Saturday Game Recaps

Saturday, September 8

No. 14 Ohio State 31, UCF 16: A 21-point scoring streak by Ohio State starting with the last drive of the first half and extending to a 14-point third quarter doomed any upset hopes for Central Florida in a 31-16 loss. The Knights struggled passing the football with passing for 249 yards but three costly interceptions. Running back Storm Johnson had a 7.3 yards per carry average and 75 yards on the day for the Knights.

Tulsa 45, Tulane 10: A scary injury to Tulane safety Devon Walker overshadowed a blowout win for the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes over the Tulane Green Wave in a Conference USA matchup. Tulsa ended the day with 651 yards of total offense and held Tulane to 177 yards of total offense and only 7 rushing yards. Tulsa put the game away early with a 35-3 halftime lead over the Green Wave

No. 9 South Carolina 48, East Carolina 10: Even without starting quarterback Connor Shaw, the South Carolina Gamecocks were too much for the East Carolina Pirates to handle losing 48-10 in the second meeting between the two schools in two seasons. The Pirates turned the ball over 5 times and fell behind 35-0 before finally scoring with 1:44 left in the third quarter. The Pirates failed to reach 100 yards rushing in the defeat.

Rice 25, Kansas 24: Down 24-16 going into the fourth quarter, the Rice Owls scored the final 9 points of the game to pull out the 25-24 win over the Kansas Jayhawks Saturday. The Owls turned the ball over 3 times but also forced 3 turnovers from the Jayhawks. Junior running back Charles Ross ran for 94 yards on 14 carries for a 6-7 yards per carry average to lead the Owls in the victory with kicker Chris Boswell making all 4 field goal attempts he took including the 45-yarder as time expired.

Ole Miss 28, UTEP 10: The UTEP Miners struggled for the second consecutive game to get their offense going in a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi Saturday night. The UTEP defense was again solid forcing 3 Ole Miss turnovers but again gave up 28 points unable to stop the Rebels rushing attack. UTEP threw for 274 yards and a touchdown but only accumulated 37 rushing yards in the defeat. This loss drops the Miners into an 0-2 hole with a home game versus the explosive New Mexico State upcoming.

Marshall 52, Western Carolina 24: A week after getting drilled by an extremely talented West Virginia squad in the season opener, the Marshall Thundering Herd played much better in a 52-24 win over FCS opponent Western Carolina in Huntington, West Virginia on Saturday. Marshall ended up with 37 first downs and 615 yards of total offense with 430 yards coming in the air. Marshall needed that win badly with a non-conference game versus the MAC's Ohio next week.

Arkansas State 33, Memphis 28: A year after blowing out Memphis 47-3 early in the season, Arkansas  State needed all 4 quarters to pull out a 33-28 win over Memphis in the home opener for the Red Wolves. The Red Wolves ended the day with 619 yards of total offense with over 300 on the ground and in the air and only one turnover. Arkansas State goes on the road to Nebraska and Memphis hosts MTSU next week.

Louisiana Tech 56, Houston 49: In a wild game that saw 1291 yards of total offense, 78 first downs, and 105 total points, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs pulled out a 56-49 win over the Houston Cougars Saturday night in Houston, Texas. Houston quarterback David Piland threw for 580 yards on 77 pass attempts with Louisiana Tech quarterback Colby Cameron passing for 353 yards of his own. Louisiana Tech faces Rice next week with Houston looking to improve from 0-2 with a trip to LA to play a suddenly dangerous UCLA squad.

Southern Methodist 52, Stephen F. Austin 0: Despite struggling to get the running game moving, the Southern Methodist Mustangs rolled to an easy 52-0 win over the FCS' Stephen F. Austin on Saturday. Preseason All-American candidate Zach Line ended the day with 19 carries for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns in limited action. The Mustangs benefitted from 10 SFA turnovers including 7 interceptions on the night.

No. 12 Clemson 52, Ball State 27: Only down 6 points after a quarter, the Ball State Cardinals felt good about a slow offensive start but only a 13-7 deficit. The second quarter saw #12 Clemson outscore the Cardinals 32-3 to take a 45-10 lead into the half routing Ball State 52-27 on Saturday in South Carolina. The Cardinals had 380 yards of total offense but went only 3-14 on third down conversions with 2 turnovers.

Miami (OH) 30, Southern Illinois 14: Up only 7 points at the half with one score coming from the defense, Miami OH regrouped to outscore the FCS' Southern Illinois 16-7 in the second half winning 30-14 Saturday afternoon. Quarterback Zac Dysert went 28-36 passing for 226 yards and a touchdown and the defense forced two turnovers, returning one for a touchdown in the confidence building win for the RedHawks.

Illinois State 31, Eastern Michigan 14: Up 14-10 at the half over FCS opponent Illinois State, the Eastern Michigan Eagles were dominated in the second half by the tune of 21-0 in the 31-14 loss Saturday afternoon. The Eagles were bad on offense with only 248 total yards and 5 turnovers including 3 interceptions in the loss. With a trip to Purdue next Saturday, the Eagles are staring at a disappointing 0-3 start to the year.

No. 11 Michigan State 41, Central Michigan 7: Facing the #11 team in a rare home game versus #11 Michigan State, Central Michigan had to get off to a quick start to stand an unlikely chance of an upset. A punt and two turnovers in the first three drives allowed the Michigan State Spartans to roll to a 24-0 lead before winning 41-7 over CMU. The Chippewas gave up 322 ayrds passing and turned the ball over 3 times total  in addition to 3 failed 4th down conversions on the day. The Chippewas go on the road September 22nd to play another Big Ten team in Iowa.

Indiana 45, Massachusetts 6: It took the Massachusetts Minutemen less than 4 minutes of their second FBS game to finally get on the board with a touchdown run but things went quickly downhill in the 45-6 loss to Indiana in the home stadium of the New England Patriots. The Minutemen gave up 596 yards of total offense while ending the day with 264 yards of their own, a significant improvement over the season opener. UMass faces the Michigan Wolverines for their third straight game versus an AQ team to start their inaugural FBS season.

Toledo 34, Wyoming 31: In a game with very little defense that saw the team combine for 1031 yards, 53 first downs and 65 points, the Toledo Rockets pulled out a 34-31 win over the Wyoming Cowboys Saturday night. Toledo quarterback Terrance Owens threw for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns in the win benefitted by 3 turnovers by Wyoming. Brett Smith of Wyoming threw for 339 yards in the loss. Toledo takes their 1-1 record to the Glass Bowl to start conference play versus Bowling Green while Wyoming should finally get a win at home versus Cal Poly Saturday afternoon.

Buffalo 56, Morgan State 34: The Buffalo Bulls rode 238 yards rushing from Brandon Oliver and 4 touchdowns from Alex Zordich in route to a 56-34 win over Morgan State of the FCS. The Bulls led 42-13 with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Buffalo ended the day with 571 yards of total offense in the win. Buffalo opens conference play on a Wednesday night, September 19, versus Kent State.

Florida International 41, Akron 38 (OT): After an ugly loss to start the season at home versus UCF, the Akron Zips took Sun Belt foe Florida International to the limit before losing 41-38 in overtime to the Golden Panthers. FIU quarterback Jake Medlock had over 200 yards passing and over 100 yards on the ground in the win. Both teams were almost even on offense but 12 penalties for 109 yards by Akron sealed the loss. Akron looks to get in the win column with a home game versus Morgan State on the slate while Florida International goes on the road to face in-state rival UCF in Orlando, Florida.

Bowling Green 21, Idaho 13: In a surprisingly even game, the Bowling Green Falcons defeated the Idaho Vandals of the WAC 21-13 in Bowling Green, Ohio Saturday night. Both teams relied on passing attacks with the Falcons throwing for 352 yards and Idaho throwing for 373. Idaho goes on the road to face #3 LSU in Baton Rouge while Bowling Green opens conference play at Toledo Saturday night.

Northern Illinois 35, Tennessee-Martin 7: The Northern Illinois Huskies were able to get their passing game going with 214 yards in the air versus an overmatched UT Martin squad winning 35-7 in Dekalb, Illinois. Quarterback Jordan Lynch threw for 214 and added 60 yard on the ground in the win. There cause for concern with the Huskies turning the ball over 2 times on the game and only leading 21-0 at the half. Northern Illinois goes on the road Saturday for a noontime meeting with FBS independent Army.

Western Michigan 52, Eastern Illinois 21: After struggling in a season opening loss to Illinois, quarterback Alex Carder threw for 364 yards and 5 touchdowns in leading the Broncos to a 52-21 win over FCS opponent Eastern Illinois Saturday night. The Broncos overcame 4 turnovers with 631 yards of total offense and 42 first half points in the win. Western Michigan goes on the road Saturday for their second meeting with a Big Ten foe this season, this time versus Minnesota.

Kentucky 47, Kent State 14: After taking a 7-0 lead into the start of the second quarter, the Kent State Golden Flashes were outscored 47-7 in the final three quarters losing to Kentucky 47-14 in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday. The Golden Flashes rang up 409 yards of total offense and were successful on 50% of their third down conversions but missed on all three 4th down conversions in the loss. Kent State start conference play on Wednesday, September 19th on the road versus Buffalo.

Ohio 51, New Mexico State 24: With the score at the half 21-14 in favor of Ohio, the Bobcats outscored New Mexico State 31-10 in the second half in cruising to a 51-24 lead to open the season at 2-0. Quarterback Tyler Tettleton was as efficient as ever going 15-23 passing for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns in the win. The NMSU Aggies struggled on offense but did hang right in with one of the best non-AQ teams in the nation. New Mexico State looks to get back to winning ways with a road trip to 0-2 UTEP while Ohio travels to Huntington, West Virginia for a tricky out of conference game with Marshall.

UTSA 27, Texas A&M-Commerce 16: After holding a 24-3 lead at the half, the UTSA Roadrunners held on for an 11-point victory over D-II Texas A&M Commerce 27-16 in San Antonio Saturday afternoon. The Roadrunners ended the game +123 in total offense and quarterback Eric Soza threw for 159 yards and a touchdown in the game. UTSA has a shot to go 3-0 with a trip to I-AA Georgia State this Saturday.

Texas Tech 58, Texas State 10: A week after pulling a huge upset over Houston, the Texas State Bobcats fell back to earth in a 58-10 loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Bobcats turned the ball over twice and ended the night with 270 yards of total offense while allowing 405 yards passing from Texas Tech. Texas State looks to get back to winning ways with a home game versus Stephen F. Austin coming up next.

San Jose State 45, UC Davis 13: A week after coming up just short versus Stanford, the San Jose State Spartans got their first win of the season defeating UC Davis 45-13 in San Jose, California Saturday night. The Spartans ran up 503 yards of total offense and feasted on 4 UC Davis turnovers putting the game away with a 21-0 third quarter. The Spartans look to continue to win with MWC foe Colorado State heading to San Jose after losing to I-AA North Dakota State in convincing fashion Saturday.

No. 25 Brigham Young 45, Weber State 13: #25 ranked BYU proved why they are the highest ranked non-AQ team in the nation with a nice 45-13 blowout win over I-AA Weber State. The Cougars ran up 532 yards of total offense with 307 coming in the air and were never really threatened by Weber State in the game. Riley Nelson ended the day with 244 yards on 18-29 passing in the game. BYU goes on the road Saturday night for a matchup with Utah in the "Holy War."

No. 1 Alabama 35, Western Kentucky 0: Three first half turnovers put the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in a 21-0 hole at the half in route to losing to #1 Alabama 35-0 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama Saturday afternoon. The Hilltoppers ended the day with 224 yards of total offense but the 4 turnovers throughout the day were cashed in for 21 Alabama points making the day much easier for the Crimson Tide. The Hilltoppers stay on the road next week for a matchup with big brother Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky Saturday night.

South Alabama 9, Nicholls State 3: The South Alabama Jaguars rode three field goals from Michel Chapuseaux to a 9-3 win over FCS opponent Nicholls State for their first win of the season. This was a sloppy game that saw neither team get to 300 total yards of offense and a total of 70 yards rushing among the teams. The Jaguars go on the road next for a matchup with ACC power North Carolina State Saturday night.

Louisiana-Monroe 34, No. 8 Arkansas 31 (OT): Coming back from a 28-7 deficit, the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks defeated #8 Arkansas 34-31 Saturday night in Little Rock, Arkansas. Quarterback Kolton Browning threw for a career high 412 yards and ran for another 69 accounting for 4 touchdowns in the upset win. The Warhawks outscored Arkansas 27-10 in the second half and overtime of the game. Louisiana Monroe goes on the road again versus an SEC team in Auburn looking to go 2-0 to start the season.

North Texas 34, Texas Southern 7: Reeling from a 41-14 loss to #3 LSU in the opener, North Texas let out some frustration in a 34-7 win over FBS opponent Texas Southern on Saturday. The Mean Green relied on a rushing attack that netted 352 yards and an offensive total of 497 yards in the win. Running back Brandin Byrd ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the solid win. The Mean Green go on the road to Manhattan, Kansas to face #15 Kansas State Saturday night.

Middle Tennessee 31, Florida Atlantic 17: A sloppy, sleep-inducing 7-0 opening half saw the MTSU Blue Raiders up 7-0 over Florida Atlantic before exploding for 24 second half points in a 31-17 victory Saturday night. The Blue Raiders totaled 480 yards of offense with over 300 yards on the ground for MTSU in atoning for the embarrassing loss to McNeese State in the season opener. Florida Atlantic goes on the road next week for a trip to #7 Georgia with #1 Alabama waiting in the wings while MTSU goes cross-state to face rival Memphis Saturday night.

Louisiana-Lafayette 37, Troy 24: Three huge turnovers doomed the Troy Trojans' hopes for an upset win versus Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns losing 37-24 Saturday in troy, Alabama. Troy quarterback Corey Robinson passed for 485 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss. Troy running back Shawn Southward was held to 33 yards rushing after 204 in the season opener. The Ragin' Cajuns go on the road to Oklahoma City to face Oklahoma State Saturday afternoon while Troy gets a rare home game versus SEC for Mississippi State.

No. 19 Michigan 31, Air Force 25: The Air Force Falcons gave #19 Michigan everything they could handle before failing on a late 4th down conversion in a 31-25 loss in Ann Arbor, Michigan Saturday afternoon. Running back Cody Getz ended the night with 130 yards and 3 touchdowns on the day. Air Force went 2-5 overall on 4th down conversions and held on to the ball for over 35 minutes of game time. Air Force looks to get back into the winning column next Saturday with their conference opener versus UNLV.

South Florida 32, Nevada 31: Up 21-6 at one point and looking to pull their second straight win over an AQ team, Nevada could not withstand South Florida's furious rally in falling 32-31 in Reno, Nevada Saturday. Both teams ended the day with over 500 yards of total offense and Nevada held the ball for over 33 minutes but three costly turnovers doomed the day for the Wolfpack. Stefphon Jefferson and Cody Fajardo both had over 100 yards rushing and a combined 2 touchdowns on the ground in the loss. Nevada looks to get back to winning ways with a home game versus Northwestern State Saturday night.

No. 4 Oregon 42, Fresno State 25: Fresno State were blindsided by Oregon's 35 first half points before outscoring the Ducks 19-7 in the second half in a 42-25 loss Saturday night in Eugene. The Bulldogs allowed 532 yards offense to the Ducks including 366 yards on the ground. Fresno quarterback Derek Carr threw for 234 yards in the loss. Fresno State looks to get back in the win column with a home game versus Colorado who recently lost to FCS' Sacramento State and is 0-2.

North Dakota State 22, Colorado State 7: A week after beating in-state rival Colorado, the Colorado State Rams were thoroughly dominated by the defending FCS champions North Dakota State 22-7 Saturday night. The Rams allowed 366 yard of total offense to the Bisons and 16 first quarter points while only accumulating 243 yards of offense on their own and two turnovers. The Rams look to put this loss behind them with a road trip to sunny San Jose State to face the formidable Spartans Saturday night.

San Diego State 42, Army 7: Committing three turnovers and allowing 443 yards of total offense, the Army Black Knights were blown out by San Diego State 42-7 on Saturday. The Aztecs of San Diego State dominated all the phases of the game and held a 21-point lead at the half. The Aztec exploded for 21 third quarter points in starting the blowout. Army looks to get back to winning with a home game versus Northern Illinois next week while San Diego State looks to go 2-1 while hosting North Dakota at Qualcomm Stadium.

No. 17 Texas 45, New Mexico 0: The New Mexico Lobos could not get anything going versus a stout defense from #17 Texas in falling 45-0 in Austin, Texas Saturday night. The Lobos ran for 205 yards but could only total 35 yards in the air in the big loss. The Lobos face another challenge with a road trip to the other side of Texas in facing the Red Raiders of Texas Tech Saturday night.

Northern Arizona 17, UNLV 14: Despite outgaining FCS' Northern Arizona 428-288 and committing no turnovers, the UNLV Rebels lost 17-14 in Las Vegas Saturday night. The Rebels held a 14-0 halftime lead and looked in control but gave up 17 second half points in the loss. The Rebels host the Pac 12's Washington State Friday night with hopes to earn their first win of the young season.