Dreisbach Turns Heads In Win
Around the country
Scott Dreisbach, obviously a little rusty, still has a flair for the dramatic.
Dreisbach, who led Michigan to a 4-0 record before a thumb injury ended his season in 1995, had a 72-yard touchdown run Saturday as the No. 12 Wolverines defeated Illinois 20-8 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
In last year’s Kickoff Classic, Dreisbach became a permanent part of Michigan lore when his TD pass to Mercury Hayes on the final play of the game lifted the Wolverines past Virginia. The Wolverines went on to a 9-4 season, losing to Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.
Dreisbach was 11 of 23 for 117 yards against the Illini, including a 10-yard scoring strike to Russell Shaw, a junior-college transfer playing his first game, that put Michigan ahead 17-8 early in the fourth quarter.
Michigan St. 52, Purdue 14: In East Lansing, Mich., Sedrick Irvin scored four touchdowns in his first college game and the Spartans beat the Boilermakers in a season and Big Ten opener.
Irvin, a heralded recruit from Florida, scored on runs of 17, 5 and 5 yards and caught a 12-yard TD pass from Todd Schultz.
EAST
Rutgers 38, Villanova 28: Cameron Chadwick scored on a 53-yard interception return early in the fourth quarter and Terry Shea won his first game as coach of the Scarlet Knights with a victory over the error-plagued Wildcats in Piscataway, N.J.
West Virginia 34, Pittsburgh 0: Amos Zereoue scored on a 69-yard run on his first college carry and Chad Johnston threw three touchdown passes to lead the Mountaineers to a romp over the rival Panthers at Pittsburgh.
SOUTH
(4) Florida 55, SW Louisiana 21: In Gainesville, Fla., the Gators’ defense stole the show from Danny Wuerffel and the Fun ‘N’ Gun offense, setting a school record with four touchdowns in a win over the Ragin’ Cajuns. Cornerback Fred Weary returned a fumble 64 yards and an interception 65 yards for touchdowns for the Gators.
(21) Kansas State 21, Texas Tech 14: In Manhattan, Kan., Brian Kavanagh threw for one touchdown and ran for one and the Wildcats survived a wild finish for a ragged victory over the Red Raiders in the inaugural Big 12 Conference game. The Red Raiders scored a touchdown, a two-point conversion and a field goal in the final 6:39.
(11) Miami 30, Memphis 7: In Memphis, Tenn., the Hurricanes struggled offensively before beating the Tigers. Playing a day after starting tailback Danyell Ferguson and wide receiver Yatil Green were suspended, Miami had trouble hanging onto the ball with several dropped passes and four turnovers and led only 3-0 at halftime after losing three fumbles in the first half.
(13) Alabama 21, Bowling Green 7: In Birmingham, Ala., Curtis Alexander rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown as the Crimson Tide beat the Falcons in a sluggish seasoni-opening performance.
Southern Mississippi 11, Georgia 7: In Athens, Ga., the Jim Donnan era at Georgia got off to a disastrous start as the Bulldogs were upset by the Eagles on three Johnny Lomoro field goals and a safety. Southern Miss, an 11-point underdog, pulled off another season-opening shocker against a new Southeastern Conference coach, matching its 27-24 win over Alabama and Gene Stallings in 1990.
Maryland 30, N. Illinois 6: In College Park, Md., Delbert Cowsette’s 49-yard fumble return for a touchdown helped the Terrapins rally from a halftime deficit and a win over the Huskies. Maryland avoided a shocking upset against a team that last year went 3-8 and gave up at least 42 points in six games.
North Carolina 45, Clemson 0: In Chapel Hill, N.C., the Tar Heels’ defense handed the Tigers their first season-opening shutout in 22 years, and Chris Keldorf threw two TD passes in a victory over Clemson.
Louisville 38, Kentucky 14: In Lexington, Ky., linebacker Tony Esters’ two blocked punts in the first half led to scores, sparking the Cardinals to a victory over the Wildcats.
(16) Auburn 29, Alabama-Birmingham 0: Junior-college transfer Jaret Holmes made all five of his field-goal attempts - including kicks of 46, 47 and 50 yards - to lead the Tigers to a victory over the Division I-A newcomer Blazers at Auburn, Ala.
SOUTHWEST
(8) Texas 40, Missouri 10: In Austin, Texas, James Brown threw for two touchdowns as the Longhorns converted three early turnovers into scores and kicked off life in the Big 12 Conference with a lightning-interrupted victory over the Tigers.
Oklahoma St. 23, SW Missouri 20 (OT): In Stillwater, Okla., David Thompson broke free for a 13-yard TD run to give the Cowboys a victory over the Bears in the first-ever Division I-A regular-season overtime game. The overtime rule was put into effect this season in the major-college ranks.
Houston 43, Sam Houston St. 25: Chuck Clements threw three TD passes and the Cougars overcame a 25-23 fourth-quarter deficit for a win over the Bearkats at Houston.
Southern Meth. 17, Tulsa 10: In Dallas, Ramon Flanigan ran for a TD and passed for another as the Mustangs snapped a 10-game skid with a win over the Golden Hurricane in the Western Athletic Conference debut for both teams.
FAR WEST
(19) Brigham Young 58, Arkansas State 9: In Provo, Utah, Steve Sarkisian threw four touchdown passes and the Cougars beat the outmatched Indians.
Utah St. 20, Utah 17: Abu Wilson rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns as the Aggies shocked the Utes in Logan, Utah.
Colorado St. 61, Tenn-Chattanooga 19: In Fort Collins, Colo., Moses Moreno threw an 80-yard pass to Jeremy Calhoun on the Rams’ first play from scrimmage and Calvin Branch ran 70 yards for a touchdown on the second as CSU beat the Moccasins.
Air Force 45, San Jose St. 0: Andre Johnson ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns, including a 71-yard scoring run 43 seconds into the season, and the Falcons beat the Spartans, a Western Athletic Conference newcomer, at Air Force Academy, Colo.
Mississippi 38, Idaho State 14: Artie Moore, who waited four seasons for a chance to start, rushed for 88 yards and three touchdowns as Ole Miss opened with a victory over the Division I-AA Bengals in Oxford, Miss.
Cent. Michigan 42, Boise St. 21: In Boise, quarterback Chad Darnell threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Chippewas to a non-conference win over the Broncos, spoiling BSU’s Division I-A debut.
N. Iowa 31, S. Utah 21: In Cedar City, Utah, Dedrick Ward caught five passes for 188 yards and three TDs as the Thunderbirds rolled.
Boston College 24, Hawaii 21: John Matich kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play as the Eagles beat the Rainbows in Honolulu.