College Football: Underdogs take a bow with upsets galore
Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez (9) bows after scoring a touchdown against Oklahoma in the second half of Saturday night's game vs. Oklahoma in Norman. (AP photo)
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez ran for 148 yards and four touchdowns, and the Wildcats stunned No. 6 Oklahoma 41-34 on Saturday night.
Martinez also passed for 234 yards and a score and Deuce Vaughn rushed for 116 yards for the Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 Big 12).
It was first-year Oklahoma coach Brent Venables’ first loss as a head coach, and it came against his alma mater. Kansas State also beat Oklahoma in 2012, 2014, 2019 and 2020.
Dillon Gabriel passed for 330 yards and four touchdowns and Eric Gray ran for 114 yards for the Sooners (3-1, 0-1).
Kansas State broke out to a 14-0 lead about nine minutes into the game behind Martinez’s 6-yard touchdown run and 6-yard scoring pass to Malik Knowles. The Wildcats gained 279 yards in the first half to take a 24-17 lead at the break.
Martinez scored his third touchdown run of the game from 15 yards out to put Kansas State up 34-20 over Oklahoma with 8 minutes to play.
NO. 5 CLEMSON 51, NO. 21 WAKE FOREST 45, 2 OT
Nate Wiggins broke up Sam Hartman’s fourth-down pass in the end zone to help Clemson hold off Wake Forest in double overtime.
Wiggins had been targeted frequently by Hartman and the Wake Forest receivers but came through to knock away Hartman’s final ball for A.T. Perry. He fell to the end zone turf, then sprung up to join his team in celebration after a wild shootout between the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division Demon Deacons and the preseason league favorite Tigers.
NO. 23 TEXAS A&M 23, NO. 10 ARKANSAS 21
Devon Achane rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown, Demani Richardson sprinted the final 82 yards on a wild fumble return for another score and Texas A&M beat Arkansas in Arlington.
The Razorbacks (3-1, 1-1 SEC) had a chance to take the lead with 1:30 remaining, but Cam Little’s 42-yard field goal attempt from the left hashmark hit near the top of the right upright — and fluttered to the ground in the end zone no good. That drive came right after the Aggies had missed a longer field goal attempt.
Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0) has back-to-back wins over ranked teams since the 17-14 home loss to Appalachian State two weeks ago.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 45, NO. 25 MIAMI
Chase Cunningham passed for 408 yards and three touchdowns, including a 98-yarder to DJ England-Chisholm, and Middle Tennessee State stunned Miami for its first win in 21 tries against ranked opponents.
England-Chisholm caught two passes — the first of them being a 71-yard touchdown in the first quarter, the other being the 98-yarder in the fourth — to help the Blue Raiders (3-1) seal the upset.
TEXAS TECH 37, NO. 22 TEXAS 34
Trey Wolff kicked a 20-yard field goal in overtime, lifting Texas Tech over Texas after the Red Raiders overcame a two-touchdown deficit in the second half but let a lead slip away in the final seconds.
Texas’ Bijan Robinson fumbled on the first play of overtime, and Donovan Smith led the Red Raiders to the 1-yard line before Wolff’s winning kick in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
No. 1 GEORGIA 39, KENT STATE 22
Brock Bowers scored two more touchdowns and Georgia survived a sloppy performance and surprisingly gritty effort from Kent State.
The Bulldogs (4-0) turned it over three times, struggled in the red zone, were burned on a fake punt and gave up several big plays to Kent State (1-3) in what was easily their worst performance of the season.
Kent State had a chance to make it a one-score game with less than 13 minutes remaining after Marquez Cooper scored on a 1-yard run to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive. But a two-point conversion failed, leaving the Bulldogs with a 32-22 lead. Georgia then finished off the Golden Flashes, driving 75 yards for Kendall Milton’s 1-yard plunge on fourth-and-goal with 5 1/2 minutes to go.
NO. 2 ALABAMA 55, VANDERBILT 3
Bryce Young passed for a season-high 385 yards and four touchdowns and Alabama beat Vanderbilt in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
It was the first 300-yard game of the season for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter and completed 25 of 36 passes.
The Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0) opted to air it out against the Commodores (3-2, 0-1) and finally got big games and plays from multiple receivers. It was the most passing yards for Young since perhaps locking up the Heisman with 421 yards against Georgia in the SEC championship game.
Alabama outgained Vandy 628-129 in total yards.
NO. 3 OHIO STATE 52, WISCONSIN 21
Cade Stover and Emeka Egbuka each caught two of C.J. Stroud’s five touchdown passes, Miyan Williams rushed for two more scores and Ohio State cruised past Wisconsin in their Big Ten opener.
The Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0) scored touchdowns on their first four drives and led 31-7 at the half. Wisconsin (3-1, 0-1) could only slow them down after that but didn’t get closer than 21 points.
Running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Williams both had 100-yard games; Henderson had 121 yards, and Williams averaged more than 9 yards per carry in rumbling for 101.
Stroud completed 17 of 27 attempts for 281 yards and also threw an interception for the first time this season. He has 16 touchdown passes in four games.
NO. 4 MICHIGAN 34, MARYLAND 27
Blake Corum rushed for a career-high 243 yards and two touchdowns to help Michigan top Maryland in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
Corum, who tied the school record with five rushing touchdowns against UConn a week earlier, had a career-high 30 carries. He became the first Michigan back to rush for 200 yards since Karan Higdon in 2017.
J.J. McCarthy completed 18 of 26 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns for the Wolverines (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten).
Taulia Tagovailoa completed 20 of 30 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown but was also picked off twice for the Terrapins (3-1, 0-1).
NO. 8 KENTUCKY 31, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 23
Kentucky’s Will Levis tied a career best with four touchdown passes, including critical scores of 70 and 40 yards to Barion Brown and Tayvion Robinson, after halftime to hold off Northern Illinois.
NO. 11 TENNESSEE 38, NO. 20 FLORIDA 33
Hendon Hooker threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 112 yards and a score to lead Tennessee over Florida.
It was Tennessee’s second win over Florida in the last 18 meetings and snapped a six-game losing streak in the series. The win gave the Volunteers their first 4-0 start since 2016.
Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) took control in the fourth quarter when it traveled 87 yards for a TD after a fumble by Gators (2-2, 0-2) quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Richardson had a career-high 453 passing yards and two touchdowns and ran for 62 and two scores in a raucous Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee led 17-14 at halftime following a first half loaded with big offensive plays on both sides.
NO. 12 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 41, CONNECTICUT 10
Devin Leary threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns — including a 75-yarder on the first play from scrimmage — and North Carolina State routed UConn.
Leary completed 32 of 44 passes for the Wolfpack (4-0), while throwing touchdowns to four different receivers, including one to sophomore Porter Rooks for the first score of his career.
Victor Rosa scored the lone touchdown for UConn (1-4) on an 11-yard run late in the fourth quarter.
NO. 14 PENN STATE 33, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 14
Sean Clifford completed 22 of 34 passes for 217 yards and accounted for four touchdowns to lead Penn State past Central Michigan.
Tight end Brenton Strange caught two touchdowns and Mitchell Tinsley caught one. Clifford and Kaytron Allen added touchdown runs for the Nittany Lions (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten). Penn State forced four turnovers.
NO. 15 OREGON 44, WASHINGTON STATE 41
Quarterback Bo Nix threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin with 1:21 left to give Oregon its first lead of the game, with the Ducks scoring three late touchdowns to defeat Washington State.
NO. 16 MISSISSIPPI 35, TULSA 27
Jaxson Dart and Quinshon Judkins accounted for four touchdowns in the second quarter as Mississippi rallied from an early deficit to beat Tulsa.
Ole Miss (4-0) trailed for the first time this season, 14-7, before the decisive 28-point outburst.
NO. 17 BAYLOR 31, IOWA STATE 24
Blake Shapen threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns as Baylor held on to beat Iowa State in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
The loss snapped the Cyclones’ 11-game home winning streak against conference rivals.
Shapen completed 19 of his 26 passes, connecting with 11 receivers. Gavin Holmes finished with three catches for 92 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Bears (3-1) seized control midway through the third quarter, driving 93 yards in 10 plays and taking a 24-14 lead on Richard Reese’s 19-yard touchdown run.
Iowa State (3-1) was undone by two interceptions and averaged less than 3 yards per rush when the game was competitive.
NO. 24 PITTSBURGH 45, RHODE ISLAND 24
Tailback Israel Abanikanda rushed for four touchdowns and quarterback Kedon Slovis was solid in his return from injury for Pitt, which beat Rhode Island.
The Panthers (3-1) rushed for 272 yards and scored at least 30 points for the ninth time in 11 games, and Slovis had plenty of help on the ground from Abanikanda, who had 19 carries for 177 yards. The four touchdowns tied for second-most in program history.
Marquis DeShields scored a pair of touchdowns for Rhode Island (2-2), the alma mater of Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi.


