Wake Forest cruises by Baylor in opener

Riley Skinner tossed three touchdown passes, two to Chip Brinkman, and No. 23 Wake Forest played up to its first preseason ranking in school history with a 41-13 win over Baylor last night in Waco, Texas.

Skinner, whose 72 percent completion rate led the nation last season, was coolly efficient against the Bears, going 27 of 36 for 220 yards, adding a 43-yard TD strike to Ben Wooster in third quarter. He also earned his 19th career victory, a school record for a quarterback.

The solid win should solidify the early-season expectations for Wake Forest, which has clawed into the top ranks of the Atlantic Coast Conference under coach Jim Grobe. The Demon Deacons forced five turnovers, turning three into touchdowns. Cornerback Alphonso Smith got his 15th career interception.

UConn 35, Hofstra 3 - Donald Brown ran for 146 yards and four first-half touchdowns as the Huskies crushed the Pride in East Hartford.

It was the Huskies' seventh win without a loss against Championship Subdivision teams since UConn started playing major college football in 2002.

Brown, a junior, split time with Andre Dixon a year ago. But Dixon rolled an ankle in practice this week, leaving Brown to carry the load. Brown had two touchdowns in each of the first two quarters, and 130 yards rushing by halftime.

Stanford 36, Oregon St. 28 - Toby Gerhart ran for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in his first game back from a knee injury and the Cardinal took advantage of two bizarre fumbles in the south end zone to beat the visiting Beavers.

The first fumble gave the Cardinal the lead for good on a safety late in the third quarter. The second came with just 47 seconds remaining, when Darrell Catchings tried to stretch the ball over the goal line before Taylor Skaufel knocked it loose and the ball rolled out of the end zone for a touchback.

Miami 52, Charleston Southern 7 - Graig Cooper had a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown and rushed for another score, quarterback Jacory Harris accounted for two touchdowns, and the Hurricanes moved into their new home with a season-opening win.

Javarris James rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown for the Hurricanes, who took full control with a 21-point first quarter, their highest-scoring period since Sept. 9, 2006, against Florida A&M.

Cincinnati 40, Eastern Kentucky 7 - Dustin Grutza threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in the Bearcats' victory over the Colonels in Cincinnati.

The senior threw touchdown passes of 15 and 47 yards to Mardy Gilyard, who had never caught more than one in a game.

S. Carolina 34, N.C. State 0 - The host Gamecocks overcame four interceptions by first-time starter Tommy Beecher to give Steve Spurrier his 16th straight opening-game victory.

Mike Davis and Taylor Rank had rushing touchdowns, and Dion LeCorn and Jared Cook caught TD passes from backup Chris Smelley to stop the Wolfpack and keep alive Spurrier's first-week streak.

Georgia Tech 41, Jacksonville State 14 - Paul Johnson's option offense was a hit for the Ramblin' Wreck as Jonathan Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt rushed for two TDs each in Atlanta.

Vanderbilt 34, Miami (Ohio) 13 - Quarterback Chris Nickson rushed for a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Commodores over the RedHawks in Oxford, Ohio.