Tennessee 20 – Appalachian State 13 (Overtime)
A missed field goal and clock management issues in the fourth quarter kept the Mountaineers from pulling off a shocking upset of No. 9 Tennessee.
Appalachian State junior quarterback Taylor Lamb went 15-of-23 from the pocket, tossing a touchdown pass and interception in the team’s season opener. Senior running back Marcus Cox added 155 yards on the ground and sophomore wide receiver Deltron Hopkins finished with five catches for 39 yards.
The Mountaineers return 12:30 p.m. Saturday to take on Old Dominion at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
Toledo 31 – Arkansas State 10
A 21-point second quarter and 556 total yards on offense propelled the Rockets to a victory over the defending Sun Belt champions.
Arkansas State senior quarterback Chad Voytik went 11-of-24 through the air for 124 yards passing in the loss. Sophomore running back Warren Wand accumulated 77 yards rushing on 12 carries and junior tight end Blake Mack added 87 yards receiving on two catches.
The Red Wolves play Auburn on the road 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Georgia Southern 54 – Savannah State 0
Georgia Southern head coach Tyson Summers suspended seven players for team policy violations, but the Eagles had no difficulty pulling a win over FCS-based Tigers Saturday.
Redshirt senior quarterback Favian Upshaw led the Georgia Southern offense with seven completions for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt junior running back Demarcus Godfrey provided the bulk of the Eagles ground game with 14 rushes for 124 yards.
The Eagles play their first conference game against South Alabama 7 p.m. Saturday in Mobile, Alabama.
Ball State 31 – Georgia State 21
Panthers redshirt sophomore cornerback Jerome Smith had two interceptions against Ball State sophomore quarterback Riley Neal, but a strong defensive effort by the Cardinals prevented Georgia State from a win.
Redshirt junior quarterback Conner Manning went 21-of-32 from the pocket, amassing 163 yards passing and a touchdown for the Panthers. Redshirt freshman Aaron Winchester contributed 59 yards rushing and a touchdown on the ground, while senior wide receiver Robert Davis caught eight passes for 61 yards.
Georgia State plays Air Force 11 a.m. Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
UTEP 38 – New Mexico State 22
Miners junior running back Aaron Jones sparked the UTEP offense with 249 yards rushing and two touchdowns to hand the Aggies a season-opening loss as part of the Firstlight Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10.
UTEP redshirt junior running back Aaron Jones finished with a career-high 249 yards on 31 carries.
New Mexico State quarterback Tyler Rogers’s performance highlighted a silver lining for the Aggies, as the senior went 17-for-41 through the air for 206 yards passing. Rogers also carried the ball nine times for 63 yards and a touchdown.
New Mexico State now prepares for a 5 p.m. home rivalry meeting Saturday with New Mexico at Aggie Memorial Stadium.
South Alabama 21 – Mississippi State 20
The Jaguars provided the first major upset of the college football season against an SEC opponent, as a missed field goal by the Bulldogs in the final seconds of the game sealed the win for South Alabama.
Sophomore quarterback Dallas Davis went 24-of-34 for the Jaguars, compiling 285 yards passing and two touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Josh Magee had seven receptions for 113 yards, and senior running back Tyreis Thomas added 83 yards on the ground.
South Alabama plays host to Georgia Southern at 4 p.m. Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Texas State 56 – Ohio 54 (Triple-overtime)
A trick play double-pass gave the Bobcats the lead in the third overtime period. The defensive effort by the Texas State defensive line prevented Ohio from converting the two-point conversion and sealed the win.
The game featured over 1,100 yards of total offense, including 418 yards passing from Texas State quarterback Tyler Jones. The senior went 40-for-55 with four touchdowns and two interceptions, as well as a touchdown reception in overtime.
The Bobcats enter a bye week before playing Arkansas on the road Sept. 17 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Troy 57 – Austin Peay 17
The Trojans offense racked up 706 total yards the team’s only meeting with an FCS program this season.
Redshirt junior running back Jordan Chunn accumulated 161 yards on the ground for Troy. Sophomore wide receiver Ismail Saleem collected 106 yards receiving and a touchdown.
The Trojans travel to face Clemson 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers are No.2 in the nation.
Boise State 45 – UL Lafayette 10
At halftime, the Broncos held a 35-3 lead. Boise State quarterback Bretty Rypien threw for 347 yards and two touchdown passes to hand the Ragin’ Cajuns a loss.
Less than 24 hours after the loss, UL-Lafayette head coach Mark Hudspeht announced the firing of defensive coordinator Melvin Smith, promoting linebackers coach Mike Lucas into the position for the remainder of the year.
Ragin’ Cajuns senior quarterback Anthony Jennings went 21-of-33 from the pocket for 186 yards passing and a touchdown.
UL Lafayette plays hosts to McNeese State 6 p.m. Saturday at Cajun Field.
UL Monroe 38 – Southern University 21
The Warhawks relied on the arm of sophomore quarterback Garrett Smith to guide the team to a commanding victory in the season opener.
Smith went 20-for-33 from the pocket to finish with 208 yards passing and two touchdown passes. The quarterback also added 150 yards rushing on 14 attempts, while sophomore running back Ben Luckett added another 110 yards and a rushing touchdown.
UL Monroe travels to play No. 3 Oklahoma 4 p.m. Saturday at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.