ARLINGTON, Texas — Quinn Nordin became the first Michigan kicker to make two 50-yard field goals in the same game, one of them in a go-ahead spurt after halftime, and the No. 11 Wolverines beat No. 17 Florida 33-17 on Saturday to hand the Gators their first season-opening loss in nearly three decades.
The Gators had won 27 consecutive openers, the nation’s longest such streak, since a home loss to Mississippi in 1989.
Michigan trailed 17-13 at halftime before scoring three times in the first 6 minutes of the second.
After Karan Higdon’s 3-yard TD run capped a half-opening 75-yard, 10-yard drive, Ambry Thomas forced and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. That set up a 30-yard field goal by Quinn, who then made a 50-yarder after Michigan recovered another fumble.
(4) SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 49, WESTERN MICHIGAN 31: Ronald Jones II ran 37 yards for the tiebreaking touchdown with 6:57 to play, and Southern California (1-0) rallied from a second-half deficit to beat Western Michigan (0-1) at Los Angeles.
Jones rushed for 159 yards and three scores, while freshman Stephen Carr added 69 yards rushing and two TDs in an auspicious debut for the Trojans, who scored 28 points in the fourth quarter.
(5) CLEMSON 53, KENT STATE 6: Kelly Bryant passed for 236 yards and a touchdown and ran for 77 more yards in his first game as Clemson’s starting quarterback and the Tigers (1-0) beat the Golden Flashes (0-1) in Clemson, South Carolina.
Bryant has the hefty responsibility of replacing Deshaun Watson behind center for the defending national champions.
(6) PENN STATE 52, AKRON 0: Saquon Barkley racked up 226 total yards and two touchdowns to lead the Nittany Lions (1-0) over the Zips (0-1) in State College, Pennsylvania.
(7) OKLAHOMA 56, UTEP 7: Baker Mayfield passed for 329 yards and three touchdowns in one half of action to help the Sooners (1-0) rout the Miners (0-1) in Norman, Oklahoma.
(15) GEORGIA 31, APPALACHIAN STATE 10: Freshman Jake Fromm led three first-half touchdown drives after starting quarterback Jacob Eason hurt his left knee, helping Georgia (1-0) beat Appalachian State (0-1) at Athens, Georgia.
(18) MIAMI 41, BETHUNE-COOKMAN 13: Malik Rosier passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns in his debut as Miami’s full-time starting quarterback and the 18th-ranked Hurricanes (1-0) beat the Wildcats (0-1) in Miami Gardens, Florida.
(19) SOUTH FLORIDA 31, STONY BROOK 17: Quinton Flowers threw for 186 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns to help the Bulls (1-0) shrug off a slow start in a victory over the Seawolves (0-1) in Tampa, Florida.
MARYLAND 51, (23) TEXAS 41: Tyrrell Pigrome passed for two touchdowns and ran for another before leaving with an injury and the Terrapins stunned the Longhorns in Austin, Texas, spoiling new Texas Coach Tom Herman’s debut.
(20) KANSAS STATE 55, CENTRAL ARKANSAS 19: Jesse Ertz threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns in only three quarters, sending Kansas State (1-0) to a rout of Central Arkansas (0-1) at Manhattan, Kansas.
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