College Football Capsules: Dixon's 4-yard TD gives UConn 33-30 win over ND
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After a string of stinging losses, the Connecticut Huskies finally won one for their slain teammate.
Coach Randy Edsall called the Huskies' double-overtime victory against Notre Dame the program's "best win."
On the other side, Charlie Weis was left to try to explain another jarring loss on senior day and wonder if it will be his last game at Notre Dame stadium as Fighting Irish coach.
Andre Dixon scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the second overtime to give the Huskies a 33-30 victory, their first since cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death last month.
"Jazz this is for you," Edsall said, referring to Howard by his nickname. "Best win we have ever had."
Edsall said beating the Irish (6-5) was big, but getting the first win after the death of Howard was much bigger.
"You've got to understand what this team has gone through," he said. "A couple of close games, and then you lose a teammate, you lose a brother, you lose a son, and you're trying so hard to honor him by winning on the field. We hadn't done that."
Edsall said the Huskies will send the game ball to Howard's mother, Joanglia, stepfather, Henry Williams, and the rest of his family in Miami. The Huskies (5-5) had lost three straight painfully close games since Howard was killed.
"We ended up just making the tough plays at the end that we hadn't been able to make in some of earlier games," Edsall said.
The loss was the third straight for Notre Dame (6-5) and will add to the mounting calls for Weis to be fired. Weis declined to talk about that after the game, saying it wasn't the time.
"Today's not the day for me to reflect on things like that. I mean today's the day for me to be worrying about those guys, those 33 guys," he said, referring to seniors on the roster. "I really feel absolutely miserable for those 33 guys. ... I'll worry about me tomorrow. But I think today I should be worrying about them."
Notre Dame was upset last season by Syracuse in the final home game of a 7-6 season.
"It just hurt," linebacker Brian Smith said. "A lot of seniors lost their last game at Notre Dame Stadium. It's supposed to be a memorable day for them and now it's not for the right reason."
Senior tackle Sam Young, who made his school record 49th straight start, walked out to midfield dressed in a suit after the game and stood there by himself for a while.
The Irish led 14-0 early in the second quarter but didn't score another touchdown until the first overtime, a change from recent losses when they fell behind and rallies fell short.
Edsall said the win wasn't an upset.
"We knew we could come out here and win if we just went and executed and did the things that our God-given ability would allow us to do," he said.
Jordan Todman ran for 130 yards on 26 carries, including a 43-yard TD run for UConn. He also added a 96-yard kickoff return for a TD. Dixon rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries.
"Since everything happened to Jazz, we haven't won one for him. This was our chance to get that one for Jazz," Dixon said.
This loss was Notre Dame's fifth loss by a touchdown or less this season.
Jimmy Clausen was 30 of 45 passing for 329 yards for Notre Dame. Golden Tate had nine catches for 123 yards and Michael Floyd had eight catches for 104 yards. Tate set school records for catches in a season (83) and season yardage (1,295) with a 39-yard catch in the first quarter that helped set up Notre Dame's first score.
While it was Dixon who scored the game-winner, Todman did the most damage. He cut the lead to 14-7 when he made four Irish defenders miss on a long touchdown run in the second quarter. Then when the Irish moved ahead 17-10, he tied it seconds later when he returned the kickoff for a touchdown, racing up the middle, cutting left and going untouched into the end zone.
The Huskies took their first lead when former Notre Dame quarterback Zach Frazer threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kashif Moore to make it 27-20. But the Irish tied the game when Clausen threw a fade to Floyd for a 4-yard TD.
Frazer, who transferred to UConn after finishing fourth in a four-man competition to replace Brady Quinn in the spring of 2007, was 12 of 25 passing for 141 yards and an interception. Frazer said the win was big for him.
"It means a lot to me and it means a lot to this university," he said. "We won this one for Jazz."
The loss drops Weis' career record to 35-26, a .573 winning percentage. That's worse than the .583 winning percentage of his two predecessors, Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie.
The Irish, who usually run out of the tunnel at Notre Dame Stadium, walked out with linked arms led by the team captains and Weis, a show of support by the players.
"It was just us being behind coach Weis 110 percent" Clausen said. "He's leading the program and we just wanted to show our support."
Harvard comes back for 14-10 win over Yale
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Yale's first-year coach Tom Williams says he's ready to take responsibility for the Bulldogs' eighth loss in the last nine games to rival Harvard.
Yale was ahead 10-7 Saturday with just 2:25 left when it failed to convert a fake punt on fourth-and-22 from its 26, and wound up losing 14-10.
"The whole idea was to keep our foot on the pedal, and not play scared," said Williams in trying to explain the call. "If anyone is looking for somebody to blame, blame this guy right here."
The Crimson (7-3, 6-1 Ivy) got the ball when Yale safety John Powers was dragged down at his 40. Three plays later, Collier Winters hit Chris Lorditch down the left seam for a 32-yard winning score for Harvard.
What made the call even stranger was that Yale punter Tom Mante was leading the Ivy league and averaging over 51 yards per kick on the day.
A week after New England Patriots' Bill Belichick's fourth-down gamble late in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts led to a wave of criticism crashing onto the Super Bowl-winning coach, Williams' gamble made that seem conservative.
Williams expects to take the same type of criticism that Belichick has endured since deciding not to punt from his 28 on fourth-and-2 with a six-point lead and just over 2 minutes remaining against the Colts.
"With the time on the clock and the fact that they had used their last time out, we felt that if we had executed that play and got the necessary yardage, that the game was over," Williams said. "The other factor that was involved is that they seemed like they had gotten some momentum offensively."
The last time Harvard had won eight of nine from Yale was back in 1922.
Harvard (7-3, 6-1 Ivy) didn't get on the board until there was just under 7 minutes left in the game. Winters hit Matt Luft with a 41-yard touchdown pass over the middle, two plays after Gino Gordon converted that fourth-and-4 by spinning out of a tackle and racing down the left sideline for 19 yards. He finished with 86 yards on 13 carries.
"I just told the offense to keep pushing the ball, eventually we would get across the goal line," said Winters. "My receivers did a great job catching the ball and making plays. We knew we<d eventually get some points on the board."
Lorditch finished with five catches and 104 yards.
Alex Thomas had 124 yards on 26 carries for Yale (4-6, 2-5). Patrick Witt threw for 170 yards.
Yale jumped out to an early lead, marching 61 yards on the opening drive to a 26-yard field goal by Alex Barnes. They went up 10-0 on a 3-yard run by Rodney Reynolds, his first career touchdown. That capped a 59-yard drive set up when cornerback Adam Money recovered a fumble by Winters.
Harvard had several missed scoring opportunities, failing three times on fourth down, including a faked 30-yard field goal that ended when kicker Patrick Long's pass was broken up by Larry Abare. Abare was playing with a cast on his right arm, which he broke Oct. 17 against Lehigh.
Harvard ate up over 7½ minutes of the third quarter on a 14-play drive that was stopped by a Yale goal-line stand.
"In the end, it's all about not giving up," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. "That's the kind of kids we have. That's what happened out there today."
Yale's Tom Mante, who hit a 56-yard field goal against Cornell earlier in the year, missed a 63-yard try as time expired in the first half. It had the distance, but was wide left. Yale also missed a 27-yard attempt, when Barnes was wide right in the fourth quarter.
-- Pat Eaton-Robb
UCLA beats Arizona State 23-13 for 6th victory
PASADENA, Calif. — UCLA did its part to salvage a rocky season, beating Arizona State 23-13 Saturday and earning a sixth win to become bowl eligible for the 11th time in 13 seasons.
Still, there's no guarantee the Bruins will be going anywhere.
UCLA must still finish among the top six teams in the Pac-10 to get a guaranteed bowl berth, but the Bruins at least gave themselves a chance Saturday behind a defense that accounted for two touchdowns and set up a field goal.
"At the outset of the season, I said we wanted to get ourselves to a bowl and that would keep the momentum of our program going," second-year coach Rick Neuheisel said. "The number six was magic in that regard."
UCLA (6-5, 3-5 Pac-10), whose last postseason appearance was a loss in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl, has won three straight and will visit crosstown rival Southern California next weekend in a bid to solidify its selection to a lower-tier bowl.
When the Bruins' defense wasn't scoring against ASU, it forced six turnovers. The result was the opposite of last year's game in Tempe, where the Sun Devils won 34-9 on four defensive touchdowns.
"For two years this has been a knockdown, drag-out defensive war," Neuheisel said. "Last year they got the better end with the turnovers, but it was our day to make some offensive miscues turn into scores for us."
The Bruins staggered through October with an 0-5 record; they're 3-0 this month.
"We knew we had to find a way to step up these last couple of games," said cornerback Alterraun Verner, who had a 68-yard interception return for a touchdown. "You can see in practice the enthusiasm and work ethic, especially us seniors, knowing it's our last go-around that we had to turn it around and make a difference."
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince was 15 of 31 for 161 yards with no interceptions and no TDs for the Bruins. He was briefly replaced by Kevin Craft after being shaken up early in the fourth, but he soon returned.
Chane Moline had 84 yards rushing on 25 carries for UCLA, and Nelson Rosario had six catches for 81 yards.
ASU's hopes of being extended a bowl invitation were dashed with its fifth consecutive loss. The Sun Devils (4-7, 2-6) have averaged 15 points during the skid. They finished 1-4 on the road, only beating Pac-10 doormat Washington State.
"It's disheartening and not any fun," coach Dennis Erickson said. "I'm not used to losing. It's hard to believe where we are at this point in the season."
The Sun Devils, who boasted the Pac-10's top defense, have only next week's rivalry game with Arizona remaining.
"We looked forward to coming here and getting a win and trying to become bowl eligible, but we did not take care of business," ASU receiver Kyle Williams said. "You cannot make turnovers and win football games. Now all we're playing for is pride."
Williams had six catches for 128 yards and two TDs, including a 70-yarder in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Samson Szakacsy, the Sun Devils' third quarterback of the season, was 15 of 22 with one interception and two touchdowns while getting sacked four times in his first career start.
"I take full responsibility for what I did wrong," Szakacsy said. "I did not make plays and there are no excuses. I wasn't nervous, but I was anxious. First start or whatever, I just have to make more plays and make less mistakes."
Dimitri Nance was ASU's leading rusher with 21 carries for 110 yards.
Williams' second TD reception pulled Arizona State to 23-13 with 11:47 remaining in the game. The 2-point conversion failed when Jovon Williams dropped Szakacsy's pass on the goal line. Thomas Weber also missed a 43-yard field goal wide left in the third.
The Bruins outscored ASU 13-0 in the second quarter and overcame 11 penalties for 100 yards in their home finale at the Rose Bowl in front of 46,151. Kai Forbath kicked two of his three field goals in the second.
Szakacsy was sacked by Brian Price for an 11-yard loss, causing a fumble that was recovered by Akeem Ayers at the ASU 9-yard line. Ayers reached across the goal line with the ball as he fell, extending UCLA's lead to 16-7.
"It was a good play by him stripping the ball," Ayers said. "It was just pursuit of the ball, scoop and score, the same thing we do in practice."
On Arizona State's ensuing kickoff, Sean Westgate recovered a fumble by Jamal Miles at the ASU 18. UCLA capped its possession with Forbath's 20-yard field goal for a 20-7 halftime lead.
Forbath hit a 22-yard field goal earlier in the second quarter to give UCLA a 10-7 lead.
The Sun Devils tied the game at 7 on Szakacsy's 35-yard TD pass to Williams with 51 seconds remaining in the first. Szakacsy lofted the pass under pressure to Williams, who dove into the end zone.
UCLA scored first on Verner's interception return at 11:47 of the opening quarter. It was his school-record fourth career interception return for a TD.
"We always take it as a challenge every week to make plays, create turnovers," Verner said. "So these last couple of weeks, we've been seeing that's what we should've been doing this whole year. But it's better late than never."
-- Beth Harris
Tennessee beats in-state rival Vanderbilt 31-16
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin has had to reach so far down his depth chart because of injuries that even he wasn't sure who was on the field.
The Volunteers beat in-state rival Vanderbilt 31-16 on Saturday night playing with a third-string middle linebacker, a walk-on outside linebacker and walk-on placekicker Devin Mathis.
"That's the kicker, right?" Kiffin quipped when asked about Mathis.
After missing the postseason last year, the battered Volunteers (6-5, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) became bowl eligible with the victory. Tennessee hasn't missed out on a bowl game in consecutive seasons since 1977-78.
The Commodores (2-10, 0-8) finished without a conference win for the first time since 2002.
Tennessee entered halftime with the momentum, but Vanderbilt had plenty of chances to take advantage of a Vols defense fielding inexperience players and guys like senior linebacker Rico McCoy, determined to play despite having an injured knee.
"We just couldn't take advantage of some opportunities," Vandy coach Bobby Johnson said. "It's a tough way to end the season."
The Commodores had a chance to tie the game before halftime but stalled on fourth-and-2 at the Tennessee 38 with 51 seconds left. Instead, Tennessee drove for a quick touchdown to go up 24-10.
Vandy's Steven Stone was called for a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty, and Jonathan Crompton was perfect on four pass attempts. His 16-yard TD pass to Luke Stocker capped the 30-second drive.
"That was a big momentum shift," Vanderbilt linebacker Chris Marve said. "That just put us down even further, so we had to come out for the second half with an ever larger deficit."
Crompton finished 20 for 34 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Montario Hardesty ran for a career-high 171 yards and a touchdown.
The Vols struggled to move the ball in the second half, and Vanderbilt had a shot to pull within four points with about 6 minutes left.
On third-and-goal at the 3, MacKenzi Adams attempted a pass for John Cole in the end zone. The ball bounced off Cole and into the hands of Tennessee's Dennis Rogan, but a pass interference call on Rogan kept the Commodores' drive alive.
With a fresh set of downs, Vanderbilt couldn't move the ball, and Adams took a sack for a loss of 9 yards. Ryan Fowler kicked a 32-yard field goal to make the score 24-16 with 2:54 left, and the Commodores couldn't pull any closer.
Adams was 19 of 35 for 174 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Vandy's Warren Norman had 73 yards rushing and 61 yards on kickoff returns. Norman's 1,923 all-purpose yards broke Herschel Walker's SEC freshman record of 1,805. He also became the Commodores' single-season leader for all-purpose yards.
"It doesn't mean too much to me because I'm not about breaking records," Norman said. "It's an honor though, just being mentioned with Herschel Walker. That's pretty cool."
Crompton's third-quarter interception ended a streak of 142 straight pass attempts without one, one shy of Casey Clausen's school record of 143.
After struggling to find consistency on field goals with an injured Daniel Lincoln and punter Chad Cunningham, Tennessee called on Mathis for the first time this week. Mathis hit a 25-yard field goal and connected on three extra point attempts.
Mathis was a walk-on last season and nearly earned a starting job as Lincoln struggled. He spent the spring semester studying in Mexico and did not participate in the Vols' fall camp.
Tennessee finished its senior day in style when senior defensive tackle Wes Brown, who's played with injured knees for the past two seasons, intercepted Adams' pass and ran 25 yards for a touchdown with 3 seconds left, carrying Norman on his back for the last 5. His teammates piled on top of him in the end zone.
"Everybody was saying, 'That might have been the ugliest thing I've ever seen,' Brown said. "I felt (Norman) hopping on my back, but I didn't want to be denied. I wanted to score, and I couldn't ask for a better ending."
-- Beth Rucker
Arkansas beats Mississippi State 42-21
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — With its top running back out for the season, Arkansas relied on Ryan Mallett's arm against Mississippi State.
As usual, the sophomore was up to the challenge.
Mallett threw for 313 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Razorbacks to a 42-21 victory on Saturday, hours after the team announced running back Michael Smith would miss the rest of the year with a hamstring injury. Mallett's second pass of the game was intercepted, but Arkansas took the lead in the second quarter and didn't relinquish it.
"They were committed to stopping the run," Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. "Part of me wishes I could've thrown it every down, but that's hard to do."
Mallett's final touchdown pass was his 28th of the season, a school record. Clint Stoerner held the old mark of 26.
Anthony Dixon rushed for 176 yards for Mississippi State, which was eliminated from bowl contention.
The Bulldogs (4-7, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) ran all over the Razorbacks (7-4, 3-4) in the third quarter, cutting the Arkansas lead to 28-21 after Dixon's 70-yard scoring run. Mississippi State had the ball near midfield toward the end of the period, but Dixon fumbled and Elton Ford recovered for the Razorbacks.
"I think we started to run the ball downhill a little more in the second half," Dixon said. "I took the handoff and before I could turn right, the Arkansas defender was under me, knocking the ball loose."
Mallett threw an 11-yard touchdown pass — off his back foot while scrambling from pressure — to Greg Childs to make it 35-21 early in the fourth. He finished 18 of 34 with two interceptions.
"I thought the offense and defense did a good job of looking out for one another. When one wasn't getting the job done, the other stepped up and made some big plays. We played well as a team," Mallett said. "You're going to throw picks every now and then. You just have to bounce back."
Smith rushed for 1,000 yards last season, but he fought injuries throughout 2009. His absence should mean more opportunities for Broderick Green, Dennis Johnson and Ronnie Wingo Jr. in the backfield.
"With Mike out, that's a key part of the running game," wide receiver Joe Adams said. "We've got other backs that have got to step up."
On Saturday, the other running backs struggled a bit, as the Razorbacks were outrushed 327-83. That didn't matter by the time Mallett was done. He's the only Arkansas player to throw for five touchdowns in a game, and this was the third time he'd done it this year.
Mallett, who normally downplays his stats, acknowledged he realized he'd tied that record.
"That's the only one of the year I'll tell you that I knew about," he said.
Arkansas began the game on a sour note when Mallett was intercepted on his second pass. Mississippi State mishandled its first snap, but wide receiver Chad Bumphis picked up the ball in the backfield and ran all the way to the Arkansas 3 for a 49-yard gain. Arnil Stallworth's 1-yard touchdown run made it 7-0.
The Razorbacks answered with Mallett's 39-yard touchdown pass to Adams, then took the lead on his 58-yard scoring toss to Cobi Hamilton in the second quarter.
Mallett's 5-yard touchdown pass to Jarius Wright gave the Razorbacks a 21-7 halftime lead.
Dixon's 4-yard scoring run pulled Mississippi State to within seven early in the second half, but Mallett answered with a 64-yard strike to Hamilton. The third-and-long play started as a simple screen, but Hamilton eluded two tacklers and outran the defense for a touchdown and a 28-14 advantage.
"Five touchdown passes is a heck of a day," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. "Our secondary didn't make plays that were there to be made."
Mississippi State had no passing game to speak of. Tyson Lee and Chris Relf combined to throw for 49 yards and were sacked four times.
Green ran 2 yards for the game's final touchdown with 2:35 remaining.
-- Noah Trister
Kentucky rallies to beat Georgia 34-27
ATHENS, Ga. — Kentucky needed help for its first win at Georgia in 32 years.
Georgia, which has been helping opposing teams all season, came through again.
Kentucky scored 14 points off Georgia's four second-half turnovers and the Wildcats rallied to beat the Bulldogs 34-27 on Saturday night for their first win in Athens since 1977.
Georgia had a 487-260 advantage in total yards but was doomed by its minus-4 turnover margin.
"We're not getting style points," said Kentucky coach Rich Brooks. "It's not always pretty and this one wasn't pretty, but it looked like Bo Derek running down the beach to me late in the fourth quarter."
Kentucky's Randall Cobb had scoring runs following Georgia turnovers at the Bulldogs' 14- and 8-yard lines.
"It was huge," Cobb said. "I think this was a win to take us to the next level and give us some national credibility and earn us some respect."
Joe Cox threw three touchdown passes, but had a screen pass intercepted by Kentucky defensive tackle Shane McCord to set up Cobb's go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run with 9:55 remaining.
"We did things in the second half that you can't do," Cox said.
Kentucky (7-4, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) rallied from a 20-6 halftime deficit for its third straight conference road win.
Washaun Ealey's fumble on a pitch from Cox at the Kentucky 1 stopped the Bulldogs from tying the game with 2:21 remaining. Linebacker Danny Trevathan recovered the fumble for Kentucky.
"It looked like (Ealey) was too close to the quarterback when it happened," said Georgia coach Mark Richt.
Georgia (6-5, 4-4) had one more chance, but Cox was picked off by Sam Maxwell with 1:52 left.
"There's no doubt, turnovers did us in," Richt said. "No question. Kentucky is a fine football team and they played hard too, but we certainly didn't help ourselves and we helped them."
Georgia has a minus-18 turnover margin this season. Opponents have scored 102 points off the Bulldogs' 26 turnovers.
"It was the same thing that hurt us all season, the turnovers," said Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran. "We talked about wanting to win the turnover ratio and we did the opposite."
Kentucky had no turnovers.
Freshman quarterback Morgan Newton was 9-for-17 passing for 137 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
"You've got to respect the ball and we didn't do that," Richt said. "There were just too many balls on the ground and too many balls that were thrown to the other team."
The Bulldogs heard boos as they struggled to contain Cobb and Derrick Locke, the speedy running back who had touchdown catches of 20 and 60 yards.
Locke had 16 carries for 80 yards and two catches for 80 yards with the two touchdowns.
Georgia students and other fans wore black in tribute to the Bulldogs' late mascot, Uga VII.
Uga VII was buried at Sanford Stadium in a private ceremony on Saturday morning. The white English bulldog died Thursday of heart-related causes before he could complete only his second season as Georgia's mascot.
A large wreath was placed on Uga VII's doghouse, and he was remembered with a moment of silence before the game.
Cox threw scoring passes of 21 and 43 yards to freshman Rantavious Wooten, who started for A.J. Green, the SEC's leading receiver who was held out with a shoulder injury.
Georgia held a dominant 286-63 advantage in total yards in the first half, but lost its momentum when Branden Smith fumbled the kickoff to open the second half. The lost fumble at the Georgia 14-yard line set up Cobb's 11-yard touchdown run.
"The fumble on the kickoff was huge," Brooks said. "It got us more inspired and got us back in the game."
After Wooten's second touchdown catch, Kentucky answered with Newton's 21-yard scoring pass to La'Rod King to cut the lead to 27-20. Kentucky tied the game when Locke turned a short screen pass into a 60-yard touchdown play early in the fourth quarter.
Cobb was considered questionable for the game with a bruised shoulder. His 21-yard punt return set up Newton's 20-yard touchdown pass to Locke in the first quarter.
Georgia stopped Cobb's run for the 2-point conversion, and the Wildcats were shut down the rest of the half as the Bulldogs put consistent pressure on Newton.
Cobb had nine carries for 40 yards and one catch for 19 yards.
Georgia's first drive ended with a punt. The Bulldogs' next four drives in the first half led to scores — 21- and 45-yard field goals by Blair Walsh and two touchdown passes by Cox.
-- Charles Odum
Florida State defeats Maryland 29-26 on late score
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Greg Reid has made several big plays for Florida State this season, but none more important than Saturday.
The Seminoles (6-5, 4-4 ACC) were only a couple minutes away from a devastating loss to Maryland when the freshman darted 48 yards with a punt return. That set up Lonnie Pryor's 3-yard run with 32 seconds left that gave Florida State the win it needed to become bowl eligible for the 28th straight year.
"I told (quarterback) EJ (Manuel) before I would set him up for good field position and all you've got to do is finish the game," Reid said. "Everything worked out."
Reid was lucky to get his hands on the ball — Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen wanted the kick to sail out of bounds.
"The kid is a heckuva returner," Friedgen said. "Regardless, we have to go down there and cover."
Pryor's go-ahead score was his second touchdown of the game.
"I never thought as a freshman I would get a winning touchdown," said Pryor, who also scored on a 50-yard run on a pitch from Manuel in the second quarter. "I ran scared pretty much."
Maryland (2-9, 1-6) suffered its sixth straight loss.
"You can't let people get away," Friedgen said. "All we had to do was take care of business."
Maryland's Davin Meggett scored his second touchdown on a 9-yard run with 4:29 remaining that gave the Terrapins a 26-22 lead.
"We had a chance to finish the game," Maryland linebacker Alex Wujciak said.
Maryland's defense intercepted Manuel three times, the last one by Cameron Chism with 2:57 left that seemed to shut the door on the Seminoles.
But the Terrapins were unable to run out the clock and Reid, the ACC's leading punt returner, gave the Seminoles some momentum with his return to set up the winning drive.
"We've got to make two first downs in that situation," Friedgen said. "We couldn't do it."
Reid returned three punts for 88 yards and now has 350 yards on 19 returns going into next week's game at top-ranked Florida.
Manuel, who was making his first start at home since taking over for the injured Christian Ponder, completed 17-of-27 passes for 206 yards. He ran for 49, including gains of 15 and 20 yards on the final drive.
Maryland took its first lead at 19-14 on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jamarr Robinson to Adrian Cannon early in the fourth quarter, but Florida State regained the lead when Bert Reed scored on a 42-yard end around.
The game turned around dramatically just before halftime when Wujciak rambled 82 yards with Manuel's interception to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Meggett as the Terrapins pulled within 14-13 seconds before the break.
Wujciak stepped in front of Florida State's Beau Reliford at the Maryland 11 and ended up at the Florida State 7.
Robinson, a sophomore making his second start, completed 20 of 27 passes for 214 yards and was not intercepted.
"He was poised, he made very good decisions," Friedgen said. "I was very impressed."
Florida State finished its home season with a 3-3 record and for the second straight game there were thousands of empty seats despite pregame activities honoring departing senior players and longtime defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews.
The 68-year-old Andrews was given a new garnet Ford crew cab pickup from his former players. He is retiring at the end of the season after 26 years at Florida State.
There was also a moment of silence in the pressbox before kickoff in memory of veteran Tallahassee Democrat sports writer Steve Ellis, who died Thursday at age 54 nine days after suffering a heart attack. Ellis had covered the Seminoles since 1990 for the newspaper.
-- Brent Kallestad
Carolina D leads Heels to 31-13 win over BC
BOSTON — Deunta Williams grabbed his third interception of the game and headed for the end zone, weaving 39 yards through the Boston College offense to the 6 inch-line.
North Carolina already had two defensive touchdowns in the game, and Williams wanted to celebrate his 21st birthday with a third.
"It was crazy at first. It was like a dream out there," Williams said after the Tar Heels forced six turnovers to beat Boston College 31-13. "When we were up 21-0, everybody on defense was trying to get greedy; everybody was trying to get a turnover. We were just all out there trying to get turnovers and make plays."
Boston College had an outside shot at winning the ACC Atlantic Division title, but that disappeared with a flurry of first-quarter turnovers by quarterback Dave Shinskie that helped spot the Tar Heels (8-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) to a 21-0 lead.
E.J. Wilson hit Shinskie to force a fumble, and lineman Cam Thomas picked it up and ran 20 yards for a touchdown. Two plays later, Shinskie threw an interception that Burney returned for 30 yards as Carolina scored three times in a span of 2 minutes, 19 seconds to open a 21-point lead.
The Tar Heels (7-4, 4-3) held on to win their fourth consecutive game after opening the conference season 0-3.
"We're peaking right now," Wilson said. "And it's the right time to peak."
Shinskie had four interceptions in all; he also fumbled twice more when BC recovered, and another interception was negated by a pass interference call. Mike Marscovetra relieved him late in the fourth quarter and his first pass was picked off by Melvin Williams.
T.J. Yates threw three interceptions of his own, including one in the end zone when Roderick Rollins, who had been called for a late hit that moved the Tar Heels in position to score, outjumped the receiver and kept BC in the game.
Three plays later, Deunta Williams grabbed his third interception of the game and was stopped just short of the goal line. Ryan Houston ran it in from there for his second touchdown of the game to make it 28-13.
Montel Harris ran 23 times for 132 yards for BC, becoming the 16th back in school history to reach the 2,000 yard plateau. Rich Gunnell caught six passes for 60 yards and the Eagles' only touchdown and left-footed walk-on Steve Aponavicius, playing his last home game in the stadium where he was discovered, made two field goals to remain perfect for the season.
The Eagles would have needed to win their last two games and hope Clemson lost to Virginia, which is in last place in the ACC Coastal. But with bowl scouts in the press box and Boston College looking for just its second perfect home season since 1985, the Eagles couldn't hold onto the ball.
"It would be a shame if Virginia beats Clemson today. But it's something that's out of our hands now," BC linebacker Mike McLaughlin said. "But if we could get eight wins, that's a heck of a season. We could go to a nice bowl game."
Houston ran for 1 yard to make it 7-0, and the Eagles ran just two plays before Shinskie fumbled when was hit from behind by E.J. Wilson. Thomas, a defensive tackle, picked the bouncing ball up and rumbled the last 20 yards, fighting off Harris near the goal line and scoring his first career touchdown to make it 14-0.
After BC got the ball back, Shinskie ran just one play before Burney cut in front of the receiver and took the interception 30 yards for another TD. It was his third career interception return for a touchdown, a school record.
It was 21-0 before BC finally got a first down with 5 minutes left in the first quarter. But the Eagles trailed just 21-13 at the half, converting three Carolina turnovers into a pair of field goals and then a 2-yard pass to Gunnell with 1:13 left in the second quarter.
-- Jimmy Golen
Daniels paces USF's 34-22 win over Louisville
TAMPA, Fla. — B.J. Daniels was so intent of helping South Florida pull out of its latest midseason tailspin that he was oblivious to the impressive numbers he was putting up on Louisville.
The red-shirt freshman rebounded from the worst game of his young career, throwing for 304 yards and running for 141 more to lead the Bulls to a 34-22 victory over the struggling Cardinals on Saturday.
"It's very important to end the season on a good note, to finish out these couple of games with a win and definitely go to a good bowl," Daniels said.
Shut down in a 31-0 loss to Rutgers last week, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder who also plays on USF's basketball team threw for one touchdown and ran for two others while leading four scoring drives of at least 75 yards.
With a combined 445 yards, Daniels finished 12 shy of the school record held by Big East career total offense leader Matt Grothe.
"That's news to me," said Daniels, who's 4-3 since becoming the starter when Grothe suffered a season-ending knee injury. "I'm not really concerned about records. As long as we get a win, it doesn't matter."
USF (7-3, 3-3) was limited to 159 yards against Rutgers, with Daniels going 7 of 17 for 129 yards and two interceptions and rushing for just 11 yards on 16 attempts. He was 20 of 34 passing Saturday and compiled his fourth 100-yard game rushing on 22 carries.
Louisville (4-7, 1-5) lost for the ninth straight time on the road. The Cardinals assured themselves a second straight losing record under coach Steve Kragthorpe, who has a three-year record of 15-20.
"It's disappointing. We expect a lot more out of ourselves," Louisville quarterback Adam Froman said.
"We know we could have added a lot more (wins)," the junior college transfer added. "The Cincinnati game was the only game we were never really in. We had a chance to win every single other game."
Daniels threw a 16-yard TD pass to Dontavia Bogan on USF's first drive of the day and later scored on runs of 1 and 20 yards. Mo Plancher had a 2-yard scoring run and Eric Schwartz kicked field goals of 22 and 44 yards.
Froman threw for 232 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Louisville, which erased an early 14-point deficit but couldn't manage much offense after halftime. Scott Long had a 20-yard TD reception, Trent Guy scored on a 60-yard punt return, and Darius Ashley's 1-yard run trimmed USF's lead to 27-22 on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Kragthorpe didn't take solace in the Cardinals staying close until Daniels put it away with five minutes to go.
"I don't feel good about anything. We play to win," the coach said. "I'm proud of guys by the way they fought, but we lost a game. That's on me. ... The only way we feel good is if we win."
Midseason slides have knocked USF out of the Top 25 each of the past three years after 5-0 starts. The Bulls had dropped three of their previous four games, losing to Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Rutgers by a combined 106-31.
Louisville, coming off an ugly 10-9 victory over Syracuse that stopped a nine-game conference losing streak, dropped to 3-13 on the road in three seasons under Kragthrope. The Cardinals finish 0-6 away from home this year and were outscored 191-107, including 59-7 in the opening quarter.
South Florida surpassed last week's production against Rutgers its first two possessions alone.
In the opening half, Daniels threw for 149 yards and ran for 85 more, including a pair of 18-yard scampers that set up Schwartz's 22-yard field goal for a 17-16 lead on the last play of the second quarter.
Daniels opened the second half with another 80-yard drive, covering the final 20 yards on a nifty run that put him over 100 rushing for the fourth time. He's the first USF quarterback to top the century mark rushing and throw for 300 in the same game.
"I didn't think we played near as good as we need to play. In that, I'm disappointed," Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said.
"I'm happy we came out and won the football game, but I'm not into winning and losing, to be quite honest with you. I'm more into playing good football. You play good football, and well-coached football, and you win games."
-- Fred Goodall
W.Liberty, Edinboro score 147 in D-II playoffs
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — West Liberty and Edinboro opened the season against each other in August with an offensive onslaught.
Turns out, they were only getting warmed up.
Zach Amedro threw for 540 yards and six touchdowns, Kevon Calhoun ran for 173 yards and four more scores, and the Hilltoppers outscored Edinboro 84-63 on Saturday in the second round of the Division II playoffs.
The teams combined for 1,394 yards of total offense, breaking the division record of 1,369 set in Chadron State's 76-73 triple-overtime win over Abilene Christian on Nov. 23, 2007.
Their combined 1,170 yards passing broke the mark of 1,065 set by Western New Mexico and West Texas A&M on Oct. 8, 1994.
On Aug. 29, the teams racked up more than 1,000 yards when Edinboro (Pa.) handed West Liberty its only loss, 42-30 in their season opener.
West Liberty advanced to play California, Pa., in the quarterfinals next Saturday.
Amedro finished 27-of-32 passing in the first Division II playoff game hosted by the small school near Wheeling, W.Va. The senior has 4,580 yards passing and 47 touchdowns this season, and went over the 10,000-yard mark for his career against the Fighting Scots (9-4).
He was outdone everywhere but on the scoreboard by Edinboro quarterback Trevor Harris.
The senior was 50 of 76 for a playoff-record 630 yards in his second game back from a knee injury that required minor surgery. Harris tossed five touchdown passes and ran for two more scores before a crowd of more than 4,000 at Russek Field.
Both quarterbacks are among the nine finalists for the Harlon Hill Award, given to the best player in Division II college football.
"Zach's had a phenomenal season," West Liberty coach Roger Waialae said before the game, "and Harris has had a phenomenal career."
Harris had already surpassed 11,000 yards through the air, making the shootout the first game in Division II history with two 10,000-yard passers. Most of his throws went to Gary Nolen and Marcus Johnson, who each had 11 catches for 262 total yards.
The top-seeded Hilltoppers (11-1) took the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown, and after Harris hit David Bostic from 21 yards out to tie the game, West Liberty rattled off four unanswered scores to make it 35-7 with 11:32 left in the second quarter.
After another touchdown pass by Harris, Calhoun pulled in his second touchdown pass to make it 42-14, and the Hilltoppers pushed the lead to 56-21 by halftime. Calhoun finished with 116 yards receiving, one of four West Liberty players to break the 100-yard mark.
The lead swelled to 70-28 late in the third quarter before Edinboro scored four touchdowns in a 10-minute span to make the final more respectable.
Notes
Gators could be without LB Jones against 'Noles
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Top-ranked Florida likely will be without starting linebacker A.J. Jones against rival Florida State next week.
Jones, sixth on the team with 37 tackles, injured the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during Saturday's 62-3 win over Florida International.
Coach Urban Meyer all but ruled Jones out against the Seminoles, saying he grabbed backup Brandon Hicks after the game and told him to get ready.
"A.J. Jones won't play probably," Meyer said.
Left guard Carl Johnson and center Maurkice Pouncey also are battling injuries. Johnson sprained his right ankle against the Golden Panthers, and Pouncey suffered a bone bruise in a leg during Friday's walkthrough when he collided with a teammate.
Pouncey played sparingly Saturday. Meyer said both linemen should return against Florida State.
The Gators (11-0) also hope to get defensive end Jermaine Cunningham (shoulder), defensive tackle Terron Sanders (ribs) and running back Emmanuel Moody (ankle) back. They missed Saturday's game.
Tight end Aaron Hernandez sat out the first quarter against FIU for undisclosed reasons. Hernandez has a team-high 46 receptions for 571 yards and two touchdowns.
"I don't want to say he's in the doghouse a little bit, but we've got to have a little better week out of him this week," Meyer said.
Cheerleader carted off after being hit by bottle
TUCSON, Ariz. — An Oregon cheerleader was carted off the field and taken to a hospital after being hit in the head by a water bottle at the end of Oregon's 44-41 double-overtime over Arizona on Saturday night.
Oregon officials identified the cheerleader as Katelynn Johnson, a senior. There was no immediate word on her condition or whether she had lost consciousness.
Oregon athletic director Mike Bellotti told The Associated Press that Johnson had been hit with a full water bottle.
Witnesses said Johnson was hit near the entrance to the Oregon locker room in the southwest corner of Arizona Stadium, where the Ducks and their personnel were celebrating a dramatic victory that kept them in control of the Pac-10 title race. Technicians tended to Johnson for several minutes on the field before she was taken away.
"There were many things — water and other things — being thrown down there," Bellotti said.
Arizona officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
"That's just unacceptable behavior from fans, whether it was an Arizona fan or any fan across the nation," said Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who scored the winning touchdown in overtime.
Arenas' 7th punt return for TD sets SEC record
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — No. 2 Alabama's Javier Arenas set a Southeastern Conference record with his seventh punt return for a touchdown.
Arenas sprinted down the right sideline for a 66-yard score early in the second quarter of Saturday's game against Chattanooga.
He was tied with Kentucky's Derek Abney, who returned six punts for scores from 2000-03. Abney also scored on a two kick returns, leaving Arenas still one TD shy of the overall record for returns.
Arenas also came into the game just 105 yards behind Vanderbilt's Lee Nalley's SEC record of 1,695 career punt return yards. He is within range of the NCAA record of 1,761 yards set by Texas Tech's Wes Welker.
Welker and Oklahoma's Antonio Perkins hold the NCAA record for career punt returns for touchdowns with eight.
BCS hires Fleischer's public relations firm
Ari Fleischer Communications, a sports public relations firm headed by the former press secretary for President George W. Bush, has been hired by BCS officials to help remodel the tattered image of college football's postseason system.
BCS executive director Bill Hancock, promoted to the newly recreated position early this week, announced the hiring of Fleischer's company Saturday.
Hancock said in a statement the goal of the hiring was to help highlight the positive aspects of the BCS, which he called the best way to match college football's top two teams, while preserving the bowl system.
Fleischer, whose company also works with NFL teams, Major League Baseball and the USOC, says he is honored to be able to help the BCS.
Georgia Southern's Hatcher fired after 5-6 season
STATESBORO, Ga. — Georgia Southern's third losing season in 28 years has cost coach Chris Hatcher his job.
Athletic director Sam Baker announced on Saturday night Hatcher's contract will not be renewed. Baker said the search for Hatcher's replacement will begin immediately.
Hatcher was 18-15 in his three years as head coach, including a 5-6 record this year. The Eagles finished the season with a 13-6 win over The Citadel on Saturday.
Georgia Southern finished 6-5 last season. The Eagles failed to win consecutive games this season and had lost three straight games before Saturday's win.
Georgia Southern failed to reach the postseason for the fourth straight year.
