Saturday’s Football Results
Ohio 17, West Virginia 10
Buffalo 45, Saint Francis 6
Toledo 45, Western Kentucky 21
No. 24 Texas Tech 62, 14
Pitt 45, Central Michigan 17
North Texas 33, Western Michigan 30 (OT)
Cincinnati 34, Bowling Green 20
Rutgers 45, Miami 17
Bryant 27, UMass 26
LIU 28 Eastern Michigan 23
Auburn 42, Ball State 3
Nebraska 68, Akron 0
Stories Courtesy of the Associated Press
Ohio 17, West Virginia 10
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — Parker Navarro threw one touchdown pass and Ohio overcame his three interceptions and held on to beat West Virginia 17-10 on Saturday.
Ohio (1-1) of the Mid-American Conference beat a Big 12 opponent for the second time in three years.
West Virginia (1-1) lost preseason all-Big 12 running back Jahiem White to a second-quarter injury and never recovered.
Navarro maintained long drives with his scrambling and, more importantly, kept the Mountaineers’ offense off the field.
Ohio managed a total of three points on two straight drives inside the West Virginia 20 before Navarro started picking apart the Mountaineer defense. The Bobcats scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half. Navarro’s 15-yard scramble set up Sieh Bangura’s 1-yard TD run and, after West Virginia punted, Navarro hit Chase Hendricks with a 31-yard scoring pass for a 17-7 halftime lead. Hendricks finished with eight catches for 121 yards.
Navarro threw three second-half interceptions but West Virginia couldn’t capitalize and punted each time. Navarro completed 22 of 31 passes for 247 yards and ran 18 times for 87 yards.
Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson replaced starter Nicco Marchiol for two series in the second half without success before Marchiol returned. Marchiol’s arm was hit as he tried to pass and Ohio’s Cam Hollobaugh made the interception near midfield with 3:13 remaining.
West Virginia got the ball back on downs at its 27 with 17 seconds left but couldn’t make it past midfield. Marchiol finished 15 of 26 for 178 yards.
Buffalo 45, Saint Francis 6
Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Ta’Quan Roberson ran for two touchdowns and passed for another to lead Buffalo to a 45-6 victory over Saint Francis on Saturday.
Roberson was 10-of-20 passing for 133 yards and was intercepted once. Al-Jay Henderson rushed for two touchdowns and finished with 98 yards on 24 carries.
Buffalo (1-1) had 503 yards offense and 32 first downs. The FCS Red Flash (0-2) had 126 yards offense, just 11 on the ground.
Connor Henderson blocked a punt in the first minute to set up Roberson’s 17-yard TD pass to Victor Snow and Henderson added his two touchdowns of 1 and 10 yards as the Bulls rolled to a 24-0 halftime lead.
Roberson rushed for his touchdowns in the final five minutes of the third quarter, breaking through the middle for a 40-yard score and scoring on a 4-yarder. James McNeil Jr. added a 26-yard rushing TD late.
The Red Flash scored their points with 10 minutes remaining on Jordan Theodore’s 1-yard run, coming after Craig Joyner’s interception
Toledo 45, Western Kentucky 21
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Chip Trayanum rushed for a career-high 163 yards and two touchdowns, Junior Vandeross III caught five passes for 122 yards and a score, and Toledo took down Western Kentucky 45-21 on Saturday night.
Trayanum, a Kentucky transfer, eclipsed 100 rushing yards for just the second time in his six-year collegiate career and first time since 2020 against UCLA while at Arizona. Kenji Christian, a transfer from North Carolina A&T, added 91 rushing yards on 15 carries. Toledo had 307 yards on the ground.
The Rockets (1-1) scored on their first drive after a WKU fumble set them up at the opposing 34-yard line. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren then reeled in a 37-yard pick-six to extend Toledo’s lead to 14-0 just over three minutes into the game.
After a WKU touchdown pass made it 14-7, the Rockets scored 31 consecutive points and Western Kentucky did not score again until early in the fourth quarter. Vanderross caught a 71-yard touchdown pass just before halftime, and Trayanum took the first snap of the second half 75 yards for a score.
The Hilltoppers (2-1) were led by Maverick McIvor’s 235 passing yards and two scores, and Moussa Barry’s three receptions for 110 yards.
No. 24 Texas Tech 62, Kent State 14
Box Score
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Behren Morton threw for three touchdowns, big defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard returned an interception 55 yards for a score and No. 24 Texas Tech blew out another overmatched opponent, beating Kent State 62-14 on Saturday.
Cameron Dickey had two rushing TDs and Reggie Virgil added two receiving scores as the Red Raiders (2-0) led 48-0 at halftime, one point better than the margin at the break a week ago in a 67-7 victory over FCS member Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Morton started Saturday after leaving the victory over Pine Bluff in the second quarter with what coach Joey McGuire described as a hyperextended knee. Morton, who had been listed as questionable, was 18 of 26 for 258 yards while playing only the first half.
“I knew ... he would probably fight me to play,” McGuire said. “Behren is just a different cat. Really, the progression between Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, I knew he was going to play.”
Dru DeShields threw for a touchdown and ran for a score in the fourth quarter for the Golden Flashes (1-1), who ended a 21-game losing streak with a 21-17 victory over Merrimack in their opener.
Kent State had negative total yards until Gavin Garcia ran 38 yards on a screen pass on its sixth possession early in the second quarter. Two plays later, Gill-Howard took his interception the other way for a 38-0 lead.
The 290-pounder from Northern Illinois, part of Texas Tech’s highly touted transfer class, made the catch behind the line of scrimmage and scored untouched after Lee Hunter applied quick pressure and A.J. Holmes Jr. tipped the pass.
“I played running back in high school, a little bit of tight end, a little bit of receiver, back 50 pounds ago,” Gill-Howard said. “Obviously, I’m not doing that anymore. Maybe we’ll see that in the future.”
Pitt 45, Central Michigan 17
Box Score
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Eli Holstein passed for 304 yards and four touchdowns, including a pair to Raphael Williams Jr. as Pittsburgh surged past Central Michigan 45-17 on Saturday.
Holstein hit Williams for a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The two connected again on a pretty 48-yard score late in the third to give the Panthers (2-0) some breathing room after the Chippewas had drawn within seven.
Williams later hauled in a 40-yard grab that set up Juelz Goff’s 2-yard touchdown run as Pitt avoided the upset after Central Michigan (1-1) hung around deep into the third quarter. Williams finished with six receptions for 121 yards and the two scores.
“Our guys didn’t flinch,” Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi said. “Talk to them all the time about not looking at the scoreboard. Doesn’t even matter. To be up only seven in the third quarter, I thought was a bonus that our guys have to go, ‘Okay, what are we going to do?’”
Holstein completed 21 of 28 but wasn’t perfect. He was picked off for the second time in as many weeks when Central Michigan’s Jordan Kwiatkowski had an interception that allowed the Chippewas to pull within 24-10 late in the first half.
Central Michigan (1-1) got within 24-17 late in the third quarter when Joe Labas found Decorin Temple for a 6-yard touchdown at the end of a long drive in which the Chippewas converted a pair of fourth downs.
Pitt responded immediately. Kenny Johnson’s 47-yard kickoff return gave the Panthers good field position and two plays later Holstein made a perfect pass while on the run to Williams to restore Pitt’s lead to 14.
“Once I beat (the defensive back) and he threw it, I said, ‘Thank God, yes indeed,’” Williams said.
Central Michigan’s three-quarterback rotation of Labas, Jadyn Glasser and Angel Flores combined to go 20 of 27 for 177 yards, but the Chippewas couldn’t duplicate a second straight impressive road win after knocking off San Jose State last weekend in first-year coach Matt Drinkall’s debut.
North Texas 33, Western Michigan 30 (OT)
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Makenzie McGill II scored on a 3-yard run in overtime, giving him 102 yards and North Texas a 33-30 win over Western Michigan on Saturday.
After the Broncos kicked a long field goal to start overtime, the Mean Green took advantage of two penalties that set up the winning first-and-goal run for McGill. That was the only time North Texas, despite gaining 100 yards more than Western Michigan, was in the lead.
Both penalties, pass interference and unsportsmanlike conduct, were on Jarvarius Sims.
Drew Mestemaker was 18-of-33 passing for 224 yards for North Texas (2-0). He guided a pair of nine-play drives in the fourth quarter to force overtime. His 4-yard pass to Cameron Dormer ended a 65-yard drive that cut the deficit to 27-24 with 10:03 left in regulation. The Mean Green then went 68 yards for the tying field goal with 1:35 remaining.
Brock Lowry passed for one touchdown and ran for two for the Broncos (0-2). Jalen Buckley ran for 112 yards and added a 17-yard scoring reception from Lowry.
North Texas finished with 406 total yards and Western Michigan had 303, 216 on the ground.
Cincinnati 34, Bowling Green 20
Box Score
CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Bearcats posted a 34-20 win over the Falcons and former NFL running back and Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George, who took his first loss as an FBS coach.
George, the 1995 Heisman winner with Ohio State, took over as head coach at Bowling Green (1-1) this season after four years leading FCS Tennessee State. He brought his team and social media sensation Pudge the Cat, the Bowling Green mascot, into Nippert Stadium to face the Bearcats (1-1), who led all the way after Sorsby’s 44-yard TD pass to Cyrus Allen.
Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield used a short passing game through three quarters until Sorsby rushed the last 27 yards late in the third to lead 31-10. Sorsby threw for 333 yards.
George elected to punt for field position twice in the first half rather than take a risk on fourth-and-short.. The Falcons punted on fourth-and-1 from the Bowling Green 47 in the first quarter and again from the Cincinnati 41 in the second quarter on fourth-and-3. That second time backfired as Cincinnati drove 89 yards to score its third touchdown and take a 21-0 lead on Sorsby’s 9-yard toss to Jeff Caldwell.
Sorsby connected with Allen for 44- and 2-yard touchdowns for the Bearcats’ first two scores.
Trailing 24-3 on its first possession of the second half, the Falcons went for a first down on a fourth-and-2 from the Cincinnati 12, Leo Kemp, a transfer from UCLA, was held to 1 yard by Jake Golday.
Drew Pine threw for 274 yards and a score to Jyrin Johnson for the Falcons.
Rutgers 45, Miami 17
Box Score
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Athan Kaliakmanis passed for 259 yards and a career-high four touchdowns to lead Rutgers to a 45-17 win over Miami of Ohio on Saturday.
Rutgers (2-0) has scored at least 30 points in six straight games going back to last season.
The start of the game was delayed for 55 minutes due to thunderstorms.
Wide receiver Ian Strong caught nine passes for a career-high 116 yards and two TDs for the Scarlet Knights, who are now 15-5-1 against MAC opponents. This was the first meeting between the schools.
Rutgers snapped a 7-7 tie in the first quarter by scoring 17 straight points in the second quarter to move ahead 24-7.
Dequan Finn passed for 251 yards and a touchdown and ran for 85 yards and a TD for Miami (0-2). Keith Reynolds, a transfer from Washington, who caught just five passes last season, had seven receptions for 120 yards for the RedHawks.
Bryant 27, UMass 26
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Brennan Myer threw three touchdowns and Bryce Soli kicked a 25-yard field goal as time expired and FCS-member Bryant rallied to stun UMass 27-26 on Saturday.
It was Bryant’s first win over an FBS program
Myer, who threw for 318 yards, overcame a pair of interceptions, and in the third quarter, down 20-10, threw a 43-yard touchdown to Elijah Elliott. Later in the quarter he connected with Zyheem Collick on 72-yard score to give the Bulldogs (1-1) their first lead of the game at 24-23.
UMass’ Derek Morris made a 53-yard field goal to give the Minutemen (0-2) their final lead. Myer then drove Bryant 78 yards in 13 plays to set up Soli’s game winnner.
Tyler Martin’s 23-yard pick-6 of Myer with 4:04 left in the first quarter served as the game’s first score. The failed point-after attempt left the score 6-0. Early in the second, Brandon Hood ran it in from the 13-yard line to extend UMass’ lead to 13-0.
Bryant’s first points came from a Soli field goal from 37 yards to make it 13-3. UMass countered with Grant Jordan’s 5-yard touchdown run with 3:32 left in the half. Bryant answered with an 11-play, 69-yard drive that lasted two-and-a-half minutes and ended with Myer throwing a 9-yard scoring pass to Collick.
A Colonial Athletic Association football team has now beaten an FBS team in 15 of the last 19 years. Bryant is 12th different CAA team to earn an FBS win since 2013.
LIU 28 Eastern Michigan 23
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — Ethan Greenwood and Luca Stanzani each ran for two touchdowns and Long Island University defeated Eastern Michigan 28-23 on Saturday night.
LIU, a member of the Northeast Conference of the FCS, bounced back from a 55-0 drubbing at the hands of Florida a week ago with their first win over an FBS opponent in program history.
The Sharks (1-1) never trailed against Eastern Michigan and Greenwood’s 65-yard touchdown run on LIU’s first possession set the tone. Greenwood added a short touchdown run early in the second quarter and LIU went on to lead 14-10 at halftime.
After a scoreless third quarter, Stanzani’s 14-yard run made it 21-10 in the fourth. Eastern Michigan answered with a 40-yard scoring run by Dontae McMillan and a failed two-point try left the score at 21-16.
Stanzani added a short TD run near the two-minute mark, giving the Sharks a two-score cushion. Eastern Michigan scored on a Noah Kim 5-yard pass to Jamarien Wheeler with 41 seconds left but Long Island recovered the onside kick.
Stanzani and Greenwood are both quarterbacks. Stanzani passed for 143 yards and ran for 67. Greenwood had 105 yards passing and 91 rushing.
Sharks head coach Ron Cooper spent the 1993 and 1994 seasons in Ypsilanti as head coach of the Eagles.
Auburn 42, Ball State 3
Box Score
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Jackson Arnold threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns, Jeremiah Cobb ran for 121 yards and two scores and Auburn overwhelmed Ball State 42-3 on Saturday night.
The Tigers (2-0) finished with 271 yards passing and 224 yards rushing.
Nine different players caught passes during Auburn’s home opener, including Cam Coleman’s team-leading seven receptions for 77 yards. Eric Singleton Jr. had two touchdowns, and transfer Horatio Fields added 51 yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinals (0-2) managed 68 yards of total offense and were held without a touchdown for the second consecutive week.
Nebraska 68, Akron 0
Box Score
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Dylan Raiola threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns and Emmett Johnson ran for 140 yards and scored three times to lead Nebraska past Akron 68-0 on Saturday night.
The Cornhuskers (2-0) turned in their most prodigious offensive performance against a Bowl Subdivision opponent in more than a decade. They recorded their most points in a game since 2007 and most yards in a game since 2014.
They posted their first shutout since a 33-0 Holiday Bowl win over Arizona in 2009. The Zips (0-2), who opened the season with a 10-0 loss to Wyoming at home, were held scoreless for a second straight game.
Johnson broke a 47-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening possession, caught a 4-yard TD pass in the second quarter and ran 6 yards for a score in the third. Johnson was the first Nebraska player with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Anthony Grant had three straight to open the 2022 season.
Raiola gave way to freshman backup TJ Lateef after he threaded a perfect strike to Dane Key in the end zone for a 47-0 lead in the third quarter.
Akron had two good chances to score its first points of the season. But Owen Wiley’s 49-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright in the final seconds of the first half, and Riley Van Poppel blocked Wiley’s 33-yard try in the third quarter.
