Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, right, hands the ball to running back CJ Donaldson, left, during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Julian Sayin had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State’s defense got a couple key stops in the red zone and the third-ranked Buckeyes opened their season with a 14-7 victory over top-ranked Texas on Saturday.

It was the fourth time the AP’s No. 1 team in the preseason poll has met the previous season’s national champion in the opener. The defending champ has won the last three.

Arch Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Longhorns.

Texas was 1 of 5 on fourth down, including being stopped twice in the red zone. The Longhorns were driving for a tying touchdown late in the game but Jack Endries was stopped by Caleb Downs 1 yard short of a first down to end hopes of a comeback.

Sayin was 13 of 20 passing for 126 yards. His best pass of the day came with 13:08 remaining in the game, when Tate beat Texas cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau for the long score. Tate juggled the ball before pulling it down in the end zone to put the Buckeyes up by two touchdowns.

NO. 2 PENN STATE 46, NEVADA 11

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Nicholas Singleton ran for two touchdowns, Penn State forced three turnovers and the No. 2 Nittany Lions pulled away to beat Nevada in the opener for both teams.

Singleton capped Penn State’s opening possession with a 1-yard run then scored on another short plunge early in the third quarter. Kayton Allen cut around the defense for a 13-yard score in the second.

Nevada had already self-destructed by then.

Penn State cornerback AJ Harris recovered Ky Woods’ fumble to spoil the Wolf Pack’s opening drive. Their next possession ended when defensive tackle Zane Durant intercepted Chubba Purdy’s pass deep in his own end.

Ryan Barker kicked four field goals for the Nittany Lions, who led 27-3 at halftime after Kyron Hudson hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Drew Allar with 23 seconds left in the second quarter.

Hudson caught six passes for 89 yards, and Trebor Peña added seven for 74.

NO. 9 LSU 17, NO. 4 CLEMSON 10

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Garrett Nussmeier threw a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass to Trey’Dez Green in the fourth quarter, and No. 9 LSU rallied past fourth-ranked Clemson.

Nussmeier, who eclipsed 4,000 yards passing in his first year as a starter in 2024 after biding his time behind Jayden Daniels, got better as game went on, throwing for 134 of his 230 yards in the second half while leading two touchdown drives.

LSU’s stifling defense limited first-team preseason Associated Press All-America quarterback Cade Klubnik to 19-of-38 passing for 230 yards and an interception.

NO. 5 GEORGIA 45, MARSHALL 7

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Gunner Stockton enjoyed a promising start to his first full season as No. 5 Georgia’s starting quarterback, running for two touchdowns and adding two scoring passes as the Bulldogs rolled past Marshall in their season opener.

Stockton, a junior, had scoring runs of 13 and 11 yards. He completed 14 of 24 passes for 190 yards and ran for 73 yards.

Zachariah Branch, a transfer from Southern California, had three catches for 95 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown. Stockton added a 2-yard scoring pass to London Humphreys. Backup Ryan Puglisi threw a 23-yard scoring pass to Elyiss Williams.

JacQai Long started at quarterback for Marshall, the defending Sun Belt Conference champion that entered the season with 74 new players. Syracuse transfer Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Jacksonville State transfer Zion Turner played behind Long.

Georgia led 45-0 before Turner led a touchdown drive capped by Ja’Shon Barbie’s 1-yard scoring run.

NO. 7 OREGON 59, MONTANA STATE 13

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Dante Moore started at quarterback for No. 7 Oregon and threw for 213 yards with three touchdowns, and the Ducks routed FCS power Montana State in the opener for both teams.

It was widely assumed that Moore — Dillon Gabriel’s understudy last season — would be the Ducks’ quarterback this season but coach Dan Lanning did not publicly name a starter before the first game.

True freshman Jordan Davison rushed for 26 yards and three touchdowns and Malik Benson caught five passes for 51 yards and a score for the defending Big Ten champion Ducks, who built a 38-3 lead by halftime.

Justin Lamson, who spent the last two seasons at Stanford, threw for 198 yards for Montana State. The defending Big Sky champion Bobcats are trying to replace star quarterback Tommy Mellott after falling to North Dakota State last season in the FCS title game.

Myles Sansted kicked a pair of 42-yard field goals and Adam Jones ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown for the Bobcats.

Oregon went ahead quickly, scoring just 63 seconds into the game on Jayden Limar’s 16-yard run down the left edge.

FLORIDA STATE 31, NO. 8 ALABAMA 17

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — New quarterback Tommy Castellanos led a punishing rushing attack for Florida State with 78 yards and a touchdown as the Seminoles stunned No. 8 Alabama, ending the Crimson Tide’s streak of 23 straight wins in season openers.

Coming off a 2-10 season, Florida State handed a crushing setback to Alabama, which was viewed as a College Football Playoff contender under second-year coach Kalen DeBoer.

Students and fans swarmed the field at Doak Campbell Stadium to celebrate the upset by the Seminoles, who were 13 1/2-point underdogs according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Under new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn — who spent eight seasons as Auburn’s head coach — Florida State was physical from the start, finishing with 230 rushing yards and averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The Seminoles averaged just 89.9 yards during their disastrous 2024 season.

The Crimson Tide had not dropped a season opener since losing 20-17 to UCLA in 2001 under Dennis Franchione, and this defeat will ratchet up the pressure on DeBoer from the demanding Tuscaloosa faithful. His predecessor, Nick Saban, led Alabama to six national titles.

NO. 11 ARIZONA STATE 38, NORTHERN ARIZONA 19

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Sam Leavitt accounted for 330 yards and four touchdowns, Jordyn Tyson caught two touchdown passes and No. 11 Arizona State overcame a slew of mistakes to beat Northern Arizona.

The Sun Devils reached the College Football Playoff for the first time last season despite being picked last in the Big 12, sparking an interest that led to a school-record 14,280 students among the sold-out crowd.

Arizona State fed off the energy by jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead against the Football Championship Subdivision Lumberjacks, but bumbled through the rest of the first half.

Leavitt picked the Sun Devils back up, scoring on runs of 52 and 18 yards in the third quarter. He later hit Tyson on an acrobatic 16-yard TD that put Arizona State up 38-13.

Leavitt threw for 257 yards and three TDs on 25-of-39 passing with an interception, adding 73 yards and a TD on the ground. Tyson had 12 catches for 141 yards and Raleek Brown added a 6-yard touchdown run.

NO. 14 MICHIGAN 34, NEW MEXICO 17

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Justice Haynes ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns and Bryce Underwood threw a touchdown pass, leading No. 14 Michigan to a season-opening win.

The Wolverines built an early cushion after Haynes scored on 56- and 5-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter. The transfer from Alabama had a 59-yard run that set up his 1-yard score to give Michigan a 17-point lead early in the fourth.

The Lobos had a shot a shot to get closer early in the fourth, but Layne threw a pass up for grabs over the deep middle of the field and Brandyn Hillman intercepted it. Haynes scored his third touchdown on the ensuing drive, and then Layne threw another ill-advised pass that was picked off at the Michigan 3 to seal the defeat.

NO. 15 FLORIDA 55, LIU 0

BROOKLYN (AP) — DJ Lagway threw three touchdown passes, Jadan Baugh ran for 104 yards and a score, and No. 15 Florida opened the season with a win over Long Island.

The Gators ended their first eight drives with either a field-goal attempt or an extra point. More than anything, though, facing an overmatched team from the Football Championship Subdivision provided coach Billy Napier with a chance to get Lagway live repetitions for the first time since a December bowl game.

Lagway missed months of work following core-muscle surgery, a sore throwing shoulder and, most recently, a strained left calf. He was cleared to fully practice last week and looked a little rusty against the Sharks.

He was sacked on Florida’s first play and threw two errant passes early. But he settled down and showed plenty of promise in the rout.

No. 16 SMU 42, EAST TEXAS A&M 13

DALLAS (AP) — Ahmaad Moses returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown and middle linebacker Alexander Kilgore had a much shorter and stranger pick-6 as 16th-ranked SMU opened the season with a win over East Texas A&M.

The Mustangs led for good after Kevin Jennings’ 63-yard TD pass to Romello Brinson on the third play less than a minute into the game. Jennings completed 22 of 30 passes for 260 yards and two TDs, and ran 7 yards for a score. Brinson had seven catches for 121 yards.

Moses’ big play made it 28-3 after Football Championship Subdivision East Texas A&M got to the SMU 8 on the first drive after halftime. He stepped in front of a pass by Eric Rodriguez and sprinted the length of the field untouched.

Kilgore, one of the team’s captains, got hurt on his 10-yard TD return in the first quarter. He was limping when he got up and was on the sideline after halftime on crutches and with a protective boot on his left foot.

NO. 17 KANSAS STATE 38, NORTH DAKOTA 35

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Avery Johnson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Joe Jackson with 42 seconds left and No. 17 Kansas State escaped with a victory.

Kansas State avoided becoming the first ranked team to lose two games in August in the history of the poll, and also dodged its first 0-2 start since coaching great Bill Snyder’s first season in 1989. The Wildcats opened last week with a 24-21 loss to Iowa State in Dublin.

North Dakota — playing its its first game under coach Eric Schmidt — missed a chance to become the seventh FCS (formerly I-AA) team to knock off a school in the AP Top 25. Montana was the last to accomplish the feat, beating then-No. 20 Washington 13-7 in 2021.

NO. 18 OKLAHOMA 35, ILLINOIS STATE 3

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — John Mateer passed for 392 yards and three touchdowns in a record-setting first game at Oklahoma, and the 18th-ranked Sooners beat Illinois State.

Mateer, a transfer from Washington State, set the school record for most yards passing in an Oklahoma debut, surpassing Baker Mayfield’s 388 yards against Akron in 2015.

Keontez Lewis, a transfer from Southern Illinois, had nine catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns for Oklahoma. Jaren Kanak, a converted linebacker, had five catches for 90 yards.

Deion Burks added seven catches for 88 yards and a score for Oklahoma, which gained 495 yards in Ben Arbuckle’s first game as offensive coordinator.

NO. 19 TEXAS A&M 42, UTSA 24

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Marcel Reed threw for a career-high four touchdowns and KC Conception had a TD reception and returned a punt for another score in his Texas A&M debut as the 19th-ranked Aggies rolled to a win over UTSA.

Robert Henry Jr.’s 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half cut Texas A&M’s lead to 21-17. But Reed threw a 1-yard touchdown pass on fourth down on the next drive before adding a 22-yard scoring throw on the following possession to extend the lead to 35-17 late in the third quarter.

Conception, a transfer from N.C. State, ran a punt back 80 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and his 31-yard reception made it 21-10 in the second. He had 72 yards receiving and became the first Aggie to have a punt return touchdown and a TD grab in the same game since Christian Kirk did it in 2017 against New Mexico.w

NO. 20 INDIANA 27, OLD DOMINION 27

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Fernando Mendoza scored on a 5-yard run in his debut as Indiana’s quarterback, Jonathan Brady returned a punt 91 yards for a score, and the 20th-ranked Hoosiers wore down Old Dominion.

Mendoza, the starter at California last season, finished 18 of 31 for 193 yards and ran six times for 34 yards. His TD run late in the first half gave the Hoosiers a 17-7 lead.

Indiana’s 309-yard rushing attack was led by Maryland transfer Roman Hemby, who had 23 carries for 110 yards. Kaelon Black added 92 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

Indiana won its ninth straight home game to improve to 9-0 at Memorial Stadium under second-year coach Curt Cignetti — but not without some stress.

NO. 21 MISSISSIPPI 63, GEORGIA STATE 7

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Austin Simmons completed 20 of 31 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 21 Mississippi rout Georgia State.

Simmons, a third-year sophomore, is replacing Jaxson Dart, who set multiple school records before being selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the New York Giants. Simmons also threw two interceptions.

Ole Miss, beginning Lane Kiffin’s sixth season as coach, has won 24 of its last 29 openers.

Christian Veilleux threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Javon Robinson for Georgia State.

NO. 22 IOWA STATE 55, SOUTH DAKOTA 7

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Rocco Becht threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, two to tight end Benjamin Brahmer, and No. 22 Iowa State defeated South Dakota.

Iowa State (2-0), which beat Kansas State 24-21 in Ireland last week, opened with back-to-back wins for the fourth time under coach Matt Campbell.

Becht completed his first 14 passes and finished 19 for 20, a school-record 95%. He threw a touchdown pass in a program-record 20th straight game.

Kyle Konrardy set the school record for longest field goal with a 63-yarder as time expired in the first half. Konrardy’s kick was second-longest in Big 12 history behind Martin Gramatica’s 65-yarder for Kansas State in 1998.

Brahamer caught seven balls for 47 yards and tight end Gabe Burkle had four catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Iowa State’s Dylan Lee led all rushers with 81 yards and a touchdown, all in the second half.

NO. 23 TEXAS TECH 67, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 7

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Behren Morton threw for 201 yards and four touchdowns before exiting the game following a sack in the second quarter, and No. 23 Texas Tech routed overmatched FCS member Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Red Raiders led 47-0 at halftime coming off their first preseason Top 25 ranking since 2008, and the game was shortened to a pair of 8-minute quarters following a 90-minute weather delay that hit at the break.

Morton came up limping after Tayvon Hardwick came off the edge and hit Morton low, tweaking the senior’s lower right leg. Hardwick was penalized for roughing the passer.

Morton took the next snap and handed off to J’Koby Williams, who ran 5 yards for a touchdown and a 37-0 lead. Morton and coach Joey McGuire then conferred with the medical staff, and Morton left the field.

He was still in uniform when he returned to the sideline before halftime, and coach Joey McGuire said in a radio interview at the break that Morton was OK. He completed 16 of 18 passes.

NO. 24 TENNESSEE 45, SYRACUSE 26

ATLANTA (AP) — Joey Aguilar passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 24 Tennessee held off Syracuse.

Aguilar was 16-for-28 passing in his first game with the Volunteers. He threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Staley in the second quarter and found Star Thomas for a 7-yard TD in the third. He also helped close out the win when he passed to Miles Kitselman for a 2-yard TD in the fourth.

Star Thomas had 92 yards on 12 carries for Tennessee, which opened a 38-14 lead in the third. DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis each rushed for a TD.

Tennessee (1-0) rolled to 493 yards of offense, compared to 377 for Syracuse (0-1).

Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli was 23 for 40 for 247 yards and a touchdown in his first start with the Orange. He also threw an interception and was sacked five times.

News from © The Associated Press, 2025