It’s a Good Start for Tennessee and New Quarterback

Tee Martin, understudy the past two seasons to Peyton Manning, threw for two touchdowns and ran for one, and Jeff Hall made a 27-yard field goal as time expired as 10th-ranked Tennessee defeated No. 17 Syracuse, 34-33, on Saturday at Syracuse, N.Y.

Martin, making his first college start on the same weekend that Manning will make his NFL debut with the Indianapolis Colts, completed only nine of 26 passes for 147 yards but took advantage of penalties by mistake-prone Syracuse several times to keep drives alive. He committed only one turnover.

The biggest Syracuse penalty came in the final two minutes with the Orangemen leading, 33-31. Cornerback Will Allen, one of seven new starters on defense for the Orangemen, was called for interference on Martin’s fourth-down pass that was incomplete, keeping the Volunteer drive alive. The penalty was called late by a referee not close to the play.

“We had it locked,” Syracuse safety Jason Poles said. “The players were out there playing. Let the players play. It seemed like we weren’t just playing Tennessee today. We were playing Tennessee and the refs.”

Syracuse had eight penalties for 79 yards and Tennessee had three for 20.

Martin followed with a 17-yard pass to Peerless Price to the Syracuse 26. A 13-yard run by Jamal Lewis, who had 141 yards in 20 carries, set up Hall’s winning kick.

The Orangemen had the football 37 more minutes than the Volunteers, with quarterback Donovan McNabb completing 22 of 28 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns and running for another touchdown.

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James Jackson ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns as Miami (Fla.) recorded its third-best point total in defeating East Tennessee State, 66-17, at Miami. The Hurricanes had 314 yards rushing. . . . Al Clark, one of three returning starters from last season’s Gator Bowl team, threw for two touchdowns to lead Virginia Tech to 38-3 victory over East Carolina at Blacksburg, Va. . . . Matt Lytle completed 23 of 36 passes for 349 yards and four touchdowns--three to wide receiver Latef Grim--as Pittsburgh beat Division I-AA Villanova, 48-41, at Pittsburgh. Villanova’s Brian Westbrook had a school-record 428 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns--one on a 49-yard run on a fake-punt play, another on an 89-yard kickoff return and two on passes from Chris Boden. . . . Rutgers ended the third-longest active losing streak at the major-college level at 14 games with a 7-6 victory over Division I-AA Richmond at Piscataway, N.J. Northern Illinois has the nation’s longest losing streak at 19 games.

SOUTH

Mike Cloud ran for 200 yards in 34 carries and had two touchdowns to lead Boston College to a 41-31 victory over Georgia Tech at Atlanta. Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton’s streak of passes without an interception ended at 161 when linebacker Brian Maye picked off his throw with 55 seconds left before the end of the first half. . . . Clemson ended its 102-year series with Furman with a 33-0 victory at Clemson, S.C. The NCAA’s rules for bowl qualification--six Division I-A victories--forced the Tigers to not schedule Division I-AA Paladins after this season. Clemson won the last 27 games in the series and didn’t allow Furman a touchdown the final eight. . . . Duke won its first season opener since 1994, defeating Western Carolina, 24-10, at Durham, N.C., as freshman tailback B.J. Hill had 121 yards in 23 carries--the most yards by a Blue Devil in his first collegiate game. Brad Hoover a career-high 181 yards and the lone touchdown for the Division I-AA Catamounts . . . Lynde Washington returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown and Maryland scored 13 points after James Madison turnovers in a 23-15 victory at College Park, Md. . . . Jamaican Dartez had 195 yards and a touchdown in 21 carries as Tulane was a 52-34 winner over Cincinnati in a Conference USA game.

WEST

Qualario Brown had a career-high 166 yards rushing, including a 73-yard touchdown, as Air Force defeated Wake Forest, 42-0, at Air Force Academy, Colo. . . . New Mexico opened its 100th season with a 38-9 victory over Idaho State at Albuquerque, N.M., which was also the Lobo coaching debut for former UCLA defensive coordinator Rocky Long. . . . Clint Leschber’s two-yard touchdown in overtime gave Rice a 23-17 victory over Southern Methodist at Houston. SMU kicker Roy Rios missed a 33-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in regulation and failed on a 43-yard attempt in overtime. . . . Wes Caswell, a sixth-year senior coming back from a knee injury last season, had three touchdown receptions to lead Tulsa to a 49-14 victory over Southwest Missouri State at Tulsa, Okla. . . . Mike Anderson, a transfer from Mt. San Jacinto junior college, ran for 150 yards and a touchdown as Utah defeated Utah State, 20-12, at Logan, Utah. . . Bart Hendricks passed for 229 yards and two touchdowns as Boise State defeated Cal State Northridge, 26-13, at Boise, Idaho. Boise State Coach Dirk Koetter and Northridge’s Ron Ponciano were both making their debuts. . . . Mike Goldstein’s three first-half field goals were all visiting Northern Arizona needed to defeat Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 9-0. Cal Poly was 10-1 last season, averaging 34.7 points. . . . Jack Williams had 130 yards and a touchdown in 22 carries as visiting Azusa Pacific defeated San Diego, 14-7.