Two ranked matchups headlined the first Saturday of the college football season, and neither one disappointed, with each going down to the wire. First, the ninth-ranked Auburn Tigers rallied late to beat No. 6 Washington, 21-16, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Jatarvious Whitlow had the game-winning 10-yard touchdown run with 6:15 to play in the fourth quarter, giving the Tigers an early ranked win to boost their resume for the College Football Playoff picture.
After scoring the first touchdown of the game, Auburn missed a two-point conversion try early on, and failed to find the end zone until the fourth. when Jarrett Stidbham led a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive. The Auburn quarterback finished 26-of-36 for 273 yards and a touchdown pass to Sal Cannella. That helped him overcome Jake Browning's 296 yards passing, as he finished with a touchdown and an interception in the loss.
The Huskies took the lead behind the foot of Peyton Henry, who had three field goals, including a 30-yard kick that gave his team the lead in the fourth. The Tigers were also dependent on their kicker, as Anders Carlson had three field goals, including a 53-yard kick. Although, he did miss from 33 and 54 yards, which did not make a difference in the end.
The 12th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish also boosted their early-season resume, recovering a fumble late to hold off No. 12 Michigan, 24-17. The Irish scored the first 14 points of the game, finding the end zone twice in the first quarter, including a long 43-yard touchdown catch for Chris Finke, who snatched the ball away from the defensive back for the leaping catch.
The loss for the Wolverines drops them to 1-6 against Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan State under head coach Jim Harbaugh. They also fell to 0-17 against ranked opponents on the road since 2006.
Wimbush threw for just 170 yards on 12-of-22 throwing, while also running for 59 yards. He did have one interception on an over-throw in the third quarter, which the Wolverines turned in to just three points. They led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter, as Jafar Armstrong scored twice for the Fighting Irish, who could inch in to the top 10 on Tuesday.
The Wolverines did have a chance late after Karon Higdon scored on a three-year touchdown run with two minutes left. Their defense forced a three and out, and after two first downs, former Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson fumbled the ball with 50 seconds left. The Irish would recover it, and since Michigan had no timeouts left, that sealed the season-opening victory. Notre Dame will stay home to host Ball State next week, while Michigan will host Western Michigan in their home opener.
After scoring the first touchdown of the game, Auburn missed a two-point conversion try early on, and failed to find the end zone until the fourth. when Jarrett Stidbham led a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive. The Auburn quarterback finished 26-of-36 for 273 yards and a touchdown pass to Sal Cannella. That helped him overcome Jake Browning's 296 yards passing, as he finished with a touchdown and an interception in the loss.
The Huskies took the lead behind the foot of Peyton Henry, who had three field goals, including a 30-yard kick that gave his team the lead in the fourth. The Tigers were also dependent on their kicker, as Anders Carlson had three field goals, including a 53-yard kick. Although, he did miss from 33 and 54 yards, which did not make a difference in the end.
The 12th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish also boosted their early-season resume, recovering a fumble late to hold off No. 12 Michigan, 24-17. The Irish scored the first 14 points of the game, finding the end zone twice in the first quarter, including a long 43-yard touchdown catch for Chris Finke, who snatched the ball away from the defensive back for the leaping catch.
The loss for the Wolverines drops them to 1-6 against Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan State under head coach Jim Harbaugh. They also fell to 0-17 against ranked opponents on the road since 2006.
Wimbush threw for just 170 yards on 12-of-22 throwing, while also running for 59 yards. He did have one interception on an over-throw in the third quarter, which the Wolverines turned in to just three points. They led by as many as 18 points in the second quarter, as Jafar Armstrong scored twice for the Fighting Irish, who could inch in to the top 10 on Tuesday.
The Wolverines did have a chance late after Karon Higdon scored on a three-year touchdown run with two minutes left. Their defense forced a three and out, and after two first downs, former Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson fumbled the ball with 50 seconds left. The Irish would recover it, and since Michigan had no timeouts left, that sealed the season-opening victory. Notre Dame will stay home to host Ball State next week, while Michigan will host Western Michigan in their home opener.
