goal that was set up by Travis Sanderfeld's interception at midfield.
Ben DeLine, whose 37-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Will Pericak at the end of the first half, hit a 43-yarder with 9:36 left for the Rams' only points.
Patterson, a senior transfer from Southern Cal, opened the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown catch from Hansen. Patterson's first TD catch since his senior year in high school in 2005 was set up when Jon Major stuffed CSU's T.J. Borcky for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the Rams' 44.
Despite his disappointment, Rams third-year coach Steve Fairchild was encouraged by what he saw from Thomas.
"The future is bright," Fairchild said.
Rams offensive lineman Paul Madsen said he saw the same silver lining in Thomas' poise and play.
"I would expect him to be very nervous, but the only thing I sensed was a great level of excitement," Madsen said. "He's going to be great down the road."
Colorado freshman safety Parker Orms left on crutches after injuring his right knee covering a punt.
-- Arnie Stapleton
Pickens: Gundy has done a good job at Oklahoma St.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Prominent Oklahoma State booster T. Boone Pickens said Saturday he's been pleased with the performance of football coach Mike Gundy but wants to see the Cowboys beat Big 12 South rivals Oklahoma and Texas.
The billionaire energy magnate spoke before Oklahoma State hosted Washington State in the season opener for both teams. He has given more than $500 million to his alma mater, including $165 million in January 2006 to help convert what is now Boone Pickens Stadium into a showpiece.
Pickens long has maintained that he doesn't make the decisions when it comes to Oklahoma State athletics, but there is little doubt his opinion carries considerable weight with those who do, including athletic director Mike Holder.
"Go back five years, when I made the big gift," Pickens said. "You remember what I said: 'We're going to get competitive.' ... Last year, I told Holder and Gundy, I said, 'I'm getting tired of being competitive. Now I want to win.'"
Although Oklahoma State posted its second straight nine-win season in 2009, the Cowboys struggled offensively at times after star receiver Dez Bryant was suspended after three games and injuries limited quarterback Zac Robinson and tailback Kendall Hunter. Oklahoma State managed only seven points combined in losses to Oklahoma and Mississippi to close last season, the latter in the Cotton Bowl.
Last season "didn't turn out like we wanted it to, but (there's) no question that Gundy has done a good job. Be sure to write down that I said that," Pickens said. "Our program today is stronger than it's ever been. ... But I'm kind of choking on the record with the two big boys in the South. We're 0-10 against them (under Gundy), and I want to come up with some wins in there someplace."
Gundy entered Saturday's game with a 36-27 mark in five seasons, and the Cowboys played in a bowl game each of the last four seasons.
Pickens said he had "nothing to do" with Gundy's decision to hire Dana Holgorsen as offensive coordinator before this season.
"I'm not the AD here," Pickens said. "No question, I have an opinion. You wouldn't be standing here talking to me if I didn't have an opinion. There's no question I've given a lot of money here to the school and so I'm included in some of the things. But ... I don't have any interest in micromanaging. I've got a business that I'm running every day, so I'm not looking for another job."
Pickens said he thinks the Cowboys will win eight games this season.
-- Murray Evans
