Notre Dame Overpowers Wisconsin 41-13 With Dominant Second Half at Lambeau Field

 CJ Carr throws for 239 yards, Aneyas Williams scores twice, and DJ McKinney delivers a 55-yard pick-six as the Fighting Irish overwhelm the Badgers in the Shamrock Series

GREEN BAY, Wis. | Notre Dame turned a three-point halftime advantage into a Lambeau Field rout.

The Fighting Irish erupted for 28 second-half points and smothered Wisconsin’s rushing attack after halftime to pull away for a 41-13 victory in the 13th edition of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series.

Quarterback CJ Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 239 yards, distributing the ball to nine receivers, while Aneyas Williams rushed for 90 yards and two touchdowns. The Irish defense supplied one of the game’s defining moments when DJ McKinney intercepted an overthrow and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.

After taking a 13-10 lead into halftime, Notre Dame outscored Wisconsin 28-3 over the final 30 minutes and held the Badgers to just 1.4 yards per rushing attempt in the second half.

What began as a mistake-filled, tightly contested Shamrock Series matchup ended as an emphatic showcase of Notre Dame’s balance, depth and defensive strength.

Auburn Edges Baylor 17-16 in Aflac Kickoff Thriller as Eric Winters Saves Tigers at Goal Line

Bryum Brown scores the go-ahead touchdown late, while Winters’ game-saving tackle on a two-point try seals Alex Golesh’s first victory as Auburn coach

ATLANTA | Auburn opened the Alex Golesh era with a finish that instantly felt bigger than a normal season opener.

The Tigers survived Baylor 17-16 on Saturday night in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, scoring the go-ahead touchdown late and then stopping the Bears inches short of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt with 11 seconds remaining.

Quarterback Bryum Brown broke a 10-10 tie with an 11-yard touchdown run after directing a 10-play, 75-yard drive in the final minutes. Then linebacker Eric Winters delivered the defensive play of the night, tackling Baylor tight end Matthew Klopfenstein just short of the end zone to preserve Auburn’s one-point victory.

It marked Auburn’s first one-point win since the 2010 Iron Bowl and gave Golesh a dramatic victory in his debut.

Alabama Opens 2026 Season With 48-10 Rout of East Carolina Behind Keelon Russell’s Debut

Crimson Tide quarterback accounts for 342 total yards; Ryan Coleman-Williams tops 100 receiving yards and Alabama’s defense smothers ECU in dominant opener

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. | Alabama opened the 2026 season with the kind of performance expected from a national contender.

The No. 13/11 Crimson Tide rolled past East Carolina 48-10 on Saturday at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium, combining an explosive offensive debut from quarterback Keelon Russell with a suffocating defensive effort that held the Pirates to just 162 total yards.

Alabama finished with 487 yards of offense, scored on all six of its first-half possessions and received contributions from nearly every part of the roster.

Russell, making his first career start, accounted for 342 total yards, completing 18 of 30 passes for 256 yards while rushing for 86 yards and a touchdown.

That total ranks second in Alabama history for a quarterback making his starting debut, just one yard behind Bryce Young’s 343-yard performance.

Keelon Russell Makes Immediate Impact

Russell looked comfortable from the opening possession.

He directed Alabama to points on its first drive and continued to move the offense throughout the first half, accounting for 236 total yards before halftime — the most by an Alabama quarterback in one half during a starting debut.

The Crimson Tide amassed 304 yards in the opening half and scored on every possession, building a commanding 38-7 halftime lead.

Russell’s athleticism gave Alabama an added dimension, particularly when plays broke down.

He finished the first half with 182 passing yards and 54 rushing yards before adding his first rushing touchdown late in the second quarter on a 3-yard run.

For Alabama, the debut offered an encouraging glimpse of what its offense could become with Russell at the controls.

Maryland Crushes Hampton 62-0 as Terps Extend Nation-Leading Nonconference Winning Streak

DeJuan Williams erupts for a 94-yard touchdown run; Maryland rushes for six scores, and the defense holds Hampton to 85 total yards in a dominant 2026 season opener

COLLEGE PARK, Md. | Maryland did not simply open the 2026 season with a win. The Terrapins delivered a statement.

Maryland overwhelmed Hampton 62-0 on Saturday night at SECU Stadium, extending its nation-leading nonconference winning streak to 19 games while producing one of the most complete season-opening performances in program history.

The Terrapins rushed for 365 yards and six touchdowns, piled up 646 total yards and held Hampton to just 85 yards of offense. Maryland also forced three interceptions, recorded five sacks, and limited the Pirates to six first downs.

It was Maryland’s first season-opening shutout since 2019 and its highest-scoring performance since a 62-0 win over Howard in 2021.

The Terrapins also extended their streak to 16 consecutive season-opening victories against nonconference opponents.

Michigan Stuns Western Michigan With 47-Yard Hail Mary on Final Play of Season Opener

JJ Buchanan delivers a Michigan Stadium miracle as No. 16 Wolverines overcome three turnovers and a late five-point deficit to escape Western Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. | Michigan needed one second, one throw and one remarkable catch to turn what appeared destined to be a stunning season-opening defeat into an unforgettable victory.

With No. 16 Michigan trailing Western Michigan by five and the clock about to expire, quarterback Bryce Underwood launched a desperation pass toward the end zone. JJ Buchanan came down with the 47-yard Hail Mary as time expired, delivering a dramatic walk-off touchdown and sending Michigan Stadium into celebration.

Call it the Michigan Miracle.

For a Wolverines team that struggled offensively for much of the afternoon, the final play erased nearly everything that had gone wrong. Michigan overcame three turnovers, a 30% third-down conversion rate and a Western Michigan offense that controlled the football for long stretches of the second half.

Most importantly, the Wolverines escaped their opener with a victory, improving to 9-0 all-time against Western Michigan.

JJ Buchanan Becomes Michigan's Opening-Day Hero

Buchanan could hardly have picked a more dramatic moment for his first touchdown in a Michigan uniform.

Trailing by five with only 35 seconds remaining, the Wolverines pushed the ball to midfield and managed to preserve one final second.

That was enough.

Underwood sent the football deep, and Buchanan emerged with the 47-yard touchdown reception on the game's final play.

San Diego State Rolls Past Portland State 53-20 as Aztecs Launch Pac-12 Era in Style

Lucky Sutton rushes for three touchdowns; Jaylon Hawkins electrifies Snapdragon Stadium with a 100-yard kickoff return as SDSU turns special-teams takeaways into a season-opening rout

SAN DIEGO | San Diego State could hardly have scripted a more emphatic beginning to its new era.

The Aztecs opened their season — and their first campaign as members of the Pac-12 Conference — with a 53-20 victory over Portland State on Saturday at Snapdragon Stadium, combining a punishing rushing attack with explosive special teams and timely defensive plays.

San Diego State seized control after an early 6-0 deficit, scoring 29 points on four consecutive possessions over a span of just more than a quarter. By halftime, the Aztecs had transformed a competitive opening into a 29-6 advantage.

And once they took the lead, they never surrendered it.

The 53 points represented San Diego State's highest scoring output since a 55-0 victory over Hawai'i on Nov. 5, 2016, at Qualcomm Stadium. The Aztecs also won their home opener for the 11th time in their past 12 opportunities.

Ad Attacking N.C. Republican Senate Candidate Uses His Own (Dated) Words Against Him

In his campaign’s latest TV ad, Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper of North Carolina highlights the issue of affordability using direct quotes from his Republican opponent — “No AI, no special effects, just Michael Whatley in his own words.”

They are, in fact, direct quotes from Whatley — but they are a bit dated, and some of the comments were more defensible or true at the time when Whatley made them.

The ad starts with a quote from Whatley: “Grocery prices are down, gasoline prices are down, housing prices are down, inflation is down,” he says.

“Unbelievable,” Cooper comments.

Ossoff Ad Takes Collins’ Quote Out of Context

In the Georgia Senate race, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff has been running TV ads that take his opponent's Social Security sound bite out of context.

In a radio interview last year, Republican Rep. Mike Collins made the case for the tax cuts in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, claiming that cutting taxes would spur economic growth and provide an incentive for people to “get off of Medicaid, get off of Social Security, get back into the workforce.” 

Collins, June 5, 2025: It’s just business 101. You’ve got spending, and you’ve got revenue, and you set it up to where you can increase your revenue. And you do that by lowering taxes and making it more advantageous for people to work and to get off of Medicaid, get off of Social Security, get back into the workforce. And that decreases it on that side of the equation as well — on the mandatory side.

Colorado Stuns Georgia Tech 14-13 as Boo Carter Blocks Last-Second Field Goal

Julian Lewis Engineers Late Go-Ahead Drive Before Buffaloes Defense Slams Door on Yellow Jackets in Dramatic Road Victory

ATLANTA | Colorado needed one drive from its young quarterback and one final stand from its defense.

The Buffaloes got both.

Quarterback Julian Lewis engineered a dramatic go-ahead touchdown drive in the final two minutes, and defensive back Boo Carter blocked Georgia Tech's potential game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired, preserving Colorado's 14-13 road victory over the Yellow Jackets.

It was the kind of finish that can define an opener — and perhaps set the tone for what Colorado hopes will become a breakthrough season.

Trailing 13-7 with less than two minutes remaining, Lewis and the Buffaloes faced their biggest test of the night. Colorado needed a touchdown, and there was little room for error.

Lewis delivered.

Third-year wide receiver Joseph Williams helped ignite the possession with crucial yards after the catch, allowing Colorado to move quickly into Georgia Tech territory. Lewis remained composed as the clock continued to disappear, eventually helping put the Buffaloes in position for Colorado native Charlie Williams to score the team's second touchdown of the game.

The score gave Colorado a 14-13 lead with only 37 seconds remaining.

But Georgia Tech wasn't finished.

Trump Claims Credit for Drug Price Decline. Experts Say It’s More Complicated.

President Donald Trump and other administration officials are claiming credit for a recent drop in prescription drug prices, citing deals they’ve struck with drugmakers and the launch of the online direct-to-consumer platform TrumpRx. But experts are skeptical that those measures have had much impact on overall prices, and they say other factors likely account for most of the decline.

Trump and his allies were quick to celebrate when the latest consumer price data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released in mid-August, showed prescription drug prices falling 3.1% over the past year. The data measure prices paid by consumers and insurers at retail, internet or mail-order pharmacies.

“Under my most-favored-nation policy on drug prices, we are delivering the largest prescription drug price cuts in the history of our country,” Trump said during an Aug. 14 speech on Long Island, referring to agreements with companies to offer certain drugs at prices comparable to those in other countries. 

Rising Measles Cases Driven by Falling Vaccination, Not Illegal Immigration

Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida who is running for governor, has blamed “rampant illegal immigration” during the Biden administration for measles outbreaks. But we found no link to illegal immigration in several recent large outbreaks, and infectious disease experts told us that the main driver of the cases is falling measles vaccination rates in the U.S.

Measles was eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning there were no sustained outbreaks lasting more than a year. But since January 2025, cases have risen markedly, and the country’s elimination status is now in question. Last year, there were 2,289 confirmed cases — the highest number since 1991. As of Aug. 30, there have been 2,903 confirmed cases in 2026, already breaking 2025’s tally. 

Donalds weighed in on the cause of measles outbreaks during an Aug. 23 interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” in response to a question from host Margaret Brennan, who asked whether he would tell Florida parents to get their children vaccinated against the disease. “No, actually, my message to Floridians and, quite frankly, to Americans is that the reason why we have seen a measles outbreak in certain parts of the country is because of rampant illegal immigration into the United States from the previous administration,” Donalds replied. 

When Brennan asked him for evidence for this statement, Donalds referred to “the outbreaks in El Paso, Texas, in Southwest Florida, where I live, and many other parts where you know that you have a situation,” adding that people entering the country illegally “have not had that vaccination schedule.”