Sep 22, 2018 5 min read

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 Saturday in the Hokies’ first game at the cross-state school that restarted its football program in 2009.

LaRussa entered on ODU’s second series and completed 30 of 49 and ran for a score to lead the 28 1/2-point underdog Monarchs (1-3) to a stunning win over the Hokies (2-1) from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Jeremy Cox’s 40-yard touchdown run with 1:34 remaining sealed the biggest win in program history. After the game, the ODU faithful stormed the field.

The Hokies (2-1) led 28-21 after a 72-yard touchdown pass from Josh Jackson to Damon Hazelton with 32 seconds left in the third quarter, but ODU scored on its next two possessions, taking a 35-28 lead on a 15-yard touchdown run by Cox with 9:57 to go – the Monarchs first lead of the game.

Things got worse for Virginia Tech, as Jackson went down with a lower leg injury on the first play of the ensuing drive. Backup quarterback Ryan Willis led the Hokies on a 75-yard march that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cunningham with 7:15 remaining, tying the game at 35.

But the Hokies simply had no answer for ODU. LaRussa polished off a 75-yard drive with a beautiful 29-yard fade pattern to Jonathan Duhart for a touchdown with 5:11 left that was the game winner.

Led by LaRussa and Cox, ODU finished with 632 yards of offense.

No. 1 Alabama 45, Texas A&M 23: Tua Tagovailoa passed for 387 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score to lead Alabama.

The Crimson Tide (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) easily passed the first test against a ranked team. Kellen Mond and the Aggies (2-2, 0-1) couldn’t put up nearly the fight they had in a 28-26 loss to No. 3 Clemson.

Tagovailoa completed 22 of 30 passes before leaving after Henry Ruggs III took a shuttle pass 57 yards for a score late in the third.

No. 2 Georgia 43, Missouri 29: Jake Fromm threw three touchdown passes and Georgia had a defensive touchdown and returned a blocked punt for a score.

The Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) blanketed Missouri’s wide receivers, harassed star quarterback Drew Lock, and forced three turnovers in the first half against the seventh-best offense in the country entering the game. Lock completed 23 of 48 passes for 221 yards for the Tigers (3-1, 0-1).

Fromm threw touchdown passes of 33 yards to Riley Ridley, 61 yards to Jeremiah Holloman and 54 yards to Mecole Hardman in the second half. Fromm completed 13 of 23 passes for 260 yards. Elijah Holyfield rushed 14 times for 90 yards, and D’Andre Swift added 16 carries for 71 yards.

No. 3 Clemson 49, Georgia Tech 21: Freshman Trevor Lawrence took a leading role in Clemson’s quarterback rotation, coming off the bench to throw four touchdown passes against Georgia Tech.

After starter Kelly Bryant produced just 13 yards and one first down on Clemson’s first two possessions, Lawrence entered the game early in the second quarter. The youngster, a native of nearby Cartersville, quickly guided the Tigers on a seven-play, 74-yard drive capped by a 17-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow that made it 14-0.

No. 4 Ohio State 42, Tulane 6: Dwayne Haskins Jr. threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns in the first half and Ohio State routed Tulane in coach Urban Meyer’s return to the sideline following a three-game suspension.

Haskins was nearly flawless, completing his first nine passes on the way to a 21-for-24 effort before giving way to backup Tate Martell in the second half as the No. 4 Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) backed off.

No. 8 Notre Dame 56, Wake Forest 27: Ian Book rushed for three touchdowns and threw for two more for Notre Dame.

Book replaced Brandon Wimbush in the starting lineup and was 25 of 34 for 325 yards with touchdown passes covering 3 yards to Brock Wright and 7 yards to Chase Claypool, along with three short scoring runs. Book helped the Fighting Irish (4-0) more than double their season high for scoring and roll up a season-best 566 total yards.

Texas 31, No. 17 TCU 16: Sam Ehlinger passed for two touchdowns and ran for a score, all in the second half, and Texas ended a four-game losing streak to TCU in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

Texas (3-1) had been outscored 153-33 the last four years by TCU and trailed 16-10 before the defense forced three turnovers by quarterback Shawn Robinson in the third quarter.

No. 19 Michigan 56, Nebraska 10: Karan Higdon ran for 136 yards and a touchdown in the first half for Michigan, and Nebraska stumbled to its worst start since 1945.

The Wolverines (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) led 20-0 after the first quarter and 39-0 at halftime.

The Cornhuskers (0-3, 0-1) have lost seven in a row for the first time since 1957.

No. 21 Miami 31, FIU 17: N’Kosi Perry came off the bench to throw three touchdown passes, and Miami’s defense was airtight for most of the day.

Travis Homer rushed 13 times for 114 yards and a touchdown, Lawrence Cager caught two scoring passes, and Miami held FIU to 31 yards on its first 10 possessions.

Brevin Jordan also had a TD catch for the Hurricanes (3-1), who lost top receiver and returner Jeff Thomas in the first quarter for what was believed to be a cramping-related issue.

Purdue 30, No. 23 Boston College 13: Rondale Moore caught two touchdown passes and Purdue picked off four passes.

David Blough passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns for the Boilermakers (1-3).