ARLINGTON, Texas — With Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon now in the NFL and Corey Clement dealing with a groin injury, No. 20 Wisconsin got run over in its season opener.
These Badgers certainly didn’t resemble the team that averaged 264 yards rushing per game over the past five seasons in former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst’s first game as their head coach.
Derrick Henry ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns for No. 3 Alabama in a 35-17 victory over the Badgers, whose 40 rushing yards were their fewest since 19 in a 2012 game against Michigan State.
“There are some areas we’ve clearly got to improve upon for us to be the team we need to be,” Chryst said.
Along with the groin that Clement said afterward he tweaked in practice Tuesday, Wisconsin lost senior safety Michael Caputo, its top tackler last season, when he sustained a head injury while tackling Henry on the third play of the game.
“It was hard on him … yet it was pretty clear,” Chryst said about Caputo being held out the rest of the game. “Hopefully he’ll rebound. He means a lot to this team.”
Joel Stave, in his 29th start as Wisconsin’s quarterback, was 26 of 39 for 228 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
But these are the Badgers, who are known for their ground game. Even Clement had seven 100-yard rushing games and averaged 7.0 yards per carry while starting only one of 26 games his first two seasons.
In his first game as the featured back, he had eight carries for 16 yards. His longest run was 5 yards.
No. 7 OREGON 61,
E. WASHINGTON 42
EUGENE, Ore. — Vernon Adams threw for two touchdowns but left his much-anticipated debut after a scary fourth-quarter hit, and Oregon beat his former team to open the season.
Royce Freeman ran for a career-high 180 yards and three scores for the Ducks, who didn’t appear to have slipped much offensively without Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
Adams, who transferred to the Ducks for his final year of eligibility, was ushered to the locker room after he staggered getting up from a late hit by Eastern Washington’s John Kreifels, who was ejected.
NO. 6 AUBURN 31, LOUISVILLE 24
ATLANTA — Will Muschamp’s defense made a couple of huge plays early for Auburn to offset three interceptions by Jeremy Johnson, and the Tigers held off Louisville and surprise quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The Tigers’ first touchdown in the opener was set up by an interception. Justin Garrett returned a fumble 82 yards to make it 14-0.
That’s just what Auburn wanted out of Muschamp, who took over as defensive coordinator after being fired as coach at Southeastern Conference rival Florida.
NO. 11 NOTRE DAME 38, TEXAS 3
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Malik Zaire passed for 313 yards in his first home start, and Notre Dame held Texas to 163 yards of total offense.
Zaire was 19-of-22 passing with three touchdowns, including a 66-yard scoring strike to Will Fuller.
Fuller had two touchdown catches, Chris Brown had one scoring catch, and freshman Josh Adams ran for a pair of TDs, including 14-yard score on his first career carry.
The Irish improved to 9-2 against Texas.
TEXAS A&M 38, NO. 15 ARIZONA ST. 17
HOUSTON — Kyle Allen threw for a score early and sealed the game for Texas A&M by running for a touchdown and throwing for another in the fourth quarter after being benched in favor of freshman Kyler Murray.
Allen won the starting job in camp, but coach Kevin Sumlin replaced him with Murray in the second quarter and alternated quarterbacks for much of the second half. Allen spent most of the third quarter on the bench before returning early in the fourth and capping a long drive with a 12-yard touchdown run that made it 24-14.
NO. 9 GEORGIA 51, LOUISIANA MONROE 14
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia beat Louisiana-Monroe in game that was called off with just under 10 minutes left because of lightning in the area.
A few minutes after the Bulldogs scored their final touchdown, coach Mark Richt walked over to the officials to discuss game conditions, and the decision was made to end it.
Nick Chubb and Keith Marshall each ran for two touchdowns for the Bulldogs in the opener, and Greyson Lambert started at quarterback.
NO. 10 FLORIDA STATE 59, TEXAS STATE 16
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Everett Golson threw four touchdown passes in his Florida State debut.
The graduate transfer from Notre Dame was 19 for 25 for 302 yards. He matched his career high for touchdown passes set last year in Notre Dame’s victory over Syracuse.
Dalvin Cook ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns, and Mario Pender added 92 yards on 14 carries.
NO. 12 CLEMSON 49, WOFFORD 10
CLEMSON, S.C. — Deshaun Watson threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns, and Clemson overcame star receiver Mike Williams scary injury.
Williams was carted off the field after hitting the goalpost support and spraining his neck on a 4-yard touchdown reception in the first half.
Clemson opened with a win for the seventh straight season and improved to 30-0 against FCS opponents.
NO. 13 UCLA 34, VIRGINIA 16
PASADENA, Calif. — Heralded freshman Josh Rosen passed for 351 yards and three touchdowns in a stellar debut for UCLA, leading the Bruins last Virginia.
Thomas Duarte, Devin Fuller and defensive tackle Kenny Clark caught scoring passes from the 18-year-old Rosen, who went 28 for 35 with several stunning throws and no turnovers.
MCNEESE STATE AT NO. 14 LSU, CANCELED
BATON ROUGE, La. — Persistent lightning strikes forced officials to cancel LSU’s season opener with McNeese State following a delay of nearly four hours.
NO. 17 MISSISSIPPI 76, UT MARTIN 3
OXFORD, Miss. — Chad Kelly threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 20-yard run for Mississippi.
Kelly, a junior transfer who is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, completed 9 of 15 passes in his first start. Jaylen Walton ran for two touchdowns, including a 60-yarder up the middle on his first carry of the game. Robert Nkemdiche — who is usually a defensive lineman — made a cameo on offense and caught a 31-yard touchdown pass as the Rebels built a 41-0 lead by halftime.
NO. 18 ARKANSAS 48, UTEP 13
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Brandon Allen threw for a career-high 308 yards and matched his best with four touchdown passes for Arkansas.
Allen threw for 256 yards and all four touchdowns in the first half — including a pair of scores to Keon Hatcher, who finished with six catches for 106 yards. .
NO. 19 OKLAHOMA 41, AKRON 3
NORMAN, Okla. — Baker Mayfield passed for 388 yards and three touchdowns, and Joe Mixon had 142 yards from scrimmage for Oklahoma.
Mayfield set a school record for yards passing in a season opener, surpassing the previous mark of 363 yards by Sam Bradford in 2007. The walk-on transfer from Texas Tech won the starting job in a preseason battle with last year’s starter, Trevor Knight.
NORTHWESTERN 16, NO. 21 STANFORD 6
EVANSTON, Ill. — Freshman Clayton Thorson ran 42 yards for a touchdown while playing turnover-free ball at quarterback, and Justin Jackson added 134 yards rushing for Northwestern.
Anthony Walker broke up two passes and had a fumble recovery, and Kyle Queiro intercepted Kevin Hogan’s pass in the end zone with about a minute left to seal the win.
NO. 24 MISSOURI 34, SE MISSOURI 3
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Kentrell Brothers had a career-best 16 tackles and blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown for Missouri.
Aarion Penton caught the blocked punt in the air for a 41-yard return late in the third quarter that made it 27-3.
NO. 25 TENNESSEE 59, BOWLING GREEN 30
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jalen Hurd had three first-half touchdown runs, Alvin Kamara ran for two more scores, and Tennessee beat Bowling Green in a game delayed 80 minutes by lightning in the third quarter.
The Volunteers came in ranked for the first time since September 2012, and they won their first game while ranked since 2007.