MENDOZA, Argentina (AP) — A penalty try with 10 minutes remaining allowed Australia to claim a frustrating 28-28 draw with Argentina in the second rugby test Saturday and to seal a 1-0 series win.
Australia had leads in both halves but Argentina captain Pablo Matera scored two tries to allow his team to draw level at halftime, then to go ahead for the first time in the 64th minute.
Click to Gallery
Australia's Filipo Daugunu, right, runs with the ball during a rugby test match against Argentina in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina's Efrain Elias, center, celebrates a try scored by Ignacio Ruiz during a rugby test match against Australia in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Australia's Harry Wilson is tackled by Argentina's Franco Molina, left, during a rugby test match in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina' head coach Felipe Contepomi stands on the field before a rugby test match between Argentina and Australia in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Australia's Max Jorgensen scores a try during a rugby test match against Argentina in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina held on bravely with only 13 men late in the match to deny the Wallabies their fifth-straight test win and their first series sweep in Argentina, though they claimed their first series win after a 27-21 victory in the first test.
Australia will be frustrated it couldn't exploit its numerical advantage to achieve a winning score but it couldn't prise the ball from the Pumas' forwards at the death.
“It's difficult to come here and do what we did but just talking to a couple of the lads, we let them off the hook a couple of times,” said Australia head coach Les Kiss who remains unbeaten after four matches in charge.
“We were up two tries to nil in that first half and just gave them field position, gave them opportunity and that brought the crowd back in and brought energy back into their game. It was always going to be a dogfight from then on in.”
Australia made a poor start when winger Filipo Daugunu dropped the opening kickoff to give Argentina an early attacking opportunity which it weathered.
Argentina won the aerial game early and was increasingly able to take advantage of quick set piece: from the front or off the top of lineups and the second channel ball from scrums.
Australia looked dangerous when it hung on to possession and opened a 14-0 lead after 28 minutes with tries to returning captain Harry Wilson and winger Max Jorgensen.
Wilson scored in the 20th minute after a scrum penalty and strong carries from Rob Valetini, Len Ikitau and Angus Bell.
The Wallabies forwards went to work from a penalty again in the 28th minute and when they won ruck ball on the goal line, Jorgensen darted in from the right wing to take Ryan Lonergan's pass and score.
Australia saw that 14-0 lead evaporate in the last four minutes before halftime. Matera scored his first try in the 36th minute after calling for a daring scrum from a penalty while both teams had a lock in the sin bin.
Winger Ignacio Mendy leveled the scores with a try right on halftime after a lineout. Argentina went wide first, then Ignacio Moro turned the ball back into Mendy who was in a huge gap.
Australia reclaimed its lead with a try to the industrious Fraser McReight from a tapped penalty in the seventh minute of the second half.
Argentina began to gain the upper hand and Australia found itself more and more on defense. Hooker Iganacio Ruiz scored the level the score at 21-21 after the Pumas again attacked from a tapped penalty.
Matera's second try put Argentina ahead for the first time 16 minutes from full time after the Pumas carried the ball for 23 phases.
Argentina lost center Lucio Cinti to the sin bin for a deliberate knock on in the 69th minute, then a minute later lost fullback Santiago Carreras for the same offense which resulted in the penalty try that allowed Australia to level the game.
See AP’s full rugby coverage here
Australia's Filipo Daugunu, right, runs with the ball during a rugby test match against Argentina in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina's Efrain Elias, center, celebrates a try scored by Ignacio Ruiz during a rugby test match against Australia in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Australia's Harry Wilson is tackled by Argentina's Franco Molina, left, during a rugby test match in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina' head coach Felipe Contepomi stands on the field before a rugby test match between Argentina and Australia in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Australia's Max Jorgensen scores a try during a rugby test match against Argentina in Mendoza, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Week 1 in the AP Top 25 has been heavy on blowouts thanks to a schedule that was light on marquee matchups.
But there’s been one exception.
No. 2 Oregon faced an early 10-point deficit before rallying to beat Boise State 34-27 on Saturday. Dante Moore threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns, including a tiebreaking 62-yard TD to Dakorien Moore with 8:45 left.
The game was reminiscent of their 2024 matchup, when Oregon needed a field goal as time expired to eke out a 37-34 home victory over a Boise State team featuring Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty.
That Broncos team went on to reach the College Football Playoff, and Oregon remained unbeaten until a Rose Bowl quarterfinal loss to eventual national champion Ohio State.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if both teams are back in the playoff this year. Boise State hosts Memphis next Saturday in a matchup of Group of Six playoff contenders.
The Oregon-Boise State game highlighted an otherwise uneventful weekend, with only one matchup between Top 25 teams — No. 9 Mississippi faces No. 24 Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday. The only other Saturday afternoon game involving a Top 25 team that had a margin below 36 points was No. 23 Houston’s 33-20 victory over Oregon State.
No. 6 Indiana’s new faces helped the defending national champions roll to a 52-16 victory over North Texas in their opener.
Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover went 13 of 16 for 231 yards with four touchdowns in his first game stepping in for Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard scored twice and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh got the Hoosiers’ first touchdown with a one-handed grab.
One sign of concern for Indiana is that a defense that allowed the second-fewest points per game of any FBS team last year struggled to slow down North Texas, which had to overhaul its roster after former Mean Green coach Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State.
Morris' first Oklahoma State team features an astounding 91 newcomers, including 21 players from North Texas. That crew included Drew Mestemaker, who threw for a Bowl Subdivision-leading 4,379 yards last season.
All those new faces led to speculation Oklahoma State could make a dramatic improvement from its 2-10 finish last year. But the Cowboys lost 24-10 to Tulsa in Morris' debut, with Mestemaker going 29 of 49 for 241 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown.
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Miami’s Malachi Toney have wasted no time launching their respective Heisman Trophy campaigns.
Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone as No. 1 Ohio State opened its season with a 56-3 blowout of Ball State on Saturday. Smith celebrated his second touchdown by doing a Heisman pose.
One night earlier, Toney performed a similar celebration during his three-touchdown performance in the seventh-ranked Hurricanes’ 45-6 victory at Stanford. Toney set a school single-game record with 234 yards receiving.
Here's a look at how some other potential Heisman contenders fared this weekend.
— Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, went 21 of 25 for 320 yards with three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.
— Miami QB Darian Mensah, who led Duke to an Atlantic Coast Conference title last year, threw five touchdown passes in his first game with his new team.
— Gunner Stockton went 15 of 16 for 202 yards with three touchdowns as No. 3 Georgia trounced Tennessee State 63-3.
— South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers was 19 of 23 for 270 yards with three touchdowns in a 57-0 victory over Kent State.
— Southern California QB Jayden Maiava, the reigning AP national player of the week, went 25 of 29 for 286 yards with two touchdown passes in a 39-0 win over Fresno State on Friday night. Maiava has thrown five touchdown passes and six incompletions through No. 14 USC’s first two games of the season.
— Maybe it’s too soon to put Pitt QB Mason Heintschel on this list, but he set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-game record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a 59-14 rout of Miami (Ohio). He went 31 of 41 for 459 yards.
These freshmen made major impacts in their college debuts.
— Faizon Brandon threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores in No. 20 Tennessee's 56-9 rout of Furman.
— Nebraska's Jamal Rule rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and caught two passes for 47 yards and another score in the Cornhuskers' 49-21 win over Ohio.
— Syracuse's Shavane Anderson Jr. ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns in a 66-3 blowout of New Hampshire.
Saturday night's game featuring Clemson at No. 11 LSU took on a lot more meaning when the NCAA's new eligibility rules blew up in courtrooms all over the country and LSU made no secret of its interest in bringing back not just fifth-year players who went to court but players who had signed professional contracts.
This issue lingered late into the week, including the surreal spectacle of the SEC battling LSU in multiple courtrooms. LSU eventually decided against placing onetime pros Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris on its roster in advance of its season opener.
Sunday's lineup includes an early Apple Cup between No. 17 Washington and Washington State before prime-time showdowns: No. 4 Notre Dame against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the Ole Miss-Louisville matchup. The Labor Day capper sees Mike Norvell and Florida State hosting No. 19 SMU and dynamic quarterback Kevin Jennings.
The next AP Top 25 rankings to sort it all out will be released Tuesday.
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here
Oregon wide receivers Evan Stewart (7) and Dakorien Moore (1) celebrate Moore's touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)
Oregon wide receiver Dakorien Moore (1) celebrates his touchdown run during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Boise State, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)
Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover (10) hands off to running back Turbo Richard (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game against North Texas, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Missouri wide receiver Cayden Lee, left, scores past Arkansas-Pine Bluff defensive back Na'il Johnson (38) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The Colorado team celebrates a win over Georgia Tech after an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
