LSU's new offense looks spectacular in Week Two, Texas Tech boasts a strong defensive game. Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State and with LSU:

Saturday NCAA Football Recap: LSU staves off Texas; Clemson reminds us why they’re No. 1

Kalah Winters
Sep 8, 2019, 6:15 pm
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​Houston 37, Prairie View A&M 17

The Cougars struck early, finishing their first drive with kicker Dalton Witherspoon drilling a 46-yarder, his longest field goal of the night. Houston then scored on four consecutive drives putting the Cougars up 31-3 with 10:25 left in the first half. That explosive Houston offense was nowhere to be found in the second half in which they only scored once. The missed tackles that haunted the Cougars in their season-opener against the fifth-ranked Sooners went uncorrected in Saturday's game against the overmatched Panthers. The Cougars are going to have to dig deep on both sides of the ball if they want to stand a chance against No. 20 Washington State next week.

Clemson 24, Texas A&M 10

No. 1 Clemson looked comfortable as they won their record-tying 17th straight game with a 24-10 victory over the Aggies on Saturday. The Tigers wanted to leave no doubts that they were a better team than the Aggies after Texas A&M'S nail-biting 28-26 loss to Clemson in 2018. "We wanted to leave no doubt this year," Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. "I think we did that." Aggie quarterback Kellen Mond, who threw for 430 yards against Clemson in their meeting last season, left much to be desired after being restricted to only 236 yards passing with an interception and a fumble on Saturday. Toward the end of the first half, Clemson receiver Tee Higgins reached behind him to grab a pass from Lawrence at the A&M 2. Two plays later, Lawrence scored on a 1-yard run sending the Tigers up 17-3 at the half. The Aggies never recovered. Aggie coach Jimbo Fisher will have plenty to harp on in practice this week as his team struggled on both sides of the ball. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney was especially proud of how his secondary responded to keep the Aggies out of the end zone. There was "a lot of talk about our secondary in last year's game versus A&M and these guys responded," Swinney said. Clemson is expected to hold firm to its No. 1 position and the Aggies will likely take a huge dive down the rankings. Texas A&M hosts Lamar next week and Clemson returns to ACC play at Syracuse.

LSU 45, Texas 38

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was on fire, delivering all the big throws for the Tigers in their near-perfect 45-38 win over the Longhorns Saturday night. Burrow threw for 471 yards and four touchdowns. "Man, he was so fired up," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. "The kid is a baller. He lives for that moment and I'll tell you what, those were some tough plays." Burrow was laser-focused after the half when he was 15-of-18 passing for 251 yards and two touchdowns. LSU receiver Justin Jefferson had nine receptions for 163 yards and three scores. Jefferson's final touchdown reception came when Burrow dropped back to avoid a blitz and fired the pass. The completion was good enough for a first down but Jefferson broke a tackle and sped down the sideline for a touchdown. LSU's new wide-open offense was razor sharp but the defense missed tackles and gave up huge plays and scoring drives. With kickoff temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, it's no wonder LSU players had trouble with cramps all night. Texas fans booed when they thought LSU players were stalling. When asked if LSU's cramping halted his team's momentum, Herman said "Yes." Longhorn quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who matched Burrow nearly blow for blow, finished with 401 passing yards and four touchdowns. Texas is at Rice next week and LSU hosts Northwestern State.

​Texas Tech 38, UTEP 3

Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman threw three touchdown passes and the Red Raiders coasted to a 38-3 victory over UTEP on Saturday night. The Red Raider defense allowed just 131 yards total offense in Texas Tech's eight-straight win against UTEP. "Obviously we never want to punt but to walk off the field and know, probably like they are not going to score, they are definitely not going to score," Bowman said. "For them to have our back like that on offense just makes it more of, `OK, we can try to make this throw because we know they are going to the field and they are going to make a stop in the next possession.' So it definitely opens up a lot more for us and gives us a little bit more confidence.

Baylor 63, UTSA 14

Senior receiver Denzel Mims stole the show with three touchdowns and 147 yards on 12 receptions for Baylor in their 63-14 win over UTSA on Saturday. Baylor third-year starting quarterback Charlie Brewer completed 12-of-16 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns while only playing the first half. Kickoff temperature was 99 degrees but the turf was much warmer. "Felt like it was 150 degrees," said Brewer, who was sent to the locker room early by coach Matt Rhule after feeling a burning sensation in his feet. "I'm good," said Brewer, who had X-rays to make sure there were no issues. "Feet were hot. I tried to go back in, and he wouldn't let me." The Bears followed up their 39-point season-opening victory by scoring their most points since 2015. Baylor is off next week and UTSA is home next Saturday against Army.

​Wake Forest 41, Rice 21

Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman threw for 312 yards passing and three touchdowns leading the Demon Deacons to a 41-21 victory over Rice on Friday night. Senior receiver Scotty Washington finished with 158 receiving yards on 7 receptions and three touchdowns for Wake Forest in their relentless takedown of the Owls. Rice quarterback Tom Stewart was 19-of-30 for only 185 yards and a touchdown after replacing starter Wiley Green, who was carted off the field in the first quarter. Rice faces No. 9 Texas in Houston next week and Wake Forest hosts North Carolina.

Wyoming 23, Texas State 14

Cooper Rothe kicked three field goals and Tyler Hall snagged a pick-six to lead Wyoming to a 23-14 victory over Texas State on Saturday. The Bobcats controlled the first half but Hall intercepted a pass from Gresch Jensen and dashed 72 yards for the score, giving Wyoming a 20-14 lead in the fourth quarter. Rothe kicked a 19-yard field goal, sealing the win for Wyoming on the final quarter.

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SATURDAY COLLEGE RECAP

Saturday NCAA Football Recap: Houston appears deflated and Texas bounces back

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Texas punishes Rice with a blowout and Houston can't find its mojo. Here's a look at what happened in the Lone Star State and with LSU:

Washington State 31, Houston 24

In similar fashion to last week, Houston struck early, but failed to secure the win in the second half. Houston's wonder kid quarterback, D'Eriq King has been a shell of himself since Dana Holgorsen took over the program. "I thought our kids played hard and gave ourselves a chance," Holgerson said of his team. "Just came up a little short." King threw for 128 yards passing and 94 yards rushing and two touchdowns to put Houston up 14-7 at the half. Unfortunately, the offensive momentum from the first half did not carry into the second, which was riddled with unforced turnovers and costly errors, contributing to Houston's loss. Houston struggled to move the ball in the second half, lost two fumbles and only scored once after halftime. King seemed to have scored on a 72-yard run late in the third quarter but it was stymied by a textbook holding call on sophomore receiver Jeremy Singleton. While WSU beat Houston 31-24 on Friday night, both teams had a combined 209 yards of penalties on Friday night, something they'll need to address before conference play begins next week. Aside from the sloppy second half, possibly the most frustrating part of this loss is Holgorsen's soft reaction to it. "We don't want moral victories or any of that ... we didn't play good enough to win," Holgorsen said. "Didn't make enough plays and the ball didn't bounce our way enough for us to come out of here with a win and that needs to happen next week." Senior WSU receiver Brandon Arconado finished with 308 yards on 23 receptions and a score to help WSU to victory. Anthony Gordon led WSU's charge over Houston, finishing 36-of-48 with 440 yards and three touchdowns. Houston opens AAC play at Tulane on Thursday.

Texas A&M 62, Lamar 3

Quarterback Kellen Mond did his part to help the 16th ranked Aggies to a lopsided win 62-3 win over Lamar on Saturday, throwing for 317 yards, a touchdown, and a scoring run. Sophomore running back Isiah Spiller ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns for the Aggies, ensuring there was no drop-off after taking over for Jashaun Corbin who sustained a season-ending hamstring injury last week. A&M coach Jimbo Fisher recognizes enormous growth in Spiller, despite the new featured back only playing in three games. "There's a lot put on him and the expectations for what he's doing," said Fisher. "He's having to fill some big shoes for us and what we lost and the way things are going. He's a very smart, talented young man and he's doing a really good job. Very mature for his age." Expect A&M to hold their poll position after taking care of business against an un-ranked opponent. A&M opens SEC play against No. 8 Auburn next Saturday.

LSU 65, Northwestern State 14

At first glance it appears No. 4 LSU easily handled Northwestern State but coach Ed Orgeron was forced to leave quarterback Joe Burrow in longer than planned after a more competitive first half from NWST than expected. Burrow capitalized on the highlight reel opportunity, completing 21 of 24 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns as LSU put away NWST 65-14 on Saturday. This is the second time Burrow has been subbed out early due to a lopsided score this season. The star quarterback is now 75-of-90 passing for 1,122 yards and 11 touchdowns in LSU's first three games. Look for LSU to remain within the top five based on the Tigers final margin of victory. LSU opens SEC play next Saturday against Vanderbilt.

Texas 48, Rice 13

Sam Ehlinger threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns, leading the 12th ranked Longhorns to an easy 48-13 rebound victory over Rice. The Longhorns started fast and clicked in every phase of the game after losing at home to LSU last week. "Any type of game where you win after a loss is huge," Ehlinger said. "For us to come out and play to our standard, continue to prove to ourselves that when we work really hard and play to our standard, it is hard for people to beat us is great." Keaontay Ingrahm rushed for 74 yards and two scored for Texas after being held to just 29 yards on 10 carries last week. Expect Texas to hold its position after a blowout win over Rice. Texas hosts Oklahoma next Saturday to open Big 12 play.

TCU 34, Purdue 13

The Horned Frogs boasted an unstoppable running game, racking up 346 rushing yards on 58 carries as TCU beat Purdue 34-13 on Saturday night. Darius Anderson was in peak form, rushing for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. "Darius is running better now than I've seen him since he was a sophomore," TCU coach Gary Patterson of the senior running back. TCU had 160 yards rushing on 28 attempts in the first half while Purdue was held to minus-1 on 12 attempts. The Horned Frogs host SMU on Saturday.

Arizona 28, Texas Tech 14

Arizona ran the ball right down the Red Raider's throat 13 straight times during a 99-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with Gary Brightwell barreling into the end zone for his second touchdown, sealing the Wildcat's 28-14 win over Texas Tech Saturday night. Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate threw for 185 yards, one touchdown, and carried it in for another score. Texas Tech opens its conference play at Oklahoma on 9/28.

Sam Houston 47, Texas State 17

The Mustangs bolted out of the gate against and never let up in SMU's 47-17 victory over Texas State on Saturday. Mustang quarterback Shane Buechele was 14-of-18 passing with two touchdowns on 219 yards. Texas State hosts Georgia State next Saturday night.

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