Sunday, September 02, 2007

College Football Notes Week 1

If the opening week of the college football season is any indication of what the year may bring, then we're in for when hell of a ride.

Week one gave us what may be the biggest upset in the history of college football when Appalachian State, the defending DI-AA champs, upset fifth ranked Michigan 34-32 at the Big House in Ann Arbor.

The Mountaineers became the first I-AA team to defeat a ranked I-A team in history when Corey Lynch blocked Michigan's FG attempt with just seconds remaining.

Armanti Edwards, the sophomore QB threw for 227 yards and three TDs and rushed for one more. Mike Hart led the Wolverines in the losing effort with 188 yards and three scores.

No. 9 Virginia Tech opened the season with heavy hearts, but managed to hold off a pesky East Carolina squad, 17-7. Hokie QB Sean Glennon connected with TE Sam Wheeler on a 21-yard TD to extend the Hokies' lead to 17-7 in the fourth. Virginia Tech honored the memory of the 32 victims of the April tragedy with a moving pregame ceremony.

The Wisconsin Badgers, ranked seventh in the nation, opened the season in impressive fashion with a 42-21 victory over a tough Washington State squad. Senior QB Tyler Donovan proved he could fill John Stocco's shoes by passing for 284 yards and three touchdowns. he also had a touchdown on the ground.

Matthew Stafford, after an up-and-down freshman season, looked confident, throwing for 235 yards and two TDs to lead No.13 Georgia to the 35-14 victory over Oklahoma State.

Fourth-ranked Texas survived a scare from Arkansas State, but held on for the 21-13 win. Longhorn QB Colt McCoy found Antwan Cobb in the end zone with 2:49 remaining in the first quarter. That score was all the lead Texas would need. RB Jamaal Charles ran for 117 yards and a TD.

No. 18 Auburn rallied for 17 unanswered points, starting with a Wes Byrum field goal in the final minutes of the third quarter, to pull out the 23-13 victory over Kansas State. Auburn forced Kansas State to make mistakes -- including three turnovers and penalties (16 penalties, 144 yards).

The 12th-ranked Cal Golden Bears looked impressive in their 45-31 win over No. 15 Tennessee on Friday. DeSean Jackson had a 77-yard punt return for a score, while Justin Forsett rushed for 156 yards and a score, and Nate Longshore passed for 241 yards and two TDs as the Bears racked up the most points scored against the Volunteers in 12 years to win the opening weekend's only matchup between ranked schools. Erik Ainge had 271 yards passing and three TD throws despite an injured finger for the Vols.

Other scores from the Top 25: No. 16 Rutgers 38, Buffalo 3; No. 10 Louisville 73, Murray State 10; No. 2 LSU 45, Mississippi State 0; No. 24 Boise State 56, Weber State 7; No. 11 Ohio State 38, Youngstown State 6; No. 17 Penn State 59, Florida International 0; No. 6 Florida 49, Western Kentucky 3; No. 20 Nebraska 52, Nevada 10;
No. 3 West Virginia 62, Western Michigan 24, No. 14 UCLA 45, Stanford 17; No. 22 TCU 27, Baylor 0; No. 8 Oklahoma 79, North Texas 10; No. 21 Arkansas 46, Troy 26; No. 25 Texas A&M 38, Montana State 7; No. 1 USC 38, Idaho 10; and No. 23 Hawaii 63, Northern Colorado 6.

Highlight games from week 2 include: Navy (1-0) at Rutgers (1-0); Miami, FL (1-0) at Oklahoma (1-0); Nebraska (1-0) at Wake Forest (0-1); Boise State (1-0) at Washington (1-0); South Carolina (1-0) at Georgia (1-0); Notre Dame (0-1) at Penn State (1-0); BYU (1-0) at UCLA (1-0); TCU (1-0) at Texas (1-0); Virginia Tech (1-0) at LSU (1-0); and Colorado (1-0) at Arizona State (1-0).

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