Fernando Mendoza threw for five touchdowns and No. 19 Indiana took ninth-ranked Illinois behind the woodshed for a 63-10 Big Ten spanking in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday night.
Mendoza was nearly perfect, completing 21 of 23 passes for 267 yards as the Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0) rolled up 579 total yards and dominated in every facet. Khobie Martin peeled finished with two rushing scores and 107 yards on 12 carries, Kaelon Black added 89 yards on 10 rushes and a touchdown and Elijah Sarratt reeled in nine catches for 92 yards and a pair of scores.
Indiana’s defense stifled the Fighting Illini (3-1, 0-1), who entered the teams’ conference opener averaging 45 points per game. Illinois managed only 161 total yards and nine first downs, gaining two yards on the ground in 20 attempts. Quarterback Luke Altmyer hit 14 of 22 throws for 146 yards and a score but was sacked seven times.
The pregame hype concerned the fact this was the first time in 75 years these teams met as ranked foes. It lived up to the hype for a quarter before the Hoosiers exerted their will in all three phases.
No. 3 LSU 56, Southeastern Louisiana 10
Garrett Nussmeier threw three touchdown passes and ran another score, and the Tigers had a breakout offensive performance in a rout of the Lions of the FCS in Baton Rouge, La.
Nussmeier completed 25 of 31 passes for 273 yards, and LSU (4-0), which hadn’t scored more than 23 points in any of their first three games, scored touchdowns on eight consecutive possessions. The Tigers had four rushing touchdowns after totaling two in the first three games.
Carson Camp passed for 87 yards, Kyle Lowe passed for 29 yards, and Southeastern Louisiana (2-2) totaled just 204 yards on offense.
No. 4 Miami 26, Florida 7
CharMar Brown rushed for two touchdowns and accounted for 133 scrimmage yards to help the Hurricanes down the Gators in nonconference play at Miami Gardens, Fla.
Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 116 yards and one score while Brown had 80 yards on the ground and 53 receiving for Miami (4-0). Carson Beck completed 17 of 30 passes for 160 yards and one interception for the Hurricanes, who failed to put the game away during a dominating first half before piling on late.
Jadan Baugh rushed for a touchdown for Florida (1-3), which lost its third straight game. DJ Lagway was 12-of-23 passing for just 61 yards with a long gain of 12 for the Gators, who were 0-for-13 on third down and had just 141 total yards.
No. 6 Oregon 41, Oregon State 7
The Ducks tuned up for their massive Big Ten showdown at Penn State next weekend with a romp over the in-state rival Beavers in Eugene, Ore.
Oreon (4-0) racked up 585 yards of total offense. Quarterback Dante Moore completed 21 of 31 passes for 305 yards with four touchdowns, and he along with six running backs helped the Ducks run for 280 yards.
Oregon State (0-4) punted eight times and lost a fumble. Quarterback Maalik Murphy went 5 of 18 for 68 yards and the Beavers were held to 147 total yards. Anthony Hankerson had 38 rushing yards and a touchdown.
No. 7 Florida State 66, Kent State 10
The Seminoles set program records with eight rushing touchdowns and 498 rushing yards, smashing the Golden Flashes in Tallahassee, Fla.
Florida State (3-0) racked up 356 yards over the opening 15 minutes while scoring rushing touchdowns on each of its five possessions that quarter, tying a program record with 35 first-quarter points. Quarterback Tommy Castellanos and running back Gavin Sawchuk had two of those scores each while Micahi Danzy added another on a 64-yard reverse.
FSU finished with 775 yards of offense, marking the second straight week the Seminoles surpassed 700 yards after previously not having done so since 2000. They averaged a gaudy 9.9 yards per play.
No. 8 Texas 55, Sam Houston 0
Arch Manning passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more scores as the Longhorns dismantled the hapless Bearkats in what amounted to a glorified scrimmage.
Manning hit 18 of his 21 throws and connected with eight different receivers before heading to the bench early in the third quarter. Ryan Wingo hauled in two of Manning’s TD passes and racked up 125 total yards. The Longhorns (3-1) outgained Sam Houston 607-113 and amassed 10 tackles for a loss, including five sacks.
Quarterback Hunter Watson finished with 118 total yards (86 passing and 32 on the ground) in the loss for Sam Houston (0-4).
No. 11 Oklahoma 24, No. 22 Auburn 17
John Mateer threw for 271 yards and a touchdown and ran for another, and the Sooners set a program record with 10 sacks in a win over the Tigers in Norman, Okla.
Oklahoma tied the program record on Gracen Halton’s sack of Jackson Arnold on third down, and then on the next play, R Mason Thomas brought down Arnold in the end zone for a safety.
Arnold, Oklahoma’s starting quarterback for much of last season before transferring, finished 21-of-32 passing for 220 yards and a touchdown.
No. 13 Ole Miss 45, Tulane 10
Trinidad Chambliss threw two touchdown passes and rushed for 112 yards, and the Rebels dominated on defense in a victory over the Green Wave in Oxford, Miss.
Chambliss started in place of the injured Austin Simmons (ankle) for a second consecutive game and completed 17 of 27 passes for 307 yards for Ole Miss (4-0).
The Ole Miss defense held Tulane (3-1) to 282 total yards and limited Jake Retzlaff to 5 completions on 17 attempts for 56 yards. Brendan Sullivan replaced Retzlaff and finished 5 of 12 for 48 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
No. 15 Tennessee 56, UAB 24
Joey Aguilar completed 15 of 22 passes for 218 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, and the Volunteers cruised to a win over the Blazers in Knoxville, Tenn.
DeSean Bishop rushed for two touchdowns for Tennessee (3-1), which bounced back from an overtime loss against then-No. 6 Georgia a week ago. Star Thomas had one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown.
Jalen Kitna completed 38 of 51 passes for 364 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception for UAB (2-2). Kaleb Brown led the Blazers with 79 receiving yards to go along with a touchdown.
No. 17 Texas Tech 34, No. 16 Utah 10
Backup quarterback Will Hammond threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Red Raiders to a Big 12 conference victory over the Utes in Salt Lake City.
Hammond added 61 yards on the ground while playing much of the second half in relief of Behren Morton. Morton threw for 142 yards and had two interceptions before leaving in the third quarter with an apparent head injury.
Utah trailed 13-3 early in the fourth before scoring its first touchdown. Wayshawn Parker scored on a 5-yard run with 10:22 left to cut the deficit to 13-10. The wheels fell off for the Utes as Texas Tech scored touchdowns on three straight drives to seal the victory.
No. 18 Georgia Tech 45, Temple 24
Haynes King threw for 161 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a score on the ground, helping the Yellow Jackets post a victory over the Owls in Atlanta, Ga.
Jamal Haynes ran for 107 yards, Malachi Hosley rushed for 59 yards and two scores, and Georgia Tech began the year with four straight wins for the first time since 2014.
Evan Simon completed 13 of 32 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown for Temple, which dropped its second straight.
No. 21 Michigan 30, Nebraska 27
The Wolverines got touchdown runs from three different players, plus three field goals by Dominic Zvada in a win over the Cornhuskers in the Big Ten opener for both teams in Lincoln, Neb.
Michigan ran for 286 yards, with Justice Haynes going for 149, including a 75-yard touchdown. Quarterback Bryce Underwood threw for 105 yards and ran for 61 plus a score. The Wolverines had seven sacks from six different players.
Nebraska dropped its sixth consecutive conference opener and 28th straight game against a ranked opponent despite 308 yards and three touchdown passes from Dylan Raiola. Jacory Barney Jr. had six catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns, including a Hail Mary reception to end the first half.
No. 23 Missouri 29, South Carolina 20
Ahmad Hardy rushed for 138 yards and one touchdown and Jamal Roberts recorded the go-ahead score as the Tigers notched a 29-20 victory over the Gamecocks in Columbia, Mo.
Beau Pribula passed for 171 yards, one touchdown and one interception and also rushed for 72 yards for Missouri (4-0, 1-0). Joshua Manning had a receiving touchdown and Robert Meyer kicked three field goals for Tigers, who are unbeaten after four games for the third straight season.
LaNorris Sellers passed for 302 yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina (2-2, 0-2), which dropped its second straight game. Vandrevius Jacobs had seven receptions for 128 yards and one touchdown and Brian Rowe Jr. also had a scoring reception.
No. 24 Notre Dame 56, Purdue 30
Jeremiyah Love rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns, and the Fighting Irish stormed to a win over the Boilermakers in South Bend, Ind.
Jadarian Price added 74 rushing yards, three touchdowns on the ground and a kick-return score for Notre Dame (1-2), which posted a resounding victory after losing to ranked opponents Miami and Texas A&M by a combined four points to open the season.
Ryan Browne completed 21 of 34 passes for 250 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Purdue (2-2). Nitro Tuggle had a team-high 66 receiving yards and a touchdown.
