College Football Scores 2012
Maybe everything really is bigger in Texas.
Alabama’s experienced offensive line opened Texas-sized holes for the team’s stable of running backs, AJ McCarron had a big day behind center and the defense had no problem filling the big shoes left by its pro-playing predecessors in a 41-14 blowout over Number 8 Michigan Saturday night.
It was only fitting the primetime season-opener between top-10 teams took place at Cowboys Stadium, a larger-than-life venue that still barely managed to contain a reloaded roster for the Tide that showed it has every intention of contending for a second straight national championship in 2012.
“This was a really good team win for us” – Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “This team has the challenge of trying to create an identity for themselves in terms of how they competed and how they played, and I think they took a step in the right direction.”
Many experts questioned if McCarron would have any trouble following up a breakout first season at quarterback that culminated in Offensive MVP honors in New Orleans. After one game, the early answer is not at all.
College Football Scores.
Wisconsin 26 – Northern Iowa 21.
With a 13-0 lead heading into the third quarter, it looked as though Wisconsin was going to dominate Northern Iowa as was expected. But apparently the Panthers didn’t get the memo.
Northern Iowa would go on to score three touchdowns in the second half, making this game a little too close for comfort for the Badgers. With the score 26-21, Northern Iowa had one last chance to take the lead but failed to score on their final drive of the game.
This would have easily been one of the biggest upsets of the entire season, but Wisconsin narrowly avoided such a distinction. In the end, there’s nothing negative about this result for the Panthers. The team couldn’t have played any better than it did in this one.
If the Badgers want to make some noise this season, clearly they must step their game up after nearly losing to an inferior opponent.
SMU Vs. Baylor Final Score – Bears Roll Mustangs 59:24.
The first game after Robert Griffin III was absolutely no problem for the Baylor Bears. Baylor jumped ahead 24:3 by halftime and never looked back as it pulled away for an easy 59:24 win over the SMU Mustangs.
Quarterback Nick Florence, taking over for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, was virtually flawless in going 21 of 30 for 341 yards and four touchdowns to lead he Bears. Jarred Salubi also ran for 91 yards and a touchdown while Terrance Williams caught seven passes for 138 yards. All told, Baylor gained 608 total yards on offense. Even former Michigan receiver Darryl Stonum caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Petty.
Lanear Sampson had five catches for 69 yards and got into the end zone twice. It was the defense that got the first score of the second half, however, as Mike Hick returned a fumble 66 yards for a score to make it 31:3. Salubi added a nine-yard touchdown run followed by a 36-yard TD pass to Sampson to make it 45:3 before the starters were mostly pulled.
Zach Line rushed for 113 yards on 22 carries for SMU. Garrett Gilbert had a respectable night for SMU with 286 yards passing and two touchdowns, but he was also intercepted twice.