Oregon State starts slow, then finishes Utah, 24-7

Yvenson Bernard ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns Thursday night and Oregon State opened with a 24-7 victory over Utah at Corvallis, Ore.

Sophomore Sean Canfield completed eight of 19 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown for the Beavers.

Utah quarterback Brian Johnson completed eight of 13 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, but left at the half because of an apparent separated shoulder.

Sean Canfield started for Oregon State, but Lyle Moevao entered to start the second quarter and his first pass was intercepted.

Johnson, who did not play for the Utes last season because of a knee injury, did not return in the second half and was replaced by Tommy Grady.

Bernard, who rushed for 1,307 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, scored on a 10-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

Oregon State was without receiver Sammie Stroughter, although he watched from the sidelines Thursday night wearing his jersey. He has sat out practice for personal reasons.

Utah suffered a blow on offense when sophomore running back Matt Asiata was taken from the field on a cart at the end of the first quarter because of a leg injury. He had four carries for 16 yards in the game.

No. 2 Louisiana State 45, Mississippi State 0 -- Craig Steltz had three of the Tigers’ six interceptions of Bulldogs’ quarterback Michael Henig in a rout at Starkville, Miss.

It was LSU’s eighth consecutive victory and eighth in a row in the series with the Bulldogs. Since Mississippi State’s last win in 1999, LSU has outscored the Bulldogs, 340-81.

No. 16 Rutgers 38, Buffalo 3 -- Ray Rice rushed for 184 yards and three touchdowns and Tiquan Underwood had 10 catches for a team-record 248 yards as the Scarlet Knights opened with a victory at Piscataway, N.J.

No. 24 Boise State 56, Weber State 7 -- Ian Johnson ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns, guiding the Broncos to their 14th consecutive victory at Boise, Idaho.

In other games:

Julian Edelman threw for 161 yards and a touchdown to lead Kent State to a 23-14 victory over Iowa State at Ames, Iowa, spoiling the debut of Cyclones Coach Gene Chizik. . . . Tulsa rallied from a 17-14 halftime deficit, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half, and defeated Louisiana Monroe, 35-17, at Monroe, La. . . . Brandon Murphy scored on a six-yard run with 17 seconds and Miami of Ohio defeated Ball State, 14-13, in a Mid-American Conference game at Muncie, Ind. . . . Ben Mauk threw for two touchdowns and Cincinnati beat Southeast Missouri State, 59-3, at Cincinnati. . . . Nevada Las Vegas rallied to beat Utah State, 23-16, at Logan, Utah.