CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence threw for three touchdowns in just nine passing attempts to help No. 1 Clemson beat The Citadel 49-0 on Saturday.
Lawrence also rushed for his third TD of thes season, leading the way as the Tigers (2-0) improved to 35-0 against teams from the Football Championship Subdivision. Clemson came out fast, stayed sharp and played just about everybody available in the runaway victory.
Lawrence was 8 for 9 for 168 yards, including scoring passes of 54 and 17 yards to Frank Ladson Jr. and 44 yards to Amari Rodgers.
The Heisman Trophy favorite was largely done when Clemson went up 28-0 in the first quarter. He returned for one second-quarter series and quickly added points with a perfectly thrown pass down the left side to Ladson.
Two-time reigning ACC player of the year Travis Etienne ran for 68 yards on only eight carries, joining Lawrence as a happy spectator for most of the day.
Clemson’s defense shut down the Bulldogs’ triple-option, holding them to 86 yards on the ground after they rushed for 200 yards last week at South Florida. The Tigers posted their first shutout since defeating Ohio State 31-0 in the CFP semifinals in 2016.
The Bulldogs are 0-2.
NO. 7 NOTRE DAME 52, SOUTH FLORIDA 0
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Ian Book had three first-half touchdown runs and Notre Dame won its 20th straight home game, routing South Florida.
The Fighting Irish (2-0) led 35-0 at halftime and for the second year in a row posted a 52-point shutout.
Book capped the opening drive with 4-yard touchdown run and freshman Chris Tyree scored from a yard out about five minutes later.
It never got better for the first-year coach Jeff Scott’s Bulls (1-1), who were a late addition to Notre Dame’s schedule after the Irish joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for this off season in a pandemic.
C’Bo Flemister ran for a career-best 127 yards for Notre Dame as the Irish spread the touches around between starter Kyren Williams (62 yards on 10 carries) and Tyree (65 on eight).
Book is the first quarterback in Notre Dame’s modern era to run for three touchdowns in one half. He added 143 yards on 12-of-19 passing before exiting with 2:21 left in the third quarter as freshman Drew Pyne took over.
The Irish beat Bowling Green 52-0 last season.
NO. 11 OKLAHOMA STATE 16, TULSA 7
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Chuba Hubbard was limited to 35 yards in the first half but scored on a 3-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter in Oklahoma State's victory over Tulsa in the season opener for both teams.
Trailing 7-3 late in the third quarter, Oklahoma State received a big offensive spark when the Cowboys’ third quarterback, true freshman Shane Illingworth, entered the game and immediately connected on his first three passes, including the two longest plays of the day, hitting Tylan Wallace for receptions of 36 and 29 yards.
Illingworth completed 4 of 5 passes for 74 yards in just over a quarter of work, helping Wallace finish with four receptions for 94 yards. Freshman Alex Hale made three field goals, two in the fourth quarter, from 27, 40 and 29 yards.
The Cowboys lost starting quarterback Spencer Sanders with an apparent right ankle injury late in the first half.
For Tulsa, Zach Smith completed 18 of 28 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown, a 16-yard toss to Josh Johnson with 1:38 left in the first half that put the Golden Hurricane up 7-3.
NO. 13 CINCINNATI 55, AUSTIN PEAY 20
CINCINNATI (AP) — Gerrid Doaks scored four touchdowns, including a career-high three on the ground, and Cincinnati opened with a victory over Austin Peay.
Desmond Ridder passed for 196 yards and two TDs for Cincinnati in a game that originally was scheduled for Sept. 3.
Jeremiah Otsvall passed for 202 yards for Austin Peay (0-3).
NO. 14 CENTRAL FLORIDA 49, GEORGIA TECH 21
ATLANTA (AP) — Dillon Gabriel threw for a career-best 417 yards and four touchdowns to Central Florida past Georgia Tech in the Knights’ season opener.
After giving up a long return on the opening kickoff, UCF rebounded behind its left-handed sophomore to beat a Georgia Tech team that was looking to build on a big road win in its first game.
Tre Nixon and Marlon Williams each hauled in a pair of TD passes as Gabriel eclipsed his previous career high of 365 yards in a game last season at East Carolina. He finished 27 of 41, also eclipsing his career high for completions and matching his mark for most scoring passes in a game.
Georgia Tech is 1-1.
NO. 17 MIAMI 47, NO. 18 LOUISVILLE 34
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — D’Eriq King threw three touchdown passes and Miami used big plays to beat Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
King threw a 75-yarder touchdown pass to Jaylon Knighton in the third quarter, a series after Cam’ron Harris ran 75 yards for a score.
Miami (2-0) led 20-6 at halftime before Louisville (1-1) scored twice in a wild third to get within seven. The Hurricanes answered both TDs on their next snap against an out-of-place defense, with Knighton wide open for his catch that made it 34-20.
King also hit Brevin Jordan with a 47-yard TD pass in the fourth and finished with 325 yards on 18-of-30 passing. Louisville’s Micale Cunningham passed for 307 yards and three TDs, two to Tutu Atwell, and Javian Hawkins had a 19-yard TD run and finished with 164 yards on 27 carries.
NO. 19 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 34, GEORGIA STATE 31, OT
ATLANTA (AP) — Elijah Mitchell rushed for 164 yards, including the winning touchdown in overtime, and Louisiana-Lafayette beat Georgia State.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (2-0, 1-0 Sun Belt Conference) were ranked for the first time since 1943 following last week’s 20-point win at Iowa State. Louisiana-Lafayette was a 17-point favorite, but trailed 14-7 at intermission and Levi Lewis then threw an interception on the opening drive of the second half.
MARSHALL 17, NO. 23 APPALACHIAN STATE 7
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — Brenden Knox rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Grant Wells came up with back-to-back big plays when Marshall needed them and the Thundering Herd beat Appalachian State.
Marshall (2-0) beat a ranked opponent for the first time since winning at No. 6 Kansas State in 2003. It also was the Thundering Herd’s first win over a ranked opponent at home since 1976.
Appalachian State (1-1) squandered a couple of late opportunities and was held scoreless in the second half.
Wells finished 11 of 25 for 163 yards after throwing four TD passes in his debut two weeks ago, a 59-0 win over Eastern Kentucky.
NO. 25 PITTSBURGH 21, SYRACUSE 10
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kenny Pickett threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and Pittsburgh’s defense did the rest against Syracuse.
Pitt (2-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) limited the Orange (0-2, 0-2) to 171 total yards, 69 of them coming on backup quarterback Rex Culpepper’s second-quarter touchdown strike to a streaking Taj Harris.
The Panthers sacked Culpepper and starter Tommy DeVito seven times.
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