Tyler O'Connor threw for 190 yards and three TDs, and No. 12 Michigan State held off upset-minded Furman, 28-13, on Friday night in East Lansing, Mich.

O'Connor went 13 of 18 with an interception, a generally efficient performance in his second career start. The fifth-year senior is taking over as Michigan State’s No. 1 quarterback after spending the past three seasons backing up Connor Cook.

Michigan State was merely serviceable on offense for most of the night, and that was good enough against Furman. LJ Scott ran for 105 yards and a TD, but the Spartans let the Paladins hang around for a while in the opener for both teams.

Down 21-13, Furman took over at the Michigan State 44 with 11:49 remaining after O'Connor’s pass was intercepted. But P.J. Blazejowski’s pass was picked off on the very next play — linebacker Andrew Dowell made a diving, one-handed grab.

O'Connor threw a 12-yard TD pass to Jamal Lyles with 4:55 remaining to make it 28-13. The Spartans have won 18 home openers in a row.

Baylor rolls in opener

Seth Russell threw four touchdown passes in less than a half and No. 23 Baylor beat FCS team Northwestern State, 55-7, in Waco, Texas.

Russell was the top-rated FBS passer when he suffered a season-ending neck injury in the seventh game last season. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 163 yards.

The Bears led 41-0 when he threw his last pass, a 10-yard TD pass to Pooh Stricklin with 5 minutes left in the first half.

Big 12 narrows field

A person with direct knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press the Big 12 has narrowed the field of candidates for possible expansion to 11 schools, with Memphis and Temple among the latest to be cut from consideration.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Big 12 will not be making public any of its dealings with schools interested in joining the 10-team conference.

Big 12 officials plan to hold meetings in the Dallas area next week with BYU, Air Force, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Colorado State, Houston, Rice, SMU, South Florida, and Tulane.

Wofford player OK

Wofford junior linebacker Michael Roach, who collapsed on the sidelines on Thursday night during a game at Tennessee Tech, remains at Cookeville (Tenn.) Regional Medical Center after undergoing several tests. Roach fell to the ground on the sidelines in the third quarter before being taken out of the stadium. Wofford said he is expected to be released soon . . . Western Kentucky junior defensive lineman Trae Jones remains hospitalized in Bowling Green, Ky., after his left shoulder was wounded by a stray bullet outside a nightclub on Friday morning. A statement from WKU says that Jones sustained a non-life threatening injury in the shooting . . . USC has sent linebacker Don Hill home from Dallas, where the No. 20 Trojans are set to open the season against No. 1 Alabama. The team on Friday would say only that Hill had violated team rules, but a search warrant and affidavit from Los Angeles County Superior Court obtained by ESPN, TMZ and the Los Angeles Times say he is under investigation for sexual assault . . . Penn State’s student-run newspaper is objecting to the university’s plans to honor the 50th anniversary of former head coach Joe Paterno’s first game later this month. The Daily Collegian’s editorial Friday says Penn State ‘‘needs a reality check.’’ The editorial says undergraduates know Paterno only through the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, court fights, or alumni who ‘‘can’t accept’’ that their time at the university is past. It also says Paterno is no longer a community hero, and questions whether he deserves to be commemorated.