ng in overtime, South Alabama kicked off a season that follows a year full of wild endings.Davis -- a sophomore who was making h

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. --?Curtis Luck was walking along the course, doing the math on how hed turned a close U.S. Amateur final into a rout by winning eight holes in a row. It was hard for the 20-year-old Australian to process.I think I started laughing, walking down the fairway, he said. I havent heard of that, and I havent seen it before. What an amazing thing to do while youre out in the final of the U.S. Amateur Championship.Luck built a commanding lead with that eight-hole run shortly after the midway point of Sundays final match, and he went on to beat Brad Dalke 6 and 4 to become the U.S. Amateurs third international champion in four years.The 36-hole final on the South Course at Oakland Hills was all square after 18, and Dalke won the first hole after the break.Luck answered with an eagle on the 20th to square it again, and that was the start of a decisive streak that eventually left him 7 up with nine holes remaining.Its so rare to be able to do that, especially in match play, which is, as you know, one hole at a time --you win one and things can change so quickly, Luck said.?I didnt expect it at all.Although Dalke finally snapped Lucks streak by winning a couple holes of his own, the University of Oklahoma sophomore couldnt close the gap any more. He conceded after missing a putt for par on the 32nd hole.I never really felt comfortable that second round. I dont know if it was the break or what, Dalke said. Now it seems like it was a blur. It went by pretty quick.Luck joins Matthew Fitzpatrick of England (2013) and Gunn Yang of South Korea (2014) among recent international winners of this event. Hes also only the third Australian-born champion.Nick Flanagan won in 2003 and Walter Travis won it in 1900, 1901 and 1903.There was no indication that this final match would become so lopsided. Neither player could gain much of an upper hand in the morning, and even after Lucks eagle on the 20th hole, the match was all square.Then Dalkes round began to unravel with bogeys on 21 and 22. Luck was 3 up after a birdie on 23.The next hole was a short par 4, but Dalkes tee shot went way to the right, settling in some tall grass. His shot from there caromed off a utility box that was a few feet in front of him, and Luck needed only a par to win that hole.Luck made a birdie on the 25th hole, and Dalke made bogeys on the following two, giving the Australian an almost insurmountable lead.Hes just solid. He makes a lot of good swings at it, doesnt get really wayward with the driver, great short game, Dalke said. Hes never out of a hole. He could be in a trash can 20 yards from the green and still get up-and-down.The eight-hole stretch Sunday that decided the championship was equal parts Lucks excellence (an eagle and two birdies) and Dalkes struggles (five bogeys).The final turned into a breeze for Luck, in contrast to his 21-hole semifinal win over Nick Carlson. Luck got up and down from about 135 yards in a bunker on the second extra hole to keep that match going Saturday.I know hes a fighter, and I know those pressure situations are really what switches him on, said Lucks father Stuart, who caddied for him.If you know him -- and I think you only have to look at Twitter comments tonight from all the people back home in Australia --youll know that hes seriously dangerous in that situation.Luck was seventh in the world amateur ranking coming into this event, and he said hed previously been thinking about turning pro after the Asian Amateur in October. Now, he has some extra incentives to preserve his amateur status -- exemptions to next years U.S. Open and British Open and a likely invite to the Masters.Im super happy to say that Im going to be an amateur for another however long -- ?eight or nine months, Luck said. Get to play some unbelievable golf tournaments within those months, and I guess get even more experience for when I do turn pro. 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STARKVILLE, Miss. -- South Alabama pulled off the first major upset of the college football season, holding off Mississippi State 21-20 Saturday when Westin Graves 28-yard field goal try smacked off the upright in the final seconds.A four-touchdown underdog, the Jaguars took down an SEC team for the first time in school history.Im part of the South Alabama Jaguars, beaming linebacker Roman Buchanan said, that beat Mississippi State.Down 17-0 at halftime and still trailing 20-7 in the fourth quarter, South Alabama rallied to take the lead on Dallas Davis 4-yard TD pass to Gerald Everett with 57 seconds left.Mississippi State immediately drove down the field and got in position for a field goal. But Graves kick hit the left post and fell harmlessly to the turf at a stunned Davis Wade Stadium.Most of the Mississippi State fans had long gone home on a hot afternoon and all that was left was a screaming contingent of a few hundred South Alabama fans.South Alabama coach Joey Jones said he was proud to give the Sun Belt Conference a high-profile non-conference victory.To win a ballgame like this is a blessing, Jones said.Two days after Appalachian State almost toppled No. 9 Tennessee before losing in overtime, South Alabama kicked off a season that follows a year full of wild endings.Davis -- a sophomore who was making his first career start -- threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns. He said the Jaguars rally in the second half wasnt due to any major changes.ddddddddddddIt was just coming out and playing better, Davis said. Ever since the beginning of camp, coach has preached playing fast and finishing strong. We didnt start as fast as we wanted, but we dang sure finished strong.Damian Williams finished with 143 yards passing and 93 yards rushing, including several impressive plays on the final drive for the Bulldogs.MISSISSIPPI STATES QB SITUATIONMississippi State came into preseason camp with a four-man quarterback race that was whittled to three in mid-August when Elijah Staley transferred. The Bulldogs started Nick Fitzgerald, but after two ineffective drives replaced him with Williams, who gave the offense some spark on the way to a 14-0 lead. Williams, however, wasnt as effective in the second half until the final drive that ended with the missed field goal.THE TAKEAWAYSouth Alabama: Its a massive win for the Jaguars, who lost badly to Mississippi State in both 2012 and 2014. The Jaguars were 0-4 against SEC opponents.UP NEXTSouth Alabama: The Jaguars host Georgia Southern next Saturday in their first Sun Belt game of the season.Mississippi State: The Bulldogs host South Carolina next Saturday in their first SEC game of the season.-----Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP . AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org . ' ' '