No.1 Georgia starts strong
Ohio State, USC and Florida roll
Sunday, August 31, 2008 12:36 AM PDT
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The collar fit, and for at least one game, so did the crown.
Knowshon Moreno ran for three touchdowns and Georgia, ranked No. 1 to start a season for the first time, beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday to give new mascot Uga VII a debut win.
Moreno needed only eight carries for 59 yards to tie his career best with three touchdowns.
Georgia led 38-0 before Georgia Southern scored on a 1-yard run by quarterback Lee Chapple late in the third quarter. The Eagles added two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and was 13-for-21 passing for a career-high 275 yards.
No. 2 Ohio St. ....................43
Youngstown St. ..................0
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An eerie silence descended on Ohio Stadium when Ohio State’s Heisman Trophy prospect Chris ‘‘Beanie’’ Wells went down with a foot injury in the third quarter.
The star tailback was hurt in the third quarter after taking a handoff from Todd Boeckman on first and goal at the Youngstown State 2. His feet slipped underneath him as he planted to make a cut, with the ball rolling free as he hit the turf.
Wells was helped off the field. X-rays showed no broken bones, the team said.
Before the injury, Wells ran for 111 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown run. Boeckman tossed two touchdown passes and freshman quarterback phenom Terrelle Pryor looked solid in his debut.
Boeckman completed 14-of-19 passes for 187 yards and touchdown passes of 31 yards to Brian Robiskie and 25 yards to DeVier Posey.
The Penguins rushed 21 times for minus-11 yards. Youngstown State has never scored a touchdown against teams from BCS conferences.
No. 3 USC ..........................52
Virginia ............................. 7
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Mark Sanchez threw three touchdown passes in his first game as Southern California’s true No. 1 quarterback and Trojans rolled.
The Trojans lead 21-0 after just 11 minutes and weren’t tested.
Sanchez was 26-for-35 for 338 yards.
No. 5 Florida .....................56
Hawaii .............................10
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Even without injured speedster Percy Harvin (heel) and linebacker Brandon Spikes (toe), Florida dominated every aspect of this one and handed Greg McMackin a lopsided loss in his debut as Hawaii’s head coach.
Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow was 9-of-14 passing for 137 yards and a touchdown. He ran nine times for 37 yards.
Jeff Demps ran for 76 yards, including a 62-yarder for a touchdown. Chris Rainey added 58 yards on the ground, including a 33-yard score.
No. 22 Penn State .............66
Coastal Carolina ............... 10
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Joe Paterno tied Florida State’s Bobby Bowden atop the career wins list for major college coaches.
Both Hall of Fame coaches now have 373 career wins apiece.
Evan Royster ran for three touchdowns and 64 yards for Penn State against the Championship Subdivision Chanticleers, while Derrick Williams had an 89-yard kickoff return for a score to help the Lions win their seventh straight season opener.
Trent Usher provided Coastal Carolina’s lone TD on a 33-yard reception.
