Arkansas State 27, UNLV 20
JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) – Marcel Murray broke two tackles and burst 39 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown and added a two-point conversion as Arkansas State beat UNLV in a nonconference game, 27-20 on Saturday night.
The freshman got the start in the second half and picked up 95 yards on eight carries.
Trailing 19-7 early in the third quarter, UNLV came back behind a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to take a 20-19 lead. Armani Rogers capped a five-play, 70-yard drive with a one-yard plunge for a touchdown. On Arkansas State's next possession, Javin White forced a Justice Hansen fumble at the Red Wolves 35. Four plays later Lexington Thomas ran 10 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.
UNLV got the ball with under two minutes left, but the Runnin' Rebels were called for holding to stall their momentum and turned the ball over on downs.
Hansen completed 19 of 27 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns for Arkansas State (3-1).
Rogers was just 5 of 21 passing and was picked off three times, but he carried 26 times for 181 yards and a score for UNLV (2-2).
Troy 35, ULM 27
MONROE, La. (AP) – Kaleb Barker threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more and Troy followed up its big win over Nebraska by opening Sun Belt Conference play with a 35-27 win over Louisiana Monroe on Saturday night.
Barker had touchdown runs of 19 and 2 yards to give the Trojans (3-1), who won at Nebraska 24-19 last week, a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. Sawyer Smith then hit Damion Willis for a 26-yard score before Barker hit Willis for 4 and Sidney Davis for 22 as part of a 28-point second quarter and a 35-7 lead.
Barker and Sawyer combined to go 20 for 21 for 272 yards in the first half.
Caleb Evans threw a pair of touchdown passes in the fourth quarter for the Warhawks (2-2). He then marched ULM from its 29 to the Troy 11 and had a first down before Marcus Jones saved the win with an interception with 39 seconds left.
Barker, who was 23 of 28, and Sawyer, who was 4 of 4, combined for 329 yards and the Trojans piled up 469. Evans went 29 of 48 for 290 yards and kept the ball 15 times for 101 yards as the Warhawks had 490 yards.
Coastal Carolina 30, Louisiana 28
LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) – Marcus Outlow ran for 96 yards and two scores and Coastal Carolina held off Louisiana-Lafayette 30-28 on Saturday night in a Sun Belt Conference opener.
Bryce Carpenter, 5 of 5 for 82 yards, hit Isiah Likely on a 29-yard TD pass for a 30-21 Coastal Carolina lead, but the Ragin' Cajuns scored on their next drive, a 15-yard TD pass from Andre Nunez to Keenan Barnes with 5:20 left to play.
Facing third-and-10 on his own 25, Carpenter hit Jeremiah Miller for a key first down and Coastal Carolina ran out the clock for the win.
Outlow scored a go-ahead TD on a 2-yard run and the Chanticleers (3-1) led 16-7 at halftime after Kilton Anderson's 31-yard TD pass to Ky'Jon Tyler.
Outlow's 1-yard TD run put the Chanticleers up 23-7 in the third quarter, but the Ragin' Cajuns (1-2) closed to 23-21 on Elijah Mitchell's 30-yard TD run and Raymond Calais' 61-yarder.
Anderson was 7 of 11 for 104 yards passing and Outlow gained 96 yards on 20 carries.
Trey Ragas (103 yards on 15 carries) scored on a 3-yard run for Louisiana-Lafayette. Nunez was 7 of 14 for 133 yards passing.
Appalachian State 72, Gardner-Webb 7
BOONE, N.C. (AP) – Jalin Moore ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns and Appalachian State scored 28 points in the first quarter on its way to beating Gardner-Webb 72-7 on Saturday.
On the third play of the game, Zac Thomas threw a 64-yard floater over the middle to Dominique Heath who took it for a score. Defensive back Steven Jones blocked Gardner-Webb's first punt and recovered it in the endzone to give the Mountaineers (2-1) a 14-0 lead. Moore capped a 72-yard drive with a short touchdown run, then ran 81 yards for another to stretch it to 28-7 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Clifton Duck returned a Gardner-Webb punt 62 yards for a touchdown and a 42-7 Mountaineers lead. They were up 52-7 at halftime, outgaining Gardner-Webb 401-89 in the first half alone.
Thomas threw for 185 yards and a score for the Mountaineers, all in the first half.
Jordan Smith had 117 yards and a touchdown passing for the Runnin' Bulldogs (1-3).
UTSA 25, Texas State 21
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Lorenzo Dantzler returned a fumble 27 yards for a touchdown and Jared Sackett kicked three long field goals as UTSA held off Texas State, 25-21 in a nonconference game Saturday.
The Roadrunners now have won all three meetings with the Bobcats.
On the first series of the game, Texas State’s Willie Jones III was sacked for an 11-yard loss by Josiah Tauaefa and fumbled. Dantzler scooped up the loose ball and raced to the end zone for a 7-0 lead. Midway through the quarter Tykee Ogle-Kellogg caught a 7-yard pass from Cordale Grundy to make it 14-0.
Tyler Vitt scored from a yard out to halve the Texas State deficit, but Sackett hit from 40-yards out to send the Roadrunners (1-3) into halftime with a 17-7 advantage.
Vitt found Keenen Brown with a 21-yard touchdown to get the Bobcats (1-3) to 17-14, but Sacket added field goals of 40- and 44-yards in the fourth quarter and, after Vitt hit Hutch White with a 13-yard touchdown to get within a field goal at 23-21, the Bobcats gave up a safety with 1:49 left.
Vitt finished 15 of 22 for 192 yards and two touchdowns through the air, but was picked off twice.
Western Michigan 34, Georgia State 15
ATLANTA (AP) – Jamauri Bogan and LeVante Bellamy combined for almost 250 yards rushing as Western Michigan defeated Georgia State 34-15 on Saturday afternoon.
Bogan carried 15 times, racking up 126 yards and one touchdown. Bellamy had 21 carries for 121 yards. Jayden Reed pulled in seven passes for 101 yards and a score. Jon Wassink threw for 234 yards and three TDs for Western Michigan (2-2).
The Bronco defenders forced three fumbles, recovering two, and had one interception to stop Georgia State.
Both teams opened with field goals before the Broncos sprinted to a 20-9 halftime advantage. Wassink hit Keishawn Watson on a 24-yard scoring strike in the final seconds of the first half. Wassink quickly added another score in the third when Reed hauled in a 40-yard TD toss for a 27-9 advantage. Bogan broke for a 71-yard scoring sprint for Western Michigan's final score with 10:45 left in the third.
Dan Ellington threw for 285 yards for Georgia State (1-3).
Memphis 52, South Alabama 35
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Darrell Henderson ran for 188 yards and two touchdowns, including a 54-yarder in the fourth quarter, to help Memphis pull away from South Alabama in a 52-35 victory on Saturday night.
Brady White was 22-of-29 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns for Memphis (3-1). Patrick Taylor Jr. had two TD runs and Tony Pollard ran for another score.
Evan Orth completed 24 of 32 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns to lead South Alabama (1-3). Orth's 13-yard touchdown pass to Kawaan Baker pulled the Jaguars within 31-27 late in the third quarter.
Pollard scored on a 16-yard reverse to open the fourth and Henderson made it a 45-27 lead with his big run on the Tigers' next series.
But a blocked punt gave South Alabama the ball at the Tigers' 19, and Orth threw a touchdown pass to Jamarius Way four plays later to cut the deficit to 45-35.
The Tigers recovered the ensuing onside kick try and Taylor capped an eight-play, five-minute drive with an 11-yard touchdown run.
It was the first meeting between the schools.