Saturday college football: 13 final recaps from the early window

Thirteen games from Saturday’s early college football window are final. The recaps below cover each matchup separately, with scoring sequences and player lines tied to its event record. UCLA at Maryland remained live when this collection was prepared and is excluded from the final-game list.

Final-game recaps

• Baylor beats Colorado 23-13 as DJ Lagway throws two touchdown passes — Baylor opened Big 12 play with a 23-13 home win over Colorado, using a pair of DJ Lagway touchdown passes and a late defensive stand.
• Dru DeShields powers Kent State past Ball State 26-13 — DeShields accounted for three Kent State touchdowns as the Golden Flashes won the MAC opener at Dix Stadium.
• Eastern Michigan shuts down Lindenwood 29-3 at Rynearson Stadium — Noah Kim threw two touchdowns and Eastern Michigan's defense held Lindenwood without a touchdown in a 29-3 home win.
• Jackson Arnold throws three touchdowns as UNLV beats Akron 38-10 — UNLV’s road defense held Akron to 10 points while Jackson Arnold and Jai'Den Thomas drove the Rebels’ 28-point win.
• Jeremiah Smith scores four times as Ohio State beats Illinois 42-19 — Julian Sayin threw four touchdown passes and Jeremiah Smith turned the Buckeyes' Big Ten opener into a decisive afternoon.
• Kentucky pulls away from South Alabama 45-21 behind three second-half touchdowns — Kentucky answered a tied first half with three second-half touchdowns at Kroger Field.
• Owen McCown leads UTSA past Colorado State 59-45 — UTSA scored 59 points at the Alamodome as McCown threw three touchdown passes and Colorado State answered with 344 passing yards.
• Pittsburgh shuts out Bucknell 59-0 behind six touchdown passes from Mason Heintschel — Pittsburgh scored on seven of its first eight possessions and rolled past Bucknell 59-0 at Acrisure Stadium.
• Texas Tech pulls away from Sam Houston 49-14 behind two pick-sixes — Austin Romaine's two interception returns for touchdowns helped Texas Tech turn a close start into a fourth straight win.
• Texas holds off Tennessee 20-17 in SEC opener at Neyland Stadium — Raleek Brown scored twice and Texas survived Tennessee's late push to stay unbeaten.
• Toledo rolls past San Diego State 41-16 behind Bryson Hammer's two long touchdown catches — Toledo used 494 yards, two long Bryson Hammer touchdown catches and a pick-six to beat San Diego State 41-16 at the Glass Bowl.
• Virginia Tech rallies past Boston College 21-14 on Jeffrey Overton Jr.'s 76-yard run — Virginia Tech erased a 14-6 deficit and beat Boston College 21-14 after Jeffrey Overton Jr. broke a 76-yard touchdown run.
• Wake Forest edges Louisville 30-27 on Connor Calvert's late field goal — Connor Calvert's fourth-quarter kick settled a back-and-forth ACC game after Louisville erased a 27-24 deficit.

The closest finished margin here was three points: Texas held off Tennessee 20-17, and Wake Forest edged Louisville 30-27. Pittsburgh’s shutout of Bucknell and UTSA’s 59-45 win over Colorado State show how different the early results were. Each linked report carries its own source references and final-game context. This collection is an index of verified recaps, rather than an additional game report.