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College Football Top 25 Review
College Football Top 25 Review
Landry Jones re-established his connection with All-American receiver Ryan Broyles and Dominique Whaley (left) ran for four scores in his debut as the Sooners extended the nation's longest home winning streak with their 37th straight win on Owen Field. Jones threw for 375 yards, Broyles came up just shy of his own school receptions record with 14 for 158 yards. Whaley finished with 131 yards on 18 carries.
The main question surrounding preseason No. 2 Alabama: Which quarterback would emerge? Answers came in the opener, when AJ McCarron completed 14-of-23 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown. McCarron did throw two picks, but so did fellow QB Phillip Sims, who was just 7-of-14 for 73 yards. Heisman contender Trent Richardson punched in three scores, but only rushed for 37 yards. Marquis Maze (pictured) caught eight balls for 118 yards and a score.
Michael Ford ran for two touchdowns and Jarrett Lee admirably directed LSU's offense in place of suspended quarterback Jordan Jefferson as the Tigers prevailed. LSU converted three of Oregon's four turnovers into 20 points and won its 34th consecutive nonconference game. Oregon, which lost to Auburn in the BCS national championship game last season, has consecutive losses for the first time since losing its last three regular-season games in 2007.
The Dawgs had new uniforms, but the Broncos had the same ol' Kellen Moore and Doug Martin. Moore completed 28-of-34 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns and Martin (right) added 56 rushing yards and a touchdown as Boise State boosted its hopes of making another run to a major bowl.
The E.J. Manuel era began without a hitch. Manuel (pictured) passed for 252 yards and two scores in the Seminoles' opener, and Florida State's swarming defense held ULM to 191 yards. The Warhawks reached FSU territory just once in the first half and never got beyond the FSU 28-yard-line.
Andrew Luck may not have one star receiver to count on, but he connected with seven different pass-catchers on Saturday. The Heisman Trophy frontrunner completed 17-of-26 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to extend the Cardinal's win streak in the Silicon Valley series. San Jose State last won in 2006.
Joseph Randle (center) rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns, Justin Blackmon had 144 yards receiving and Oklahoma State picked up where it left off last season on offense. Brandon Weeden completed 24-of-39 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns for Oklahoma State in Todd Monken's debut as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator. Monken replaced Dana Holgorsen, who is now the head coach at West Virginia.
Taylor Martinez picked up where he left off before ankle injuries started marring his 2010 campaign, rushing for 135 yards and three touchdowns out of Nebraska's new no-huddle offense. Martinez, who matched his career high with 19 carries, also completed 11 of 22 passes for 116 yards. The win bodes well for the Huskers: Chattanooga has played against, and lost to, the last two national champions.
The Russell Wilson era got off to a great start as the Badgers cruised on Thursday. Wilson, who transferred from North Carolina State, completed 10-of-13 passes for 255 yards and two scores and rushed for 62 yards, including a 46-yard TD. But Wilson wasn't the only bright spot: Tailback Montee Ball scored four touchdowns for the Badgers, who host Oregon State on Sept. 10.
Marcus Lattimore (No. 21) ran for three touchdowns and Stephen Garcia (No. 5) rushed for two and threw for a third after sitting out the first quarter as the Gamecocks rolled. South Carolina, which trailed 17-0, rallied to help coach Steve Spurrier improve to 42-0 against schools outside the BCS automatic qualifying conferences.
Virginia Tech's upset loss to FCS foe James Madison in 2010 seemed like a lifetime ago during this contest; so too did Appalachian State's historic upset over Michigan in 2007. The Hokies notched 518 net yards of offense behind new starting quarterback Logan Thomas (149 yards, 2 TDs) and new starting running back David Wilson (162, 3) and delivered the school's first season-opening win in four years.
TCU had won an FBS-best 25 consecutive regular season games and last season's Rose Bowl. Baylor had not beaten a ranked team since 2004. But none of that mattered on Friday, when Robert Griffin III and the Bears held on for a thrilling 50-48 win. New TCU quarterback Casey Pachall lived up to the hype, throwing three touchdowns and rushing for another. But the Horned Frogs' typically stout defense could not contain Griffin (pictured), who was 21-of-27 for 359 yards and five touchdowns.
Tyler Wilson got off to an efficient, if not spectacular, start at Arkansas. Ryan Mallett's backup the past two seasons threw for 260 yards and a pair of touchdown to Jarius Wright to help the Razorbacks. The junior had plenty of help in the form of a dominating defensive performance and a pair of punt returns for touchdowns by Joe Adams, who tied a Southeastern Conference record with his performance.
The Fighting Irish couldn't beat Mother Nature -- or the upstart Bulls. Kayvon Webster returned a fumble 96 yards for an early touchdown as South Florida came to Notre Dame for the first time and left a winner in a game disrupted for hours because of storms. USF coach Skip Holtz got an emotional victory in his return to Notre Dame, where he went to school and where his dad Lou led the Irish to their last national title in 1988.
The Spartans got off to a slow start, committing seven first-half penalties. But it was smooth sailing once quarterback Kirk Cousins and receiver B.J. Cunningham got into a groove. Cunningham caught nine passes for 130 yards and a touchdown and moved into a tie for first-place on the school's career receptions list. Michigan State also got an emotional boost from offensive lineman Arthur Ray Jr., who played the opening snap after spending the last four years recovering from cancer in his left leg.
Jim who? The Buckeyes dominated all facets of play in the first game of the Luke Fickell era, outgaining Akron 29 first downs to five and 524 net yards to 90. Tight end Jake Stoneburner (pictured) was particularly efficient, delivering three touchdowns on four catches. Senior Joe Bauserman and freshman Braxton Miller both played well at quarterback, but Bauserman held an edge in attempts (16 to 12), passing yards (163 to 130) and passing touchdowns (three to one).
Vick Ballard, who scored 16 touchdowns last season, got three more Thursday. The junior carried 10 times for 166 yards as the Bulldogs shook off last-minute suspensions for five players. Ballard's 66-yard scoring run with 1:51 left in the first half gave the Bulldogs a 31-7 lead.
Missouri squeezed out the win, but this was not a flawless debut for new quarterback James Franklin, who managed just 129 yards, one touchdown and one interception through the air. Franklin did rush for 72 additional yards and a score, but no other Tiger had more than 43 yards on the ground. The Mizzou defense impressed, holding Miami to 270 net yards and notching two sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Earl Okine and Florida's defense made life difficult for Willie Floyd and Florida Atlantic, holding the Owls to 30 rushing yards and 11 first downs. John Brantley looked comfortable leading the Gators' revamped offense, Chris Rainey scored three different ways and the 22nd-ranked Gators opened the Will Muschamp era with an easy win.
A defending national champion had not lost its season opener since Miami in 1990. With the clock winding down in the forth quarter, it looked like Auburn was going to change that. But first-time starter Barrett Trotter found Philip Lutzenkirchen for a 15-yard score with 2:07 left, and then receiver Emory Blake recovered a beautiful onside kick (pictured) to set up Mike Dyer's game-winning score with 30 seconds remaining. Maybe some of that Cam Newton magic still resides on the Plains.
Robert Woods (pictured) caught a school-record 17 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns; the rest of the USC offense was far less explosive, as the Trojans failed to score in the second half. But USC held on with Minnesota threatening thanks to a victory-sealing interception by Torin Harris with 53 seconds to play.
