.HE SAID ITHe was just all teeth. You couldnt get him to stop smiling, and thats something good to see because we got that win for him. He really wanted t

STANFORD, Calif. -- As Stanfords offense sputtered in the second half, Christian McCaffrey kept urging his teammates on that the offense could be better. Then he finally took matters into his own hands and iced away another win.McCaffrey scored his second touchdown on a late 41-yard run that helped lead No. 8 Stanford to a 26-13 victory over Kansas State on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.Stanford had just 30 yards in the second half before McCaffreys long touchdown run following a failed onside kick by Kansas State put the game away.By nature, hes not a patient human being. He wants everything to be perfect, coach David Shaw said. Like many players, he drives himself and he drives his teammates. At the end of the game, he kept saying it, `Were so much better than this. Were so much better. Its not about his yards, not about his carries, its about our machine when were humming.After a fast start led by quarterback Ryan Burns in his first career start, the Cardinal were far from a machine in the second half. With a new quarterback and three new offensive linemen, Stanford struggled to get anything going with a fumble and four punts to start the second half.But a defense that had eight sacks, one safety and two turnovers made sure it wasnt an issue.The defense bailed us out a lot in the second half, McCaffrey said. We just have to be better in a lot of different areas. We have a lot of new guys on this team playing their first college football game. Sometimes that comes back and haunts you, especially Week 1.Burns started fast by completing his first 10 passes, including a 40-yard touchdown strike to Michael Rector on the opening play of the second quarter.McCaffrey then got into the act with an electrifying 35-yard touchdown run. He froze safety Kendall Adams with a juke and raced to the end zone for the score.When he touches the ball enough, good things happen, coach David Shaw said.McCaffrey shattered Barry Sanders 27-year-old record by gaining 3,496 all-purpose yards last season when he finished second to Alabamas Derrick Henry in the Heisman.He finished 126 yards on 22 carries and 210 all-purpose yards in the opener this year.He had those two big plays, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said. Outside of that I think our guys defended him quite well.THE TAKEAWAYKansas State: The Wildcats inexperienced offensive line featuring two freshmen struggled. Stanford had eight sacks, including one in the end zone by Jordan Watkins for a safety. Jesse Ertz was briefly knocked out of the game in the second half after one hit. He recovered to throw a late TD pass to Isaiah Zuber.There was just absolutely no consistency with us offensively, Snyder said.Stanford: After converting his first five third-down passes into first downs, Burns struggled. The Cardinal had just one first down in the second half before McCaffreys second TD run. The defense was up to the task to make the lead hold but could have more trouble doing that once the Pac-12 schedule starts.WIPED OFF TDThe biggest highlight might have been a play that didnt even count. McCaffrey fielded a punt at his own, and made his way through almost the entire Kansas State coverage unit for a 97-yard score. The only problem was an illegal block by Curtis Robinson that wiped it all out and forced Stanford to start a drive on its own 2.There is a reason why there are no 97-yard punt returns because you should not catch the ball on the 3-yard line. He knows that, Shaw said. But what he did after he caught it, wow, thats the best punt return that doesnt count Ive ever seen.UP NEXTKansas State: The Wildcats play Florida Atlanta in their home opener Sept. 17.Stanford: The Cardinal are off before beginning conference play at home against No. 20 USC.QUOTABLEWeve set the bar for where we are. In two weeks, it has to be higher. I dont know how high we can get it, but it has to be higher than it was today, Shaw said. Dorian ODaniel Super Bowl Jersey . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Anthony Sherman Super Bowl Jersey . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/ . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Juan Thornhill Super Bowl Jersey .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Eric Fisher Super Bowl Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. AUBURN, Ala. -- Danjel Purifoy and Jared Harper each scored 19 points, Horace Spencer added 12 points and Auburn topped Georgia State 83-65 on Monday night in the opening round of the Cancun Challenge.Auburn (2-0) pulled away in the second half as its shooting, which had been an issue in the first 20 minutes, picked up. They shot 56 percent in the second half to put away the Panthers, who were undone by a combination of turnovers and cold shooting.I thought we were very stagnant in the first half, much better in the second half, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. Its probably one of the better second-half defenses weve had. The defense was really good away from us tonight.Georgia State finished with 18 turnovers, which Auburn turned into 16 points.Purifoy was plagued with foul trouble early, and had to come out just three minutes into the game, and he didnt return for the rest of the half. But he scored 17 points in the second half to help propel the Tigers to a second consecutive win.The first half was tightly contested. Each team had trouble holding onto the ball, turning it over a combined 23 times -- 15 of which the Panthers were responsible for. Then, Harper canned two 3-pointers in the final two minutes to give Auburn a five-point lead at the break. It sparked the Tigers offense, and that carried over into the final frame.Every time they needed a play, they went to the point guard, said Georgia State coach Ron HHunter.dddddddddddd. I thought he was really, really special. He really set the tone for their team, you know, makes those other guys better.Jeremy Hollowell led Georgia State (1-1) with 20 points and four rebounds. Justin Seymour added 18 points and six rebounds for the Panthers.BIG PICTUREGeorgia State: The Panthers dropped their first game of the season, but theyll continue the Cancun Challenge with a chance to rebound.Auburn: Bruce Pearls squad keeps the undefeated start to the season rolling as his young team gains some much-needed experience.HE SAID ITHe was just all teeth. You couldnt get him to stop smiling, and thats something good to see because we got that win for him. He really wanted this win. -- Auburn forward Danjel Purifoy on center LaRon Smith, who played at Georgia State from 2012-14.HIGHLIGHT REELWith Auburn holding onto an 11-point lead and under four minutes remaining, guard T.J. Dunans picked off an errant pass and took it the length of the floor. He whipped a behind-the-back pass to a trailing Horace Spencer, who thundered home a monstrous two-handed dunk that sent Auburn Arena into a frenzy.UP NEXTGeorgia State travels to Purdue on Thursday to take on another Power 5 opponent.Auburn looks to start 3-0 this season when the Tigers host Eastern Kentucky on Thursday. ' ' '