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BAYLOR: The Baylor Bears didn't face a whole lot of resistance from Sam
Houston State on opening weekend, as they rolled to a 34-3 victory. The big
story for Baylor was the return of quarterback Robert Griffin, who tore a knee
ligament in early in the 2009 season. Griffin burst onto the scene as a
freshman in 2008, and the Bears' offense wasn't the same last year without
him. He didn't waste any time getting started, as he found Brad Taylor for a
68-yard touchdown connection on the second series for the BU offense. The very
next drive, Griffin flashed his trademark mobility, scampering 30 yards for a
touchdown to stake Baylor a 14-0 first-quarter lead. He finished with 242
yards and two touchdowns passing, in addition to a team-high 59 yards on the
ground. Running back Jay Finley, returning from offseason ankle surgery, ran
for a 44-yard TD on the first play of the second half to make it a 28-0 game,
and the Bears were never threatened. Baylor hosts Buffalo this coming weekend.
COLORADO: Coming off last year's disappointing 3-9 campaign, the Colorado
Buffaloes started the 2010 campaign on the right foot, as they took down
Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, 24-3. Quarterback Tyler Hanson
threw for 192 yards and two scores in the victory. Senior captain Scotty
McKnight finished with a team-high six catches for 78 yards and a touchdown,
and in the process passed Michael Westbrook to become the school's all-time
receptions leader. Defensively, the Buffaloes held CSU to 1-of-12 on third
downs. Following the game, several players talked of needing to improve in
several areas. Looming this weekend is a tough early-season road test at
California.
IOWA STATE: The Cyclones opened their season with a 27-10 triumph over
Northern Illinois. Picking right up from where they left off a year ago,
the air-and-ground tandem of Austen Arnaud and Alexander Robinson was
effective for Iowa State. Arnaud completed 27-of-36 passes for 265 yards and
two TDs, while adding 45 yards and a score on the ground. Robinson rushed for
a team-high 97 yards and two TDs. ISU jumped out to a 17-0 lead midway through
the second quarter, but needed a couple of late scores to fend off the
Huskies, who were trailing 17-10 midway through the fourth quarter. The
Cyclones finished with a 403-249 edge in total yards, and the defense came
away with three interceptions. They face a daunting road matchup at
nationally-ranked Iowa on Saturday.
KANSAS: Kansas wasn't expected to contend for a Big 12 title this season, but
a season-opening 6-3 loss at home to North Dakota State is hardly what most
had in mind. It marked the first time since 2003 the Jayhawks opened their
season with a loss, and most of the damage was self-inflicted. Kansas
committed three turnovers on offense, including an interception in the end
zone and a fumble with less than four minutes to play. The Jayhawks also
committed eight penalties for a loss of 70 yards. Starting sophomore
quarterback Kale Pick was replaced by redshirt freshman Jordan Webb midway
through the fourth quarter. Defensively, Kansas held North Dakota State to 168
total yards, but the miscues and sloppy play were too much to overcome. The
Jayhawks will try to regroup this weekend when they take on a tougher Georgia
Tech squad.
KANSAS STATE: Kansas State kicked off its 2010 campaign with a promising 31-22
win over UCLA, thanks largely to a monster rushing effort by Daniel Thomas.
Thomas, who led the Big 12 with 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns rushing a year
ago, carved up the Bruins' defense for a career-high 234 yards and two
touchdowns on 28 carries. It marked the program's 21st straight victory in a
home opener. William Powell added 72 rushing yards on just six carries, as the
K-State offensive line imposed its will. The only blemish for the offense was
the second quarter, in which the Wildcats managed only nine total yards for
the frame. Bruins' sophomore quarterback Kevin Prince struggled against the K-
State defense, completing only 9-of-26 passes for 120 yards, with one
touchdown, two interceptions and three sacks. The Wildcats are back at it this
Saturday against Missouri State.
MISSOURI: Down by 10 at the half against Illinois on Saturday, things hadn't
gotten off to a very promising start for the Missouri Tigers. But Blaine
Gabbert came through with a pair of second-half touchdown passes, and Missouri
went on to claim a 23-13 victory in the season opener. Gabbert finished with
281 yards through the air, while wideout T.J. Moe also had a busy day for the
Mizzou offense, catching 13 passes for 101 yards and a score. The defense was
able to keep Illinois off the scoreboard in the second half thanks to a few
key plays. Carl Gettis had a big impact on defense and special teams, as he
made a nifty interception and downed a punt at the one-yard line in the fourth
quarter. Missouri hosts McNeese State this Saturday night.
NEBRASKA: The eighth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers flexed their muscles in a
season-opening 49-10 rout over Western Kentucky. Redshirt freshman quarterback
Taylor Martinez made his debut under center for Nebraska, and it was a
dazzling one. Martinez ran for 127 yards and three touchdowns on just seven
carries, giving fans a first-hand look at why he earned the starting job. He
is the first freshman ever to start at quarterback in the season opener for
Nebraska. And his very first run was a beauty, as he dashed 46 yards for a
touchdown to stake Nebraska an early 7-0 lead. In the passing game, Martinez
completed 9-of-15 tosses for 136 yards. One area of concern is on the
defensive side of the ball, as WKU running back Bobby Rainey gashed the
Huskers for 155 yards and a touchdown in averaging 5.2 ypc. Nebraska will
remain in Lincoln to play host to Idaho on Saturday afternoon.
OKLAHOMA: Seventh-ranked Oklahoma withstood quite a scare at home against
Utah State, as the Sooners held on for a 31-24 victory. DeMarco Murray carried
the load, rushing 35 times for a career-best 218 yards and two scores. Landry
Jones passed for 217 yards and two TDs, though he also threw two picks which
helped Utah State hang around. Sooners coach Bob Stoops was certainly feeling
the pressure from the Aggies, as he made a gutsy call to go for it on a 4th-
and-1 in his own territory in the third quarter. He gave the ball to Murray,
who got the first down, then scored on a 63-yard burst two plays later to give
the Sooners some breathing room. One of the chief concerns surrounding OU
entering the season was inexperience in the secondary, and Utah State's
Diondre Borel exploited that weakness to the tune of 341 yards passing and two
touchdowns. The secondary can expect to be tested again Saturday afternoon
when Florida State comes to town.
OKLAHOMA STATE: Any questions about the Oklahoma State rushing attack were
answered in Saturday's 65-17 dismantling of Washington State. Kendall Hunter
ran wild for 257 yards and four touchdowns for the Cowboys offense, which is
under the watch of new coordinator Dana Holgorsen (Houston). Brandon Weeden
hooked up with wideout Justin Blackmoon for three touchdown passes, and
Blackmoon added a fourth touchdown on a blocked punt. The 65 points scored
marked OSU's highest scoring output since a 66-24 win over Baylor in 2006. The
defense recovered a fumble on the game's first play to set up an early score,
and Washington State spent the rest of the game in damage control mode. The
Cowboys host Troy this Saturday night.
TEXAS: Fifth-ranked Texas opened its season with a 34-17 win over Rice, though
it was far from an unblemished performance. Sophomore running back Tre' Newton
had a career-high three rushing touchdowns but finished with a modest 61 yards
on 18 carries. Making his first collegiate start at quarterback, Garrett
Gilbert had some shaky moments, finishing 14-of-23 for 172 yards. The good
news for Longhorns fans is that Gilbert avoided turnovers -- he threw four
interceptions after replacing Colt McCoy in the BCS title game against
Alabama. It was only a 10-3 game until the 6:24 mark of the second quarter,
when Keenan Robinson scored on a 10-yard fumble recovery. The Longhorns went
on to score 24 straight points in the second quarter to take control. They'll
host Wyoming on Saturday night.
TEXAS A&M: The good news for the Aggies is they didn't reveal any warts in
Saturday's 48-7 victory. The problem is, the victory came against Stephen
F. Austin of the FCS, which doesn't exactly provide much of a litmus test for
A&M. Christine Michael ran for 105 yards and a score, while senior quarterback
Jerrod Johnson went 23-of-35 for 278 yards and two TDs. The offense amassed
539 total yards, 236 of which came on the ground. New defensive coordinator
Tim DeRuyter switched to a 3-4 to try and improve upon last year's dreadful
unit, and so far the results look promising. Stephen F. Austin was held to
just 266 total yards. The Aggies will look to keep it rolling on Saturday
night against Louisiana Tech.
TEXAS TECH: The Red Raiders are off to a 1-0 start in the Tommy Tuberville era
following Sunday's 35-27 triumph over SMU. Tuberville replaced former coach
Mike Leach, but the Red Raiders' vaunted spread offense is still intact.
Taylor Potts completed 34-of-53 passes for 359 yards with four touchdowns and
no interceptions against the Mustangs. Lyle Leong caught three of those
touchdown passes and finished with an impressive 142 yards on 11 catches.
Defensively, Texas Tech came away with three interceptions and limited SMU
quarterback Kyle Padron to 218 passing yards. This week the Red Raiders hit
the road to take on New Mexico on Saturday night.