Leading Off
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PHOTOGRAPH BY GREG NELSON FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
And So It Begins It wasn't the first game of college football's first weekend, but the 2014 season got going in earnest when defending national champ Florida State kicked off against Oklahoma State in Arlington, Texas. The No. 1 Seminoles may have thought the opener was a dress rehearsal for January's national-title game, which will also be held at AT&T Stadium, but they didn't look much like the nation's best team. The unranked Cowboys kept things close and nearly pulled off an upset, but Florida State held on for a 37--31 win.
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PHOTOGRAPH BY BILL FRAKES SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Kenny Football Well, that's one good way to make the fans in College Station stop wishing that a certain Heisman-winning quarterback hadn't left for the NFL. Texas A&M's Kenny Hill Era began with a bang: In his first college start the sophomore set school records with 44 completions and 511 passing yards in leading the 21st-ranked Aggies to a 52--28 win at No. 9 South Carolina.
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PHOTOGRAPH BY AL TIELEMANS SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Dress Reds Just a hunch, but it looks like a non-cadet sneaked into the Navy student section. That's the day Ohio State came to Baltimore with a 24-game regular-season winning streak and a freshman quarterback carrying a big nut of pressure in his first college appearance. J.T. Barrett didn't crack in his debut as the injured Braxton Miller's replacement, throwing for 226 yards and two touchdowns and running for another 50 yards. The No. 5 Buckeyes' streak reached 25 with a 34--17 victory.
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PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN W. MCDONOUGH SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
One Way To Say J'Adoree' One game in, and USC wideout Adoree' Jackson probably feels as if he's played a full season already. The freshman took a lick from Fresno State safety Derron Smith—but held on to the ball, one of his three catches in the No. 15 Trojans' 52--13 takedown of the Bulldogs. Jackson also caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Cody Kessler, who directed an offense that gained 701 total yards.