SEATTLE (AP) — Michael Penix Jr. threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns and Washington emphatically stated its case as a contender in the Pac-12 with a 39-28 win over No. 11 Michigan State. Penix was spectacular for three quarters in a primetime national showcase that showed Kalen DeBoer’s rebuild is progressing faster than expected. Washington led 29-8 at halftime. Penix completed 24 of 40 passes. Payton Thorne threw for 323 yards and three TDs and led a pair of quick fourth-quarter scoring drives for Michigan State that caused some nerves for the Huskies. But the rally was too late for the Spartans.
Also in college football:
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Stetson Bennett went 16 for 23 for 284 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead No. 1 Georgia to a 48-7 victory over South Carolina. The Bulldogs’ defense nearly had its second shutout of the season before South Carolina scored a touchdown against the backups with 53 seconds to go. The Georgia offense scored on eight of its first nine drives, gaining 547 yards and averaging nearly 10 yards a play in its Southeastern Conference opener before putting in the backups in the fourth quarter. South Carolina started 0-2 in the SEC for the fourth straight year.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Dillon Gabriel threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and sixth-ranked Oklahoma hammered Nebraska 49-14 in the Cornhuskers’ first game following the firing of Scott Frost. OU posted its most lopsided victory over Nebraska since a 45-10 win in 1990. The Sooners have won seven of eight against the team it used to battle for conference championships year-in and year-out in the old Big Eight. The Huskers have lost 19 straight against Top 25 opponents and nine in a row against Bowl Subdivision teams. Oklahoma scored 35 straight points after Nebraska opened with a six-play, 77-yard touchdown drive.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Drew Pyne passed for two touchdowns and 150 yards in his first career start and Notre Dame overcame numerous mistakes to beat California 24-17 Saturday to give Irish coach Marcus Freeman his first victory. The Irish (1-2) outscored Cal (2-1) 10-0 in the fourth quarter to avoid becoming just the third Notre Dame squad to start a season 0-3. The Irish (1-2), who started the season ranked No. 5, had blown leads three times, made sure there was no second-half letdown this time. But it wasn’t over until the last play. On fourth-and-13 from the Notre Dame 35, Cal’s Jack Plummer threw the ball into the end zone. The ball bounced off several players and Bears receiver Jeremiah Hunter nearly pulled it in, but the ball landed on the grass.
