ACC—Virigina Tech ripped Miami 31-17. After being tied up 17-17 at the conclusion of the third quarter, Virginia Tech scored two touchdowns and played lockdown on the Hurricanes’ offense. The Hokies intercepted Miami quarterback Stephen Morris three times in the final nine minutes. Overall, Virginia Tech’s defense forced Miami to commit six turnovers, the most Miami has had in a game in eleven years. The Hokies have won eight-straight road games and ten-straight ACC games. The Hokies will represent the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game.
Big 12—In a defensive battle where all of the scoring was on field goals, the Aggies defeated the Cornhuskers 9-6 at Kyle Field. Texas A&M running back Cyrus Gray had his fifth straight 100-yard rushing game. Texas A&M cornerback Trent Hunter had two interceptions and four tackles in the game. Aggies place kicker Randy Bullock was clutch, going three for three on field goals. The Aggies faithful stormed the field at the end of regulation. Texas A&M has won five straight Big 12 games for the first time since 1998 and look to be returning to national relevance. The Wrecking Crew proved to be better than the Blackshirts.
Big East—Cincinnati had its best offensive outing of the year in its 69-38 victory over Rutgers at Nippert Stadium. The game was the highest scoring game in Big East history with 107 total points. Quarterback Zach Collaros passed for 366 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for another touchdown. Running back Isaiah Pead rushed for a career-high 213 yards and four touchdowns and had a reception for another touchdown. Wideouts Armon Binns and D.J. Young had 139 yards and 97 yards receiving, respectively. The Bearcat defense held Rutgers to -9 rushing yards on the day, despite giving up 400 passing yards.
Big Ten—With Purdue leading 28-13 heading into the fourth quarter, it looked like Michigan State would be eliminated from the Big Ten title race. The Spartans rallied and outscored the Boilermakers 22-3 in the final fifteen minutes of the game. One drive was set up by an interception by Spartan cornerback Chris L. Rucker’s interception of Purdue’s Rob Henry, while another was set up by a blocked punt by Spartan back-up linebacker Denicos Allen. On Senior Day, the Spartan senior class won their 32nd game, becoming the class with the most wins in team history. The Spartans are 7-0 at home, their first undefeated season in Spartan Stadium since 1999.
C-USA—Rice blasted East Carolina 62-38 in Houston, snapping a three-game losing streak. Owl running back Jeremy Eddington rushed for 143 yards and four touchdowns, while the Owls’ other tailback, Sam McGuffie, rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown. McGuffie also had 83 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Tight end Vance McDonald had 88 yards on five catches, one of which was a touchdown. In total, Rice had 639 yards of total offense. With head coach David Bailiff on the hot seat, this was a much needed win for Rice.
MAC—In a pivotal Tuesday night battle in Philadelphia, Ohio defeated Temple 31-23 to take command of the MAC East. Half of the game’s scoring came in the fourth quarter. The Owls outgained the Bobcats 402 yards to 282 yards, but the Bobcats were able to score touchdowns off of two of the Owls’ three turnovers. Ohio will clinch a spot in the MAC championship game as long as the Bobcats beat Kent State next week. Ohio has won seven straight games.
MWC—In front of a crowd of 17,011 in Laramie, the Broncos had their best outing of the season, shutting out Colorado State 44-0. The Border War rivalry game was one sided as Wyoming ended a six-game losing streak. Wyoming quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels threw for 267 yards, while Wyoming running back Alvester Alexander rushed for 147 yards and five touchdowns, a school-record. Broncos defensive end Josh Biezuns had 3.5 sacks. The Bronco defense held the Rams to just 162 yards in the game.
Pac-10—Oregon State beat USC for the third straight time in Corvallis on Saturday night. The Oregon State defense held the Trojans to just a touchdown. Beaver cornerback Jordan Poyer averaged 33 yards on two kick returns and intercepted USC’s Matt Barkley in the first quarter. Beaver defensive tackle Kevin Frahm took Matt Barkley out of the game with a sack that ended up spraining the quarterback’s ankle. If the Beavers can find a way to win one of their last two games against Stanford or Oregon, they will be bowl-eligible.
SEC—Arkansas was able to overcome Mississippi State in double overtime by a score of 38-31. Mississippi State trailed by ten late in the game but was able to score a touchdown and hit a field goal as time expired to force overtime. Both teams were not able to score in the first overtime. Arkansas put up 7 points in the second overtime on a 7-yard pass from Ryan Mallett to Knile Davis. Trying to answer, Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf got sacked on 4th and 7 by Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette to end the game. Arkansas running back Knile Davis ran for a career-high 187 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Sun Belt—The UL-Monroe Warhawks defeated North Texas 49-37 to get to 5-6. Warhawks quarterback Kolton Browning was 18 for 23, throwing five touchdowns in the game. Wide receiver Luther Ambrose had seven catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns. UL-Monroe converted on 8 of its 15 third downs and went 2 for 2 on third down conversions. If the Warhawks can beat instate rival UL-Lafayette next Saturday, they will be bowl eligible.
WAC—The Vandals kept their postseason hopes alive by defeating the Aggies of Utah State 28-6 in Logan. The weather turned from rain to snow in the second half. Vandals wide receiver Eric Greenwood had four catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Vandals running back Deonte’ Jackson rushed for 62 yards a touchdown and had four catches for 16 yards a touchdown. Since Idaho plays a thirteen-game schedule, it must win its last two games against Fresno State and San Jose State to be 7-6 and bowl-eligible.
