Purdue shuts out Syracuse

Kyle Orton passed for 287 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as No. 25 Purdue used a slew of big plays Sunday to beat Syracuse 51-0 in West Lafayette, Ind. It was the Boilermakers’ first shutout in four years.

Orton hit Brian Hare for a 75-yard score in the first quarter, Taylor Stubblefield for TDs of 33 yards in the second quarter and 67 yards in the third period, and Brandon Jones for 32 yards late in the third.

Ben Jones’ 34-yard field goal gave Purdue a 37-0 lead going into the final period, when Brandon Kirsch replaced Orton in the opener for both teams.

The Boilermakers got their final touchdowns on a 44-yard run by Jerome Brooks and a 47-yard pass from Kirsch to freshman Dustin Keller with just over two minutes to go.

For Syracuse, it was the worst shutout loss since a 59-0 beating at Miami in 2001. The last Purdue shutout came in the 2000 season opener against Central Michigan.

Purdue’s defense was just as dominant against the Orange, who started a freshman at quarterback for the first time since Todd Norley in 1982. Joe Fields was 8 for 15 for 93 yards, and he was sacked twice, intercepted once and constantly pressured.

(14) Tennessee 42, UNLV 17

Brent Schaeffer became the first Southeastern Conference freshman quarterback to start an opener in 59 years, running for one touchdown and throwing for another score in the Volunteers’ win over the Rebels in Knoxville, Tenn.

Fellow freshman Erik Ainge, who was bracketed with Schaeffer at No. 1 on the depth chart, passed for two touchdowns.

Georgia’s John Rauch in 1945 was the last true SEC freshman to start a season opener.

Dominique Dorsey had 18 carries for 121 yards and a 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for UNLV. He went over 100 yards for the sixth time in his career.

Tennessee lost starting tailback Cedric Houston because of a right ankle injury in the third quarter.

Louisville 28, Kentucky 0

Lionel Gates ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns, and the Cardinals earned their first shutout in four years with a victory over the Wildcats in Louisville, Ky.

The Cardinals won the traditional opener with their archrivals for the fifth time in six years. It was their most lopsided win over the Wildcats since a 56-28 victory in 1999.

The anemic Wildcats rushed for only 66 yards and failed to score in their season opener for the first time since 1962.

Louisville had not shut out an opponent since beating Grambling 52-0 in 2000. The Cardinals last shutout against a Division I-A team was a 39-0 win over Northeast Louisiana in 1995.

Rice 10, Houston 7

Ed Bailey scored on a 2-yard run and the Owls came within nine seconds of notching their first shutout in nine years with a victory over the Cougars in Houston.

Rice won the traditional season opener against its cross-town rivals for the first time since 2001, grinding out a victory in the lowest-scoring game in the 30-year history of the “Bayou Bucket” series.

Houston rushed for only eight yards and nearly half of their 212 total yards came on a 99-yard scoring drive in the final minutes of the game. Kevin Kolb threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Marshall with nine seconds left, helping the Cougars avert their first shutout since a 48-0 loss at Texas in 2000.

Rice didn’t fare much better, finishing with only 13 first downs and 186 yards of offense. Quarterback Greg Henderson led the Owls with 74 yards rushing and Bailey added 57.

Bailey’s touchdown capped a nine-play, 67-yard drive midway through the second quarter, giving the Owls an early 7-0 lead.

The Owls then relied on a dominant defensive effort to win their fourth-straight game dating back to last year, quite a turnaround from their humiliating 48-14 loss to Houston in the 2003 season opener.

Florida Atlantic 35, Hawaii 28 (OT)

Doug Parker scored on a 7-yard run in overtime as the Division I-AA Owls rallied to upset the Warriors late Saturday night in Honolulu.

After the Warriors failed to get into the end zone in overtime, the Owls poured onto the field at Aloha Stadium and celebrated as thousands of stunned Hawaii fans looked on.

FAU tied the game 28-28 on Jared Allen’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Crissinger-Hill with 23 seconds left in regulation. The Owls had a chance to win in regulation, but their extra-point attempt was blocked, sending the game into overtime.

Hawaii QB Timmy Chang was 38 of 66 for 302 yards and two TDs.