STARS
-Colt Brennan, Hawaii, completed 42-of-50 passes for 442 yards and five TDs as Warriors defeated Washington 35-28.
-Kevin Smith, Central Florida, ran for 284 yards and four touchdowns, and the Knights beat Tulsa 44-25.
-Sean Glennon, Virginia Tech, threw three touchdown passes, and the sixth-ranked Hokies beat No. 12 Boston College 30-16.
-Ryan Perrilloux, LSU, completed 20 of 30 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown to lead the fifth-ranked Tigers to a 21-14 victory over No. 14 Tennessee.
-LeSean McCoy, Pittsburgh, ran for 148 yards to lead the Panthers to a 13-9 win over No. 2 West Virginia.
-Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, was 18 of 26 for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the Sooners’ 38-17 victory over No. 1 Missouri.
STAYING PERFECT
i overcame a 21-point deficit behind quarterback Colt Brennan, who threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, the last with just 44 seconds left. Brennan completed 42-of-50 passes for 442 yards and five TDs.
ON THE PROWL
Jonathan Zenon scored on an 18-yard interception return with 9:54 left and LSU beat No. 14 Tennessee 21-14 to win the Southeastern Conference championship and a spot in a BCS bowl, most likely the Sugar.
RUNNING TO THE ROSES
John David Booty passed for 206 yards and one touchdown, USC rushed for another 231 yards and the Trojans beat UCLA 24-7 to assure themselves a spot in the Rose Bowl. The Trojans won their final four regular-season games to earn an unprecedented sixth consecutive conference championship. It also gives them their third consecutive Rose Bowl berth and a sixth appearance in a BCS bowl.
NUMBER ONE BITES THE DUST
The No. 9 Sooners rushed for three touchdowns, quarterback Sam Bradford threw for two more and Oklahoma coolly captured its fifth Big 12 title since 2000 by upending upstart Missouri 38-17 in the conference championship game in the Alamodome. The Sooners contained the Tigers’ Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback Chase Daniel and forced one of the nation’s best offenses to settle for short field goals instead of touchdowns. It was the first time this season Missouri was held under 30 points.
BACKYARD BAWL
Pittsburgh beat No. 2 West Virginia 13-9, knocking the Mountaineers out of the national title race. No. 2 had already lost six times this season, five times to unranked teams. The Mountaineers squandered two scoring opportunities in the first quarter, missing short field goals and finished with only 183 yards. West Virginia, a four-touchdown favorite, came in averaging 310 yards rushing and 42 points.
HOKIE HERO
Sean Glennon threw three touchdown passes, outshining Boston College star Matt Ryan and leading No. 6 Virginia Tech to a 30-16 victory over the 12th-ranked Eagles in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Glennon was picked as the game’s MVP after finishing 18-of-27 for 174 yards with the three touchdowns and an interception. Oranges flew on the field as the Hokies (11-2) celebrated their fifth consecutive victory and their first win in two trips to the ACC championship game – one which puts them in a BCS bowl, most likely the Orange.
SMOOTH SAILING
air of ties.
WHAT A RUSHER
Kevin Smith ran for 284 yards and four touchdowns, moving into second place behind Barry Sanders on the NCAA’s single-season rushing list, and Central Florida beat Tulsa 44-25 for the Conference USA championship. Smith, the nation’s leading rusher, entered the game fourth all-time with 2,164 yards – 464 behind Sanders’ 1989 total. Smith has 1,000 yards and 11 TDs in his last four games. Smith now has 2,448 yards this season, 180 yards behind Sanders.
SUPER SOPH
Dan LeFevour ran for 170 yards and threw for 185, helping Central Michigan win their second straight Mid-American Conference championship game 35-10 over Miami. LeFevour ran for two scores and threw for another, giving him 41 touchdowns – 17 rushing, 23 passing and one receiving – this season. LeFevour has 1,008 yards rushing and 3,360 yards passing this season, joining Vince Young (Texas, 2005) as the only members of the 1,000-3,000 club in Football Bowl Subdivision history.
LONG TIME COMING
rmerly known as Division I-A – history.
HAPPY RODGERS
Freshman wide receiver James Rodgers ran 25 yards around end for the go-ahead touchdown, and the Oregon State defense held No. 18 Oregon on fourth down to preserve a 38-31 victory in double overtime. It was the first time a road team had won the rivalry game since 1996. Oregon State has won six of its last seven – the only loss coming at Southern California.
BAD NEWS BEARS
T.C. Ostrander passed for 151 yards and an early touchdown to Mark Bradford, and Stanford snapped its five-game losing streak against Cal with a 20-13 victory, the Golden Bears’ sixth loss in seven games during an incredible collapse by the former No. 2 team. Stanford won for just the sixth time in 29 games, but beat Cal coach Jeff Tedford for the first time in six tries. Cal, which hadn’t even trailed against Stanford since 2003, finished in a tie for seventh place in the Pac-10 standings.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Paul Smith passed for 426 yards, his third 400-yard game this season, in Tulsa’s 44-25 loss to Central Florida. … Matt Ryan was 33-of-52 for 305 yards in Boston College’s 30-16 loss to Virginia Tech.
SPEAKING
“Coach gives me the ball a lot.” – Central Florida’s Kevin Smith after the Knights 44-25 victory over Tulsa. Smith ran for 284 yards and four touchdowns, and moved into second place behind Barry Sanders on the NCAA’s single-season rushing list. Smith has 2,448 yards this season, 180 yards behind Sanders, and averages 188 a game.
“Thirty-eight to three is not much of a rivalry.” – Army coach Stan Brock after the Black Knights’ 35-point loss to Navy. The Midshipmen have won six straight over Army and have outscored the Black Knights by 169 points during their six-game streak.