Atlanta • Jatarvious Whitlow ran 10 yards for a touchdown with 6:15 remaining and the Auburn defense came through at the end, leading the No. 9 Tigers a 21-16 victory over No. 6 Washington that provided a big boost to their resume in the very first game of the season Saturday.
Trailing 16-15 after missing a two-point conversion on their opening possession of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, Auburn drove 76 yards in 10 plays for the winning score. Jarrett Stidham kept it going with a 12-yard pass to Chandler Cox on third-and-9.
Then, facing third-and-7 deep in Washington territory, Auburn handed off inside to Whitlow, who knocked over a Washington safety as he barreled into the end zone.
Washington drove to the Auburn 37 with plenty of time to pull off the comeback, but Myles Gaskin was thrown for a 3-yard loss and Jake Browning was stymied by a fierce pass rush on back-to-back plays to preserve the Tigers’ victory.
“We beat one of the better teams in the country,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. “We’ve got a lot of things we can correct. But I’m proud of our team, the way they won. Sometimes, it’s how you win a game that helps you later in the season.”
Stidham was 26 of 36 for 273 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown pass to Sal Cannella, who made a leaping grab in the end zone before landing flat on his back.
Browning completed 18 of 32 for 296 yards. He was picked off once but connected with Quinten Pounds on a 13-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half.
No. 5 Ohio State 77, Oregon State 31 • In Columbus, Ohio, with coach Urban Meyer serving a suspension, new starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. had a record-setting day, throwing five touchdown passes to help the Buckeyes rout the Beavers in the opener for both teams.
Haskins was 22 for 30 for 313 yards. The five touchdowns and yards gained are records for a first-time Ohio State starter.
No. 15 USC 43, UNLV 21 • In Los Angeles, JT Daniels, the second freshman to start at quarterback in a season opener for USC, threw for 282 yards with a 43-yard touchdown pass to fellow freshman and former high school teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown to lead the Trojans (1-0) over UNLV (0-1).
Daniels was 22 of 35 passing.
Arizona St. 49, UTSA 7 • In Tempe, Ariz., Manny Wilkins threw for four touchdowns, two to N’Keal Harry, and Arizona State (1-0) gave new coach Herm Edwards a big night in his return to the sidelines with a 49-7 rout of UTSA (0-1).
Wilkins, entering his third season as Arizona State’s starter, completed 16 of 24 for 237 yards and left the game after three quarters with his team comfortably up 42-0.
Harry, a second-team preseason All-American wide receiver, caught six passes for 140 yards, including touchdown plays of 58 and 31 yards. The 6-foot-4, 221-pound junior did most of the damage with his legs on both plays.
BYU 28, Arizona 23 • In Tucson, Ariz., Squally Canada scored on three short touchdown runs and Brigham Young spoiled Kevin Sumlin’s Arizona coaching debut with a 28-23 win over the Wildcats.
BYU went 4-9 last year, but looked like a far better team in its 2018 opener. The Cougars were overpowering up front on offense and the defense limited Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate’s effectiveness by not letting him get out and run.
Washington State 41, Wyoming 19 • In Laramie, Wyo., graduate transfer Gardner Minshew threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as the Cougars gained a season-opening win over the Cowboys (1-1).
Minshew, who transferred from East Carolina, completed 38 of 57 attempts.
California 24, North Carolina 17 • In Berkeley, Calif., Patrick Laird rushed for one TD and caught another, and the Golden Bears held off the Tar Heels in the season-opener for both teams.
Cal’s Cameron Goode scored on a 38-yard interception return but left in the fourth quarter with a possible leg injury.
Cincinnati 26, UCLA 17 • In Pasadena, Calif., Michael Warren II rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns, and the Bearcats spoiled Chip Kelly’s coaching debut at UCLA by throttling the Bruins’ offense.
Cortez Broughton forced a fumble that led to a tiebreaking safety with 9:45 to play, and the Bearcats’ defense limited UCLA to 306 yards.
No. 24 Oregon 58, Bowling Green 24 • In Eugene, Ore., Justin Herbert threw for five touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the Ducks over the Falcons.
Herbert completed 10 of 21 passes for 281 yards and the five passing TDs were the most for a Duck in a season-opening game. He also rushed for 41 yards.