TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Ashton Daniels passed for 202 yards and had a touchdown passing as well as rushing as Florida State defeated New Mexico State 34-17 on Saturday. After starting at Stanford for two seasons and playing at Auburn in four games last fall, Daniels completed 17 of 27 passes with a 4-yard touchdown to Samuel Singleton Jr. and an interception in his debut with the Seminoles. He also had an interception. Ousmane Kromah had a weaving 52-yard run in the fourth quarter. The sophomore enjoyed his first 100-yard game, picking up 114 yards on 13 carries.
DUBLIN (AP) — New quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 232 yards and North Carolina opened coach Bill Belichick’s second season with a 15-10 win over TCU. On a rainy Saturday in Ireland for the Aer Lingus Classic, TCU didn’t score again after going up 10-3 on its first two drives. The Horned Frogs were stopped on fourth-and-short deep in Tar Heels territory on their last two drives. The 74-year-old Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as an NFL head coach, was 4-8 in his college debut with the Tar Heels last year. That season began with a 48-14 home loss to TCU in prime time on Labor Day.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Micah Ford scored his third touchdown on a 2-yard run with 1:41 to play and Stanford rallied after nearly blowing a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter to beat Hawaii 37-27 in the first game under new coach Tavita Pritchard. Davis Warren threw for 310 yards and one touchdown in his debut for the Cardinal and engineered the game-winning drive after Hawaii had scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to turn a 23-7 deficit into a 27-23 lead. But instead of the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in school history, the Rainbow Warriors fell just short of beating the Cardinal for the second straight year in the season opener.
UNDATED (AP) — Two days after the Southeastern Conference passed a rule barring players from returning to the league from the pros, a Texas judge put that rule on hold in a case involving more than 40 players. It was the latest piece of news in what has turned into a breakneck week of legal wrangling over the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule. The rule does not apply to college players who exhausted their fourth year of eligibility last spring; many are suing across the country for that fifth year.
DALLAS (AP) — Kevin Jennings wasn’t even one of the players that coach Rhett Lashlee went to recruit at a high school playoff game right after being hired by SMU. The dynamic quarterback just happened to be playing for the other team. Jennings is now going into his fifth season with his hometown Mustangs looking for a return to the College Football Playoff. Before Lashlee saw him play, Jennings had never really thought about staying at home in Dallas to play. His only Division I offer was at an FCS school. Jennings is now 19-7 starting for SMU, which has launched a Heisman Trophy campaign.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State coach Mike Norvell’s first two attempts at landing a quarterback in the transfer portal resulted in back-to-back losing seasons. He’s now placing a big bet — maybe his head coaching career — on well-traveled graduate transfer Ashton Daniels. He’s asking Daniels to not just lead the Seminoles, but also to jump-start the program and get Norvell off the hot seat. Daniels’ journey includes a bumpy ride at Stanford and four games at Auburn. There are no questions about Daniels’ running ability or his leadership skills, but his propensity for turnovers and his accuracy are concerning.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The landscape of college football has changed. More schools have a shot at the national championship. Thanks to name, image, and likeness deals, the odds are shifting. Seven teams have odds of 11-1 or greater to win the title in Las Vegas on Jan. 25. Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Texas lead the pack. Notre Dame benefits from a less challenging schedule. Texas and Oregon are also strong contenders. Notre Dame's CJ Carr is slightly favored for the Heisman over Texas' Arch Manning.
LONDON (AP) — Brian Dubiski is bringing major college football to London for the first time next month. The Union Jack Classic will feature a Big 12 matchup between Arizona State and Kansas. College football has been played outside the U.S. for over a century, but recent games have been scheduled earlier in the season. The game is set for September 19 at Wembley Stadium. The latest edition of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin is Saturday when TCU faces North Carolina at Aviva Stadium.
