College Football Top 25 Capsules: No. 1 Alabama rolls past San Jose State, 48-3
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — After a tough week for the defending national champions, No. 1 Alabama enjoyed its dress rehearsal before 100,000-plus fans.
The established stars — minus Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and defensive end Marcell Dareus — made big plays and some young understudies also got plenty of time on stage in the Crimson Tide's opening 48-3 route of San Jose State on Saturday night.
It was a good night to be without the injured Ingram (knee) and the suspended Dareus, both lost this week. The backups played much of the game, anyway, after the Tide raced to a 31-3 halftime lead over the Spartans.
Coach Nick Saban had few major complaints. After all, his team scored touchdowns on its first two possessions instead of basking in last season's glory or getting caught looking ahead to No. 19 Penn State.
"I was really sort of pleased with the effort, the attitude, the intensity, the way our team was ready to play and focused on what they need to do to try and create an identity for themselves," Saban said. "I thought we really worked to try to dominate the competition."
The Tide certainly succeeded in doing that. Alabama outgained the Spartans 591-175.
Ingram's sub, Trent Richardson, ran for 66 yards and two touchdowns and had three catches for 46 yards before sitting out the second half. He scored on runs of 4 and 39 yards for an offense that uncorked plenty of big plays.
Greg McElroy mostly seemed to be playing pitch and catch, completing 13 of 15 passes for 218 yards before leaving after only one series of the second half. He had a 48-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Marquis Maze on a go route down the right sideline.
Julio Jones made the most dramatic play with a diving, one-handed grab for a 29-yard touchdown from backup quarterback A.J. McCarron early in the second quarter. He finished with six catches for 93 yards and gained 13 yards on an end around to set up the Tide's first touchdown. Jones said it was the best catch of his career.
"I've made some great catches in practice, but not in a game," he said.
Guard Barrett Jones was even more impressed.
"Honestly, I went crazy," he said. "That was one of the greatest plays I've ever seen. I ran down the field and hit him in the chest. Wow, that was unbelievable. "
The Tide had seven first-time starters on defense, but wasn't challenged by an offense that averaged 13.8 points last season. The first down totals best told the tale of the lopsided game: Alabama 30, San Jose State 7.
All in all, it was practically a scrimmage designed to break in the newly expanded Bryant-Denny Stadium. The announced crowd of a sellout 101,821 fans got to see their Tide — which has lost two games the past two season — beat up on a team that only won a pair last season.
Ingram had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after injuring it late in Monday's practice. He watched from the sidelines in his No. 22 jersey and sweat pants.
Dareus was declared ineligible for two games on Thursday for accepting improper benefits from an agent in taking two trips to Miami. Alabama is appealing, but there's no guarantee either will be back for next week's showdown with No. 19 Penn State. Jones said the week of bad news with Ingram and Dareus weren't an issue.
"It ain't a distraction unless you let it be a distraction," he said. "We've got to stay level-headed."
In the meantime, some youngsters got a chance to shine. Redshirt freshman tailback Eddie Lacy took advantage of Ingram's absence and Richardson's short night. Lacy got most of his 111 yards and two touchdowns in the second half after coughing up a fumble into the end zone for Alabama's first turnover in nearly 23 quarters.
Third-teamer Demetrius Goode ran for another 66 yards for the Tide, which rolled up 334 yards on the ground. McCarron completed a 34-yarder to Darius Hanks and passed for 116 yards.
"I was impressed with their runners," first-year San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre said. "Their big tight ends hurt us a few times. They overwhelmed us on the edge there. They had a few runs off the edge when we were right there and they just knocked us off."
MacIntyre was a freshman on the last Vanderbilt team to beat the Tide, back in 1984.
There wasn't even the hint of an upset possibility in this one. Harrison Waid's 31-yard field goal midway through the first quarter accounted for San Jose State's only points.
Tuscaloosa native Brandon Rutley gained 52 yards on 13 carries.
"Most of my family was here since I am from Tuscaloosa, so I was happy to see them," Rutley said. "The fans are crazy and the stadium is so loud which made it exciting to play in."
Gators avoid meltdown, beat Miami (Ohio) 34-12
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Just minutes after Florida's season opener ended, even before players and coaches walked off the field, the scoreboards went blank. Even with a victory, the Gators were more than ready to erase the memory of this one.
No. 4 Florida opened the post-Tim Tebow era with a resounding thud, maybe the sound of high expectations crashing to the ground. Yes, the Gators got four interceptions, several red-zone stops and two late touchdowns to pull away from heavy underdog Miami of Ohio 34-12 Saturday.
But the real story was coach Urban Meyer's anemic offense, the one quarterback John Brantley had hoped to "keep rolling" after waiting three years behind Tebow.
Instead, Brantley and the Gators spent most of the game in reverse.
"I didn't imagine the offense's incompetence that we experienced today," Meyer said.
There were a bunch of fumbles, several bad snaps, some poor throws, six penalties and a whole lot of frustration in The Swamp.
Brantley completed 17 of 25 passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. He had a 10-yarder to Omarius Hines that was the offense's longest play of the day until speedster Jeff Demps' got loose for a 72-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. Brantley also threw a 25-yard TD pass to Chris Rainey with 1:21 remaining. That fourth-and-21 pass bounced off a teammate before Rainey grabbed it in the end zone.
The offense had few other highlights.
"I'm not embarrassed at all," Brantley said. "It was one those days, I guess you could say."
Florida finished with eight fumbles (three lost) and 212 yards, 187 of them in the final 13 minutes. There was plenty of blame to go around, too.
Deonte Thompson, who was miffed by the perception that he had bad hands last year, dropped a perfectly thrown deep ball in the end zone. Mike Pouncey, who moved from guard to center this year, airmailed one snap over Brantley's head and chunked two others into the ground.
The offensive line looked every bit like a patchwork unit. Starting left tackle Xavier Nixon (knee) and backup Matt Patchan (wrist) missed the game, and left guard Carl Johnson didn't play because of an apparent suspension.
Demps and Emmanuel Moody were mostly bottled up at the line of scrimmage, Brantley seemed to check down early and often, and every deep pass fell to the ground.
Florida was more concerned with the turnovers.
"It'd be tough to win with those turnovers against an SEC school," Brantley said.
The Gators managed a measly 25 yards, including minus-16 rushing, through three quarters. Nonetheless, they led 21-12 thanks to interceptions by Jon Bostic, Janoris Jenkins and Ahmad Black. Jenkins returned his 67 yards for a touchdown that put Florida ahead 7-3 in the second quarter.
Black's pick set up backup quarterback Trey Burton's 2-yard run, which put Florida ahead 21-3. Many figured that would spark the offense in the second half. Instead, the Gators stalled on three consecutive drives in the third quarter, failing to convert on fourth down, fumbling two more snaps and punting, then missing a field goal.
"Frustration? I know I'm beyond that," Meyer said. "Frustration? You've just got to get a little better. We'll fix those things. If you keep seeing them over and over again, then you've got to make changes. We're certainly not going to hit that mode yet. We need to get a lot better."
Zac Dysert completed 25 of 44 passes for 191 yards for Miami, which got a career-high four field goals from Trevor Cook. He was Miami's best weapon.
The RedHawks had opportunities to make it even closer. Not only did they settle for three short field goals, they turned the ball over four times and made two other costly errors. Linebacker Ryan Kennedy missed an open receiver on a fake punt deep in Florida territory and running back Thomas Merriweather was called for a personal foul penalty that gave the Gators a first-and-goal at the 2.
"I think turnovers and a lack of discipline cost us the football game," said Miami coach Michael Haywood, whose team finished 1-11 last year and came to Gainesville as five-touchdown underdogs. "We can't make mistakes on offense and we have to keep pressing forward and eliminating the mental errors."
Merriweather was ejected for apparently punching defensive tackle Dominique Easley in the helmet. Merriweather was booed as he walked to the locker room.
But the 90,178 on hand saved the loudest jeers for Florida's offense, which had just one starter (left guard James Wilson) in the same spot as the 2009 opener.
"Once the other team has momentum, and you've got all negative momentum, it just goes downhill from there," Pouncey said. "When we did get stuff going I (messed) up the snap, and then when we did get stuff going again ... we just kept fumbling. It won't happen again."
-- Mark Long
No. 9 Iowa rolls past Eastern Illinois 37-7
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi slipped to the turf and limped to the sidelines, seemingly carrying the Hawkeyes hopes with him.
There would be no drama in this opener for No. 9 Iowa, though.
Stanzi was fine, and the Hawkeyes dominated an FCS opponent after nearly losing their opener to Northern Iowa a year ago.
Adam Robinson ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns in the first half and No. 9 Iowa (1-0) breezed past Eastern Illinois 37-7 for their 10th straight season-opening win under coach Kirk Ferentz.
Stanzi caused a collective gasp from a crowd of over 70,000 at Kinnick Stadium when he slipped on a rollout in the second quarter. Trainers briefly huddled over Iowa's senior leader, but Stanzi came out for the next series to cheers.
It was clear that the Hawkeyes, derided by many for being lucky last season, had caught their first break of 2010.
"Very fortunately it turned out to just be a little bit of a muscle or a soft tissue thing," Ferentz said of Stanzi, who finished with 229 yards passing and a late touchdown. "It looked ugly from the sideline. I'm sure it looked ugly from all angles."
Iowa needed two blocked field goals in the final moments to escape Northern Iowa in 2009, and some wondered if the Hawkeyes were going to let Eastern Illinois hang around, too.
No worries this time. Iowa jumped 21-0 late in the first quarter and were rarely threatened after that.
The Hawkeyes moved the ball with ease on their first two drives, both punctuated by short rushing touchdowns of 2 and 4 yards from Robinson. Paki O'Meara then returned a blocked punt 42 yards for a TD, putting the Panthers in a three-touchdown hole before they even crossed the 50-yard line.
"We were able to come out early, put some points on the board and execute very well in the early stages of the game," Stanzi said.
Brandon Large was 13-of-20 passing for just 92 in his first career start for Eastern Illinois (0-1), which totaled six first downs and a measly 157 yards of offense.
It was obvious from the first time Eastern Illinois touched the ball that it wasn't going to do much against Iowa's vaunted defense.
The Panthers opened with what appeared to be a chop block on Iowa star defensive end Adrian Clayborn, and Large barely got the ball out on third down as Clayborn raced toward him in the Eastern Illinois end zone.
But nothing ever seems to come easy for the Hawkeyes — even against the overmatched Panthers.
Eastern Illinois converted a fake punt from their own 20, setting up an 11-yard touchdown pass from Large to Von Wise that made it 21-7 early in the second quarter.
Robinson, making a strong impression in the ongoing competition for carries with the suspended Jewel Hampton, scored from 6 yards out to give Iowa a 28-7 lead with 8:39 left in the first half,
The Panthers tried some trickery again in the third quarter, but it cost them two points. Large's screen pass in the end zone went behind his receiver and out of bounds, giving Iowa a safety and a 30-7 lead.
"We were outmatched obviously in some areas but I really respect our kids for their performance," Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo said. "That doesn't reflect on the rest of the year for us because I think we have a strong football team."
Stanzi, who was 18-of-23 passing, found fullback Brett Morse for an 1-yard TD pass with 8:27 left to round out the scoring.
Though backup James Vandenberg looked sharp in relief of Stanzi, the Hawkeyes know they're better off having Stanzi behind center when the season kicks off in earnest next week against rival Iowa State.
"He continues to make really good decisions out there for us," Ferentz said.
-- Luke Meredith
No. 11 Oregon blows out New Mexico, 72-0
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The Ducks didn't need LaMichael James against New Mexico, and they certainly didn't miss Jeremiah Masoli.
Kenjon Barner and Darron Thomas seamlessly filled the roles of running back and quarterback for No. 11 Oregon in its 72-0 blowout of New Mexico on Saturday.
With James suspended for a game, Barner scored five touchdowns, four on the ground and another via a pass from Thomas. He ran for a career-high 147 yards as Oregon racked up a school-record 720 yards in total offense.
Thomas completed 13 of 23 passes for 220 yards and two scores in his debut as starter after the dismissal of Masoli in the offseason.
If the Ducks were trying to put their troubled recent past behind them, it worked.
"I guess it says a lot," Barner said. "Numbers don't lie."
Oregon's point total tied the Autzen Stadium record the Ducks set in 1999 against Nevada. The most points Oregon has ever scored is 115, against Puget Sound back in 1910.
New Mexico was also looking for a fresh start. The Lobos were 1-11 last season under coach Mike Locksley, who had an altercation with a former assistant and was named in a sexual harassment complaint.
But the Lobos, who managed just 107 total yards on offense, were no match for last year's Pac-10 champions. B.R. Holbrook made his debut as New Mexico's starter, and completed just 11 of 24 passes for 70 yards with two interceptions.
"We're disappointed. I feel like our team has a different mentality from last season, but we didn't execute today," Holbrook said. "Oregon is the reigning Pac-10 champ, so you have to give them credit. But you never think things will go that badly."
Barner subbed for James because the running back was suspended for a game after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge that stemmed from a conflict with an ex-girlfriend.
Last season James grabbed national attention by rushing for a team-high 1,546 yards, setting a new record for freshmen in the Pac-10. He averaged 6.7 yards and added 14 TDs to earn the league's freshman of the year honors.
James watched from the sideline Saturday wearing an "O'' T-shirt and khaki shorts. He will return to the Ducks next weekend when they visit Tennessee.
Also a return specialist, Barner had 1,553 all-purpose yards last season. He had 225 against New Mexico, and his one catch was a 60-yard catch and run from Thomas in the second quarter.
"I've been saying all along, I think he's the most underrated player in the country," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. "Today he got a chance to shine. We've always felt that we've had 1A and 1B. We run the ball 40 times a game; one guy is not going to get all the carries."
Standing in for Barner on the return team was Cliff Harris, who returned two punts for touchdowns, an Oregon record for one game.
Masoli had been expected to lead the Ducks at QB this season, but he was accused in a fraternity house theft in January and wound up pleading guilty to a burglary charge. Kelly finally kicked him off the team when he was stopped by police for a traffic violation and marijuana was found in the car.
Masoli has since gone to play at Mississippi, which was upset by Jacksonville 49-48 in double overtime Saturday.
Thomas played in five games as a true freshman in 2008, completing 16 of 33 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Called upon when Oregon was hit by a slew of injuries, Thomas came close to leading the Ducks to a come-from-behind victory against Boise State that season before redshirting in 2009.
"I wasn't overconfident because I never knew what was going to happen," Thomas said. "I needed to come out today and have a good game. I took a couple of hits but that's what I wanted to do to get me back into a rhythm."
The Lobos had a setback in the first half when defensive lineman Carmen Messina, who led the nation with 162 tackles last season, got hit hard and injured his left ankle. He did not return.
New Mexico said details about the injury were not known. Messina planned to return to New Mexico for an MRI on Sunday.
New Mexico is now 7-44 against ranked opponents. The last time the Lobos played a Pac-10 opponent, they beat Arizona 36-28 in 2008.
It was the Lobos' biggest margin of defeat since losing 94-17 to Fresno State in 1991. The last time the Lobos were shutout was in 2007, when they lost 37-0 to TCU.
New Mexico hosts Texas Tech next weekend.
"This was a wake-up call for the whole team. We can't point fingers and fall apart," defensive end Johnathan Rainey said. "We need to come together as a team and make up for each other's mistakes."
-- Anne M. Peterson
No. 12 Wisconsin runs over UNLV 41-21
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two first-half blunders by Wisconsin allowed UNLV to stay close, even though the Badgers had dominated the first two quarters.
In the second half, Wisconsin eliminated the mistakes and buried the Rebels.
John Clay and Montee Ball each ran for two touchdowns to lead No. 12 Wisconsin past UNLV 41-21 on Saturday night.
Clay finished with 123 yards on 17 carries and Ball had 79 on 16 rushes. The Badgers outscored the Rebels 24-0 in the third quarter after leading 17-14 at half.
Only two Wisconsin turnovers kept the game from becoming a blowout even earlier.
"At halftime, we told our team, 'Every play you take matters, and you never know when that play is going to be,'" Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. "I really liked our response in the second half. I thought our defense rose to the challenge right away and our offense played off of that the whole time."
Scott Tolzien threw for 197 yards on 15 of 20 passing for Wisconsin, but he threw an interception that was run back 19 yards for a touchdown by Will Chandler in the first quarter.
Wisconsin outgained UNLV 475-215, dominating Bobby Hauck's first game as UNLV coach.
The former Montana coach started Mike Clausen at quarterback and he went 4 for 10 for 23 yards and a touchdown. Clausen was replaced by Omar Clayton, who was 6 of 16 for 82 yards and a touchdown.
"We made some plays in the second quarter to get back in it," Hauck said. "Wisconsin came out and took the game in the third quarter. We didn't win on third down on either side of the football."
Badgers defensive back Aaron Henry started the third-quarter scoring barrage, returning a fumble 20 yards less than two minutes into the half.
After Phillip Welch kicked a field goal from 33 yards out, Clay and Ball each added 16-yard touchdown runs to make it 41-14.
James White added 64 yards on 11 attempts for Wisconsin.
"I think all of (our running backs) are selfless players," Bielema said. "They cheer for each other. You can see all of them have a kind skill sets."
The game, which started at 8 p.m. locally, was played in 90 degree temperatures and Wisconsin fans made up about half the announced crowd of 31,107.
The Badgers opened the game with a 14-play drive, culminating in Clay's 5-yard run to the right side with 7:23 left in the first quarter.
On Wisconsin's second drive, Tolzien found David Gilreath down the middle for 45 yards and Ball finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Then Wisconsin gave UNLV a life line.
Nick Toon caught a pass and reached the UNLV 2, but was stripped by Deante' Purvis. Chandler recovered the ball and ran 82 yards setting up Clausen's touchdown pass to Phillip Payne down the middle from 16 yards out. Chandler's fumble return was the third longest in school history.
"Turnovers kill offenses and you can't have those," said Toon, who finished with four catches for 54 yards. "We're going to correct those mistakes, move forward, and hopefully continue to have success the rest of the year. Turnovers are crucial for an offense. We bounced back from it."
Wisconsin outgained UNLV 279-12 in the first half, including 138 to minus-9 on the ground.
The Badgers head home for three games in three weeks.
Nesbitt, No. 16 Georgia Tech top S.C. State, 41-10
ATLANTA (AP) — Joshua Nesbitt made it easy to forget about the offensive stars Georgia Tech lost to the NFL.
Nesbitt ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns, Roddy Jones added two scoring runs and No. 16 Georgia Tech beat South Carolina State 41-10 on Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets lost some big names from last year's Atlantic Coast Conference championship team. Demaryius Thomas, the leading receiver, was a first-round pick by Denver. Top rusher Jonathan Dwyer was a sixth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dwyer returned to watch Saturday's game from the sideline.
But the most important player in Georgia Tech's triple-option is Nesbitt and he kept the offense moving, despite an inability to establish a passing game. Nesbitt was only 1 for 6 for 8 yards with an interception, but he averaged 8.1 yards on his 16 carries.
"A couple of passes I was just throwing away because they did a good job of covering," Nesbitt said.
"I think I did all right. I could have done a lot better."
Jones had touchdown runs of 1 and 15 yards. Tevin Washington, who replaced Nesbitt late in the third quarter, added an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter as Georgia Tech had 372 yards rushing with six touchdowns.
"We'll take that," said Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson of the six touchdowns. "It doesn't matter how you get them. I don't know if it would have been better if (Nesbitt) got them passing."
South Carolina State's Asheton Jordan ran 125 yards on 17 carries and set up the Bulldogs' only touchdown with a 55-yard run to the Georgia Tech 3 in the third quarter. Quarterback Malcolm Long then scored from a yard out.
The Bulldogs' 178 yards rushing was a surprise even to their coach.
"It was the strangest thing," South Carolina State coach Buddy Pough said. "It caught us off guard that we were able to rush the football as well as we did. There were times when we probably should've just stuck with that and stayed on the field more."
Georgia Tech gave up only one touchdown in its first game with new defensive coordinator Al Groh's 3-4 scheme.
"We would have liked to have played better," said Groh, the former Virginia coach. "We were disappointed with the long runs."
Georgia Tech's replacements for Thomas and Dwyer had quiet debuts as starters.
Stephen Hill had two catches for 12 yards. Anthony Allen, who replaced Dwyer as the featured B-back, had six carries for 28 yards.
"They were keying on me today," Allen said. "But I got my feet wet. It's definitely good to have guys come out and key on you."
Georgia Tech led 20-3 at halftime and pulled away with two quick touchdowns after the break.
Georgia Tech's Quentin Sims recovered a fumbled punt return by Lennel Elmore to give the Yellow Jackets the ball at South Carolina State's 21 early in the third quarter. Nesbitt scored on a fourth-down keeper from the 14.
A 25-yard punt by South Carolina State's Blake Erickson, who had a 16-yard punt earlier in the game, set up Jones' 15-yard scoring run for a 34-3 lead.
Pough said Erickson also was too short on his attempted squib kickoff to open the game. The kick, which looked more like an onside kick, allowed Georgia Tech to start its first drive on South Carolina State's 42.
"Our kicker didn't have the best of days," Pough said.
Nesbitt had two touchdown runs on fourth-down plays, including his 35-yard run on a fourth-and-3 play on the Yellow Jackets' first possession.
Erickson kicked a 28-yard field goal in the first quarter to end a 17-play drive. The Bulldogs had first down on the Georgia Tech 5 but were kept out of the end zone.
Long was 11 for 25 passing for 94 yards for South Carolina State, an FCS team from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Georgia Tech starting left guard Will Jackson left the game with a left knee injury late in the first quarter. He did not return. Johnson said he does not believe the injury is serious.
-- Charles Odum
Mallett, Razorbacks roll over Tenn Tech 44-3
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Ryan Mallett's Heisman Trophy campaign began as planned, and he had plenty of help from one of the Southeastern Conference's most dynamic receivers.
Mallett threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Joe Adams, and No. 17 Arkansas breezed to a 44-3 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday night. The Razorbacks, sporting their highest preseason ranking since 1990, recovered quickly from a sloppy start thanks to Mallett's accuracy and Adams' elusiveness.
Adams caught six passes for 138 yards.
"We've got to get him more touches," coach Bobby Petrino said. "When that ball's under his arm, he's special."
Mallett threw for 30 touchdowns a season ago and became an immediate Heisman candidate when he decided to pass up the NFL for another season with the Razorbacks. He missed on just two of his first 18 throws, with the only blemishes a deflected pass that was intercepted and a dropped ball by a receiver that should have been a touchdown. He finished the night 21 of 24.
"We really had 22 — just one was to the other team," Mallett said.
Mallett's 85-yard touchdown pass to Adams in the second quarter was the longest completion of his Arkansas career, and the Hogs led 23-3 at halftime. On the long touchdown, Adams outran the Tennessee Tech defenders down the sideline even though at least one appeared to have a good angle to catch him.
Adams also scored the game's final touchdown, a 15-yard reception in the third quarter that included a nifty move immediately after the catch.
"Whenever I touch the ball, I try to make guys look silly," Adams said. "Coach is always preaching to make one guy miss. I made that one guy miss, and the rest just happened."
Dennis Johnson, Broderick Green and Ronnie Wingo Jr. each ran for touchdowns. Those three running backs are competing along with Knile Davis for playing time. Green led the foursome with nine carries. Johnson and Davis both fumbled in the first half, but the Razorbacks (1-0) recovered both.
The Golden Eagles (0-1) opened the scoring in the first quarter, but the FCS team was unable to repeat the upset Jacksonville State pulled off earlier in the day against Mississippi and former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt.
Tennessee Tech quarterback Tre Lamb went 6 of 13 for 99 yards.
After stopping the Razorbacks on fourth down on the game's first drive, Tennessee Tech moved all the way to the Hogs' 1-yard line. The Arkansas defense, maligned throughout last season, rose to the challenge and held the Golden Eagles to a field goal.
Mallett then threw his interception, and although the Golden Eagles didn't capitalize, Tennessee Tech's Dustin Dillehay could hold his head high after coming up with the turnover.
"It felt great," he said. "Hopefully, he wins the Heisman now."
The Arkansas defense came up big again in the second quarter, near the other goal line this time. The Razorbacks swarmed Jocques Crawford for a safety that made it 9-3.
Anthony Leon, moved recently from the secondary to linebacker, had two sacks and four tackles for loss.
"I wasn't surprised," Petrino said. "The minute he stepped into that position, it was like, 'Ooooh, wow.'"
The opener also shed some light on Arkansas' kicking situation, which had been a bit of a mystery coming in. Freshman Zach Hocker handled extra points for the Razorbacks instead of senior Alex Tejada, but Tejada was outstanding on kickoffs, consistently putting the ball into the end zone.
Petrino said he was planning to switch the kickers in the fourth quarter, putting Tejada in for extra points and Hocker for kickoffs.
"Unfortunately, we didn't score any more touchdowns," he said.
Tyler Wilson relieved Mallett late in the third quarter. Brandon Mitchell also took some snaps for the Razorbacks in the fourth and threw a deep pass to the end zone that Maudrecus Humphrey dropped.
-- Noah Trister
Frosh QB Bolden impresses for No. 19 Penn State
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Joe Paterno's decision paid off.
After beating out two sophomores in a spirited preseason competition for the starting quarterback job, true freshman Rob Bolden rewarded his Hall of Fame coach's confidence Saturday with 239 yards passing and two touchdowns in No. 19 Penn State's 44-14 rout of FCS school Youngstown State.
It was a promising debut for an 18-year-old making the first start in a season opener for a true freshman quarterback in Paterno's 45 years as head coach.
"He has got an arm, he's got a little poise, he did some things a little better than the other guys on more occasions," Paterno said. "There are days I came off the field not knowing who I wanted to play."
It sure seems like Bolden has earned a start for next week's showdown at top-ranked Alabama.
Not so fast, Paterno said.
"We're going to play it week by week, practice by practice and hopefully come up with different situations, and we'll go from there," said Paterno, seemingly exasperated at times by any mention of the quarterback competition. "Whether that means we'll have one quarterback all year, or three alternating, or what, I really don't know right now."
Bolden finished 20 of 29 passing with one interception — and that came after receiver Derek Moye slipped to the turf on his route. Brett Brackett caught both of Bolden's TD passes and finished with career highs of eight catches for 98 yards, while Chaz Powell had a 100-yard kickoff return for a score to open a decisive second half.
Youngstown State's own new quarterback, redshirt freshman Kurt Hess, was impressive, too, going 21 of 25 passing for 189 yards and two scores. One of those was off a screen to receiver Dominique Barnes that turned into an 80-yard score to give the Penguins a four-point lead late in the first quarter.
"It sent a message that we were here to play," said Youngstown State's Eric Wolford, who lost his head-coaching debut. "We practiced good all week and we believed we could win the football game and we had the plays."
But Bolden settled in on offense, the defense settled down and Penn State overwhelmed the Penguins with too much talent.
"Obviously we're disappointed. We had our opportunities and didn't step up to the plate like we were supposed to," Wolford said.
Nearly everyone after the game was asked about the new quarterback — except for Bolden himself. Penn State typically doesn't allow true freshman to talk to reporters, and with Paterno trying to limit pressure on Bolden, it's unlikely he'll be making the media rounds any time soon.
"He showed above and beyond what was expected with his poise and confidence," said Brackett, the 6-foot-6 senior captain who proved to be Bolden's favorite target.
With Penn State trailing 7-6, Bolden hit Derek Moye on a third-and-10 for a 27-yard gain to the Penguins 41. Six plays later, Brackett caught a strong throw over the middle at the 1, eluded the grasp of safety Andre Elliott and burst into the end zone for a 20-yard TD pass.
Unsettled early after missed tackles by the defense and a slow start for the offensive line, the blue and white-clad fans at Beaver Stadium breathed a collective sigh of relief.
It only got better from there for the Nittany Lions.
Collin Wagner kicked a 48-yard field goal — one of three first-half field goals of over 40 yards — to close the first half. Powell opened the second with his 100-yard kickoff return dash to the end zone to make it 23-7. Youngstown State challenged, but the play was upheld after a review.
Derrick Thomas leveled Youngstown State's Jamaine Cook at the 23 on the ensuing kickoff, a big hit that may have sparked a Penn State defense that appeared to be sleepwalking at times early on. The Penguins went three and out on their next drive, capped by Chris Colasanti's big hit on a short pass over the middle to Adaris Bellamy on third down.
Bolden then hit Brackett again on the next drive on a pretty 22-yard TD pass down the right sideline for a 30-7 lead with 8:56 in the third — and the Nittany Lions were well on their way to a season-opening rout.
Paterno's son and quarterback coach Jay Paterno said Bolden's poise and maturity in camp helped set him apart. He hinted that Bolden should go into practice next week as the starter.
"Monday and Tuesday they're going to compete, and he'll run with the (first team) I imagine. ... There's no reason for him not to based on what we've seen," Jay Paterno said. "But we're still going to compete every week.
-- Genaro C. Armas
Florida State routs Samford 59-6 in Fisher’s debut
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 34 years, a Florida State football season started without Bobby Bowden on the sideline. It's Jimbo Fisher's team now, though against Samford it hardly mattered who was coaching the Seminoles.
Fisher began his career as Florida State coach with the easiest of victories as Christian Ponder threw four touchdown passes and the 20th-ranked Seminoles celebrated the start of a new era with a 59-6 victory Saturday against Bowden's alma mater.
Florida State scored 35 points during an 11-minute span of the second quarter, including Greg Reid's 74-yard punt return touchdown, to build a 42-0 lead on a sweltering day in north Florida.
Ponder, playing for the first time since a season-ending shoulder injury last November at Clemson, completed 12 of 14 passes for 167 yards before giving way to backup EJ Manuel at halftime.
"It was a relief just to get back out there and play," Ponder said. "There was a little doubt going in about the shoulder. All that went away after the first play."
In his first game, Fisher achieved something even Bowden failed to accomplish at FSU. Bowden won 316 games as Florida State coach, but he didn't win his first one. Fisher did.
Among all those wins were a pair of national titles and a dozen Atlantic Coast Conference championships, but the victories were falling off in recent years leading to Fisher's ascension as Bowden's successor a year sooner than the old coach wanted.
Fisher, who was Bowden's offensive coordinator for the last three years, said he thought about his predecessor a good deal on Saturday.
"I'm happy I'm here and all that but I mean that man built this university and he's a tremendous guy," Fisher said. "People don't understand what the man meant to me ... and how I looked up to him. He's still my hero."
Bowden said Florida State wanted to honor him before this opener between his two old schools, but the retired coach has tried to avoid the Seminoles and let Fisher establish himself. Bowden choose not to attend and instead watched it on television.
But Fisher — who like Bowden played and coached at Samford — had his players ready. Florida State was so dominant it didn't have to punt once.
The Seminoles rolled up 481 yards in their highest-scoring effort since opening the 2008 season with a 69-0 rout of Western Carolina. Seven players scored touchdowns for the Seminoles, who visit No. 7 Oklahoma next Saturday.
Reid, who led the nation in punt returns last season as a freshman, bounced off one would-be Samford tackler before he zigzagged into the clear on the way to his second career punt return TD. Samford had earlier kicked away from the 5-foot-8, 174-pound Reid.
"I'm thinking touchdown every time, once I get the ball in my hands," Reid said.
And that was exactly what coach Pat Sullivan feared coming into the game.
"We weren't going to kick to him," he said. "We were just going to be stubborn about it. We only kicked to him one time and he returned it for a touchdown."
Florida State also got a big play in the third quarter from reserve tailback Ty Jones, who ran 57 yards for a score. Jermaine Thomas and Chris Thompson also had short touchdown runs.
Jones ran for 107 yards on eight carries and Manuel completed 10 of 13 passes for 129 yards.
Samford, which was hurt by a blocked punt and interception during Florida State's second quarter uprising, got two field goals from Cameron Yaw.
"We weren't going to beat them unless we played perfect and they helped us some," Sullivan said. "We didn't match up. They were getting into a buzz saw with Florida State."
The Seminoles' first drive ended when Samford linebacker Bryce Smith picked off a tipped pass on the Samford 11, but Florida State scored the next six times it had the ball.
"That interception didn't bother him," said Sullivan, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1971 as Auburn's quarterback. "He just came back and went right down the field."
Ponder hit Lonnie Pryor on scoring passes of 4 and 8 yards, had another to Bert Reed for 15 yards and one to Taiwan Easterling on an 11-yard throw.
Samford couldn't get into the end zone despite totaling 300 yards on offense, holding the ball for 37:14 and finishing with 19 first downs.
Samford's career rushing leader, Chris Evans, was held in check with 39 yards on a dozen carries.
-- Brent Kallestad
LSU holds on against short-handed Heels 30-24
ATLANTA (AP) — With the NCAA lurking around Chapel Hill and some of its best players sitting in the stands, North Carolina found itself in a most improbable position.
The 6-yard line with a few seconds on the clock, a touchdown and an extra point away from actually winning the game.
T.J. Yates took one shot at the end zone, the ball slipping through the hands of Zack Pianalto. Then one last throw to the same guy. Same result.
No. 21 LSU held on for a 30-24 victory Saturday night, but the 18th-ranked Tar Heels almost pulled it out after going down by 20 at halftime. There may be no such thing as a moral victory, but this was about as close as you can get.
"I don't know if I've ever been prouder of a group of kids," North Carolina coach Butch Davis said. "The way they fought to get themselves back into the ballgame. We didn't play very well in first half. We made so many mistakes in kicking game, we really put ourselves in a hole. But one thing that defines your character and your guts is your ability to compete."
Patrick Peterson had 257 yards — including an 87-yard touchdown — on kickoff and punt returns, leading LSU (1-0) to a 30-10 lead at the break. Not surprising, given the Tar Heels were missing 13 key players because of NCAA investigations over relationships with agents and possible academic violations.
But North Carolina made a game of it against all odds, scoring two second-half touchdowns, then getting two shots at the win after recovering an onside kick and a fumble. Yates threw for the last of his career-high 412 yards to reach the LSU 6, with enough time to get off a couple of passes.
He went to Pianalto at the back of the end zone. The throw was on the hands but a little behind the senior tight end, who couldn't hold on with a defender bearing down on him.
Two seconds remained, time for one more snap. Yates rolled to his right and spotted Pianalto again, this time lurking right at the goal line. The throw was low — it had to be to avoid the coverage — and again it slipped through his hands.
Yates pleaded desperately for an interference call, but the officials simply trotted off the field. The quarterback then bent over and pounded the turf of the Georgia Dome in frustration.
He didn't have anything to be ashamed of, that's for sure. Neither did his team, which looked as though it was headed for a blowout.
"Everything happened so fast," Yates said. "We were just reacting. The whole sequence was hectic."
Pianalto said either of the last two passes was catchable.
"No, there was no interference," he said. "I just dropped them."
LSU appeared headed for an easy win after scoring 23 straight points over the final 8:06 of the first half. But the Tiger nearly let it slip away, which would have been a devastating blow to coach Les Miles and a program that's trying to show it's still a powerhouse in the Southeastern Conference.
Three years removed from a national championship, LSU has lost eight SEC games over the last two seasons and watched Florida and Alabama claim the dominant roles.
"We won a football game tonight in very sloppy fashion," Miles said. "If we just play efficient football, this game is not even close. We've got to tie up some loose ends right now."
Start with the secondary.
With LSU still firmly in control early in the fourth quarter and North Carolina backed up against its own goal line, Yates rolled to his right and heaved a pass out of the end zone that Jheranie Boyd took to the other end zone for a 97-yard touchdown — the longest play from scrimmage in North Carolina history. Yates then hooked up with Erik Highsmith on a 14-yard touchdown with 2½ minutes remaining.
North Carolina recovered a disputed onside kick, but LSU stopped that drive by forcing Yates to fumble as he tried to scramble. Trying to run out the clock, Stevan Ridley fumbled and the Tar Heels recovered, getting one more shot to pull it out.
They came up 6 yards short.
"We have a team of fighters," Pianalto said. "We played hard the whole game. That last drive was tremendous."
Missing so many players, the trickle down to the special teams left the Tar Heels especially vulnerable. Peterson, a junior cornerback, took advantage with four punt returns for 157 yards and three kickoff returns for 100 yards.
"He had great vision, great ball skills and great speed," Miles said. "I don't know the validity of making a guy a Heisman Trophy candidate. I would say he had the kind of night tonight on a national level that would put him in line for any national award, including the very highest."
Davis said his team just didn't have enough players to keep up with Peterson.
"All our depth was eaten up on special teams," he said. "All the guys starting on defense used to be on special teams."
Former quarterback Russell Shepard, now playing receiver to take advantage of his speed, hauled in a touchdown pass and broke off a 50-yard scoring run for LSU. And the current quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, finished off the first half with a 51-yard scoring pass to Rueben Randle.
North Carolina was missing most of the NFL prospects on its touted defense — at least six starters, including the entire secondary. The offense wasn't at full strength, either, forced to improvise without leading receiver Greg Little and its top two tailbacks, Shaun Draughn and Ryan Houston.
But plenty of players stepped up for the Tar Heels, no one more than Yates. He completed 28 of 45 and had three touchdown passes. His favorite receiver was Boyd, who had six catches for 221 yards, making him only the fourth player in North Carolina history to have 200 receiving yards in a game.
Jefferson was 15 of 21 for 151 yards. Ridley rushed for 81 yards and Shepard had 67, while the LSU defense limited North Carolina to 24 yards on the ground.
"We were hitting on all cylinders in the first half," Jefferson said. "In the second, we made a lot of mistakes and had a lot of penalties."
And nearly wound up with a loss.
-- Paul Newberry
Newton impresses as Auburn beats Arkansas St 52-26
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — When quarterback Cam Newton walked from the bus to the stadium surrounded by screaming fans before the start of Auburn's opening game, he felt he might have a good night.
"I went deaf for a second. I just loved it and I think it was a kickoff for us mentally to know it's time," the Tigers' new quarterback said.
Making his first start, Newton ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 186 yards and three more scores to help No. 22 Auburn beat overmatched Arkansas State 52-26 on Saturday night.
Newton, a junior college transfer who started his career at Florida, brought the crowd to its feet late in the second quarter when he scored on a 71-yard touchdown run, dashing up the middle on a keeper. That made the score 35-16 at halftime.
The performance impressed both Auburn coach Gene Chizik and Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts.
"I don't know if I have seen an individual performance better than Cam Newton's. He is the best player I have ever seen live," Roberts said. "He made a huge difference in the ball game tonight — he is hard to bring down."
Chizik said he was proud of his quarterback.
"He did some nice things when maybe something wasn't there. He turned some bad plays into good ones," Chizik said.
Newton was more critical of his performance than the coaches.
"I didn't play the best game I could have played, but I just have to watch film tomorrow and make good on my mistakes," he said.
Freshman Michael Dyer ran 14 times for 95 yards and one touchdown for Auburn. Quindarius Carr caught two passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.
"I just came out there and did what I can. I was just trying to get my feet wet and get a feel for the game," Carr said.
For Arkansas State, Ryan Aplin completed 28-of-42 passes for 278 yards and one score. Dwayne Frampton caught eight passes for 74 yards and one touchdown.
Auburn kept Arkansas State in it in the third quarter by fumbling twice in the first two minutes of the second half. The Red Wolves made it 35-23 after the first fumble on an 8-yard TD run by Derek Lawson.
Roberts said his Arkansas State team came out of the game with many things to work on.
"We need to finish some plays and drives. We need to put the ball in the end zone more than we did. I am pleased with the way we moved the ball," Roberts said.
Auburn played without linebacker Craig Stevens, the second-leading tackler for the Tigers last season. Chizik said Stevens was suspended for the game for disciplinary reasons, but he would not say what Stevens did wrong.
The Red Wolves took a 6-0 lead at 5:18 in the first quarter on a 10-yard pass from Ryan Aplin to Dwayne Frampton. The score was set up by a 61-yard completion down the sideline from Aplin to Allen Muse.
Then Newton got into gear, leading Auburn on a scoring drive that ended on a 3-yard scoring run by Kodi Burns, a former quarterback. The next time the Tigers got the ball, it took Newton just one play to find the end zone as he hit Mario Fannin with a 36-yard scoring pass.
Newton also scored on a 2-yard run and threw a 48-yard TD pass to Quindarius Carr.
The Red Wolves scored in the second quarter on a 13-yard run by Jermaine Robertson and a 26-yard field goal by Brian Davis.
-- Bob Johnson
Murray has 4 TDs in No. 23 Georgia’s 55-7 win
ATHENS, Ga. — Aaron Murray passed for three touchdowns and ran for another in leading No. 23 Georgia to a 55-7 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette.
Despite the absence of top receiver A.J. Green, Murray completed 16 of 24 passes for 194 yards in his first college game. Kris Durham caught two TD passes.
Murray ran four times for 41 yards. On a 16-yard scramble down the right sideline near the end of the first half, he reached out to hold the ball inside the front pylon for a 31-7 halftime lead.
The 55 points was Georgia’s highest since Nov. 6, 2004, when the Bulldogs won 62-17 at Kentucky.
Georgia (1-0) visits South Carolina next week.
Louisiana-Lafayette (0-1) scored on Chris Masson’s 60-yard pass to Ladarius Green late in the second quarter.
Green, a junior All-Southeastern Conference first-team selection last year, watched the game from the sidelines as Georgia awaits an NCAA ruling to clarify his playing status.
The Bulldogs did not announce that Green would miss the game until a few hours before kickoff. The NCAA is investigating if he was one of several players from different schools to attend a party hosted by a sports agent in Miami. Green said he has never been to Miami.
Starting tailback Washaun Ealey, one of nine Georgia players arrested this year, missed the game, too. Coach Mark Richt held him out following police charges of hit and run and driving with a suspended license last week.
Carlton Thomas rushed 12 times for 61 yards. Caleb King’s 20-yard run made it 7-0 late in the first quarter.
Blair Walsh kicked two field goals. His 52-yarder early in the second quarter gave the Bulldogs a 17-0 lead.
Georgia unveiled its 3-4 setup under new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham led to three sacks for minus-18 yards and nine tackles for minus-26 yards.
Cornerback Jakar Hamilton, who had one of three interceptions, returned a fourth-quarter pick for a 17-yard touchdown that made it 55-7.
Louisiana-Lafayette finished with 14 yards rushing on 29 attempts.
-- George Henry
No. 25 Mountaineers rout Coastal Carolina 31-0
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's offense looked as if it was still on summer vacation for most of the first half. Then quarterback Geno Smith got the Mountaineers moving against an FCS opponent in his first career start.
Smith threw two touchdown passes and showed maturity in the pocket, while Noel Devine rushed for 111 yards and a score, leading No. 25 West Virginia to a 31-0 win over Coastal Carolina on Saturday.
The Mountaineers crawled to a 10-0 halftime lead before an offense led by Smith and Devine scored on three of its first four drives of the second half, and the defense didn't allow Coastal Carolina inside the 20-yard line all game.
West Virginia earned its first shutout since a 38-0 win at Cincinnati in 2005 and its first home shutout win since beating Rutgers 48-0 in 1997.
"I'm pleased with the way our defense played, reacted and took control of the game," said West Virginia coach Bill Stewart.
Defensive lineman Scooter Berry summarized the effort with a simple message on his Twitter account: "Doughnut."
The defense might be counted on to duplicate the effort until the offense can put together a complete game.
Smith said he was simply trying to execute a game plan, one that wasn't working too well early. The Mountaineers scored on only two of their seven first-half drives.
"We just had to stay patient," Smith said. "It wasn't like we weren't moving the ball."
Smith, who played in five games a year ago in relief of Jarrett Brown, completed 20 of 27 passes for 216 yards before taking a seat early in the fourth.
"There were a couple of throws that I wished I could have thrown better and made better reads, but it was something that we could learn from as an offense," Smith said. "I think overall as a team, we did a great job."
Unlike his three predecessors, Smith didn't have to worry about running the ball.
That job belonged to Devine, who was bottled up by the Coastal Carolina defense for much of the game. He was averaging only 3 yards per carry until breaking free for a 39-yard gain early in the fourth quarter to set up his 4-yard TD run one play later for the final margin.
The Chanticleers' focus on Devine allowed Smith to thrive, although most of his completions came on short, simple routes.
Robert Stands forced Adrian Sullivan to fumble the second-half kickoff and West Virginia's Darwin Cook recovered. Smith threw a dart to Jock Sanders in the end zone from 17 yards out on third down for a 17-0 lead.
Sophomore Tavon Austin, hoping to become more than just a return specialist for the Mountaineers, showed his speed at wide receiver against the Chanticleers.
Austin made a nice run after a catch over the middle for a 13-yard gain late in the second quarter, but he fumbled the ball through the end zone near the right sideline. He turned another short pass into a 33-yard gain that led to Ryan Clarke's 1-yard TD run for a 24-0 lead late in the third.
Austin finished with five catches for 90 yards. Sanders had eight receptions for 71 yards.
"The object was to get the ball in our playmakers' hands and I think that's something that we did today," Smith said.
Devine touched the ball nine times on a 16-play drive to open the game and West Virginia needed Smith's 4-yard scoring toss to J.D. Woods on fourth down to avoid coming up empty.
Using Devine as a decoy, Sanders went 31 yards down the right sideline on a reverse to set up a short field goal midway through the second quarter.
The rest of the first half was a struggle for the Mountaineers.
"I don't want to make excuses for Geno, but this was his first complete game and he's a sophomore," Stewart said. "He'll get better and he's my guy."
Coastal Carolina was limited to 186 yards of offense but will go home with a $350,000 payout.
The closest the Chanticleers of the Big South Conference came to scoring was after Dominique Davenport returned an interception 37 yards to the West Virginia 21 late in the second quarter, but Brandon Hogan intercepted Zach MacDowall in the end zone on the next play.
MacDowall went 13 of 26 for 119 yards.
Coastal Carolina's Justin Durham missed field goal tries of 47 and 42 yards.
"I told our guys that this will be the best team we face all year," said Coastal Carolina coach David Bennett. "Great first half, but there's two halves to football and we've got to be able to play both halves."
West Virginia won its seventh straight season opener and improved to 11-0 against FCS opponents since 2000.
-- John Raby
