| Week Fourteen Recaps |
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No. 1
Miami 26
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at Blacksburg, Va. |
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No. 14
Virginia Tech 24
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• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
Clinton Portis, RB, Miami
Made all the big run when they needed him: 34 carries for 131 yards and a TD.
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| The Skinny |
If Virginia Tech's Ernest Wilford holds on to the ball on a two-point conversion try that would have tied the game late in the fourth, Miami might not be playing in the national championship. But Wilford did drop the pass and the Hurricanes will play in the Rose Bowl. The Hokies made it interesting, blocking a punt and returning it for a TD to pull within the two-point conversion with 6:03 to play. Virginia Tech could get no closer.
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| The Future |
Miami (11-0): Rose Bowl vs. TBA, Jan. 3
Virginia (8-3): Gator Bowl vs. Florida State, Jan. 1
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No. 5
Tennessee 34
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at Gainesville, Fla. |
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No. 2
Florida 32
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• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
Travis Stephens, RB, Tennessee
Stephens was simply unstoppable. Rushed for 226 yards and 2 TDs on just 19 carries.
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| The Skinny |
Florida's hopes at a Rose Bowl berth went out the window with the loss. Tennessee's defense punished Florida QB Rex Grossman all day, sacking him four times for a loss of 30 yards. Tennessee's secondary sealed the game by denying a Grossman pass play on a two-point conversion with 1:10 to play. The Vols hadn't won in Gainesville in their last seven trips, dating back to 1971.
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| The Future |
Tennessee (10-1): SEC championship, Dec. 8
Florida (9-2): Bowl game, TBA
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No. 9
Colorado 39
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at Irving, Texas
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No. 3
Texas 37
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• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
Chris Brown, RB, Colorado
After last week's six-TD performance, he only scored three this time, on 33 carries for 182 yards.
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| The Skinny |
As they did against Nebraska, the Buffs just ran the ball down the Longhorns' throats. Texas was allowing its opponents just 71.2 yards per game on the ground, but Colorado put up 223. Texas' four first-half turnovers only added to the ugliness, despite Major Applewhite's best second-half efforts.
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| The Future |
Colorado (10-2): BCS bowl game, TBA
Texas (10-2): Bowl game, TBA
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No. 4
Oregon 17
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at Eugene, Ore. |
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Oregon State 14
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• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
Rashad Bauman, CB, Oregon
Huge interception of Jonathan Smith in the final minute halted what could have been a drive for the game-tying field goal.
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| The Skinny |
Oregon was far from its best, but kept its slim national title hopes alive with another Civil War victory. Joey Harrington's game was as miserable as the weather outside, as he completed only 11 of 22 passes for 104 yards and had a key fumble at the end that could have cost the Ducks the game. Oregon State simply couldn't muster anything on offense to put them over the top.
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| The Future |
Oregon (10-1): BCS bowl game, TBA
Oregon State (5-6): End of season
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No. 10
BYU 41
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at Starkville, Miss.
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Mississippi St. 38
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• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
Brandon Doman, QB, BYU
The Domanator, as his publicists bill him, did a nice job handling the Bulldogs' multiple defenses, throwing for 390 yards and five TDs.
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| The Skinny |
Yes, they won. But the Cougars did themselves absolutely no good in their increasingly futile argument for a Fiesta Bowl slot with this showing. The Egg Bowl notwithstanding, Mississippi State has been awful this year, and the Bulldogs probably should have won this game. Doman and Luke Staley (28 carries, 149 yards) are fantastic talents, but the Cougars' defense is a joke. They'll enjoy Memphis, though.
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| The Future |
BYU (12-0): Sat., Dec. 8 at Hawaii
Mississippi State (3-8): End of season
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No. 12
Stanford 41
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at San Jose, Calif. |
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San Jose State 14
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• Game recap
• Game Summary
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| The Star |
Randy Fasani, QB, Stanford
Accounted for two TDs in the second quarter, a 27-yard pass to Luke Powell and a 34-yard run.
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| The Skinny |
The Cardinal finally solved their local nemesis after losing to the Spartans each of the last three years. Stanford held San Jose State to just 30 yards on the ground in winning its fourth consecutive game. The Spartans didn't score until inserting Clint Carlson at quarterback in the second half.
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| The Future |
Stanford (9-2): Seattle Bowl vs. Georgia Tech, Dec. 27
San Jose State (3-9): End of season
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No. 16
Georgia 35
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at Athens, Ga. |
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Houston 7
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• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
David Greene, QB, Georgia
Basically cruised through the day with 208 yards passing on 9-of-17 with three TDs and one INT.
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| The Skinny |
Where have you gone, Andre Ware? First winless season in school history for Houston. In Mark Richt's first season, Georgia set a school record by recording at least eight wins for the fifth consecutive season. Vince Dooley led Georgia to four straight eight-win campaigns from 1984-87.
Georgia is most likely headed the Outback Bowl to play Ohio State.
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| The Future |
Georgia (8-3): Bowl game, TBA
Houston (0-11): End of season
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Toledo 41
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at Toledo, Ohio |
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No. 20
Marshall 36
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• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
Chester Taylor, RB, Toledo
Helped Toledo make its second-half comeback. Rushed 34 times for 189 yards and two TDs.
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| The Skinny |
The Rockets rallied from a 23-0 first-half hole and a 23-10 halftime deficit with 25 third-quarter points. Marshall's Byron Leftwich was phenominal in defeat. He completed 32 of-52 passes for 422 yards and four TDs. Toledo is the first team other than Marshall to win the MAC championship.
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| The Future |
Toledo (9-2): Motor City Bowl vs. TBA, Dec. 29
Marshall (9-2): Mobile Bowl vs. East Carolina, Dec. 19
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No. 21
Fresno State 70
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at Fresno, Calif. |
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Utah State 21
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• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
David Carr, QB, Fresno State
Threw for career-highs of 432 yards and six TDs.
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| The Skinny |
Fresno State completed its first 11-win season since 1989 and became the first NCAA team to have a 4,000-yard passer (Carr), 1,000-yard rusher (Paris Gaines) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Rodney Wright, Bernard Berrian) in the same season.
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| The Future |
Fresno State (11-2): Silicon Valley Bowl, Dec. 31
Utah State (4-7): End of season
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No. 22
LSU 27
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at Baton Rouge, La. |
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No. 25
Auburn 14
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• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
Rohan Davey, QB, LSU
The Tigers' steady leader threw for 245 yards and ran for another 21 in a solid all-around effort.
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| The Skinny |
LSU is headed for its first SEC championship game appearance after a strong showing at night on the bayou. The home team pulled away, then held off any hopes of a comeback for Jason Campbell and Auburn, which continued its horrible late-season collapse.
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| The Future |
LSU (8-3): SEC championship, Dec. 8
Auburn (7-4): Bowl game, TBA
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Army 26
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at Philadelphia
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Navy 17 |
• Game recap
• Game summary
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| The Star |
All of America's military
All those serving our country, for whom this game will serve as a well-timed distraction from their regular, less relaxing duties.
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| The Skinny |
Always more than just a game, this year's rivalry game (the 102nd) took on a new meaning with the war waging against Afghanistan. President Bush met with both teams before the game and shared his thoughts with all the servicemen. With the loss, Navy went winless for the season for the first time since 1984. |
| The Future |
Army (3-8): End of season
Navy (0-10): End of season
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All rankings from 
