College football Week 1 top moments: Georgia-Clemson, Alabama-Miami, Penn State-Wisconsin, more
College football is back!
Saturday brought a full slate of games, highlighted by four matchups between ranked teams.
Penn State kicked things off against Wisconsin in front of more than 76,000 boisterous fans at a jam-packed Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
After waiting nearly two years for this day, the fans were ready to go.
Let's get right to it!
Here are the top moments from Saturday's action.
The Bruins continued their momentum from Week 0 against Max Johnson and an LSU team that is looking to rebound from a lackluster 2020 season.
Ahead of kickoff, coach Ed Orgeron let UCLA fans have it.
It was all defense between these two teams to start, as the first quarter ended scoreless.
First on the board was LSU, as Johnson connected with Kayshon Boutte on a short pass to make it 7-0 at the top of the second quarter.
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But UCLA fired right back with back-to-back scores, one on this 75-yard TD pass from Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Greg Dulcich, followed by a 12-yard run from Zach Charbonnet.
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LSU cut it to 14-10 heading into the half, thanks to Eli Ricks' momentum-shifting interception.
To start the second half, the teams traded TDs once again. Thompson-Robinson found Chase Cota on this 14-yard pass, while Johnson connected with Boutte once again, this time for a 44-yard play.
To open the final quarter, Charbonnet turned on the jets with this 43-yard run to set up a Brittain Brown touchdown, which extended UCLA's lead to 31-20.
Then, Kyle Philips snagged this pass and ran in it for another Bruins TD, putting UCLA up 38-20 midway through the frame.
As the final minutes ticked down, LSU was hot on the comeback trail as Johnson connected with Boutte yet again, this time for a 45-yard touchdown to make it an 11-point game, but things ended there.
No. 5 Georgia 10, No. 3 Clemson 3
The Tigers and Bulldogs squared off in Charlotte, North Carolina in one of the biggest games of the season. Sophomore quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was at the helm for Clemson as the Tigers took on JT Daniels and the fully-loaded Georgia defense – and the fans showed no mercy ahead of kickoff.
Defense was the name of the game in the first quarter, which ended scoreless. The Bulldogs held Uiagalelei to just six passing yards.
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In the second quarter, Georgia defensive back Christopher Smith picked off Uiagalelei and ran it back 74 yards for a Bulldog touchdown. Georgia held a 7-0 lead at the half.
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It was more of the same in the second half, as Georgia extended their lead to 10-0 at the bottom of the third quarter.
As the final frame got underway, the Tigers finally got on the board with a field goal – avoiding the shutout and making it a one-score game – and came up with a huge stop on third down to force a punt.
However, it wasn't enough to derail the Bulldogs, and things ended there, 10-3.
Georgia now leads the all-time series against Clemson 43-18-4.
No. 21 Texas 38, No. 23 Louisiana 18
The Steve Sarkisian and Hudson Card era with the Longhorns got started at home against a Ragin' Cajuns squad that lost just one game last year.
The Ragin' Cajuns were first on the board with a field goal, but the Longhorns weren't far behind. At the end of the first quarter, Card found Bijan Robinson on this 18-yard pass for a Texas touchdown.
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It was more of the same in the second quarter, as Card connected with Cade Brewer for another Texas touchdown to put the Longhorns ahead 14-6 at the break.
To start off the second half, Robinson picked up right where he left off in the first, running it in for his second score of the day.
The Ragin' Cajuns responded with a score of their own – Chris Smith's 27-yard rush – to keep Texas within arms reach at 21-12.
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But once again, the Longhorns came knocking, as Card ran it to close out the third quarter, putting Texas ahead 28-21 heading into the final frame.
To close things out, the teams traded touchdowns early in the fourth quarter, with Levi Lewis getting his first passing score of the night.
Despite their best efforts, the Ragin' Cajuns weren't able to pull off the upset, and things ended there.
No. 1 Alabama 44, No. 14 Miami 13
The Crimson Tide faced the Hurricanes in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta, and Alabama wasted no time bringing the heat. Sophomore QB Bryce Young connected with John Metchie on this 37-yard pass to take an early lead.
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It didn't take long for the No. 1 team in the country to go up 27-0, as Young connected with tight end Cameron Latu on back-to-back scores in the second quarter.
Right before the break, Miami finally got on the board to avoid a shutout, trailing Alabama 27-3.
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The Tide didn't slow down in the second half, scoring back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter – including this 94-yard play from Young to Jameson Williams – to take a commanding 41-3 lead.
And with that pass, Young became the first QB in Alabama history to throw for four touchdowns in his first career start, a record previously shared by Mac Jones and Joe Namath.
In the third quarter, Miami QB D'Eriq King finally got in on the action with a 29-yard pass to Xavier Restrepo, but it wasn't enough to ignite a comeback, and things ended 44-13.
With this victory, Alabama has won its 20th straight season opener, but don't say DeVonta Smith didn't warn you.
Alabama has now scored 30-plus points in 27 straight games – the longest such streak by a power-conference team in college football history – and the Tide extends its winning streak to 15 straight games, the longest active streak in the country.
No. 18 Iowa 34, No. 17 Indiana 6
It was a full house Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa came out swinging in the first. Tyler Goodson turned on the jets, running 56 yards for an early TD.
Then veteran Hoosiers QB Michael Penix was picked off by Riley Moss, who ran it back 30 yards for the Hawkeyes' second TD of the opening quarter.
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It was more of the same in the second, as QB Spencer Petras ran it in for a TD, putting the Hawkeyes up 21-3 midway through the frame.
For a second time in the first half, Penix's pass was intercepted – once again by Moss – and returned 55 yards for a TD to help put the Hawkeyes up 31-3 heading into halftime.
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The teams traded field goals in the second half, and things ended there, 34-6.
No. 19 Penn State 16, No. 12 Wisconsin 10
Defenses dominated early, with the game scoreless midway through the first quarter. Penn State just missed a key turnover as Arnold Ebiketie disrupted the Wisconsin passing game.
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After a scoreless first, Wisconsin looked like it would break the deadlock with a short field goal early in the second, but Ebiketie again had other ideas.
As the Badgers charged down the field into Penn State territory, QB Graham Mertz fumbled in the red zone, and the ball was snatched by Nick Tarburton to stop Wisconsin in its tracks.
At the top of the third quarter, Penn State QB Sean Clifford connected with WR Jahan Dotson for a 49-yard touchdown to put the Nittany Lions on the board first.
A few minutes later, Chez Mellusi ran it in three yards for a TD for the Badgers, knotting things up 7-7.
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To close out the third, Mertz connected with Danny Davis on this outrageous, must-see catch.
At the top of the fourth, the two teams traded field goals to keep things tied at 10. Penn State took the lead midway through the frame, thanks to this short run from Noah Cain.
After surrendering a red-zone turnover, the Badgers got the ball back with less than two minutes to play and one last chance to drive for the win. Alas, Mertz was picked off once again, and the Nittany Lions earned the road victory.
The Green Wave shocked the Sooners by getting on the board first in this one.
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That score came after Tulane picked off star Sooners QB and Heisman Trophy favorite Spencer Rattler.
Oklahoma tied the score with a 1-yard run from Rattler midway through the first, but Tulane showed that it wasn't going to go away quietly by coming right back for a running TD to go back on top.
Rattler, who hit 10 of his first 11 passes for 137 yards, led the Sooners on a five-play, 75-yard drive that knotted things up at 14. A 48-yard catch-and-run by Marvin Mims put OU on the doorstep.
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The scoring continued early in the second quarter, as OU marched 84 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. After another Rattler TD pass and three field goals from Gabe Brkic — including a monster 56-yarder — the Sooners found themselves up 37-14 going into the break.
At the top of the third, Tulane QB Michael Pratt ran four yards for a touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion run from Deuce Watts to narrow Oklahoma's lead to 37-22.
To close out the third, Brkic nailed yet another monster field goal – this time from 55 yards – to put the Sooners up 40-22 heading into the final frame.
But if the Sooners thought it was going to be easy the rest of the way, the Green Wave had other ideas. Tulane put up 13 points in the fourth quarter to threaten to upset the nation's No. 2 team.
In the end, Oklahoma held on for a final score of 40-35, but it certainly wasn't easy for the Sooners.
Here's the best of the rest:
Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa – the younger brother of Miami Dolphins frontman Tua Tagovailoa – showed off his absolute cannon of an arm on Saturday as the Terrapins defeated West Virginia.
The junior finished the day 26-for-36 for 332 passing yards and 3 TDs.
Over in Lynchburg, Virginia, Liberty QB Malik Willis is putting on an absolute show against Campbell.
No. 11 Oregon ultimately held on to win 31-24 against Fresno State, but not before receiving a scare from the Bulldogs.
Although this one didn't count, the amazing grab by Michigan's Ronnie Bell against Western Michigan is definitely a highlight worth watching.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights dominated the Temple Owls, and this dazzling TD run from Bo Melton, who showed off some fancy footwork, brought fans to their feet.
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