No. 13 Syracuse had a devil of a day losing 32-31 to North Carolina State.
Peyton Manning got in on the action, too. In No. 5 Tennessee's 52-10 win over Texas Tech, he threw for 310 yards and five touchdowns in the first performance of what is expected to be his Heisman Trophy-winning season.
No. 16 Alabama 42, Houston 17. At Birmingham, Alabama, Curtis Alexander, subbing for the suspended Dennis Riddle, scored on runs of 11 and 18 yards and took a screen pass from backup quarterback Lance Tucker for a 43-yard score that put the Tide ahead 28-0. He finished with 88 yards rushing and 50 receiving.
Freddie Kitchens was 12-of-19 for 168 yards with one interception and left in the third period with a shoulder injury.
DuBose accomplished something neither Bear Bryant nor Stallings was able to -- win in their Alabama coaching debuts.
Kentucky 38, Louisville 24. At Lexington, Kentucky, Tim Couch completed 36-of-50 passes for 398 yards and four TDs and the Wildcats gave Mumme a sweet win in his debut as coach, 38-24 over state rival Louisville.
No. 2 Florida 21, Southern Mississippi 6. At Gainesville, Florida, Johnson didn't put up Wuerffel-like numbers, but got the job done with an assist from the defense, which forced four turnovers and had five sacks.
Johnson was 17-of-34 for 231 yards and three interceptions. He had TD passes of 25 yards and 18 yards and then scored from a yard out in the second half.
The 21 points was the lowest total by Florida in an opener since a 24-19 loss to Ole Miss in 1989, the year before coach Steve Spurrier took over.
North Carolina State 32, No. 13 Syracuse 31 OT. At the Carrier Dome, the Orangemen (1-1) took a 31-24 lead in overtime on Donovan McNabb's 18-yard TD pass to Roland Williams. Nate Trout kicked the extra point.
But the Wolfpack hit back and scored on Tremayne Stephens' 1-yard run. As N.C. State lined up for a 2-point conversion, Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni was frantically signaling for a time-out. His team didn't see him, however, and Jamie Barnette passed to Torry Holt in the end zone for the upset.
Barnette was 18-for-29 for 279 yards and three TDs. Quinton Spotwood caught a 67-yard TD pass from McNabb on the first play from scrimmage and added a 73-yard punt return with 9:51 left to put the Orange ahead 24-17. But Barnette threw a 9-yard TD pass to Mark Thomas with 4:33 left to tie it 24-all.
No. 5 Tennessee 52, Texas Tech 10. At Knoxville, Tennessee, Manning tied the single-game school record for TD passes last achieved by Heath Shuler in 1993. Manning was 26-for-38, with one interception, before leaving with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.
(For other results, see Scorecard.)
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