Couch Gets Start on Heisman Bid in Kentucky Win

Louisville got most of what it wanted Saturday, a sold-out crowd in its new $63-million Cardinal Stadium, and a cross-state rival to dedicate it.

Tim Couch got what he wanted, a 498-yard, seven-touchdown passing day to begin his Heisman Trophy campaign and lead Kentucky to a 68-34 thumping of Louisville.

Couch completed 29 of 39 passes to 11 receivers--including four touchdowns throws of 30 yards or more--and broke his school-yardage record of 476.

The seven touchdowns tied his school and Southeastern Conference record.

“Couch decided to take the game into his hand, and he performed at a Heisman-candidate level,” Louisville tackle Derrick Kennedy said.

Derek Homer rushed 19 times for 123 yards, and the Wildcats finished with a school-record 801 yards.

After Louisville got the crowd excited by taking a 7-3 lead, Couch responded with a 56-yard pass to James Whalen to give Kentucky the lead for good.

No. 3 Florida 49, The Citadel 10--In a game tailor-made for piling up statistics and building confidence, Jesse Palmer threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns and Terry Jackson ran for 127 yards and two scores for the Gators, who won as expected over a Division I-AA opponent at Gainesville, Fla.

Palmer, a sophomore, completed 18 of 28 passes to help the Gators improve to 9-0 in season openers since Steve Spurrier took over as coach in 1990.

Mississippi 30, Memphis 10--Romaro Miller threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns in his debut for the Rebels, completing 26 of 40 passes in their victory at Oxford, Miss.

Miller threw touchdown passes of six and 77 yards in a 2 1/2-minute span of the second quarter to Corey Peterson, who caught nine passes for 164 yards.

No. 19 Georgia 56, Kent 3--Quincy Carter wasted no time showing why he’s the first freshman to start at quarterback for Georgia in more than 50 years, passing for 235 yards and three touchdowns in only slightly more than half of the game at Athens, Ga.

Carter, who played two seasons of minor league baseball and was named the starter only three days ago after beating out three others, was 12 for 16, including 40-yard touchdown throws to Champ Bailey and Michael Greer in the first half and a 13-yard touchdown pass to Thad Parker early in the third quarter.

Mississippi State 42, Vanderbilt 0--James Johnson rushed for 111 yards, almost out-gaining the Commodores’ new-look offense in a win at Starkville, Miss.

Wayne Madkin, the fourth Bulldog quarterback, threw for a touchdown and ran for another against Vanderbilt, which totaled only 126 yards.

Alabama 38, Brigham Young 31--Shaun Alexander scored two of his school-record five touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the Crimson Tide in their victory at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

With the score tied, 24-24, in the fourth quarter, Alexander went up the middle, broke two tackles and scampered up the sideline for a 28-yard score that gave Alabama a 31-24 lead.

South Carolina 38, Ball State 20--Anthony Wright showed he has recovered from knee surgery, throwing for three touchdowns and 180 yards in leading the Gamecocks to a win at Columbia, S.C.

Arkansas 38, Southwest Louisiana 17--Clint Stoerner threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Lucas early in the third quarter and Chrys Chukwuma went 62 yards to score moments later for the Razorbacks, which won their first game under Coach Houston Nutt at Fayetteville, Ark.