Maryland jumped out to a 31-7 lead at halftime, and never looked back on Friday. The Terps put up 477 total yards, while FIU ran for 202 yards led by Alex Gardner who had 109 yards on the ground and a touchdown. FIU opened the season with two straight home games, and will travel next week to face UMass.
Army rushed for 348 yards, and forced two Rice turnovers as the Black Knights were in control throughout this one. Tyler Stehling was 16-of-30 passing for 197 yards for Rice, but the Owls allowed 5.0 yards per rush, and were blown out for the second straight week. Army starts their season 2-0 for the first time in 20 years. Rice heads to Baylor for a Thursday night matchup, and Army comes to El Paso to go up against UTEP next week.
Jalen Hurts is a baller. Alabama's quarterback threw for 287 yards, and two touchdowns, but Alabama's defense shut down WKU's high flying attack. Eddie Jackson returned an interception 55-yards for a score early in the second quarter which gave Bama a 17-3 lead at halftime. WKU had three quarterbacks attempt passes and only put up 239 yards of total offense on the stat sheet. The Tops get Miami (OH) on the road next week.
Appalachian State 31 Old Dominion 7
App State running back Marcus Cox ran for 133 yards and three scores, while ODU's offense was a drive killing 2-of-12 on third downs on the evening. Cox scored all three touchdowns in the first half, the third put App State up 24-7 going into the halftime break. Ray Lawry broke 100-yards rushing finishing with 119 yards for ODU who has NC State on the road next week.
Vanderbilt 47 Middle Tennessee 24
Vanderbilt rode a huge second quarter which shut down MTSU's offense in their rivalry tilt. MTSU led 10-5 heading into the second quarter, but 28 second quarter points by Vanderbilt proved to be too much for the Blue Raiders to overcome. Vanderbilt's Ralph Webb went off for 211 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. Brent Stockstill put up 399 yards through the air, but Middle turned it over twice, and was flagged nine times for 92 yards. MTSU hits the road for a nice matchup with Bowling Green next week.
UTSA was held to negative one yard rushing in the game, while Colorado State ran for 220 yards as the Rams dominated the line of scrimmage throughout. Dalton Sturm, and Jared Johnson combined to throw 20-of-30 for 236 yards, but the Runners had no answer for the Rams ground attack. UTSA will host Arizona State on Thursday night.
The 49ers were balanced offensively, and forced three turnovers to easily take down Elon snapping an 11-game losing streak. Charlotte found themselves down 7-0 early, but went up 20-7 at halftime, and finished with 506 yards of total offense with 232 coming on the ground. The 49ers will play Eastern Michigan at home next week.
Chase Litton threw the ball 16 times in the first half, six of those ended in first half touchdowns as Marshall thrashed Morgan State to open their season. The Herd posted 530 yards of total offense, rushing for 217 yards and limited Morgan State to just 222 yards of total offense. Marshall hosts Akron next week in Huntington.
Miami running back Mark Walton ran for four touchdowns and 155 yards. Joseph Yearby also ran for 121 yards as Miami's physical running attack was just too much for the Owls. FAU's offense was held in check, totaling just 214 total yards of offense, and were 4-of-20 on third downs. FAU invades Big 12 country next week with a road date against Kansas State.
Southern Miss. 56 Savannah State 0
Southern Miss held Savannah State to just 41 yards of total offense, 41 yards. Meanwhile the Golden Eagles put up 615 total yards led by a pair of 100-yard rushers in Ito Smith and George Payne. Southern Miss scored four of their touchdowns from 20-yards and longer, and will welcome in Troy State next week at home.
UTEP's passing attack struggled, and Shane Buechele had another strong performance as Texas wore down UTEP. Buechele threw for 244 yards, and four touchdowns, and Jerrod Heard caught his first two career touchdown passes. Aaron Jones ran for 123 yards, but the Miners only threw for 73 yards. UTEP will host Army next week.
North Texas 41 Bethune-Cookman 20
Freshman Mason Fine took over at quarterback, but the Mean Green ended up getting it done on the ground. The Mean Green ran for 329 yards, Willy Ivery posted 103 yards, while Jeffery Wilson added 83 yards and two touchdowns. Bethune-Cookman was first to get on the board, but North Texas would control things the rest of the way. North Texas plays at Florida next week.
LA Tech 53 South Carolina State 24
Ryan Higgins was strong for the most part in this season debut, throwing for 409 yards and four touchdowns as LA Tech bounced back to roll SC-State. Despite four turnovers, and a slow start, LA Tech scored 34 points in the second half, and held SC-State to just 293 yards of total offense. LA Tech heads to Lubbock next week to face to Texas Tech.