Arizona State rallies to defeat Texas San Antonio, 32-28

Kalen Ballage scored on a 2-yard run with 3:15 to play and Arizona State rallied from 16 points down in the second half for a tough 32-28 win over Texas-San Antonio on Friday night.

Ballage, who tied an NCAA record with eight touchdowns a week earlier against Texas Tech, capped the rally when he took a direct snap and powered over the goal line. The touchdown was set up by a defensive pass interference penalty on third down one play earlier.

Zane Gonzalez kicked four field goals, including two from 54 yards, for Arizona State (3-0) and became the Pac-12 career scoring leader.

Manny Wilkins passed for 264 yards and two touchdowns for the Sun Devils. He threw a 27-yard score to N’Keal Harry with 3 seconds left in the first half. His 45-yard pass to Frederick Gammage in the fourth quarter cut the UTSA lead to 28-25.

Dalton Sturm passed for 229 yards and three touchdowns for UTSA (1-2). He also ran for 82 yards and a score.

Seth Russell leads No. 21 Baylor past Rice, 38-10

Rice had some fun at Baylor’s expense at halftime. The Bears then toyed with the Owls in the second half.

Seth Russell threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns and No. 21 Baylor shrugged off a slow start to beat Rice 38-10 on Friday night after the Rice band mocked the Bears at halftime.

The band formed a Roman numeral IX on the field to represent Title IX, the federal law Baylor is accused of violating in sexual assault scandal, and a shifted to a star formation in reference to Ken Starr, the former Baylor president was demoted and eventually resigned amid the scandal.

Russell was 22 of 38 to help the Bears win their 19th straight regular-season nonconference game and improve to 3-0 for the sixth straight season, a program first.

Utah State beats Arkansas State, 34-20

Utah State’s defense dominated the first half and quarterback Kent Myers had two big runs for third-down conversions late in the game to set up the clinching score and the Aggies defeated Arkansas State, 34-20, on Friday night.

The Aggies (2-1) turned a fumble and an interception into short-field touchdowns in the first quarter and opened a 24-0 halftime lead.

Arkansas State (0-3) closed within 27-20 on a field goal with 7:28 to play and pinned Utah State on its 9 on the ensuing kickoff. The Aggies pushed the ball out to the 35 before Myers scrambled for 30 yards on third-and-eight. It was third-and-11 from the Arkansas State 36 when Myers went around the left end on an option for 20 yards. That led to Tonny Lindsey’s second TD on a 1-yard plunge. The Red Wolves had 92 yards in the first half but finished with 357 yards to 334 for the Aggies.

A night for Paterno

Hundreds of Joe Paterno’s former Penn State players gathered outside the school’s baseball stadium Friday night to celebrate their accomplishments and the coach who inspired them before he left a polarizing legacy.

About 50 yards from where a statue of Paterno was removed by the university after the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, and Paterno’s possible role in it, rocked the small central Pennsylvania town in 2011, former players hugged, laughed and told stories about Paterno as they filed into the private ceremony.

Jimmy Cefalo, who played for Paterno from 1974-77 before embarking on a broadcasting career, called the late coach “the most influential man in my life other than my father.”

He said his opinion of Paterno, who coached at Penn State for 46 years, remains unchanged. “Joe will always be someone who took me out of a very small town and gave me a wonderful opportunity,” Cefalo said.

More Cougars

The Pullman Police Department recommended Friday that assault charges be filed against two more Washington State football players, bringing to four the number in legal trouble. Police Chief Gary Jenkins will ask the Whitman County prosecutor to bring charges of second-degree assault, a felony, against defensive tackle Robert Barber and defensive lineman Toso Fehoko. Jenkins said the charges would relate to the players’ actions during a large brawl that erupted July 23 that left several people injured.