STARS
-Blake LaRussa, Old Dominion, came off the bench to throw for 495 yards and four TDs to lead the Monarchs to a 49-35 upset of No. 13 Virginia Tech.
-Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, passed for 387 yards and four TDs and ran for another score to lead the No. 1 Crimson Tide to a 45-23 rout of No. 22 Texas A&M.
-Will Grier, West Virginia, threw five TD passes for the fifth time in his career and the No. 12 Mountaineers shook off a sloppy start to drill Kansas State 35-6.
-J.J. Taylor, Arizona, rushed for a Reser Stadium-record 284 yards and two TDs as the Wildcats ran wild over Oregon State 35-14.
-Benny Snell Jr., Kentucky, rushed for 165 yards and four TDs as the Wildcats upset No. 14 Mississippi State 28-7.
-Ian Book, Notre Dame, rushed for three TDs and threw for two more in his first start of the season, leading the No. 8 Fighting Irish past Wake Forest 56-27.
-Jordan Ta’amu, Ole Miss, threw for 442 yards and two TDs and ran for another score to lead the Rebels over Kent State 38-17.
-Price Wilson, Bryant, threw for 359 yards and four TDs in a 49-46 win over Robert Morris.
-Dalton Sneed, Montana State, ran for 206 yards and three TDs and threw a go-ahead scoring pass to Matt Rensvold in a 41-34 win over Sacramento State.
-Tyree Adams, Western Carolina, accounted for 346 yards and four TDs in a 52-50 victory over VMI.
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ODU UPSET
This was supposed to be a relatively easy road trip for Virginia Tech. Cross the state, connect with some its fans and maybe a few recruits there, and pick up a routine victory against Old Dominion.
The Monarchs and their backup quarterback turned the Hokies’ first visit to their stadium into maybe the most notable victory in school history - in any sport.
Blake LaRussa came off the bench to throw for 495 yards and four touchdowns to lead Old Dominion to a 49-35 upset of No. 13 Virginia Tech in the Hokies’ first game at the cross-state school that restarted its football program in 2009.
LaRussa, who entered the game on ODU’s second series, completed 30 of 49 and rushed for a touchdown to lead the 28½-point underdog Monarchs to a stunning win over the Hokies from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Virginia Tech started the season with a decisive victory as an underdog against Florida State and now the Hokies are on the receiving end of what will likely be one of the biggest upsets of the season.
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MEYER’S RETURN
Ohio State gift-wrapped a blowout for Urban Meyer in his return to the sideline, making sure the coach didn’t have to get too stressed or too mad at anybody and didn’t have to make any monumental decisions.
The No. 4 Buckeyes played like, well, like they played while Meyer was watching the first three games on TV while serving a suspension. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins continued to throw touchdown passes at a furious rate, and Ohio State routed outmanned Tulane 49-6 on Saturday.
Meyer didn’t seem too up or too down on the sideline, but may be more animated next week when Ohio State travels to play No. 10 Penn State in the annual “white out” game at Beaver Stadium that ended in an upset by the Nittany Lions two seasons ago.
Meyer didn’t reveal much about his feelings after Saturday’s game, but said the most emotional moment was between the third and fourth quarters when the marching band played “Hang on Sloopy,” a longtime tradition at Ohio Stadium.
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WOLVERINES ROLL HUSKERS
Michigan was very motivated to beat Nebraska, using Scott Frost’s words against him.
Karan Higdon ran for 136 yards and a touchdown in the first half to help the 19th-ranked Wolverines build a huge lead and they coasted to a 56-10 victory.
In Frost’s last visit to the Big House two years ago, he said Central Florida “outhit” Michigan in a 51-14 loss.
The Wolverines didn’t forget the words and moved Nebraska around on offense, clearing huge holes for the running game and giving Shea Patterson plenty of time to throw. On defense, the Wolverines hit hard early and often perhaps in part because defensive coordinator Don Brown told them what Frost said after his last visit.
The Wolverines led 20-0 after the first quarter and 39-0 at halftime.
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NUMBERS
5_Career defensive TDs by James Madison’s Jimmy Moreland after returning an interception 56 yards for a score against William & Mary.
65_Years since Duke started consecutive seasons 4-0 before this season.
67_Years since Stetson last started a season 3-0 before this year.
70_Points by Kennesaw State in a win over Clark Atlanta to set a school record for points the second straight week.
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