Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Tennessee prevailed on Casey Clausen's 1-yard quarterback sneak.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Casey Clausen nudged across the goal line on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the fifth overtime, and No. 22 Tennessee stuffed Shaud Williams twice as the Volunteers beat Alabama 51-43 Saturday.
The Volunteers (5-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) became the first visitor to win three straight times at Bryant-Denny Stadium, and snapped a two-game losing streak.
Corey Larkins gained 20 yards on three carries to start the fifth OT and Alabama had an off-sides penalty. On third down from the 2, Clausen rolled right and dove toward the goal line.
He was stopped just short but did get the first down and scored on the next play. Clausen then hit a leaping James Banks for the 2-point conversion, with the NCAA mandating that teams go for two following touchdowns after the first two OTs.
Lost five of last six
The Crimson Tide (3-6, 1-4) has lost five of its last six games, twice in overtime. Alabama couldn't get a first down in the final OT, with Williams stopped on both second-and-1 and third-and-1.
Brodie Croyle lofted a fourth-down pass to Dre Fulgham in the end zone, but Jason Allen batted it away.
The marathon victory kept the Vols in contention in the SEC East after getting routed 41-14 against Georgia at home two weeks ago in one of the program's biggest embarrassments in years.
A game Alabama led 6-3 at halftime turned wild in the second half, then became a marathon with two proud programs trying to salvage disappointing seasons.
Rode Clausen's arm
Tennessee, which also survived a six-OT game thriller against Arkansas last season, rode Clausen's arm -- and finally his legs -- into the extra sessions.
Clausen, who sent the game into overtime with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Troy Fleming with 1:52 left, threw three more TD strikes in the extra periods. He hit Derrick Tinsley on a 6-yard toss and found Banks for TDs of 6 and 25 yards before the game-winner.
Clausen set up the score in the third OT with a 29-yard pass to C.J. Fayton on fourth-and-19.
Both teams had to settle for field goals in the fourth.
Alabama got 12-yard touchdown runs from Williams and Tim Castille and Croyle's 6-yard pass to Fulgham.
Good numbers
Clausen was 23-of-43 for 283 yards and four touchdowns. Banks caught seven passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored on a 25-yard run after lining up at quarterback for the first time this season.
Williams carried 40 times for 166 yards for the Tide while Croyle was 21-of-38 for 215 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
Alabama took a 20-13 lead with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter on Ray Hudson's 2-yard run. Tennessee then went three-and-out but the Tide also couldn't get a first down to run off the final three minutes as Williams was stopped a couple of inches short.
No. 4 Georgia 16, UAB 13
ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia is still a part of the national championship race, but the Bulldogs sure aren't playing like a team that belongs in that elite group.
Billy Bennett kicked three field goals, the last to break a tie with 12:57 remaining, and Georgia avoided a huge upset with a 16-13 victory over UAB on Saturday.
Despite the lackluster showing, Georgia (7-1) could move up a spot in the both The Associated Press rankings and BCS standings. Third-ranked Virginia Tech was upset by West Virginia on Thursday night.
UAB (3-5), a 29-point underdog, played well for the second week in a row against a ranked team. The Blazers led No. 15 TCU 24-16 in the third quarter, but wound up losing 27-24 after quarterback Darrell Hackney sustained a season-ending thumb injury.
UAB was forced to give red-shirt freshman Chris Williams his first college start against the nation's top-ranked defense. The youngster fared well, making no major mistakes and keeping the Blazers in the game.
The Bulldogs had to make a late defensive stand to keep their lead. Williams completed a 24-yard pass to Bradly Chavez to the Georgia 32, within range for Nick Hayes to attempt a tying field goal.
But a delay of game penalty backed up UAB, then Derrick White sacked Williams for an 11-yard loss. Under heavy pressure, Williams failed to complete his next two passes, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs with 1:54 remaining. They managed to run out the clock.
No. 5 USC 43, Washington 23
SEATTLE -- Matt Leinart threw for 351 yards and four touchdowns as No. 5 Southern California beat Washington for its first victory at Husky Stadium in 10 years.
It was another efficient day for Leinart, the steady sophomore who has kept the Trojans (7-1, 3-1 Pac-10) on a roll since taking over for Carson Palmer, last season's Heisman Trophy winner.
Leinart completed 19 of 29 passes without an interception. And he did it this time by keeping his poise in front of a noisy sellout crowd of 72,015.
Many fans left early in the fourth quarter after Leinart's fourth TD pass, a 37-yarder to Reggie Bush, put USC ahead 43-17. Earlier in the period, Leinart threw a 52-yard TD pass to fullback Brandon Hancock.
The Huskies (4-4, 2-2), coming off an inspiring 38-17 win last week at Oregon State, seemed overmatched. They hurt themselves with awful tackling, unable to contain USC's athletic tailbacks and receivers.
No. 6 Florida St 48, Wake Forest 24
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State's Bobby Bowden became the winningest coach in major college football history with his 339th victory as the sixth-ranked Seminoles captured at least a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship with a victory over Wake Forest.
The fans chanted "Bobby Bowden! Bobby Bowden!" and the 74-year-old coach was joined on the sidelines at the end of the game by his wife of 54 years, Ann.
Bowden, 339-97-4 in 38 seasons as a head coach, surpassed Joe Paterno, whose Penn State team lost 26-14 at Iowa. Eddie Robinson has the all-time college record with 408 wins. Bowden picked up 31 wins at Samford (Ala.) College, another 42 at West Virginia and is 266-65-4 since coming to Florida State in 1976.
Florida State (7-1, 6-0) holds a two-game lead over several conference schools with only two league games left -- Nov. 8 at Clemson and Nov. 15 against North Carolina State. The Seminoles are 89-5 since joining the ACC in 1992, winning 11 titles in 12 seasons.
There wasn't much mystery in Bowden's record win Saturday as the Seminoles dominated from the start, building a 48-17 lead, as they ran their league record to 12-0 against the Demon Deacons.
No. 14 Nebraska 28, Iowa St. 0
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Josh Bullocks blocked a punt to set up a touchdown and returned another blocked punt for a score as Nebraska beat Iowa State.
The victory avenged Nebraska's 36-14 loss last year in Ames, and assured the Cornhuskers (7-1, 3-1 Big 12) of their 42nd winning season in 43 years.
Iowa State (2-6, 0-4) hadn't been shut out in a school-record 138 games, since losing 41-0 to Kansas in 1991. The Cyclones lost their sixth straight game and their 13th in a row in Lincoln.
The Huskers scored four touchdowns in the first 22 minutes and began substituting liberally early in the third quarter.
Nebraska held the Cyclones to 230 yards while posting its second shutout of the season. The Huskers blanked Troy State 30-0 on Oct. 4.
Jammal Lord put the Huskers up 7-0 when he ran in from the 1 seven plays after Bullocks blocked Tony Yelk's punt deep in Iowa State territory.
Lord broke a 31-yard run on the Huskers' next series before wide receiver Isaiah Fluellen scored on a 39-yard reverse. Fluellen was the leading rusher with 78 yards on five carries.
No. 18 Oklahoma State 38, Texas A & amp;M 10
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Tatum Bell ran for 196 yards and three touchdowns and became the third player in Oklahoma State history to have back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, leading the Cowboys to a victory over Texas A & amp;M.
The Cowboys (7-1, 3-1 Big 12) tuned up for their showdown next week with No. 1 Oklahoma by winning their seventh straight game for the first time since 1997. Oklahoma State has upset the Sooners the past two seasons.
The Cowboys also won at Kyle Field for the first time since 1983. The Aggies (3-5, 1-3) are in danger of their first losing season since 1982 in coach Dennis Franchione's first season at the helm.
Bell, ranked fifth in the nation in rushing coming into the game, had touchdown runs of 40, 1 and 26 yards, giving him 1,081 rushing yards this season. Thurman Thomas and Terry Miller are the only other Cowboys runners to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
New Mexico 47, No. 24 Utah 35
SALT LAKE CITY -- DonTrell Moore ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns and D.D. Cox added 106 yards and a score as New Mexico gained 633 yards in a victory over Utah.
Wes Zunker added four field goals for the Lobos (5-3, 2-1 Mountain West), who shut down Utah's spread offense and beat a ranked opponent for the first time since 1994 -- a 23-21 upset of then-No. 9 Utah.
The Utes (6-2, 3-1) came out flat and allowed the most points they had since a 51-10 loss to Rice in 1996, which had been the their last game as a ranked team. Utah was No. 20 before the loss to the Owls.
New Mexico ensured Utah's latest return to the national rankings will be a short one by holding the Utes to 300 yards -- 91 below their average.