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The 2023 college football season continued on Thursday night with an array of matchups on schedule to set the mood for Week 1. It's still early in the season, and most teams are only warming up against non-conference opponents ahead of conference matchups.
However, there were a couple of exciting matchups on Aug. 31, with Florida vs. Utah taking the top spot. Other marquee college football matchups on Thursday night included Nebraska vs. Minnesota and Kent vs. UCF.
A quick recap of Thursday night's college football games
The Utah Utes were without star quarterback Cam Rising, who was out against Florida due to an injury. But they emerged victors against the Gators in a charged 11-24 encounter. Minnesota narrowly edged out Nebraska 13-10, while UCF ran rampant against Kent in a 56-6 victory.
North Carolina State went against a tough conference opponent, the UConn Huskies. The Wolfpack ground out a 24-14 win over the Huskies.
It was a keenly contested game as the Huskies went up 7-0 early. They couldn't maintain the momentum, however. And the Wolfpack not only managed to bridge the gap but went ahead to overturn the lead and beat the Huskies.
Other Thursday night scores include:
Wake Forest 37 vs. Elon 17
Missouri 13 vs. South Dakota 10
Arizona State 24 vs. Southern Utah 21
It was finally Mitch Griffis' time at Wake Forest after serving as the backup quarterback to Sam Hartman last season. With Hartman's transfer to Notre Dame, Griffis got the starting role and put up an assertive performance against Elon. It is not easy filling the shoes of one of college football's best quarterbacks.
He threw for three touchdowns to kick off his reign as the Demon Deacons' starting quarterback.
It was the quarterbacks' show in Missouri's 35-10 win over South Dakota. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz decided to split playing time between starting quarterback Brady Cook and his backup, Sam Horn.
Cook set Missouri up for a dominating first half, throwing 172 yards and a touchdown. He also had a rushing touchdown. On the other hand, Horn threw for 54 yards and a touchdown, alongside an interception in the second half.
Arizona State braced terrible weather to get the better of Southern Utah. The weather delayed the game for two hours before the Sun Devils managed a narrow win. They needed it, as it was coach Kenny Dillingham's first game in charge.
It was an ugly win, however. But college football games can be like that. One of the flashes of brilliance that lit up the matchup was Jaden Rashada. He threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns, gifting Dillingham a win on his debut.
