The foray into the 2016 college football season continued in friday night, as Stanford enjoyed another stellar performance from Christian McCaffrey to put away a pesky Kansas State team, Baylor had no problem dispatching of Northwestern State at home with Seth Russell doing a great job, and Michigan State struggled against FCS side Furman, not showing too much promise for the upcoming season.
Kansas State (0-1) 13 #8 Stanford (1-0) 26: The start of Christian McCaffrey’s road to the Heisman trophy began with 22 carries for 126 yards and two touchdowns and one huge punt return that was brought back, but was probably the most fun part of the game. The Cardinal held a 17-0 lead off a McCaffrey touchdown and Ryan Burns connecting for a 40-yard TD with Michael Rector. Isaiah Zuber made things interesting in the fourth quarter by narrowing the lead down to 6 points with 2:20 left, but McCaffrey immediately responded by rushing for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Furman 13 #12 Michigan State (1-0) 28: Not a very impressive way to start a season, as the Spartans struggled against an FCS team in front of 74,516 at Spartan Stadium. Tyler O’Connor threw for three touchdowns and an interception as the senior began his first year as a starter, while LJ Scott rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown. For 8 minutes in the fourth quarter, Michigan State felt an upset coming, leading by 8 points, and finding it difficult to put the Paladins away.
Northwestern State 7 #23 Baylor (1-0) 55: After one offseason they would like to put behind them, including Art Briles being replaced by Jim Grobe, the Bears had a smooth start to the season against the kind of opponent they’re usually made fun of for scheduling. Seth Russell completed 70% of his throws while throwing four touchdown passes, and Baylor rushed for 275 yards, including 97 by Shock Linkwood and Terence Williams rushing for two touchdowns.
Other Scores (non Top-25 teams)
Army showed the hype about this season was real by beating Temple 28-13 in Philadelphia with a big game from Andy Davidson. Colorado beat Colorado State 44-7 in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, their second straight win in the rivalry and the biggest win for any side since 1956, when Colorado won 47-7. Phillip Lindsay rushed for two touchdowns, Sefo Liufau threw for 318 and a TD, rushing for 68.