Associated Press
ATHENS, Ga. ó Led by Knowshon Moreno, Georgia responded just fine after being bounced from No. 1.
Moreno rushed for 168 yards and tied his career high with three touchdowns, while massive defensive end Demarcus Dobbs rumbled for a 78-yard score after picking off a deflected pass to lead the Bulldogs.
Matthew Stafford got in on the fun by completing 18-of-28 for 213 yards, hooking up with Mohamed Massaquoi on a pair of touchdown passes.
Georgia (2-0) started the year No. 1.
No. 3 Ohio State 26, Ohio 14
COLUMBUS, Ohio ó Beanie Wells didn’t play. The Ohio Bobcats sure did.
Lightly regarded even in the Mid-American Conference, Ohio put a scare into Ohio State before the Buckeyes righted things in the fourth quarter.
With star tailback Chris Wells sidelined by a foot injury, the Buckeyes (2-0) struggled until Brandon Saine’s short plunge on the third play of the final quarter finally put them on top. Ray Small added a late 69-yard punt return for a TD.
This was not the tuneup the Buckeyes needed before traveling next week to meet No. 1 Southern California.
No. 4 Oklahoma 52, Cincinnati 26
NORMAN, Okla. ó Sam Bradford overcame two interceptions and threw for a career-best 395 yards and five touchdowns for the Sooners (2-0).
Freshman Ryan Broyles had a breakout game with 141 receiving yards, Jermaine Gresham caught two touchdown passes and the Sooners extended the nation’s longest home winning streak to 20 games.
Broyles had a 27-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter and extended a key second-half drive with a leaping 43-yard catch to allow the Sooners to start pulling away with 24 consecutive points.
No. 6 Missouri 52, Southeast Missouri 3
COLUMBIA, Mo. ó Chase Daniel threw three touchdown passes in the first half and Derrick Washington scored three times, helping the Tigers run up a quick 42-point lead before calling in the reserves.
Missouri (2-0) scored on its first five possessions, Sean Weatherspoon returned an interception for a score and the Tigers ended up three points shy of the school record for first-half scoring against Kansas in 1969.
No. 9 Auburn 27, Southern Miss 13
AUBURN, Ala ó Chris Todd completed 21 of 31 passes for 248 yards in his first start and gave Auburn’s passing game a needed lift.
The junior college transfer might have ended the Tigers’ quarterback question by completing an array of short and mid-range passes and effectively running the new spread offense.
He also led a late scoring drive for Auburn (2-0) after Southern Miss (1-1) surged back with a pair of touchdowns against a defense that had pitched a shutout for the first 102 minutes of the season.
Ben Tate ran for 71 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 51 yards for the Tigers.
Shawn Nelson had 12 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns for Southern Miss.
No. 11 Wisconsin 51, Marshall 14
MADISON, Wis.ó Allan Evridge threw for 308 yards and a touchdown as Wisconsin reeled off 51 straight points to turn a potential upset into a walkover.
A loss would have snapped the second-longest home winning streak in major college football and cost the Badgers (2-0) momentum heading into a tough test at Fresno State.
No. 13 Alabama 20, Tulane 6
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ó Javier Arenas returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown and as ‘Bama held on for a shaky win over Tulane, forced out of New Orleans a week ago by the threat of Hurricane Gustav.
Just one game after looking like world beaters against then-No. 9 Clemson, a listless Alabama (2-0) allowed four sacks of John Parker Wilson, fumbled once, missed two kicks and gained only 172 yards ó just 38 in the first half.
Playing in its season opener after days of hotel food and worrying about friends and family back in Louisiana, Tulane kept the Tide offense off balance but managed only field goals of 35 and 21 yards by Ross Thevenot.
No. 14 Kansas 29, Louisiana Tech 0
LAWRENCE, Kan. ó Dezmon Briscoe broke six tackles to turn a short pass into a 48-yard touchdown, and Todd Reesing threw for career-high 412 yards and three scores
Coming off a 40-10 win over Florida International, Kansas (2-0) was hoping to avoid a letdown against Louisiana Tech (1-1) before facing No. 17 South Florida next week in Tampa.
No. 15 BYU 28, Washington 27
SEATTLE ó Jan Jorgensen busted through the line and blocked Ryan Perkins’ 35-yard extra-point attempt with two seconds left in regulation for BYU (2-0).
Jake Locker drove the Huskies 76 yards in 17 plays, capped by his 3-yard plunge to pull Washington within one. But Locker was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, a point of emphasis for officials this season after the touchdown. Locker threw the ball in the air before jumping with his teammates in the end zone. Perkins approached the kick slowly and hit it low, giving Jorgensen a chance to get his paws on the kick.
No. 18 Oregon 66, Utah State 24
EUGENE, Ore. ó Justin Roper returned from a concussion and helped Oregon to a school-record 688 yards.
No. 19 Penn State 45, Oregon State 14
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. ó Evan Royster rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns, Daryll Clark threw two TD passes and the Nittany Lions defense didn’t miss a beat without two suspended starters. Oregon State fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2004. Penn State is 2-0.
No. 24 Illinois 47, Eastern Illinois 21
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. ó Juice Williams ran for 174 yards and two touchdowns to lead Illinois to its first win of the season.
Williams broke the Illinois quarterback record of 145 yards he set in 2006, and threw for 124 yards and a touchdown. Illinois (1-1) scored four touchdowns in a decisive, 13-minute span that started late in the first half, going from a 13-7 lead to 40-7.