Ohio State’s defense held Texas quarterback Arch Manning in check, and the No. 3 Buckeyes pulled off a 14-7 victory over the top-ranked Longhorns at Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday in the season opener for both teams.
CJ Donaldson Jr. scored on a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and the Buckeyes took advantage of a Manning interception to go ahead 14-0 with 13:08 left in the game when quarterback Julian Sayin connected with Carnell Tate on a 40-yard touchdown pass.
Manning finally got untracked and threw a 32-yard TD pass to Parker Livingstone with 3:28 remaining. With a chance to pull off a late rally, Manning took the Longhorns to the 47 in the final two minutes, but they turned the ball over on downs with 1:27 remaining to end the threat.
Manning, the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning, made his third career start, while the Buckeyes’ Sayin made his first. Manning finished 17 of 30 for 170 yards and a TD, with one interception, and Sayin was 13 of 20 for 126 yards and a TD.
No. 2 Penn State 46, Nevada 11
Nicholas Singleton rushed for two touchdowns and Dani Dennis-Sutton was a terror on defense as the No. 2 Nittany Lions rolled to an easy victory over the Wolf Pack at University Park, Pa.
Drew Allar completed 22 of 26 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown as the Nittany Lions controlled the contest. Sutton forced two fumbles and had 2.5 stops for losses, including one sack.
Penn State outgained the Wolf Pack 438-203 and had a 25-13 edge in first downs. Chubba Purdy was 7-of-15 passing for 97 yards, with one interception, for Nevada. The brother of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy accumulated a team-leading 55 yards on the ground.
No. 9 LSU 17, No. 4 Clemson 10
Garrett Nussmeier threw a tiebreaking touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and LSU rode a stifling defense to a victory over host Clemson in the season opener for both teams.
Nussmeier completed 28 of 38 passes for 230 yards and LSU outgained Clemson 354-261 to snap a five-year losing streak in openers. On the fifth play of the fourth quarter, Nussmeier threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Trey’Dez Green to give LSU the lead for the first time, 17-10, with 12:18 to play.
Clemson drove from its 43 to the LSU 15 on its final possession, but Cade Klubnik’s pass on fourth-and-4 was incomplete. Klubnik completed 19 of 38 for 230 yards with one interception.
No. 5 Georgia 45, Marshall 7
Gunner Stockton threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 73 yards and two more scores to pace the Bulldogs to the season-opening win over the Thundering Herd in Athens, Ga.
Dwight Phillips Jr. added 60 rushing yards and a touchdown on just five carries for Georgia, which produced 488 yards and 27 first downs to Marshall’s 207 yards and seven first downs.
After Georgia built a 45-0 lead early in the fourth quarter, Jo’Shon Barbie rushed 1 yard for Marshall’s touchdown. Zion Turner came off the bench to hit 6 of 7 passes for 100 yards and Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw made three catches for 58 yards.
No. 7 Oregon 59, Montana State 13
Dante Moore showed the college football world what it had been missing in his first start in nearly two years, throwing for 213 yards and three touchdowns as the Ducks trounced the Bobcats in Oregon.
Moore also set a career high with a 78 percent completion rate, going 6-for-6 on his lone drive in the second half. He helped Oregon outgain Montana State 506-244 in overall yards Saturday.
Moore’s counterpart, Justin Lamson, struggled for the Bobcats, completing 23-of-31 passes for 198 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Running back Adam Jones scored Montana State’s only touchdown on the day.
Florida State 31, No. 8 Alabama 17
The Seminoles ran for 230 yards and four touchdowns, beginning their 2025 season with a shocking upset of the Crimson Tide in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Seminoles, 2-10 a season ago after a 13-1 campaign in 2023, looked the part of a new-look team with two new coordinators and a new roster. FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who said this offseason that he didn’t believe Bama would be able to stop him, backed up the talk in a major way. He led the Seminoles with 78 rushing yards and scored their first touchdown of the season on a 9-yard first-quarter run. He also completed 9 of 14 passes for 152 yards.
The Crimson Tide suffered their first season-opening loss since 2001 under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer. Alabama starting quarterback Ty Simpson, making his first career start in a hostile atmosphere, completed 23 of 43 passes for 254 yards and threw a pair of touchdowns. However, three fourth-down incompletions in FSU territory loomed large during the TIde’s comeback attempt.
No. 11 Arizona State 38, Northern Arizona 19
Sam Leavitt rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two touchdowns, both to Jordyn Tyson, as the Sun Devils overcame sometimes sloppy play to pull away from the Lumberjacks in Tempe.
The Sun Devils (1-0) were penalized 12 times for 93 yards and converted on just 2-of-10 third-down opportunities. Leavitt closed his night with 257 yards on 25-of-39 passing and his 73 rushing yards matched Kyson Brown for a game-high. Tyson caught 12 passes for 141 yards.
Ty Pennington went 22-of-35 for 204 yards for Northern Arizona (0-1). Backup Lathan Boone, who came on for Pennington in the fourth quarter, went 4 of 7 for 38 yards. Kenveon Stone, who rushed for a team-high 35 yards, scored a touchdown in the final minute.
No. 14 Michigan 34, New Mexico 17
Justice Haynes had 16 carries for 159 yards and three touchdowns, and the Wolverines held firm for a win over the Lobos in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Highly touted true freshman Bryce Underwood completed 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown in his collegiate debut for the Wolverines (1-0). Marlin Klein finished with six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. Michigan outgained New Mexico 452-267 in total offense.
Dorian Thomas had 10 catches for 71 yards and two touchdowns for the Lobos (0-1). Jack Layne completed 31 of 47 passes for 208 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
No. 15 Florida 55, Long Island 0
Quarterback DJ Lagway fired three touchdowns in the Gators’ 38-point first half as they opened the season by pummeling the Sharks in Gainesville, Fla.
The sophomore signal-caller from Texas finished his season debut by going 15 of 18 for 120 yards. Backup Tramell Jones Jr. was 12 of 18 for 131 yards with two TDs while Jadan Baugh rushed for 104 yards and a score on nine carries. Defensive back Bryce Thornton scored on one of his two fumble recoveries.
Division I FCS Long Island (0-1) mustered only two first downs to Florida’s 28 and was outgained 451-86 in total offense. Sharks quarterbacks Luca Stanzani, Ethan Greenwood and Chris Howell combined to go 4 of 11 for 49 yards.
No. 16 SMU 42, East Texas A&M 13
Kevin Jennings threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the Mustangs to a season-opening victory over the visiting Lions in Dallas.
Jennings completed 22 of 30 passes for 260 yards and one interception in addition to his two scoring tosses to lead the SMU to its seventh consecutive season-opening win. Romello Brinson caught seven passes for 121 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown. Alexander Kilgore and Ahmaad Moses returned interceptions for touchdowns.
East Texas A&M, which is coming off a 3-9 season and is now eligible to compete for the FCS playoff berth, got two field goals from Ozlo Rigby. Eric Rodriguez entered at quarterback in the second quarter in relief of Will Madonna and completed 14 of 30 passes for 191 yards and an interception. Rodriguez scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 2:55 left in the game for the Lions’ only touchdown.
No. 17 Kansas State 38, North Dakota 35
Avery Johnson’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Joe Jackson with 42 seconds left helped the Wildcats avoid an embarrassing loss to the Fighting Hawks of the FCS.
The Fighting Hawks (0-1) were looking for the biggest upset in program history and their first victory over an FBS opponent since 2015.
Johnson finished 28 of 43 for 318 yards and three touchdowns, and Jayce Brown caught 12 passes for 109 yards and one score for the Wildcats (1-1). Jerry Kaminski was 23 of 38 for 231 yards and a touchdown for North Dakota. He also scored two touchdowns on the ground.
No. 18 Oklahoma 35, Illinois State 3
John Mateer threw for 392 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another as the Sooners opened the season with a rout of the Redbirds in Norman, Okla.
Mateer’s passing yardage was the most by an Oklahoma quarterback in an opener, topping Baker Mayfield’s 388-yard performance to open the 2015 season against Akron. Mateer finished 30 of 37 through the air as the Sooners outgained the Redbirds 495-151.
Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse (6 of 13, 22 yards) left the game early in the third after taking a hard hit from defensive end Taylor Wein. The FCS Redbirds finished with just 34 passing yards. Wenkers Wright rushed for 50 yards on seven carries to lead Illinois State.
No. 19 Texas A&M 42, UTSA 24
Marcel Reed passed for four touchdowns and KC Concepcion had an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 31-yard TD catch as the Aggies were too much for the Roadrunners in the season opener for both teams in College Station, Texas.
Reed was 22 of 34 for 289 yards through the air in the win while Mario Craver, a transfer from Mississippi State, had eight catches for 122 yards and two TDs for the Aggies. Reed also finished as Texas A&M’s top rusher with 39 yards on eight carries.
The Roadrunners stayed close in the first half and were within four points early in the third quarter thanks mostly to the rushing of Robert Henry Jr., who racked up 177 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. UTSA quarterback Owen McCown (19 of 32) had just 121 passing yards.
No. 20 Indiana 27, Old Dominion 14
New quarterback Fernando Mendoza rushed for a touchdown, new running back Roman Hemby added 110 yards on the ground, and the Hoosiers shrugged off a sluggish start for a win over the Monarchs in Bloomington, Ind.
Indiana’s 309 rushing yards were on brand with last year’s 11-2 team, and the Hoosiers controlled the ball for 41:28 but managed only one second-half touchdown. Mendoza, who started for California last season, threw for 193 yards on 18-of-31 accuracy and rushed 5 yards for a score.
Old Dominion quarterback Colton Joseph accounted for most of his team’s offense with touchdown runs of 75 and 78 yards. He rushed for 179 yards on 10 carries and completed 11 of 22 passes for 96 yards but was intercepted three times.
No. 21 Ole Miss 63, Georgia State 7
Austin Simmons completed 20 of 31 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Rebels rout the Panthers in Oxford, Miss.
Simmons also threw two interceptions in his first career start, while Kewan Lacy ran for 108 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. Logan Diggs rushed for 91 yards and a score for the Rebels, who outgained Georgia State 695-260 in total offense in both team’s season opener. Harrison Wallace III made five catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.
Christian Veilleux was 4-of-11 passing for 52 yards, a touchdown and an interception for outmatched Georgia State. Rashad Amos led the Panthers with 68 rushing yards.
No. 22 Iowa State 55, South Dakota 7
Rocco Becht completed 19 of 20 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, and the Cyclones cruised past the FCS Coyotes in Ames, Iowa.
Becht set a school record by completing 95 percent of his passes and established another school mark with a TD pass in 20 consecutive games. Benjamin Brahmer caught seven passes for 47 yards and two TDs for Iowa State (2-0), which won its home opener one week after starting the season in Ireland. Kyle Konrardy added two field goals, including a 63-yarder that set a school record.
Aidan Bouman completed 15 of 29 passes for 126 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for South Dakota (0-1). Bouman was making his return to Ames, where he was a reserve signal-caller for Iowa State before transferring in 2022 to South Dakota to become a starter.
No. 23 Texas Tech 67, Arkansas Pine-Bluff 7
Behren Morton threw four touchdown passes before departing in the second quarter with an injury as the Red Raiders routed the Golden Lions in each team’s season opener in Lubbock, Texas.
Morton, who completed 16 of 18 attempts for 201 yards, left the game after linebacker Tayvon Hardwick hit him on the lower right leg and was called for roughing the passer. Morton stayed in for one more play and went to the locker room for treatment. That and a weather delay were the only things to slow down the Red Raiders. The teams agreed to play eight-minute quarters in the second half, but Texas Tech still wound up with 608 total yards and 34 first downs.
The Golden Lions, an FCS program that plays in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, avoided a shutout with Christian Peters’ 7-yard touchdown pass to Ellis Stewart with 6:16 left in the game.
No. 24 Tennessee 45, Syracuse 26
Joey Aguilar threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns as the Volunteers topped the Orange at Atlanta in the season opener for both teams.
Playing his first game for Tennessee, Aguilar was a somewhat erratic 16-of-28 passing but benefited from a dominant rushing attack. The Volunteers averaged 6.2 yards per carry, including a strong performance from Star Thomas, who had 12 carries for 92 yards.
Yasin Willis had three rushing touchdowns for Syracuse and finished with 91 yards on 23 carries.
–Field Level Media
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