Top-25 College Football Game Capsules
Columbia, SC (Sports Network) – Connor Shaw passed for 149 yards and a touchdown and Mike Davis rushed for 115 yards and a score, as the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks opened the 2013 season with a 27-10 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday at Williams-Brice Stadium. Shaw completed 11- of-19 passes and hit Shaq Roland for a 65-yard touchdown on South Carolina’s third play from scrimmage, while backup Dylan Thompson’s only throw went for a 29-yard touchdown to Kane Whitehurst. Davis broke free for a 75-yard touchdown and needed just 12 carries to cross the 100-yard plateau, as the Gamecocks (1-0), coming off an impressive 11-2 campaign last year, won their 14th consecutive season opener. North Carolina signal-caller Bryn Renner completed 26-of-43 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown, while Romar Morris carried the ball 15 times for 69 yards for the Tar Heels (0-1), who went 8-4 last season and finished tied for first place in the ACC, but were ineligible for a bowl game due to NCAA sanctions.
Final Score: (24) Southern California 30, Hawaii 13
Honolulu, HI (Sports Network) – Southern California entered Thursday’s season opener in Hawaii without officially naming a starting quarterback. The 24th- ranked Trojans left the Aloha State with a 30-13 win, but didn’t find much clarity in the battle for the starting job. Cody Kessler earned the nod for the opener after outperforming Max Wittek during training camp. Kessler went 10-for-19 for 95 yards, a touchdown and an interception before he was pulled in favor of Wittek in the third quarter. Wittek, who appeared in eight games and started the final two contests for USC last season after Matt Barkley suffered a season-ending injury, finished with a unimpressive 77 yards on 5-of-10 passing and was sacked twice. While neither quarterback seemed to get the offense going, Tre Madden and Justin Davis headlined a USC (1-0) rushing attack that picked up 192 yards on the ground. Madden rushed 18 times for 109 yards and Davis added 14 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown. 2012 Biletnikoff Award winner and 2013 Heisman hopeful Marqise Lee caught eight passes for 104 yards. The Trojans’ defense also shined for defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, holding the Warriors to 231 total yards and four turnovers. Hawaii (0-1) had quarterback woes of its own. Junior Taylor Graham, making his first start since high school, completed just 16-of-41 passes, for 208 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.
Categorized in: NCAA Football