Troy Smith tossed touchdown passes of five and 58 yards to Ted Ginn on top-ranked Ohio State's first two possessions to fuel a 35-12 victory over Northern Illinois in US college football on Saturday.
Tailbacks Antonio Pittman and Chris Wells also ran for scores as the Buckeyes set the stage for next week's showdown with No. 3 Texas in Austin. The No. 3 Longhorns did their part, beating North Texas 56-7.
Former Cleveland high-school teammates Smith and Ginn appeared to be in tune for the rematch of last year's dramatic game at Ohio Stadium in which Vince Young led Texas to the winning touchdown in the final minutes of a 25-22 victory. The Longhorns went on to win their first undisputed national championship since 1969.
PHOTO: AP
Smith completed 18-of-25 passes for 297 yards for the Buckeyes, also tossing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez on Ohio State's third possession for a quick 21-0 lead.
Ginn had four catches for 123 yards and returned two punts for 44 yards and two kickoffs for 25 more yards.
The Buckeyes won their 28th consecutive home opener.
Garrett Wolfe had a huge day for Northern Illinois, rushing for 171 yards on 26 carries and catching five passes for 114 yards and a score. The nation's leading returning rusher dragged cornerback Malcolm Jenkins over the goal line on his 4-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter.
Notre Dame 14, Georgia Tech 10
At Atlanta, Brady Quinn and hometown favorite Darius Walker each ran for a touchdown as the Fighting Irish, with their highest preseason ranking since 1994, rallied for a victory.
Texas 56, North Texas 7
At Austin, Texas, in his first start at quarterback for the defending national champion, Colt McCoy hit Limas Sweed for a 60-yard touchdown on his second pass and Texas cruised to victory.
Auburn 40, Washington State 14
At Auburn, Alabama, Kenny Irons rushed for 183 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown scamper to open the third quarter, and the Tigers beat Washington State.
West Virginia 42, Marshall 10
At Morgantown, West Virginia, Steve Slaton ran for 203 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead West Virginia past its in-state rival.
USC 50, Arkansas 14
At Fayetteville, Arkansas, John David Booty threw three touchdown passes in the second half, and USC won its first game since Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart moved on to the NFL.
No. 7 Florida 34, Southern Miss 7
At Gainesville, Florida, Chris Leak threw three touchdown passes, highly touted Tim Tebow ran for a score and Florida overcame a sluggish start to beat Southern Mississippi.
LSU 45, Louisiana-Lafayette 3
At Baton Rouge, Louisiana, JaMarcus Russell's second pass of LSU's blowout win was a 58-yard bomb for a touchdown, and he had two more scoring passes in the first half to send the Tigers past Lafayette.
Tennessee 35, California 18
At Knoxville, Tennessee, Erik Ainge threw four passes for touchdowns and the Volunteers put memories of last year's losing season behind them. Robert Meachem caught two of the touchdowns for Tennessee, including an 80-yarder.
Oklahoma 24, UAB 17
At Norman, Oklahoma, Adrian Peterson ran for 139 yards and scored twice in the second half, saving No. 10 Oklahoma from the embarrassment of losing a second consecutive home opener. Peterson took control in the second half, running for 83 yards.
Michigan 27, Vanderbilt 7
At Ann Arbor, Michigan, tailback Mike Hart ran for a stellar 146 yards and Chad Henne completed 10 of 22 passes for 135 yards with two touchdowns as the Michigan Wolverines put the Commodores away to win their eighth straight home opener.
Georgia 48, Western Kentucky 12
At Athens, Georgia, Joe Tereshinski threw for 90 yards and a touchdown and two other Georgia quarterbacks saw playing time as Georgia got an easy win over Western Kentucky.
Iowa 41, Montana 7
At Iowa City, Iowa, Drew Tate threw for three touchdowns and Albert Young added 148 yards of total offense and two scores for the Iowa Hawkeyes, who christened newly renovated Kinnick Stadium by holding Division I-AA Montana to 10 yards rushing.
Virginia Tech 38, Northeastern 0
At Blacksburg, Virginia, Sean Glennon threw three touchdown passes in his first career start as Virginia Tech beat Northeastern. Glennon completed 15 of 18 for 222 yards in less than three quarters. His touchdowns went for 54, 55 and 6 yards.
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