Evanston, IL - Troy Smith threw four touchdown passes as top-
ranked Ohio State tuned up for next week's monumental showdown against No. 2
Michigan with a 54-10 rout of Northwestern at Ryan Field. The Buckeyes (11-0,
7-0 Big Ten), after last Saturday's seven-point scare at Illinois, had no
such trouble this week and will return home for the annual season-ending
battle against the Wolverines riding an 18-game winning streak. Michigan kept
up its end of the bargain and remained unbeaten with a 34-3 victory at
Indiana on Saturday. The Buckeyes also came up with five turnovers on defense
and the special teams blocked a punt to set up a score. C.J. Bacher threw
for 212 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for Northwestern (3-8,
1-6), which was coming off a 21-7 win at Iowa last week and has now lost seven
of its last eight games.
Final Score: (2) Michigan 34, Indiana 3
Bloomington, IN - Chad Henne passed for 159 yards with two
touchdowns and Mike Hart rushed for another score, as second-ranked Michigan
defeated Indiana 34-3 at Memorial Stadium. The Wolverines (11-0, 7-0 Big Ten)
will travel to Columbus for a showdown with top-ranked Ohio State next
Saturday. The Buckeyes also remained unbeaten with a 54-10 victory over
Northwestern. Henne completed 11-of-15 passes with an interception and Hart
rushed for 92 yards on 19 carries in the win. Steve Breaston also
contributed with three catches for 103 yards and a touchdown and also
returned a punt 83 yards for another score. Jerome Jackson added 65 yards
with a touchdown on eight carries, while the Michigan defense recorded five
sacks in the contest. Indiana (5-6, 3-4), which has lost three of its last
four, will face Purdue next Saturday and needs a win to become bowl
eligible. Quarterback Kellen Lewis finished with 105 yards passing,
completing 16-of-33 passes. James Bailey caught five balls for 32 yards.
Final Score: Kansas State 45, (4) Texas 42
Manhattan, KS - Josh Freeman threw for three touchdowns,
as the Kansas State Wildcats upset fourth-ranked Texas, 45-42, ending
the Longhorns' dream of another title on a night the defending national
champions also lost their starting quarterback. Colt McCoy injured his
shoulder in the first quarter after rushing for a touchdown on the opening
drive, but went a perfect 4-for-4 for 51 yards before departing. McCoy
suffered the injury diving into the end zone and did not return. Freshman
Jevan Snead replaced McCoy, finishing 13-of-30 for 190 yards. He was also
sacked five times. It was the first action of the year for Snead, who
battled for the starter's job prior to the start of the season. The Longhorns
(9-2, 6-1 Big 12) pulled within three points on Chris Ogbonnaya's
one-yard rushing touchdown with 1:36 remaining, but Jordy Nelson recovered
the onside kick for Kansas State. Nelson then followed the play by pulling
down a six-yard pass to move the chains and secure the Wildcats' victory.
Yamon Figurs hauled in six passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas
State. Freeman completed 18-of-30 passes for 263 yards with an interception
for the Wildcats (7-4, 4-3), winners of three straight.
Final Score: Georgia 37, (5) Auburn 15
Auburn, AL - Kregg Lumpkin rushed for 105 yards and a
touchdown and Matthew Stafford threw for 219 yards and a score as Georgia
stunned No. 5 Auburn, 37-15, at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Stafford completed 14-
of-20 passes without an interception, and ran for 83 yards and a touchdown
on seven carries for the Bulldogs (7-4, 4-4 SEC), who had lost four of their
previous five games. Brandon Cox struggled through a terrible afternoon as he
went just 4-of-12 for 35 yards and a touchdown with four interceptions for
the Tigers (9-2, 5-2 SEC), who had a four-game win streak halted and had their
national title hopes dashed.
Final Score: (6) Florida 17, South Carolina 16
Gainesville, FL - Tim Tebow ran for a late touchdown and
Jarvis Moss blocked two kicks in the fourth quarter -- an extra point and a
potential game-winning field goal attempt as time expired -- as sixth-ranked
Florida spoiled Steve Spurrier's homecoming by edging South Carolina, 17-16.
Chris Leak threw for 254 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the
Gators (9-1, 7-1 SEC), who moved to 9-1 for the first time since 2001 and the
11th time in school history. Blake Mitchell completed 24-of-33 passes for
275 yards, while Mike Davis ran for 94 yards and two touchdowns for the
Gamecocks (5-5, 3-5), who had a five-game road winning streak stopped. South
Carolina had one last chance to pull off the upset, moving into Florida
territory with just eight seconds remaining, but Ryan Succop's 48-yard field
goal attempt was blocked by Moss as time ran out.
Final Score: (7) Southern California 35, (21) Oregon 10
Los Angeles, CA - Chauncey Washington rushed for 119 yards
and three touchdowns, as seventh-ranked Southern California kept its national
title hopes alive with a 35-10 rout of No. 21 Oregon. John David Booty
completed 16-of-25 passes for 176 yards with a touchdown and was picked off
once for the Trojans (8-1, 6-1 Pac-10), who won their second straight and set
up a huge meeting with California at home next Saturday. The Golden Bears and
Trojans are tied atop the conference, with USC vying for an unprecedented
fifth consecutive Pac-10 championship. USC also has Notre Dame and UCLA
remaining on its regular season schedule, but the Trojans may have to do it
without running back Emmanuel Moody, who suffered an ankle injury. Steve Smith
caught seven passes for 88 yards for USC, which extended its home winning
streak to 31 games. Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf split the quarterbacking
duties for the Ducks (7-3, 4-3), who had a two-game winning streak broken.
Dixon connected on 15-of-23 passes for 130 yards, while Leaf was 14-of-23 for
104 yards with a TD. Dante Rosario had seven catches for 69 yards.
Final Score: Arizona 24, (8) California 20
Tucson, AZ - Chris Henry scored two rushing touchdowns and
Antoine Cason returned an interception 39 yards for a score, as Arizona came
back from a 14-point halftime deficit to upset eighth-ranked California,
24-20, in a Pac-10 battle at Arizona Stadium. Henry finished with 57 yards on
25 carries while Willie Tuitama threw for 202 yards on 17-of-34 passing for
the Wildcats (5-5, 3-4 Pac-10), who survived when a late California
touchdown was overturned on replay and have won two straight. Nate
Longshore completed 17 of his 36 passes for 250 yards with one touchdown and
three interceptions for the Golden Bears (8-2, 6-1), who had an eight-game
winning streak snapped and saw their chances at an appearance in the BCS title
game slip away. The Pac-10 title is still up for grabs, as California and
Southern California each have one conference loss. The teams will meet
next Saturday in Los Angeles. Marshawn Lynch ran for 102 yards on 16
carries and DeSean Jackson caught six passes for 131 yards and a touchdown in
the loss.
Final Score: (9) Notre Dame 39, Air Force 17
Colorado Springs, CO - Brady Quinn threw for 207 yards and
four touchdowns as ninth-ranked Notre Dame rolled past Air Force, 39-17, at
Falcon Stadium. Darius Walker rushed for 153 yards on 15 carries with a
touchdown, while Jeff Samardzija caught six passes for 106 yards and a score
for the Fighting Irish (9-1), who have won seven in a row after their only
setback of the season. Shaun Carney completed 14-of-17 passes for 205 yards
and two touchdowns for the Falcons (4-5), who have dropped 11 of the last
12 games with Notre Dame dating back to 1985.
Final Score: (10) West Virginia 42, Cincinnati 24
Morgantown, WV - Steve Slaton rushed for 148 yards and a pair
of touchdowns and Pat White added two more scores on the ground, as No. 10
West Virginia rolled to a 42-24 victory over Cincinnati at Mountaineer Field.
The Mountaineers (8-1, 3-1 Big East) pushed their home winning streak to eight
games and rebounded nicely from last week's 44-34 loss at Louisville. West
Virginia, after Louisville's loss to Rutgers on Thursday, is still in
contention for the Big East title. White carried the ball 10 times for 93
yards and also completed 7-of-13 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. Dustin
Grutza threw for 143 yards and a touchdown, but was also intercepted twice
for the Bearcats (5-5, 2-3), who lost for just the second time in six games.
Cincinnati's other loss in that span came against Louisville.
Final Score: (11) Arkansas 31, (13) Tennessee 14
Fayetteville, AR - Darren McFadden rushed for 181 yards with
two touchdowns and threw for another score, and Marcus Monk caught two
touchdown passes as 11th-ranked Arkansas hammered No. 13 Tennessee, 31-14, at
Razorback Stadium. McFadden had 30 rushes and also caught one pass for six
yards, while Monk had eight catches for 137 yards in the win. Quarterback
Casey Dick managed the game well, completing 10-of-15 passes for 154 yards and
a touchdown. Arkansas (9-1, 6-0 SEC), which has won nine straight after
losing the season opener to Southern California, will travel to Starkville
to play Mississippi State next Saturday before LSU visits Fayetteville on
Thanksgiving weekend. The Razorbacks need only one victory in their last two
games to clinch a spot in the SEC title game. Jonathan Crompton was 16-of-34
passing for 174 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Tennessee.
Robert Meachem grabbed four passes for 65 yards and a touchdown, while Bret
Smith had four catches for 62 yards and a score. Montario Hardesty added 52
yards rushing on 12 carries. Tennessee (7-3, 3-3) has lost two straight
games and will play Vanderbilt in Nashville next Saturday.
Final Score: (12) LSU 28, Alabama 14
Baton Rouge, LA - JaMarcus Russell threw three touchdown
passes to lead 12th-ranked LSU to a 28-14 victory over Alabama at Tiger
Stadium. Russell was nearly perfect, completing 18-of-21 passes for 207
yards without an interception. He hit Early Doucet seven times for 101
yards and a score, while Dwayne Bowe and Jacob Hester also caught
touchdown passes in the victory. The Tigers also rushed for 211 yards, led
by 79 from Keiland Williams and 64 from Hester. Russell chipped in with 36
yards on the ground, including one huge third-down scramble. LSU (8-2, 4-2
SEC) has won four straight to keep its slim SEC West title hopes alive. The
Tigers trail Arkansas by two games in the standings and need a win next week
against Ole Miss, coupled with an Arkansas loss against Mississippi State, to
make the Thanksgiving weekend visit to Fayetteville meaningful. John Parker
Wilson threw for 291 yards with two touchdowns for Alabama (6-5, 2-5), which
has lost two straight and three of its last four.
Final Score: (14) Boise State 23, San Jose State 20
San Jose, CA - Anthony Montgomery kicked a 37-yard field goal
with one second remaining in the game to lift 14th-ranked Boise State to a
23-20 come-from-behind victory over San Jose State at Spartan Stadium. The
game-winning drive was set up by a 44-yard punt return by Marty Tadman with
under a minute left in the fourth quarter. The Broncos (10-0, 6-0 WAC)
rallied from an eight-point deficit in the fourth to keep their BCS hopes
alive. Ian Johnson had 149 yards rushing and a touchdown on 29 carries in
the win. Quarterback Jared Zabransky was 14-of-20 passing for 181 yards
with an interception. Drisan James caught four passes for 118 yards for
San Jose State. Adam Tafralis was 17-of-23 passing for 173 yards and three
touchdowns for San Jose State (6-3, 3-2). James Jones pulled in eight passes
for 88 yards and two scores, while John Broussard had four catches for 33
yards and a touchdown.
Final Score: (16) Wisconsin 24, Iowa 21
Iowa City, IA - Tyler Donovan threw for 228 yards and two
touchdowns in his first career start as 16th-ranked Wisconsin edged Iowa,
24-21, in a Big Ten battle at Kinnick Stadium. The junior quarterback was
forced into action because of an injury to veteran John Stocco. Stocco missed
his first start in 36 games with a right shoulder injury suffered during the
fourth quarter of the Badgers' win over Penn State last week. Donovan
completed 17-of-24 passes and also had 61 yards rushing for theBadgers
(10-1, 7-1 Big Ten), who have won seven straight games. P.J. Hill ran for 77
yards and a touchdown, while Travis Beckum and Luke Swan each caught a
touchdown pass for Wisconsin. Drew Tate connected on just 10-of-31 passes
for 170 yards but did have three TD passes for the disappointing Hawkeyes
(6-5, 2-5), who have lost four of their past five games. Damian Sims rushed
for 52 yards while Tony Moeaki, Tom Busch and Trey Stross all caught TD
receptions.
Final Score: (17) Oklahoma 34, Texas Tech 24
Norman, OK - Paul Thompson threw for a career-high 309 yards
and two touchdowns and Chris Brown rushed for 84 yards and two scores as 17th-
ranked Oklahoma scored 24-unanswered points to beat Texas Tech, 34-24 in a Big
12 matchup. Thompson completed 24-of-31 passes with an interception, while
Malcolm Kelly caught 11 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown for the Sooners
(8-2, 5-1 Big 12), who have won five in a row. Graham Harrell completed 26-
of-48 passes for 250 yards with two touchdowns and a pick for the Red
Raiders (6-5, 3-4), who were looking to win back-to-back games for the first
time since September 23 and 30. Sooners wide receiver Manuel Johnson
suffered a scary injury in the fourth quarter after he was leveled by Chris
Parker. Johnson made a catch near the left sideline and Parker tackled the
wideout with a helmet-to-helmet hit. Johnson fell to the ground
unresponsive, dropping the ball as the Red Raiders recovered. The game was
briefly stopped as Johnson was taken off the field on a stretcher. He appeared
to be moving his arms and legs.
Final Score: (18) Wake Forest 30, Florida State 0
Tallahassee, FL - Riley Skinner threw for 138 yards and a
touchdown and Kevin Patterson returned an interception 48 yards for a score as
18th-ranked Wake Forest shut out Florida State, 30-0, in ACC action at Doak
Campbell Stadium. Skinner completed 13 of his 19 passes and Sam Swank kicked
three field goals for the Demon Deacons (9-1, 5-1 ACC), who have won four in a
row. Kenneth Moore accounted for 115 yards of offense, including 80 rushing
yards on 24 carries in the win. Xavier Lee and Drew Weatherford shared the
quarterbacking duties, combining for just 113 yards passing with two
interceptions each for the Seminoles (5-5, 3-5), who were held scoreless for
the first time since 1988, when they lost to Miami, 31-0. Offensively,
Florida State couldn't get anything going and were held to just 139 total
yards, compared to Wake Forest's 307. The last time the Seminoles were shut
out at Doak Campbell Stadium was in 1973, when they fell to Kansas, 28-0.
Final Score: (19) Georgia Tech 7, North Carolina 0
Chapel Hill, NC - Tashard Choice scored the game's only
points on a three-yard run early in the second quarter, and Georgia Tech
received a stifling performance from its defense as the 19th-ranked Yellow
Jackets secured a spot in the ACC Championship Game with a 7-0 victory over
North Carolina at Kenan Stadium. Choice finished with 119 yards on 32 carries
for Georgia Tech (8-2, 6-1 ACC), which wrapped up first place in the Coastal
Division with one conference game still to play. The Yellow Jackets own the
tiebreaker over Virginia Tech, the only two-loss team in the division, by
virtue of a 38-27 win over the Hokies on September 30. The Atlantic Coast
Conference Championship will take place at Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium on
December 2. Georgia Tech overcame a subpar performance from quarterback
Reggie Ball and a quiet day out of superstar receiver Calvin Johnson
with a superlative defensive effort. The Yellow Jackets held North
Carolina (1-9, 0-6) to 211 total yards and had two crucial interceptions
of Tar Heel quarterback Joe Dailey, including one in the Georgia Tech end
zone late in the first half. Ball finished with just 78 yards on 10-of-24
passing and was picked off once, while Johnson wound up with only three
catches for 13 yards. Dailey completed only 13-of-34 throws for 156 yards
in the loss, North Carolina's seventh in a row. Ronnie McGill amassed 73
rushing yards on 20 attempts.
Final Score: (20) Virginia Tech 23, Kent State 0
Blacksburg, VA - Noland Burchette returned a fumble for a
touchdown and the Virginia Tech defense pitched its third shutout of the
season, as the 20th-ranked Hokies posted a 23-0 victory over pesky Kent State
at Lane Stadium. Sean Glennon completed 12-of-22 passes for 141 yards for
Virginia Tech (8-2), which won its fourth consecutive game. Hokies wideout
Josh Morgan led all receivers with four catches for 50 yards. The Golden
Flashes (5-5) held Tech running back Branden Ore to just 72 yards on 25
carries, but Kent State's offense was unable to find daylight against a
dominant performance by the Hokies defense. Michael Machen completed only
6-of-16 attempts for 98 yards with one interception for Kent State,
which has lost three straight. The Golden Flashes managed just 182 total yards
of offense. Kent State running back Eugene Jarvis was unable to get on track,
rushing for 62 yards on 21 attempts. Tom Sitko was the only Golden Flashes
receiver to pull in more than one catch, with two for 29 yards.
Final Score: (22) Boston College 28, Duke 7
Chestnut Hill, MA - L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender both
topped 100 yards rushing to lead the 22nd-ranked Boston College Eagles to a
28-7 win over the Duke Blue Devils. Whitworth rushed 13 times for 118 yards
and one touchdown, and Callender finished with 105 yards on 15 carries, also
with a touchdown. Quarterback Matt Ryan was 23-for-37 for 219 yards,
throwing two touchdown passes with one interception for the Eagles (8-2,
4-2 ACC). Clifford Harris led the Blue Devils rushing attack, with 69
yards on six carries with one touchdown. Thaddeus Lewis completed 20-of-40
pass attempts, and threw two interceptions. Raphael Chestnut caught five
passes for 46 yards for Duke (0-10, 0-6), which remained winless on the
season.
Final Score: (23) Maryland 14, Miami-Florida 13
College Park, MD - Darrius Heyward-Bey caught passes for
175 yards and two touchdowns, while Trey Covington came up with a crucial
interception to help No. 23 Maryland squeeze out a 14-13 win over the heavy-
hearted Miami Hurricanes. Maryland's defense came up huge to wrap up the
victory in the late going. Clinging to a one-point lead with Miami
marching down the field, Covington picked off a deflected Kirby Freeman
pass at the Maryland 32 with 3:08 remaining. Although the Terps could not
run out the clock on that possession, they got another break when Miami's
Bruce Johnson fumbled a punt following an Isaiah Gardner hit, which was
recovered by Maryland's J.J. Justice at the Hurricanes' 15 yard-line with
1:14 to go. This time, they were able to hold onto the ball until time ran
out. Sam Hollenbach completed 11-of-16 passes for 202 yards and two
scores for Maryland (8-2, 5-1 ACC), winners of five consecutive games. Freeman
threw for 140 yards on 14-of-27 passing, one touchdown and one crucial
interception, while Khalil Jones rushed 22 times for 78 yards for Miami
(5-5, 2-4 ACC), which has dropped its last three games.
Final Score: Nebraska 28, (24) Texas A&M 27
College Station, TX - Zac Taylor threw a nine-yard touchdown
pass to Maurice Purify with 21 seconds remaining, as Nebraska upset No. 24
Texas A&M, 28-27, to clinch first place in the Big 12 North Division and earn
a spot in the conference championship game for first time since 1999. The
Cornhuskers (8-3, 5-2 Big 12) blew a 14-point lead in the second quarter and
Texas A&M finally went ahead on a one-yard TD run by Jorvorskie Lane with 7:28
remaining. Taylor finished 21-of-35 passing for 267 yards, with two
touchdowns and one interception for the Cornhuskers, who were coming off a
34-20 win against Missouri last Saturday. Peterson led the receiving corps,
hauling in seven passes for 82 yards and one score, while Cody Glenn ran for a
pair of touchdowns. McGee threw for 244 yards on 18-of-31 passing for the
Aggies (8-3, 4-3), were failed to rebound from a tough a 17-16 loss to
Oklahoma last weekend. McGee also added 58 yards on the ground and rushed for
one score. Mike Goodson finished with 80 yards rushing on 11 carries and one
touchdown, while Lane, who wasn't a factor until late, also had a score,
ending with just 13 yards rushing on six carries.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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