College football notebook: No. 9 Buckeyes struggle with Tulsa, pull away for 41-20 win
Buckeyes struggle with Tulsa but pull away for win
TreVeyon Henderson broke Archie Griffin's 49-year-old freshman rushing record, romping for 277 yards and three touchdowns as No. 9 Ohio State pulled away late to beat Tulsa 41-20 on Saturday.
Henderson ran for scores of 5, 48 and 52 yards, which managed to paper over some of the same weaknesses Ohio State showed in the 32-25 upset by Oregon last week that sent the Buckeyes tumbling in the AP Top 25 poll.
As a team, the Buckeyes (2-1) were not sharp. But Tulsa (0-3) couldn't match them blow for blow, and Henderson, who ran for 69 yards in the first two games combined, broke through with some huge plays at critical times. A late interception that Cameron Martinez returned for a 61-yard touchdown made the score look worse than it was for the persistent Golden Hurricane.
The Ohio State defense, while holding Tulsa to 73 yards on the ground, allowed Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin to throw for a career-high 428 yards and the team's first two touchdown passes this season. Josh Johnson caught eight passes for a career-high 149 yards.
Henderson's first big run came in the third quarter with Ohio State hanging on to a 13-6 lead. He bounced right and blew past defensive backs for the 48-yard touchdown. Then at the end of the quarter, after Tulsa had pulled to 20-13, he broke through a hole in the middle and headed for the left sideline and the 52-yard score.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 31, NO. 11 FLORIDA 29: Bryce Young’s first collegiate road start was a rousing success, a three-touchdown performance that helped top-ranked Alabama hold off Florida 31-29. The defending national champion Crimson Tide stopped a 2-point conversion with 3:10 left and extended its winning streak to 17 games.
NO. 5 IOWA 30, KENT STATE 7: Tyler Goodson ran for a career-high 153 yards and three touchdowns as the Hawkeyes (3-0) won their ninth straight game. They have won 14th consecutive nonconference games, the second-longest current streak in the nation.
NO. 7 TEXAS A&M 34, NEW MEXICO 0: Zach Calzada threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to power Texas A&M. The victory extends A&M’s winning streak to 11 games and gives the Aggies a 3-0 start for the first time since opening the 2016 season with six consecutive wins.
NO. 8 CINCINNATI 38, INDIANA 24: Desmond Ridder threw the go-ahead touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, then scored on a 7-yard TD run to help Cincinnati seal a come-from-behind victory at Indiana.
NO. 12 NOTRE DAME 27, PURDUE 13: Kyren Williams scored two long touchdowns, the second a 51-yard run with 6:05 remaining, as Notre Dame held off Purdue for its 26th straight victory at home. The victory was the 105th in Brian Kelly’s 12-year career at Notre Dame, tying him with Knute Rockne as the winningest coach in school history.
WEST VIRGINIA 27, NO. 15 VIRGINIA TECH 21: Jarret Doege threw two touchdown passes, Leddie Brown rushed for 106 yards and a score and West Virginia survived Virginia Tech's furious rally from a 20-point deficit. The Mountaineers (2-1) built a 27-7-point lead midway through the third quarter
NO. 16 COASTAL CAROLINA 28, BUFFALO 25: Grayson McCall threw for three touchdowns, Shermari Jones ran for 149 yards and another score, and Coastal Carolina held on to beat Buffalo for its first road win of the season.
NO. 20 ARKANSAS 45, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 10: KJ Jefferson threw for a career-high 366 yards and tied a career high with three touchdowns to lead Arkansas.
MICHIGAN STATE 38, NO. 24 MIAMI 17: Payton Thorne passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns, two of those scoring throws going to Jalen Nailor. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 172 yards and caught a touchdown pass for the Spartans (3-0), who are off to their best start since 2015.
NO. 25 MICHIGAN 63, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 10: Blake Corum rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns as the Wolverines (3-0) scored touchdowns on their first nine drives, eight of them on the ground.
BAYLOR 45, KANSAS 7: Gerry Bohanon threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns while running for another score, and Baylor had its way against Kansas on the ground, piling up 307 yards rushing.
KANSAS STATE 38, NEVADA 17: Quarterback Will Howard pushed into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run to cap a 21-point fourth quarte for the Wildcats. He rushed for 56 yards and two touchdown, while Deuce Vaughn led the rushing attack for Kansas State with 127 yards and a touchdown.
SMU 39, LOUISIANA TECH 37: Former Oklahoma quarterback Tanner Mordecai hooked up twice with another former Sooner, tight end Grant Calcaterra, on the final drive. Those completions set up a 33-year Hail Mary score to wide receiver Reggie Roberson on the final play of the game..
MINNESOTA 30, COLORADO 0: Trey Potts ran for three touchdowns and Minnesota’s swarming defense held Colorado to just 63 total yards. The Gophers won their 21st straight nonconference game.
USC 45, WASHINGTON STATE 14: Freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart came off the bench to throw four touchdown passes as the Trojans outscored the Cougars 28-0 in the third quarter after trailing 14-7 at halftime.
WAKE FOREST 35, FLORIDA STATE 14: Sam Hartman threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns, and A.T. Perry grabbed seven passes for 155 yards and a TD as Wake Forest cruised past mistake-plagued Florida State.
MEMPHIS 31, MISSISSIPPI STATE 29: Calvin Austin scored three second-half touchdowns including a questionable 94-yard punt return in the fourth quarter as Memphis rallied for a 31-29 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday. The victory and Austin’s punt return culminated a wild final three-plus minutes that included onside kicks, penalties and reviews, such as whether Austin could return the punt on which he scored or if the ball was dead.
WESTERN MICHIGAN 44, PITTSBURGH 41: Kaleb Eleby threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns and Western Michigan stunned Pittsburgh. La'Darius Jefferson ran for 78 yards and two scores for the Broncos.
TENNESSEE 56, TENNESSEE TECH 0: Hendon Hooker threw three touchdown passes and scored one of his own to lead Tennessee.
MISSOURI 58, SE MISSOURI 28: Connor Bazelak completed 21 of 30 passes for 346 yards and three touchdowns for the Tigers.
KENTUCKY 28, CHATTANOOGA 23: Will Levis overcame two interceptions to throw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Isaiah Cummings and safety Tyrell Ajian returned an interception 95 yards with 7:40 remaining as Kentucky rallied past FCS Chattanooga.
ARMY 52, UCONN 21: Christian Anderson ran for two touchdowns, passed for another and Army reached the end zone on all six of its first-half possessions.
BOSTON COLLEGE 28, TEMPLE 3: Pat Garwo, Travis Levy and Dennis Grosel scored rushing touchdowns as Boston College remained unbeaten.
WASHINGTON 52, ARKANSAS STATE 3: Dylan Morris passed for 367 yards and three touchdowns, Jalen McMillan had 10 catches for 175 yards and a score, and Washington rebounded from two disappointing losses.
LOUSIVILLE 42, CENTRAL FLORIDA 35: Jaylin Alderman returned an interception off a tipped pass for a 66-yard touchdown with 13 seconds remaining, giving Louisville a thrilling victory over UCF on Friday night.
CALIFORNIA 42, SACRAMENTO STATE 30: Chase Garbers threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns, Nikko Remiglio returned the second-half kickoff for a score and California beat Sacramento State for its first win of the season.
Wire reports