Georgia quarterback Carson Beck (15) throws from the pocket during the first half of a college football game against Tennessee-Martin, Saturday in Athens, Ga.

ATHENS, Ga. — Carson Beck overcame a sluggish first half to throw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Mekhi Mews and Georgia, the two-time defending national champion, leaned on its defense to overwhelm Tennessee-Martin.

Georgia showed it must make progress on offense if it can realize its dream of becoming the first team to win three straight national championships in The Associated Press poll era. The Bulldogs were outgained in the opening quarter and led only 17-0 at halftime against the Football Championship Subdivision Skyhawks,

Beck, placed in the difficult position of following Stetson Bennett’s back-to-back championship seasons at quarterback, gained momentum in the second half. He threw a short completion to his left to Mews, who cut back to the middle of the field, dodged a would-be tackler and used his speed for his first career scoring catch.

NO. 2 MICHIGAN 30, EAST CAROLINA 3

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdown passes to Roman Wilson, helping Michigan rout East Carolina.

The Wolverines were without coach Jim Harbaugh, who began serving a school-imposed, three-game suspension for breaking NCAA rules.

McCarthy completed 26 of 30 passes for 280 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Wilson in each of the first three quarters.

All-America running back Blake Corum, coming off knee surgery, ran for 73 yards on 10 carries and had a 2-yard touchdown run.

NO. 3 OHIO STATE 23, INDIANA 3

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Miyan Williams rushed for two touchdowns and new quarterback Kyle McCord picked up his first victory since being named the starter for Ohio State in a win over Indiana.

The Buckeyes have won 23 consecutive season-openers and extended the FBS’ longest active winning streak in a series to 28.

Indiana has lost nine of its last 10 dating to last season.

After Williams capped Ohio State’s opening possession with a 7-yard scoring run, the teams traded field goals to make it 10-3 at halftime. The Buckeyes added a short field goal to make it 13-3 midway through the third quarter before Williams finally broke through with a 3-yard TD run to give the Buckeyes a 20-3 lead with 1:51 remaining in the third.

All-America receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. caught two passes for 18 yards and also had a touchdown nullified by an illegal touching call.

NO. 4 ALABAMA 56, MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE 7

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Jalen Milroe threw three long touchdown passes and ran for a pair of scores to lead Alabama past Middle Tennessee State.

Milroe emerged on top of a three-man battle to replace Bryce Young in fall camp for the Crimson Tide, and delivered big plays and no costly mistakes in his second career start. He launched on-target touchdown passes of 47 yards to Isaiah Bond, 48 to Jermaine Burton and 29 to Amari Niblack.

Milroe easily passed his first test. He showcased his running ability in turning a terrible snap into a 21-yard touchdown on his opening drive. Milroe had to go back and scoop it up after the ball basically rolled past him, then he raced to the right sideline. He put his left hand on the ground to keep his balance and make a final cut at about the 7.

NO. 6 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 66, NEVADA 14

LOS ANGELES — Caleb Williams threw for 319 yards and hit Tahj Washington with two of his five touchdown passes, leading Southern California past Nevada.

Zachariah Branch, Michael Jackson III and Brenden Rice also caught TD passes from their Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback for the Trojans (2-0), who followed up their blowout of San Jose State with another rout of a Mountain West opponent at the Coliseum.

USC’s 668 yards were its most under coach Lincoln Riley, and its 66 points matched the highest-scoring game of his tenure.

Williams passed for 258 yards and four TDs on just 15 completions while USC built a 35-7 halftime lead. He finished 18 of 24 while also rushing for 42 yards and adding another array of remarkable escapes and pinpoint completions to his collection.

NO. 7 PENN STATE 38, WEST VIRGINIA 15

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Drew Allar threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to help Penn State beat West Virginia.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith caught two touchdown passes — including a 72-yard dart launched with a simple flick of Allar’s wrist on his second attempt of the game — while Nick Singleton added a rushing touchdown.

Malik McClain caught another midway through the fourth quarter for the Nittany Lions, who pulled away after leading 14-7 at halftime.

Backup Beau Pribula ran for a touchdown with six seconds left and kicker Alex Felkins added a 25-yard field goal.

NO. 10 WASHINGTON 56, BOISE STATE 19

SEATTLE — Michael Penix Jr. threw for 450 yards and matched his career high with five touchdown passes and Washington overwhelmed Boise State.

Penix kicked off his final college season and a Heisman Trophy campaign with a terrific passing performance following a couple shaky drives in the opening moments. He connected with Jalen McMillan on two of his TD passes, and McMillan added a 19-yard touchdown run off a direct snap on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Washington a 42-19 lead.

McMillan finished with eight receptions for 95 yards and touchdowns of 7 and 38 yards.

NO. 12 TENNESSEE 49, VIRGINIA 13

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Joe Milton III threw two touchdown passes and ran for two other scores as Tennessee routed Virginia.

Tennessee and Virginia marked the Cavs’ first football game since a shooting left three players dead last November with a moment of silence before kickoff. The Vols also wore a sticker on the back of their helmets with the numbers of the late Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry.

Tennessee scored on its opening drive and never trailed. Milton’s 1-yard run just before halftime put the Vols up 21-3. Dylan Sampson caught a 9-yard TD pass that capped Tennessee’s first drive. He also had three TD runs of 3 yards or less.

NO. 13 NOTRE DAME 56, TENNESSEE STATE 3

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sam Hartman passed for 194 yards and two touchdowns and Notre Dame’s defense didn’t allow a touchdown for a second straight game as the Irish beat Tennessee State.

Hartman completed 14 of 17 passes and delighted the Notre Dame Stadium fans in his home debut when he somersaulted into the end zone on a 5-yard run. Hartman turned things over to backup Steve Angeli with the Irish (2-0) leading 35-3 early in the third quarter.

Audric Estime ran 13 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. His longest run went for 50 yards and set up Hartman’s leaping touchdown.

NO. 15 OREGON 81, PORTLAND STATE 7

EUGENE, Ore. — Bo Nix threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns before heading for the bench early in the third quarter and Oregon built a 43-point halftime lead en route to a victory over Portland State.

It was the most points for the Ducks in a game in the modern scoring era, and a scoring record at Autzen Stadium.

It was also Oregon’s 19th straight win in a home opener. The Ducks have won 30 straight non-conference games at Autzen Stadium, dating back to 2008.

NO. 16 KANSAS STATE 45, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE 0

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Will Howard threw for 297 yards and two scores, added touchdowns running and receiving to complete a rare trifecta, and led Kansas State past Southeast Missouri State.

DJ Giddens ran for 128 yards and Treshaun Ward, a touted transfer from Florida State, had a TD run, helping the reigning Big 12 champion Wildcats cruise past one of the better teams in the Football Championship Subdivision.

NO. 19 WISCONSIN 38, BUFFALO 17

MADISON, Wis. — Chez Mellusi ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns, Braelon Allen added 141 yards and two more scores and Wisconsin started the first season of Luke Fickell’s coaching tenure with a victory over Buffalo.

Mellusi, a Clemson transfer who came to Wisconsin in 2021, had an 89-yard touchdown run in which he navigated through the defense to make it 21-10 in the third quarter. He had 13 carries.

Allen had 14 rushes, and caught seven passes for 25 yards. His 37-yard touchdown run extended the lead to 28-10 in the third.

SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai threw for 189 yards and a touchdown, and two interceptions, in his first start for the Badgers.

NO. 20 OKLAHOMA 73, ARKANSAS STATE 0

NORMAN, Okla. — Dillon Gabriel completed 19 of 22 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns — all in the first half — and Oklahoma beat Arkansas State.

Gabriel also ran for a score in the first half to help Oklahoma take a 45-0 lead. The Sooners gained 437 yards before the break while holding Arkansas State to 106.

Oklahoma freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold, a consensus five-star recruit, played most of the second half. He completed all 11 of his passes for 114 yards and a touchdown and ran for 39 yards and another score.

NO. 21 NORTH CAROLINA 31, SOUTH CAROLINA 17

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drake Maye threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, North Carolina’s upstart defense had nine sacks and the Tar Heels beat border rival South Carolina in a neutral-site game.

British Brooks ran for 103 yards and Omarion Hampton added two short TD runs for the Tar Heels.

Maye, who grew up in the Charlotte suburb of Huntersville, led scoring drives on five of North Carolina’s first six possessions, excluding a kneel down at the end of the first half.

NO. 22 MISSISSIPPI 73, MERCER 7

OXFORD, Miss. — Jaxson Dart threw four touchdown passes, including three to Tre Harris in the opening four minutes as Mississippi rolled to a rout of Mercer.

Ole Miss opened with four consecutive touchdown drives and built a 38-7 halftime lead. Dart was 11 of 11 for 237 yards in the early surge and finished 18 of 23 passing for 334 yards before yielding to Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders midway through the third quarter.

Harris, a transfer from Louisiana Tech after earning All-Conference USA honors last season, had touchdown receptions of 38, 28, 20 and 16 yards to break a school record for TD receptions in a single game.

NO. 24 TULANE 37, SOUTH ALABAMA 17

NEW ORLEANS — Michael Pratt completed 14 of 15 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns and Tulane beat South Alabama.

Three of Pratt’s scoring passes came on deep throws. He hit Jha’Quan Jackson for touchdowns of 48 and 47 yards and connected with Lawrence Keys on a 47-yard scoring play.

NO. 25 IOWA 24, UTAH STATE 14

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Cade McNamara threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns in his Iowa debut to help the Hawkeyes beat Utah State.

The touchdowns came on Iowa’s first two offensive possessions, and the Hawkeyes didn’t get into the end zone again until Kaleb Johnson’s 3-yard run in the fourth quarter. Iowa, which had one of the worst offenses in the nation last season, finished with 284 yards.