Hawkins leads West Virginia
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Michael Hawkins Jr. says he learned a lot at Oklahoma before transferring to West Virginia in January.
Hawkins accounted for 313 yards of total offense and five touchdowns and West Virginia beat No. 25 Virginia 38-27 on Saturday night in the Duke's Mayo Classic at the Carolina Panthers' Bank of America Stadium.
Hawkins has led the Mountaineers to a 3-0 start for coach Rich Rodriguez.
"It feels great," Hawkins said. "Coming to a new program and getting the guys behind you and playing as a whole is a big key. All of us were on the same page tonight. I learned a lot at Oklahoma. I just brought that along with me to West Virginia."
Hawkins, who had two TD runs and a TD pass in the first half, threw his second TD pass to D.J. Epps late in the third quarter to give West Virginia the lead for good.
Virginia responded by driving to the 13 before a sack moved the Cavaliers back to the 22 and Will Bettridge's 41-yard field goal attempt was wide right with 9:13 to play.
Following that miss, Hawkins directed a 78-yard drive to clinch the victory, scoring on a 5-yard run with 5:24 play.
Hawkins finished with 10 completions in 17 attempts for 190 yards and two TDs. He ran 18 times for 123 yards and three TDs.
Notre Dame running back Aneyas Williams (22) reaches the ball out in an attempt to cross the goal line in what was ruled a touchdown during the first half of a college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Paul Barnick)
Irish control Spartans
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- CJ Carr threw for 234 yards and ran for a touchdown, Nolan James Jr. rushed for 121 yards and a score, and No. 3 Notre Dame took control in the second half to beat Michigan State 27-10 on Saturday night.
It was the 13th straight victory dating to last season for the Fighting Irish -- all by double digits. Coach Marcus Freeman broke the Notre Dame record for consecutive double-digit victories, exceeding the 12 by Knute Rockne from 1921-22.
Micah Gilbert had eight catches for 170 yards, the most yards for a Notre Dame receiver since 2019.
Carr's streak of 12 games with a passing touchdown ended, with the Fighting Irish (3-0) scoring all three TDs on short rushes.
Notre Dame outscored Michigan State 10-0 in the second half, limiting the Spartans (2-1) to 40 yards of offense over the final two quarters. Michigan State only had one play in Notre Dame territory in the second half, and a 9-yard sack sent the Spartans back into their own territory.
"It wasn't perfect, as everybody saw, but it was a good victory and a hard-fought victory," Freeman said. "Those are the type of victories that you're going to have to win and find a way to win."
Juniata gets first win
HUNTINGDON -- Juniata hosted the McDaniel College Green Terrors at Knox Stadium on Saturday afternoon and secured its first victory of the season with a dominant 28-7 win.
The Eagles' defense defined the game, recording three sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Zachary Grande completed 15 of his 21 passes for 168 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Ethan Eisenberg handled the ball in the red zone, rushing for three touchdowns.
Daiquan Buck carried a heavy workload, grinding out 87 rushing yards on 25 carries. Makih Hunt hauled in six catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Estuardo Salguero had tackles two sacks and two forced fumbles. Tucker Lowery had four tackles and an interception, while Chidiire Nwokwu had a sack, an interception, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.