UNDATED (AP) — C.J. Stroud passed for 294 yards and four touchdowns in his debut as the Ohio State starter and the fourth-ranked Buckeyes kept coach Ryan Day unbeaten in Big Ten play with a 45-31 victory over Minnesota on Thursday night. The Buckeyes flashed their five-star speed with two 70-plus-yard scores in the opener, one early on a run off right end by Miyan Williams and one late on a third-down screen to true freshman TreVeyon Henderson. Day, starting his third full year on the job, is 24-2 overall and 16-0 in conference games.
In other T-25 action:
— Charlie Brewer threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns in his Utah debut to help the No. 24 Utes beat Weber State 40-17 on Thursday night. Dalton Kincaid caught four passes for 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the opener for both teams. Tavion Thomas ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in his Utah debut. Weber State took a 7-3 lead when Rashid Shaheed cut to the edge and returned a kickoff 100 yards untouched. He tied an FCS record with his sixth kickoff return for a touchdown. The teams retreated to the locker rooms with 8:26 left in the first quarter because of a lightning delay that lasted 90 minutes.
— Darien Butler had two interceptions and No. 25 Arizona State used its punishing run game to overcome some sloppy moments in a season-opening 41-14 win over Southern Utah. The Sun Devils were a bit rusty to start a season of high expectations, committing numerous miscues on special teams and 13 penalties for 135 yards. Arizona State still proved to be too much for the FCS Thunderbirds, forcing four turnovers and running for six touchdowns to win its 22nd straight home opener. Rachaad White and DeaMonte Trayanum each ran for two scores.
— Grayson McCall threw for 262 yards and a touchdown and No. 22 Coastal Carolina scored on its first seven possessions in a season-opening 52-14 victory over The Citadel on Thursday night. McCall was the Sun Belt Conference offensive player of the year in 2020 and kept up his stellar play by completing 16 of 19 passes. Jaivon Heiligh caught six passes for 133 yards and Reese White and Shemari Jones each rushed for two touchdowns. The Chants came into the year with their first preseason ranking and never gave the Bulldogs a chance for the upset.
In other college openers
— The season-opening football game between Temple and Rutgers scheduled for Thursday night has been postponed until Saturday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped historic rain over parts of the Northeast. Rutgers officials said Saturday’s kickoff would be at noon and that all tickets and parking passes will be honored.
— Liam Welch threw four touchdown passes as Samford rolled to a 52-14 victory over Tennessee Tech in the season opener for both teams. Welch, the Southern Conference’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, was 33-of-44 passing for 370 yards.
— Ricky Person Jr. scored three first-half touchdowns and was one of two North Carolina State players to run for more than 100 yards in the Wolfpack’s 45-0 season-opening win against South Florida. It marked the Wolfpack’s first season-opening shutout victory in 17 years.
— Nic Baker threw for a school-record 460 yards and four touchdowns and Southern Illinois beat Southeast Missouri 47-21 in a season opener. Baker finished 25-of-34 passing with his yardage total breaking Sam Straub’s record of 450 yards set against Western Illinois in 2016.
— Drew Plitt threw two long touchdown passes to Justin Hall and Ball State pulled away in the second half for a 31-21 victory over Western Illinois in a nonconference season opener.
— Nolan Henderson threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns and Delaware rallied to beat Maine 34-24 in the season and Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams.
— Carter Peevy threw for 139 yards and a touchdown and Tommy Pollack ran for 103 yards and two scores and Mercer beat NAIA-member Point University 69-0 in its season opener. The Bears’ total points established a new program record.
— Ian Corwin ran for two scores and passed for a third in the first half as Drake opened its season with a 45-3 win over Division II West Virginia Wesleyan.
— Draylen Ellis threw for 325 yards and four scores to four different receivers and Austin Peay beat Chattanooga 30-20 in the season opener for both teams. Chattanooga entered as the preseason 18th-ranked team in the FCS and Austin Peay No. 20.
— Kyle Vantrease threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Jovany Ruiz within the first minute of the game, Buffalo coach Maurice Linguist collected his first win at the helm, and the Bulls routed Wagner 69-7 in the season opener for both teams.
— Bailey Zappe passed for 424 yards and seven touchdowns as Western Kentucky walloped UT Martin in the season opener 59-21. Zappe was college football’s leading passer in 2020 while playing at Houston Baptist.
— Isaiah Gomez kicked two of his four field goals in the fourth quarter and UC Davis, an FCS school, stunned Tulsa 19-17 in a nonconference season opener. game-winner from 22 yards out with 7:35 left to play.
