CLEMSON, S.C. — Trevor Lawrence threw two first-half touchdown passes and No. 1 Clemson won its 19th straight with an overwhelming 52-10 victory against Charlotte on Saturday night.
Lawrence and the Tigers (4-0) put the first matchup between the two teams away in a hurry. Lawrence threw a 58-yard touchdown toss to Tee Higgins and K’Von Wallace scored on a 66-yard interception return to give Clemson a 14-0 lead in the first five minutes Lawrence came out of the game after throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Cornell Powell on the first play of the second quarter.
Charlotte (2-2), which had been averaging 47 points a game, had no chance to rally against Clemson’s defense.
The 49ers were stuffed on a fourth-and-short on their 48 at one point. When they got inside the Clemson 10, the Tigers rallied to hold them to their only first-half points on Jonathan Cruz’s 24-yard field goal. Clemson already led 31-0 by that point.
No. 2 ALABAMA 49, SOUTHERN MISS 7
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa passed for 293 yards and five touchdowns in just three quarters and Alabama rolled past Southern Miss.
Tagovailoa had his second straight five-TD game and the Crimson Tide (4-0) raced to a 28-0 lead in the first 19 minutes in yet another lopsided victory. Last season’s Heisman Trophy runner-up completed 17 of 21 passes.
The Golden Eagles (2-2) couldn’t keep up with speedy Tide receiver Henry Ruggs III early. Ruggs had a career high in receiving yards even before the first quarter ended, with touchdowns of 45 and 74 yards in the opening nine minutes.
He finished with four catches for 148 yards, all in the first half and all on four targets. He sprinted to the end zone on a slant pattern for the 45-yarder, then topped that after slowing down to catch the ball before accelerating to the end zone.
Najee Harris gained 110 yards on 14 carries to become the Tide’s first 100-yard rusher since last season’s LSU game. Jerry Jeudy caught a pair of TD passes and finished with 96 yards on six catches.
No. 3 GEORGIA 23, No. 7 NOTRE DAME 17
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Jake Fromm threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Lawrence Cager early in the fourth quarter and Georgia held off Notre Dame, a result that could have ramifications all the way to the College Football Playoff.
The Bulldogs (4-0) trailed 10-7 at halftime but turned the momentum when redshirt freshman Divaad Wilson intercepted a pass by Ian Book deep in Notre Dame territory. The Fromm-to-Cager combination gave Georgia a 23-10 lead, but the Fighting Irish (2-1) had a chance at the end.
Book’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Chase Claypool cut the deficit with 3:12 remaining, the Notre Dame defense held, and Book got the ball back at his own 48 after a poor punt with just under 2 minutes to go.
The Irish got as far as the Georgia 38, but no further. It ended with Book zig-zagging on a desperate scramble before hurling up a long pass that fell incomplete, denying Notre Dame the signature win over a top opponent it so desperately needs.
No. 4 LSU 66, VANDERBILT 38
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Joe Burrow tossed four of his school-record six touchdown passes to Ja’Marr Chase and threw for 398 yards to lead LSU.
LSU (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) beat Vanderbilt (0-3, 0-2) for the eighth straight time and improved to 12-5 all-time in Nashville in the first game between these SEC charter members since 2010.
The Tigers showed off their new high-powered offense, scoring their most points this season and most ever in regulation against an SEC opponent. They needed 2:11 or less on their first seven scoring drives, and LSU scored 4 seconds after Micah Baskerville returned an onside kick 46 yards to open the third quarter on Burrow’s fifth TD pass.
Baskerville later blocked a punt he recovered for a TD.
No. 6 OHIO STATE 76, MIAMI (OHIO) 5
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Justin Fields threw for four touchdowns and rushed for two more scores in the second quarter as Ohio State cruised past Miami.
The Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), stunned by Fields’ early end-zone fumble and safety, only led 7-5 after the first quarter. But that changed quickly as Fields hit K.J. Hill with a 53-yard touchdown pass and then ran for a 7-yard score 32 seconds later. It was all Ohio State the rest of the way, with backups mopping up throughout the second half.
After four straight blowouts to start the 2019 season, Ohio State expects to find the going a little more difficult as it gets into the meat of the Big Ten schedule beginning next week at Nebraska, followed by a home game against Michigan State.
Fields was efficient, going 14 for 21 for 223 yards passing. He threw two touchdown passes to Chris Olave and another to Binjimen Victor before taking a seat at halftime.
Miami freshman quarterback Brett Gabbert was 5 for 15 for 48 yards and an interception before being benched in favor of Jackson Williams in the second quarter. The RedHawks were held to 130 total yards.
No. 8 AUBURN 28, No. 17 TEXAS A&M 20
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Bo Nix threw a touchdown pass and JaTarvious Whitlow ran for a score as Auburn built a big lead and withstood a late charge from Texas A&M.
Nix didn’t put up flashy numbers against the Aggies, but he looked poised and didn’t make any big mistakes in his first true road game in front of a rowdy crowd of 101,681. Fellow freshman Joey Gatewood replaced Nix for a few snaps throughout the game and he threw his first career touchdown pass in the first quarter.
The Tigers (4-0, 1-0 SEC) were up 21-3 before A&M (2-2, 0-1) finally got going offensively in the fourth quarter. Mond cut the lead to 21-10 with his first touchdown pass early in the fourth before Auburn added a touchdown rushing. But the Aggies made a field goal before Mond connected with Ainias Smith on a 15-yard TD pass with just over two minutes left to get them to 28-20.
But Auburn recovered the on-side kick and ran out the clock.
Mond had 335 yards passing but Texas A&M previously solid running game was held to just 56 yards.
No. 9 FLORIDA 34, TENNESSEE 3
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Trask threw for 293 yards and two touchdowns in his first start in nearly seven years and Florida extended its dominance in a series that used to be the most prominent in the Southeastern Conference’s Eastern Division.
Trask’s first collegiate start was far from perfect, though. The fourth-year junior lost a fumble and threw two interceptions against the Volunteers (1-3, 0-1 SEC)
But he did enough to overcome those miscues and lead Florida (4-0, 2-0) to its 14th win in its last 15 games against Tennessee. Trask completed 20 of 28 passes, none better than the ones that went for touchdowns to Kyle Pitts and Freddie Swain.
Trask connected with Pitts for a 19-yard score on the opening drive of the game and then hooked up with Swain for a 29-yarder to cap Florida’s first possession of the second half.
No. 13 WISCONSIN 35, No. 11 MICHIGAN 14
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Jonathan Taylor ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns, Jack Coan added a career-high two rushing touchdowns and Wisconsin made it look easy.
Taylor had 143 yards and both scores in the first quarter, including a 72-yarder. He missed the second quarter due to cramps, but the 2018 Doak Walker Award winner returned in the third to finish with 23 carries to help the Badgers (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) avenge a 38-13 loss to the Wolverines last season in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
No. 12 TEXAS 36, OKLAHOMA STATE 30
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Sam Ehlinger passed for four touchdowns and Texas ended four years of frustration against Oklahoma State.
Ehlinger had his third four-touchdown passing game of the season for the Longhorns (3-1, 1-0), who had lost four in a row to the Cowboys. Texas also had lost its last five home games in this series dating back to 2010.
The Texas defense held Oklahoma State’s two big offensive weapons – running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Tylan Wallace – mostly in check.
Hubbard, the nation’s leading rusher coming into the night, ran for 121 yards and two touchdowns but averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. Hubbard twice got stuffed short near the goal line on key drives for the Cowboys early and late.
Wallace, who came into the game tied for the national lead with six touchdown receptions, didn’t find the end zone against the Longhorns and had just two catches in the second half.
Hubbard’s second touchdown got the Cowboys (3-1, 0-1) within a touchdown with 1:37 to play, but Texas recovered the onside kick and killed the clock when Ehlinger ran 29 yards on third down.
PITTSBURGH 35, No. 15 UCF 34
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Wide receiver Aaron Matthews hit quarterback Kenny Pickett on a 3-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass with 56 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh stunned UCF.
The Panthers (2-2) ended UCF’s 25-game regular-season winning streak on a play head coach Pat Narduzzi called the “Pitt Special” in a nod to the Philadelphia Eagles, who ran a similar play two seasons ago in their Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.
Pitt trailed by six when Pickett drove the Panthers to the UCF 3. Running back A.J. Davis took a direct snap with Pickett going in motion. Davis handed the ball to Matthews, who rolled to his right and hit Pickett in the end zone. UCF’s last-gasp drive went nowhere.
Pickett completed 25 of 47 for 224 yards with a touchdown despite leaving briefly with a right arm injury.
UCF quarterback Gabriel Dillon passed for 338 yards and two touchdowns but also threw his first two interceptions of the season. Gabriel Davis hauled in 10 passe for 151 yards and two scores, but the Knight’s high-tempo offense didn’t run as efficiently as it had during three blowouts to start the year.
No. 16 OREGON 21, STANFORD 6
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert threw two of his three touchdown passes to Jacob Breeland and Oregon won its Pac-12 opener for the first time since 2014.
The Ducks (3-1, 1-0) used an efficient day from Herbert and another smothering defensive performance to end a three-game losing streak to Stanford (1-3, 0-2). The Cardinal have lost three games in a row for the first time since 2008.
Herbert finished 19 for 24 for 259 yards. He connected with Jaylon Redd and Breeland on scoring strikes in the first half and put the game away with a 24-yard pass to Breeland that made it 21-3 five plays after K.J. Costello was intercepted by Jevon Holland.
No. 21 VIRGINIA 28, OLD DOMINION 17
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Zane Zandier returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown, part of a dominant defensive second half, as Virginia rallied past Old Dominion to remain undefeated.
Old Dominion’s failed fourth-down try in its own territory set up Virginia’s go-ahead score, a 7-yard touchdown run by Wayne Taulapapa with 10:16 to go for a 21-17 edge.
The Cavaliers (4-0) are off to their best start since opening 5-0 in 2004. The Monarchs (1-2) have lost two in a row, both to in-state ACC opponents. They lost to Virginia Tech two weekends ago, a year after stunning the Hokies in Norfolk.
Fueled by Virginia penalties and defensive miscues, Old Dominion jumped out to a 17-0 lead with 10:32 left in the first half. The Monarchs got an 8-yard scoring run from quarterback Stone Smartt, and a 47-yard touchdown pass from Smartt to Matt Geiger against a busted coverage in the secondary by the Cavaliers.
A 57-yard kickoff return by Joe Reed gave Virginia the ball at the Old Dominion 33-yard line, and the Cavaliers finally got going in the second quarter. It took one of quarterback Bryce Perkins’ jaw-dropping runs — a 10-yard scramble that saw him dodge a rusher, outrun another defender and sidestep a third — to finally get Virginia on the board, pulling to 17-7 with 6:57 left in the first half.
No. 22 WASHINGTON 45, BYU 19
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Jacob Eason threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns and Washington scored two touchdowns off three BYU turnovers to coast to a victory.
The Huskies (3-1) totaled 470 yards on offense, with Eason completing 24 of 28 pass attempts. Aaron Fuller, his top target, tallied 91 yards on eight catches. Fuller had one touchdown catch and returned a punt 88 yards for another score.
Zach Wilson threw for 277 yards and a touchdown on 26 of 42 passing to lead BYU. It wasn’t nearly enough to help the Cougars (2-2) prevent the Huskies from dominating in all three phases of the game.
No. 23 CALIFORNIA 28, MISSISSIPPI 20
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Chase Garbers threw for four touchdowns, but California needed a game-saving tackle at the 1-yard line from linebacker Evan Weaver on the game’s final play.
Cal (4-0) was in control until the final six minutes, when reserve quarterback John Rhys Plumlee led Ole Miss (2-2) on a late rally to wipe out a 28-13 deficit. Plumlee was stopped by Weaver for no gain on fourth down at the 1-yard line as time expired.
Garbers completed 23 of 35 passes for 357 yards, including TDs of 9 and 60 yards to Jordan Duncan and Jake Tonges on the opening two possessions of the third quarter, setting up the late defensive heroics.
The Rebels got strong performances from quarterbacks Matt Corral and Plumlee, who led the final two possessions. Corral had a 1-yard scoring run and was 22-of-41 passing for 266 yards before leaving with a rib injury. The Rebels had 525 yards of total offense but failed on two scoring opportunities with missed field goals.
Cal finished with 433 yards of total offense, including first-half touchdown passes by Garbers of 6 and 13 yards to Trevon Clark and Christopher Brown Jr. The Golden Bears were efficient offensively, going 6 for 12 in third-down situations and 3 for 3 in the red zone, capped by touchdowns.
COLORADO 34, NO. 24 ARIZONA STATE 31
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Steven Montez threw for 337 yards and had three touchdown passes to Tony Brown, lifting Colorado past Arizona State.
Arizona State (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) won its first three games behind its defense, allowing 21 combined points.
SMU 41, No. 25 TCU 38
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Shane Buechele threw for 288 yards with two touchdowns and ran for another score as SMU ended a seven-game losing streak in the rivalry and improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1984.
The Mustangs went ahead to stay after jumping ahead 15-0 in less than 10 minutes. Their last 4-0 start came when TCU and SMU were Southwest Conference rivals, and not long before crippling sanctions led to the NCAA’s so-called death penalty when the Mustangs didn’t even field a team in 1987 and 1988.
TCU true freshman quarterback Max Duggan’s third touchdown pass of the second half came with 3:37 left. The Frogs got the ball back a minute later after a three-and-out by SMU, including a snap that Buechele wasn’t ready for that resulted in a 23-yard loss.
But after TCU coach Gary Patterson opted against trying a 51-yard field goal attempt, Duggan’s fourth-down pass never had a chance and SMU ran out the clock.