Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith caught two TD passes and No. 1 Ohio State ran through Ball State in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, 56-3, in the teams’ season opener.
The Buckeyes’ prep for a showdown at No. 5 Texas turned into a highlight reel. Julian Sayin passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns, completed 21 of 25 passes and chipped in another touchdown on the ground.
Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and Devin McCuin added six catches for 97 yards and a score. Ohio State produced three scoring drives of 90-plus yards and another of 83 while limiting Ball State to 165 total yards.
Keldric Luster hit 18 of 33 for 89 yards and one interception for the Cardinals while Brody Boehm booted a 54-yard field goal with 1:17 left in the first half to account for the visitors’ points.
No. 6 Indiana 52, North Texas 16
Bloodied but unbowed, Josh Hoover made a convincing debut as the heir to Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers extended their FBS-leading winning streak to 17 games.
Hoover threw a touchdown on his first pass attempt, Charlie Becker caught two TD passes and defending national champion Indiana won its 16th consecutive home game. Hoover, a transfer from TCU, ended with his ninth career game with at least four TD passes.
Becker made a diving catch to give Indiana a 21-3 lead three plays after Hoover’s nose was bloodied on a 15-yard facemask penalty on North Texas’ Udoka Ezeani.
No. 13 Alabama 48, East Carolina 10
The Crimson Tide scored on their first five drives and dominated the visiting Pirates with 480 total yards in sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell’s first career start.
Russell and wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams hooked up five times for 130 yards despite a pair of drops and a lost fumble.
Alabama led 38-7 at halftime. Russell had 249 passing yards and ran for 86 yards and a touchdown.
No. 23 Houston 33, Oregon State 20
Conner Weigman ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 5:01 left to help the Cougars hold off the Beavers.
Weigman hit 20 of 30 passes for 305 yards and tossed an interception as the Cougars rolled up 533 total yards. Amare Thomas caught a game-high eight passes for 133 yards and a score. Makhi Hughes added 98 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
Braden Atkinson helped keep the Beavers within striking distance until the final minutes, completing 29 of 48 passes for 376 yards and a score. He spread his completions among nine receivers, with freshman Jesse Legree catching five passes for 136 yards and a touchdown.
