Bulldogs hold off Gamecocks

Aaron Murray threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, Georgia’s beleaguered defense finally came up with a stop, and the 11th-ranked Bulldogs (1-1, 1-0 SEC) defeated No. 6 South Carolina 41-30 on Saturday in Athens, Ga., for an early edge in the Southeastern Conference East.

Coming off a 38-35 loss at Clemson, Georgia could not afford another defeat if it wanted to remain a serious contender for a national title.

Murray took care of that, turning in one of the best games of his career and shaking off his reputation as a quarterback who couldn’t win the big game. The fifth-year senior capped his stellar day for the Bulldogs with an 85-yard touchdown pass to Justin Scott-Wesley with 13 minutes remaining.

The defense made sure it stood up, stuffing Mike Davis on fourth-and-goal from inside the 1.

Davis led the Gamecocks (1-1, 0-1), who had won three straight against Georgia, with 149 yards rushing on 16 carries.

(3) Ohio State 42, San Diego State 7: Kenny Guiton took over when quarterback Braxton Miller left with a sprained left knee, running for one touchdown and passing for two while leading the Buckeyes (2-0) over the Aztecs (0-2) in Columbus, Ohio.

(4) Clemson 52, South Carolina State 13: Tajh Boyd ran for a touchdown and the Tigers (2-0) returned two interceptions for scores for the first time in program history in a victory over the FCS Bulldogs in Clemson, S.C.

Cornerbacks Martin Jenkins and Darius Robinson each had interception-return scores to help the Tigers to a 38-7 lead by halftime.

(7) Texas A&M 65, Sam Houston State 28: Johnny Manziel threw for 426 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score in less than three quarters to give the Aggies (2-0) an easy win over the FCS Bearkats (1-1) in College Station, Texas.

Sam Houston’s Timothy Flanders had 170 yards rushing with two scores and added a TD reception.

(8) Louisville 44, Eastern Kentucky 7: Teddy Bridgewater threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns, and the Cardinals (2-0) routed the FCS Colonels (1-1) in Louisville, Ky.

(9) LSU 56, Alabama-Birmingham 17: Zach Mettenberger passed for an LSU single-game record five touchdowns, three to receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who also scored on a 100-yard field-goal return, and the Tigers (2-0) overwhelmed the Blazers (0-2) in Baton Rouge, La.

Mettenberger finished 16 of 19 for 282 yards and was not intercepted. Beckham’s 136 yards and three TDs receiving were both career highs.

Miami 21, (12) Florida 16: Stephen Morris threw two first-quarter touchdown passes, and the Hurricanes (2-0) took advantage of Florida giving the ball away on four red-zone opportunities on the way to knocking off the Gators (1-1) in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Jeff Driskel threw for a career-best 291 yards and had a 21-yard touchdown pass to Solomon Patton with 2:08 left for the Gators, who lost three fumbles, had two passes intercepted and were stopped once on downs.

(13) Oklahoma State 56, Texas-San Antonio 35: New starter J.W. Walsh completed his first 10 passes, finished 24 of 27 for 326 yards and four touchdowns as the Cowboys (2-0) beat the Roadrunners (1-1) in San Antonio.

Brigham Young 40, (15) Texas 21: Cougars quarterback Tayson Hill rushed for 259 yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns to power BYU (1-1) to an upset win over the Longhorns (1-1) in Provo, Utah.

(16) Oklahoma 16, West Virginia 7: Brennan Clay had a career-high 170 yards rushing as the Sooners (2-0, 1-0 Big 12) defeated the Mountaineers (1-1, 0-1) in Norman, Okla.

The Sooners scored the game’s final 16 points after trailing 7-0 in the first quarter.

(19) Northwestern 48, Syracuse 27: Trevor Siemian threw for 259 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, Kain Colter passed for a touchdown and ran for one, and the Wildcats (2-0) pounded the Orange (0-2) in Evanston, Ill.

Tony Jones added a personal-best 185 yards receiving and a 47-yard TD, and the Wildcats racked up 581 yards in all. They also intercepted Syracuse’s Drew Allen four times on the way to an easy victory.

(21) Wisconsin 48, Tennessee Tech 0: Melvin Gordon ran for 140 yards and a score, and the Wolverines’ overpowering defense got its second straight shutout in a win over the FCS Golden Eagles (1-1) in Madison, Wis.

(22) Nebraska 56, Southern Mississippi 13: Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Ciante Evans returned first-quarter interceptions for touchdowns and the Cornhuskers (2-0) romped past the Golden Eagles (0-2) in Lincoln, Neb.

Taylor Martinez threw for three touchdowns and Ameer Abdullah ran for two more for the Cornhuskers.

(23) Baylor 70, Buffalo 13: Bryce Petty threw for 338 yards and two touchdowns, Lache Seastrunk ran for 150 yards with three scores and Baylor’s first-team offense had 576 total yards in only 11 minutes with the ball as the Bears (2-0) beat the Bulls (0-2) in Waco, Texas.

(24) TCU 38, Southeast Louisiana 17: Trevone Boykin led three straight scoring drives after starting QB Casey Pachall left with an injury, and the Horned Frongs (1-1) defeated the FCS Lions (1-1) in Fort Worth, Texas.

Pachall appeared to injure his left arm or wrist at the end of a running play late in the second quarter.