Mayfield Leads Oklahoma Past Ohio State
The Oklahoma Sooners' loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes last season was the only thing keeping them from the College Football Playoffs, but the Big 12 team got revenge on Saturday night under their first-year coach. Baker Mayfield continued to perform with 386 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 31-16 win over the second-ranked Buckeyes in Columbus, giving Lincoln Riley his first big win as Sooners head coach. Mayfield finished 27-for-35 for the fifth-ranked Sooners, while Ohio State struggled to put together a legitimate drive against the Sooners' defense. Freshman running back J.K. Dobbins was the only one to find any type of rhythm, as he ran for 72 yards and a score as the lone bright spot for the red and silver. Quarterback J.T. Barrett struggled to find his targets, finishing 19-for-35 for 183 yards in the tough loss. It was a defensive-filled first half that lead to the game being tied at three at halftime. Mayfield would then lead the way out of the break, finding Dimitri Flowers, Lee Morris, and Trey Sermon in the end zone during the second half. Barrett's struggles also included one interception, as Ohio State dropped their first home game since November of 2015. They will play host to Army next week, after most probably dropping in the rankings, while Oklahoma will move up and return home for a matchup with Tulane next week.
Clemson, USC, Georgia Record Signature Wins
Outside of the big matchup in Columbus, Ohio last night, there were other notable games taking place in the second week of the College Football season. That included the defending National Champions, Clemson Tigers, holding the 13th-ranked Auburn Tigers in check for a 14-6 victory. The No. 3 team in the country used their defense to lead the way, as they recorded 11 sacks, four of which came from Austin Bryant. First-year quarterback Kelly Bryant survived a big hit and ran in for both touchdowns to lead Clemson, who improved to 2-0. The Clemson defense held Auburn to just 117 yards of total offense, only 13 of which came on the ground, as they hope to be on their way to their third straight title game. Out west, the sixth-ranked USC Trojans struggled to hold off Western Michigan in the season opener, but made a statement with a 42-24 win over No. 14 Stanford on Saturday. Sam Darnold threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns, as the Trojans have now won 11 straight games dating back to last season. Steven Mitchell and Deontay Burnett each caught two touchdown passes, as they have won just three of their past nine games against Stanford. Saturday's win snapped a three-game losing streak against the Cardinals, as USC used 623 total yards to cruise at home. Georgia also pulled off a notable victory on Saturday, as they were able to squeak by No. 24 Notre Dame for a 20-19 victory. Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm threw for 141 yards and a touchdown, as the 15th-ranked Bulldogs held the Fighting Irish to 266 total yards. Rodrigo Blakenship's 30-yard field goal proved to be the game-winner with 3:39 left in the fourth. Lorenzo Carter and David Bellamy would then take over on the defensive end, as Bellamy forced a fumble that was recovered by Carter with 1:27 left, sealing the second win for Georgia and first loss for Notre Dame.
Indians Beat Orioles for 17th Straight Win
The Cleveland Indians actually faced a deficit in Saturday's game, but it did not last long in what was a 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, extending their win streak to 17 games. Francisco Lindor went deep to lead the way at the plate, while Jay Bruce knocked in the go-ahead run with a single in the fourth inning. Josh Tomlin pitched in to the sixth inning to win his fifth straight decision, and ninth overall, while Cody Allen came in to complete his 25th save of the year. The Tribe's win streak is the longest since the Oakland Athletics' 20-game streak in 2002, as the 1916 New York Giants hold baseball's longest win streak at 26 in a row. The AL Central leaders have outscored opponents by 88 runs during their current streak, which is the best since the 2002 Los Angeles Angels outscored teams by at least 88 in two separate 17-game spans during the 2002 season. Trey Mancini knocked in the first run of the game with a single for the O's, while Tim Beckham's 20th long ball was the only other source of production for Baltimore, who dropped back under .500 on the season. Giovanny Urshela and Carlos Santana both doubled home runs for Cleveland, who can complete another sweep and extend their win streak on Sunday night.
The Oklahoma Sooners' loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes last season was the only thing keeping them from the College Football Playoffs, but the Big 12 team got revenge on Saturday night under their first-year coach. Baker Mayfield continued to perform with 386 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 31-16 win over the second-ranked Buckeyes in Columbus, giving Lincoln Riley his first big win as Sooners head coach. Mayfield finished 27-for-35 for the fifth-ranked Sooners, while Ohio State struggled to put together a legitimate drive against the Sooners' defense. Freshman running back J.K. Dobbins was the only one to find any type of rhythm, as he ran for 72 yards and a score as the lone bright spot for the red and silver. Quarterback J.T. Barrett struggled to find his targets, finishing 19-for-35 for 183 yards in the tough loss. It was a defensive-filled first half that lead to the game being tied at three at halftime. Mayfield would then lead the way out of the break, finding Dimitri Flowers, Lee Morris, and Trey Sermon in the end zone during the second half. Barrett's struggles also included one interception, as Ohio State dropped their first home game since November of 2015. They will play host to Army next week, after most probably dropping in the rankings, while Oklahoma will move up and return home for a matchup with Tulane next week.
Clemson, USC, Georgia Record Signature Wins
Outside of the big matchup in Columbus, Ohio last night, there were other notable games taking place in the second week of the College Football season. That included the defending National Champions, Clemson Tigers, holding the 13th-ranked Auburn Tigers in check for a 14-6 victory. The No. 3 team in the country used their defense to lead the way, as they recorded 11 sacks, four of which came from Austin Bryant. First-year quarterback Kelly Bryant survived a big hit and ran in for both touchdowns to lead Clemson, who improved to 2-0. The Clemson defense held Auburn to just 117 yards of total offense, only 13 of which came on the ground, as they hope to be on their way to their third straight title game. Out west, the sixth-ranked USC Trojans struggled to hold off Western Michigan in the season opener, but made a statement with a 42-24 win over No. 14 Stanford on Saturday. Sam Darnold threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns, as the Trojans have now won 11 straight games dating back to last season. Steven Mitchell and Deontay Burnett each caught two touchdown passes, as they have won just three of their past nine games against Stanford. Saturday's win snapped a three-game losing streak against the Cardinals, as USC used 623 total yards to cruise at home. Georgia also pulled off a notable victory on Saturday, as they were able to squeak by No. 24 Notre Dame for a 20-19 victory. Freshman quarterback Jake Fromm threw for 141 yards and a touchdown, as the 15th-ranked Bulldogs held the Fighting Irish to 266 total yards. Rodrigo Blakenship's 30-yard field goal proved to be the game-winner with 3:39 left in the fourth. Lorenzo Carter and David Bellamy would then take over on the defensive end, as Bellamy forced a fumble that was recovered by Carter with 1:27 left, sealing the second win for Georgia and first loss for Notre Dame.
Indians Beat Orioles for 17th Straight Win
The Cleveland Indians actually faced a deficit in Saturday's game, but it did not last long in what was a 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, extending their win streak to 17 games. Francisco Lindor went deep to lead the way at the plate, while Jay Bruce knocked in the go-ahead run with a single in the fourth inning. Josh Tomlin pitched in to the sixth inning to win his fifth straight decision, and ninth overall, while Cody Allen came in to complete his 25th save of the year. The Tribe's win streak is the longest since the Oakland Athletics' 20-game streak in 2002, as the 1916 New York Giants hold baseball's longest win streak at 26 in a row. The AL Central leaders have outscored opponents by 88 runs during their current streak, which is the best since the 2002 Los Angeles Angels outscored teams by at least 88 in two separate 17-game spans during the 2002 season. Trey Mancini knocked in the first run of the game with a single for the O's, while Tim Beckham's 20th long ball was the only other source of production for Baltimore, who dropped back under .500 on the season. Giovanny Urshela and Carlos Santana both doubled home runs for Cleveland, who can complete another sweep and extend their win streak on Sunday night.
