Austin, Texas ? Colt McCoy threw two first-quarter touchdown passes and No. 4 Texas stumbled through a sloppy 21-13 season-opening win over Arkansas State on Saturday night, narrowly avoiding yet another huge upset on the day.
Most considered the Longhorns overwhelming favorites but they didn’t have this one wrapped up until Brandon Foster recovered an onside kick with less than a minute to play, and that came after the Indians were forced to re-kick because of a penalty that negated an onsider they recovered.
Texas hopes to contend for the Big 12 and national titles, but will first have to shore up a defense that allowed Arkansas State (0-1) to grind out long drives and break off big plays. The Longhorns’ short-yardage running game that all but disappeared last season is still missing.
About the only thing that looked solid for Texas was the normally reliable pass-catch combination of McCoy to Limas Sweed. But even they cooled off after a 35-yard TD pass on Texas’ first drive.
Arkansas State trailed the entire game yet had its chances to pull off the upset. If not for two missed field goals and an interception in the end zone, the Indians could have done the unthinkable and won it.
Reggie Arnold’s two-yard touchdown run with 1 minute left cut the Texas lead to eight.
After an improper formation penalty wiped out Arkansas State’s first onside kick, Foster scooped it the next one and the Longhorns avoided becoming the second top-five team to get embarrassed at home. Fifth-ranked Michigan lost 34-32 to Appalachian State earlier in the day.
McCoy finished with 223 yards passing and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions and had three more passes dropped by Indians defenders.
Corey Leonard passed for 259 yards for Arkansas State. Josh Arauco kicked field goals of 45 and 28 yards.
No. 8 Oklahoma 79, North Texas 10
Norman, Okla. – Freshman DeMarco Murray became the first Oklahoma player to score five touchdowns in his debut, and red-shirt freshman Sam Bradford threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns in his first start.
There was certainly no hangover following a stunning overtime loss to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, nor from the loss of star tailback Adrian Peterson to the NFL.
Bradford needed only 32 seconds to notch his first career touchdown pass, a 15-yarder to tight end Jermaine Gresham as he slinged the ball along the line of scrimmage for three straight plays and allowed his receivers to run for big gains.
No. 20 Nebraska 52, Nevada 10
Lincoln, Neb. – Marlon Lucky upstaged the debut of quarterback Sam Keller by running for a career-high 233 yards and three touchdowns and catching a pass for another score.
The Cornhuskers found immediate success running at the outmanned Wolf Pack. They rushed for 413 of their 625 total yards, held a 35-9 advantage in first downs and won their nation-leading 22nd straight season opener.
Nebraska led 21-10 at the half and broke open the game with three touchdowns and a field goal in the third quarter.
Lucky, whose previous high was 156 yards against Troy last year, turned in the biggest rushing performance for Nebraska since Jammal Lord ran for 234 against Texas in 2002. Lucky didn’t play after the third quarter. He carried 30 times and also caught three passes for 33 yards.
Keller, who transferred from Arizona State, was sharp in his first game since October 2005. He completed 14-of-25 passes for 193 yards, including a 16-yarder to Lucky for the Huskers’ first touchdown. Joe Ganz relieved Keller in the fourth quarter.
No. 25 Texas A&M 38, Montana State 7
College Station, Texas – Stephen McGee had 112 yards passing and added 121 yards rushing and two touchdowns to lead Texas A&M. The Bobcats scored first, but the Aggies scored 38 straight points to improve to 5-0 in home openers under coach Dennis Franchione.
The Bobcats, of the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA, outgained the Aggies and controlled the clock, but couldn’t finish drives, missing three field goals and losing a fumble deep in Aggies territory.
McGee scored on a 65-yard run in the first quarter and made it 31-7 on a 3-yard run early in the fourth. He was replaced by backup Jerrod Johnson midway through the fourth quarter.
No. 13 Georgia 35, Oklahoma State 14
Athens, Ga. – Thomas Brown ran for two first-quarter touchdowns, Matthew Stafford threw two second-half scoring passes and No. 13 Georgia shut out Oklahoma State in the second half. Stafford, a sophomore beginning his first full season as the starting quarterback, was 18-for-24 passing for 234 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
No. 22 TCU 27, Baylor 0
Fort Worth, Texas – Even without standout defensive end Tommy Blake on the field, TCU’s dominating defense pitched a season-opening shutout. The No. 22 Horned Frogs gave up some yards before halftime, but not any points. Andy Dalton threw for 205 yards and a touchdown in his first college start, and Justin Watts and Ryan Christian ran for scores as the Frogs won their ninth straight game. Chris Manfredini kicked two field goals after missing wide right on a 29-yard attempt the opening drive.
Colorado 31, Colorado State 28, OT
Denver – Kevin Eberhart’s 35-yard field goal in overtime gave Colorado a victory.
Eberhart, a senior finally getting his chance following the departure of two-time All-American Mason Crosby to the NFL, sent the game into OT with a 22-yarder with 13 seconds left. The Rams won the coin flip, but Terrence Wheatley intercepted Caleb Hanie’s pass in the end zone and Eberhart calmly hit his game-winning kick.
