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College football: Ohio State trounces Oregon State 77-31; Maryland upsets Texas; Alabama rolls

Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. throws a pass against Oregon State during the first half Saturday.
(Jay LaPrete / Associated Press)
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With coach Urban Meyer serving a suspension, new starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. had a record-setting day, throwing for five touchdowns as No. 5 Ohio State routed Oregon State 77-31 in the opener for both teams Saturday.

After a preseason fraught with drama, the Buckeyes shook off Meyer’s first absence from the Ohio State sideline in six years, scoring on five on the first six possessions and overcoming some defensive sloppiness.

Meyer will be allowed to return to practice on Monday, although his suspension by the university will last for two more games. He was sanctioned after an investigation showed he mismanaged former assistant Zach Smith, who was accused of domestic violence and other bad behavior.

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Haskins, who took the keys from four-year starter J.T. Barrett, was 22 for 30 for 313 yards. The five touchdowns and yards gained are records for a first-time Ohio State starter. Ohio State’s Mike Weber rushed 20 times for 186 yards and three touchdowns.

Oregon State quarterback Conor Blount found some holes in the Ohio State defense, throwing for 169 yards and two touchdowns, but he also was sacked five times in the first half, twice by All-American defensive end Nick Bosa. Running back Artavis Pierce ran for two long touchdowns in the second half.

at Maryland 34, No. 23 Texas 29: The Terrapins emerged from a trying offseason with an emotionally charged upset of the Longhorns, shaking off a lengthy weather delay to provide Matt Canada a satisfying victory in his debut as interim coach.

After blowing a 24-7 lead, Maryland forced three turnovers in the final 6:09 and scored the game’s final 10 points to stun the Longhorns in the opener for the second year in a row. This one was even more impressive because of what the Terrapins endured this summer.

Maryland has dedicated its season to Jordan McNair, the offensive lineman who collapsed on the practice field on May 29 and died two weeks later of heatstroke. The Terrapins paid tribute to McNair by lining up with 10 players on their first offensive play of the game. Maryland waited for a delay of game to be called, and Texas declined the penalty in a show of sportsmanship. Maryland players wore a sticker No. 79 on their helmets and emerged from the tunnel with one of his former teammates carrying a red flag, also emblazoned with McNair’s number. In addition, there was a moment of silence before the game.

The circumstances surrounding the medical treatment administered to McNair on the scene, as well as charges of bullying by the coaching staff, led to the university placing head coach DJ Durkin on administrative leave and the resignation of strength coach Rick Court.

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Canada, the offensive coordinator, was named the interim coach.

Freshman Jeshaun Jones ran for a score, threw for one and caught a 65-yard TD pass. Quarterback Kasim Hill completed 17 of 29 passes for 222 yards.

No. 1 Alabama 51, Louisville 14: College Football Playoff hero Tua Tagovailoa threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third in his first college start, helping top-ranked and defending national champion Alabama open the season with the rout of Louisville.

Essentially ending the debate — at least for now — about whether he or Jalen Hurts should be the Crimson Tide’s No. 1 quarterback, Tagovailoa scored on a 9-yard run while also completing 12 of 16 passes for 227 yards without an interception.

Tagovailoa was sacked on the game’s second play, but pretty much had his way against the Louisville defense from there. Jerry Jeudy had TD receptions of 11 and 25 yards, and Josh Jacobs scored on an 18-yard run and 77-yard kickoff return for the Crimson Tide.

Jawon Pass, who’s replacing 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson for Louisville, completed 20 of 39 passes for 252 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, including TDs of 12 yards to Kemari Averett and 8 yards to Tutu Atwell.

at No. 2 Clemson 48, Furman 7: Freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for three touchdowns and the Tigers scored on all five of his drives in the season-opening rout.

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Even with Lawrence’s impressive debut, completing nine of 15 passes for 137 yards and no interceptions, senior starter Kelly Bryant also shined. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown and ran five times for 44 yards and another score.

at No. 3 Georgia 45, Austin Peay 0: Jake Fromm threw two scoring passes while sharing time with freshman Justin Fields and No. 3 Georgia showed off some new firepower in rolling past Austin Peay 45-0. From threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman and the Bulldogs also had a 72-yard scoring run by California transfer Demetris Robertson, who was making his debut.

at No. 7 Oklahoma 63, Florida Atlantic 14: Kyler Murray, taking over for Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield this season, passed for 209 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Sooners to the win.

Murray connected on 9 of 11 passes in just under one half of action. The first-round Major League Baseball draft pick also ran for 23 yards on four carries.

Marquise Brown caught six passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, and Rodney Anderson rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries. Lee Morris caught a 65-yard touchdown pass and blocked a punt for the Sooners.

Oklahoma led 42-0 at halftime — the most points the Sooners have scored in a first half since 2008.

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No. 17 West Virginia 40, Tennessee 14: Will Grier got his Heisman Trophy campaign off to an impressive start, throwing for 429 yards and five touchdowns to help West Virginia rout Tennessee in a game delayed for more than an hour at halftime due to lightning.

Grier connected on touchdown passes of 33 yards to David Sills, 28 yards to Gary Jennings, and 14 yards to Kennedy McCoy in the third quarter as the Mountaineers opened a 33-14 lead.

at No. 16 Texas Christian 55, Southern 7: Shawn Robinson threw touchdowns to three different receivers and ran for two more scores while playing only the first half. Robinson, who won his only start last season as a true freshman, came out of preseason camp as the starting quarterback. The Horned Frogs scored on their first six drives to take a 38-7 lead before fellow sophomore Michael Collins, a former transfer from Penn, took over after halftime.

Derius Davis caught a 12-yard TD from Robinson and the true freshman later returned a punt 73 yards for a score as the Frogs won their 17th consecutive home opener under coach Gary Patterson. Robinson completed 17 of 24 passes for 182 yards.

at No. 18 Mississippi State 63, Stephen F. Austin 6: Keytaon Thompson threw for 364 yards and five touchdowns, Mississippi State had 17 tackles for a loss and the 18th-ranked Bulldogs cruised in their opener.

Joe Moorhead won his first game as Mississippi State’s head coach, and the playbook showed some of the downfield passing prowess he’s promised over the past months. The Bulldogs had completions of 53, 84, 27 and 30 yards for touchdowns.

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No. 22 Boise State 56, at Troy 20: Brett Rypien passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns, and Sean Modster had 167 yards receiving, to lead Boise State in the opening victory.

The Broncos raced to a 35-7 halftime lead over a Trojans team coming off an 11-win season, largely with the Rypien-to-Modster connection. Then, Tyler Horton and Boise State’s defense mostly took over the scoring for the second half against Troy.

In other games:

— Zach Bednarczyk threw three touchdown passes and Jeff Steeb and Elijah Trent had interceptions on Temple’s last two possessions to lead Villanova to a 19-17 upset in the season-opening crosstown matchup.

— Jordan Ta’amu threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns and Scottie Phillips ran for a career-high 204 yards and two more scores to give Mississippi a 47-27 win over Texas Tech.

— Anthony Brown threw for 279 yards and four touchdowns while playing just the opening half in his return from a season-ending knee injury, and Boston College opened its 120th season with a 55-21 victory over in-state rival Massachusett.

— D’Eriq King accounted for four touchdowns, including three in the second half when Houston rallied to beat Rice 45-27.

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— Jakobi Meyers had career highs of 14 catches for 161 yards — including two big third-down grabs on the clinching late drive — to help North Carolina State beat James Madison 24-13

—Linebacker Kyle Johnson returned an interception 32 yards for a score as a stingy Air Force defense limited Stony Brook’s offense to 75 total yards, helping the Falcons to a 38-0 win during a game delayed twice by lightning.

Other scores:

at No. 15 USC 43, Nevada Las Vegas 21

Cincinnati 26, at UCLA 17

No. 9 Auburn 21, No. 6 Washington 16

at No. 10 Penn State 45, Appalachian State 38, OT

at No. 12 Notre Dame 24, Michigan 17

at No. 24 Oregon 58, Bowling Green 24

at California 24, North Carolina 17

Washington State 41, at Wyoming 19

at Arizona State 49, Texas San Antonio 7

Brigham Young 28, at Arizona 23

at Kentucky 35, Central Michigan 20

at Arkansas 55, Eastern Illinois 20

at Missouri 51, Tennessee-Martin 14

at Pittsburgh 33, Albany 7

at South Florida 34, Elon 14

at Virginia 42, Richmond 13

Liberty 55, at Old Dominion 14

at Toledo 66, VMI 3

at Louisiana 49, Grambling State 17

at Kansas State 27, South Dakota 24

at Illinois 31, Kent State 24

at Rutgers 35, Texas State 7

at South Carolina 49, Coastal Carolina 15

at Georgia Tech 41, Alcorn State 0

Indiana 38, at Florida International 28

at Florida 53, Charleston Southern 6

at Vanderbilt 35, Middle Tennessee 7

at North Texas 46, Southern Methodist 23

at Baylor 55, Abilene Christian 27

at Arkansas State 48, Southeast Missouri State 21

Nicholls 26, at Kansas 23

at Fresno State 79, Idaho 13

at Hawaii 59, Navy 41

North Carolina A&T at East Carolina, postponed

Akron at Nebraska, canceled

South Dakota State at Iowa State, canceled

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