Christion Jones leads No. 1 Bama past VaTech 35-10
With everyone focused on a three-peat, Nick Saban reminded his Alabama players of someone who did it twice - Michael Jordan. If they're going to follow MJ's lead, they'll need to play with a lot more passion than they showed in the season opener. Better get to it. Next up, it's Johnny Football. Christion Jones became the first Alabama player since at least the 1940s to have two returns for touchdowns, Vinnie Sunseri brought back an interception for another TD, and the top-ranked Crimson Tide overcame a rather dismal offensive performance to beat Virginia Tech 35-10 on Saturday night.
Eastern Washington upsets No. 25 Oregon State 49-46
Vernon Adams passed for 411 yards and ran for 107 and the go-ahead score with 18 seconds left as Eastern Washington upset No. 25 Oregon State 49-46 on Saturday to become the third FCS team to beat a ranked FBS team. Adams overwhelmed the Beavers in a performance in sure to attract attention around the nation. He threw for four touchdowns and ran for two, completing 23 of 30 passes despite leaving the game twice - once with cramping and a second time after taking a hard hit near the sideline. Adams returned, though, and scored on a 2-yard run to put the Eagles up 49-46. It was the first time a team from the Football Championship Subdivision has defeated a ranked team from the Football Bowl Subdivision since James Madison beat Virginia Tech in September 2010.
Kelly signs 5-year contract at Notre Dame and then goes out and rips Temple
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has been rewarded for getting the Fighting Irish to the national championship game in January with a new five-year deal. Kelly said the contract signifies to him that he and the university officials are ''all in it together.'' ''So when we come to an agreement, it's not necessarily that within it that I get a lunch stipend on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's about that we're all together in this contract about moving the program forward. We decided by signing this contract, we're all in this together. That's what I was looking for,'' he said. The university has made a number of changes in the program since he became coach, including instituting a training table to make sure players are getting proper nutrition and changing some longstanding pregame routine, such as moving the pregame Mass from Saturday to Friday. He also talked Thursday about how he will be involved in the conversation when players are facing potential disciplinary action, something former past coaches have complained about. The contract announcement came on a day when Notre Dame beat Temple 28-6, giving Kelly 200 career wins. Kelly had said four weeks ago that a new deal was ''imminent.'' Swarbrick had announced in January after Kelly led the Irish to a 12-0 record and the national championship game against Alabama that the school was working on a contract extension. Kelly interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles job the day after the BCS game in January.
No. 3 Oregon handles Nicholls 66-3 in opener
Marcus Mariota only had his game ball for a few moments. The quarterback for the third-ranked Oregon Ducks threw for a touchdown and ran for two more in a 66-3 rout of lower-tier Nicholls on Saturday, earning the postgame honor. But he quickly gave the ball away to someone he said was its rightful recipient - new coach Mark Helfrich. Helfrich, the team's former offensive coordinator, was promoted when Chip Kelly left the Ducks in January for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. ''It was his first career victory. That's something pretty special,'' Mariota said. ''It wasn't just me. A lot of the guys thought about doing it. We wanted to give something to coach Helfrich because he earned it.''
Freshman QB Christian Hackenberg, Penn State beat Syracuse 23-17
Christian Hackenberg knew about two weeks ago he was going to start his first college football game for Penn State. Most everybody else found out Saturday, when the 18-year-old freshman quarterback led the Nittany Lions on to the field at MetLife Stadium. Just a few months removed from playing high school baseball in Virginia, he confessed to a few nerves. ''After the first snap, it's football,'' he said. The kid did OK. Hackenberg threw for 278 yards and two touchdown passes and led Penn State to 23-17 victory against Syracuse. He went 22 for 31 and threw two interceptions as the second freshman to start a Penn State opener at quarterback since 1910.
Northern Illinois stuns Iowa 30-27
Mathew Sims hit a 36-yard field goal with four seconds left and Northern Illinois rallied to beat Iowa 30-27 on Saturday in the season opener for both teams. Jordan Lynch threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns for the Huskies, who scored 10 points in the final 5:05 to record their first win over the Hawkeyes. Northern Illinois safety Jimmie Ward intercepted Iowa's Jake Rudock with 1:17 left. He brought it to the Hawkeyes 30-yard line, setting up the game-winning kick from Sims. Rudock threw for 256 yards, a touchdown and two picks in his debut for Iowa, which lost its seventh straight game dating back to last season. The Hawkeyes also lost their first opener since 2000. For most of the afternoon, the Hawkeyes did a decent job containing the explosive Lynch - who last season became the first Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for more than 1,500.
No comments:
Post a Comment