Nu Cats Cool Iowa

Around the country

The icy winds were not nearly as numbing to Northwestern as the possibility of losing Saturday. The Wildcats couldn’t let it happen.

Not with the warm breezes of the Rose Bowl still beckoning in this improbable season that has been the most surprising in college football.

“We’ve been down before and have faced pressure before. This was no different. We buckled down,” said tailback Darnell Autry, who helped the fifth-ranked Wildcats rally for a 31-20 victory over Iowa, keeping them in the running for a trip to Pasadena.

“They did what they’ve been doing all year - they found a way to win,” said Iowa coach Hayden Fry, whose team led at the half on a frigid day at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Ill. “It was a typical game for them, they took advantage of opportunities.”

Northwestern (9-1, 7-0 Big Ten), matching its only other nine-win season (1903), pitched a second-half shutout at the determined Hawkeyes, scoring the clinching touchdown on Hudhaifa Ismaeli’s 31-yard fumble return with 2:56 left.

And Autry, who graced the cover of a national magazine this week, gained 100 yards for the 11th straight game and scored the go-ahead TD in the third quarter.

East

(23) Syracuse 42, Pittsburgh 10: At Pittsburgh, Donovan McNabb confused the injurydepleted Panthers with his scrambling and accurate passing as the Orangemen (7-2, 4-1 Big East) scored on four of their first five possessions in a romp over one of their oldest rivals.

Pitt (2-8, 0-6) has lost eight in a row.

Miami 17, Boston College 14: At Boston, Danyell Ferguson ran for 144 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown, and Dane Prewitt kicked a 24-yard field goal with 49 seconds left to give the Hurricanes (6-3, 4-1 Big East) a victory over the Eagles (3-7, 3-2).

The victory clinched a 16th consecutive winning season for the Hurricanes.

Navy 31, Delaware 7: At Annapolis, Md., quarterbacks Ben Fay and Chris McCoy each broke long runs for second-half touchdowns as the Midshipmen (4-5) defeated the previously unbeaten Hens (9-1).

South

(3) Florida 63, South Carolina 7: At Columbia, S.C., Danny Wuerffel returned to his starting spot with five touchdowns passes and got the third-ranked Gators (9-0, 7-0) back to the Southeastern Conference title game in a win over the Gamecocks (4-5-1, 2-5-1).

(6) Florida St. 28, North Carolina 12: At Chapel Hill, N.C., the Seminoles (8-1, 6-1) inched a step closer to at least a share of a record fourth straight Atlantic Coast Conference title, getting two first-half scores from Warrick Dunn in a win over the Tar Heels (4-5, 2-4).

(14) Virginia 21, Maryland 18: At College Park, Md., Tiki Barber ran for 116 yards and backup Kevin Brooks had 103 as the Cavaliers overcame a poor start and clinched a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference title by beating the Terrapins (6-4, 4-3).

The Cavaliers (8-3, 7-1 ACC), fell behind 11-0 in the first quarter before reeling off 21 straight points en route to their fourth straight victory over Maryland.

(16) Alabama 14, Mississippi St. 9: At Tuscaloosa, Ala., Dennis Riddle rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns as the Crimson Tide (8-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) dominated a quirky game to beat the Rebels (3-7, 1-6).

(20) Auburn 37, Georgia 31: At Athens, Ga., Stephen Davis ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns and the Tigers (7-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) converted a fourth down in their territory with just more than 2 minutes left to down the Bulldogs (5-5, 3-5).

(21) Virginia Tech 38, Temple 16: At Washington D.C., the Hokies defense, which came into the game ranked No. 1 in the nation against the run, scored two second-quarter touchdowns within 48 seconds as Virginia Tech (8-2, 6-1 Big East) won its eighth straight with a rout over the Owls (1-9, 1-5).

(24) Clemson 34, Duke 17: At Clemson, S.C., Raymond Priester set a Clemson record by rushing for 263 yards and also scored a touchdown as the Tigers beat the Blue Devils. He became the first 1,000-yard rusher of the decade for Clemson (7-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). Duke fell to 3-7, 1-6.

Kentucky 33, Cincinnati 14: At Lexington, Ky., the Wildcats’ Moe Williams scored three touchdowns and rushed for 272 yards, setting three school rushing records in a Kentucky (4-6) win over the Bearcats (5-5).

Georgia Tech 27, North Carolina St. 19: At Atlanta, sophomore tailback C.J. Williams scored four touchdowns, three in the fourth period, and the Yellow Jackets kept their bowl hopes alive with a win over the Wolfpack (2-7, 1-5 ACC). Tech improved to 6-4, 5-3.

Louisville 39, NE Louisiana 0: At Louisville, Ky., freshman running back Frank Moreau rushed 28 times for a career-best 140 yards and two touchdowns as the Cardinals (6-4) routed the Indians (2-9).

Vanderbilt 29, Louisiana Tech 6: At Nashville, Tenn., Damian Allen scored two touchdowns and Steve Yenner kicked three field goals as the Commodores (2-7) beat the Bulldogs (4-6).

S. Mississippi 17, Memphis 9: At Memphis, Tenn., Derrick Hervey intercepted a pass and scrambled 15 yards for a touchdown as the Golden Eagles (5-5) defeated the Tigers (3-7).

East Carolina 28, Tulsa 7: At Greenville, N.C., Marcus Crandell helped the Pirates (7-3) earn a berth in the Liberty Bowl for the second straight year, running for two touchdowns and passing for one in a win over the Golden Hurricanes (4-6).

Midwest

(1) Nebraska 41, (10) Kansas 3: At Lawrence, Kan., Tommie Frazier ran for two touchdowns and passed for one as the Huskers routed the Jayhawks and clinched a tie for their fifth straight Big Eight title.

The Huskers (10-0, 6-0 Big Eight), who hadn’t committed a turnover in their previous four games, lost two fumbles and had a pass intercepted. But the Jayhawks (8-2, 4-2) selfdestructed with five turnovers, including a botched punt return that turned into a Nebraska touchdown.

(2) Ohio St. 41, Illinois 3: At Columbus, Ohio, Eddie George took a large stride toward the Heisman Trophy, rushing for a school-record 314 yards on 36 carries and scoring three times as the Buckeyes (10-0, 6-0 Big Ten) beat the Illini (4-5, 2-4).

(7) Kansas St. 49, Iowa St. 7: At Ames, Iowa, Matt Miller threw three touchdown passes to become the Big Eight’s season leader and the Wildcats (9-1, 5-1 Big Eight) scored on seven of their first eight possessions. Iowa State fell to 3-7, 1-5.

(13) Michigan 5, Purdue 0: At Ann Arbor, Mich., a muddy field, freezing temperatures and wind gusting to 50 mph made the Wolverines offense ineffective and allowed Michigan to ride Remy Hamilton’s field goal and Clarence Thompson’s safety to a win.

It was the lowest-scoring game at Michigan Stadium since the Wolverines (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) and Northwestern played a 0-0 tie in 1938. Michigan held Purdue (3-5-1, 1-4-1) to just four first downs, one in the first half.

Wisconsin 34, Minnesota 27: At Minneapolis, the Badgers (4-4-1, 3-3 Big Ten) kept their bowl hopes alive by repeatedly burning the Big Ten’s worst defense. Darrell Bevell threw two long touchdowns to Tony Simmons and Aaron Stecker returned a kickoff 100 yards for another score in Wisconsin’s win over the Golden Gophers (3-6, 1-5).

Michigan St. 31, Indiana 13: At Bloomington, Ind., playing in frigid, windy and snowy Memorial Stadium, the Spartans (6-3-1, 4-2-1 Big Ten) scored touchdowns the first three times they had the ball. The Hoosiers dipped to 2-7, 0-6.

Southwest

(11) Texas 52, Houston 20: At Houston, James Brown threw four touchdown passes to set a Texas season record and ran for another score as the Longhorns (7-1-1, 4-0 Southwest Conference) rallied for 35 unanswered second-half points to beat the Cougars (1-8, 1-3).

Texas Tech 27, Texas Christian 6: At Lubbock, Texas, Zebbie Lethridge threw two touchdown passes and Byron Hanspard rushed for 126 yards and a TD as the Red Raiders (6-3, 3-2 Southwest Conference) beat the Horned Frogs (6-3, 3-2).

Baylor 48, SMU 7: At Dallas, freshman quarterback Jermaine Alfred hit Dustin Dennard with a 56-yard touchdown pass on Baylor’s first play and the Bears (6-3, 4-1 Southwest Conference) rolled to a win over the Mustangs (1-9, 0-6).

(15) Arkansas 24, SW Louisiana 13: At Fayetteville, Ark., Del Delco returned an interception 62 yards for a touchdown, his defensive mates set up two other scores and Madre Hill established a school rushing record as Razorbacks (8-2) beat the Ragin’ Cajuns (6-4).

West

(9) Colorado 21, Missouri 0: At Boulder, Colo., John Hessler passed for two touchdowns, extending his school record, and ran for another score as the Buffaloes (8-2, 4-2 in Big Eight) overcame a listless start and gusty winds to blank the Tigers (2-8, 0-6).

Air Force 38, Army 20: At Air Force Academy, Beau Morgan rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons (7-3) claimed their 10th Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy with a win over the Cadets (3-5-1).

Wyoming 34, (25) San Diego St. 31: At San Diego, Cory Wedel kicked a 33-yard field with 29 seconds left to give the Cowboys an upset win over San Diego State, ending the Aztecs’ sixgame winning streak.

The Cowboys, who had lost three straight, moved 64 yards in 14 plays for the winning kick, forcing San Diego State (7-3, 4-2 Western Athletic Conference) to use all three timeouts. Wyoming (4-5, 2-4) survived four turnovers in the game.

Brigham Young 31, New Mexico 14: At Albuquerque, Steve Sarkisian threw two touchdown passes and big-play specialist James Dye’s fourth-quarter fumble recovery led the Cougars, the Western Athletic Conference leader, to a win over the Lobos (4-6, 2-5). BYU (6-3, 5-1) won its fourth straight and enhanced its chances for an 18th straight bowl bid.

Fresno St. 47, Texas-El Paso 14: At Fresno, Calif., Jim Arellanes passed for 412 yards and five touchdowns - four to Charlie Jones - to lead the Bulldogs (5-5, 2-4 WAC) to a rout of Texas-El Paso (1-9, 0-6).

Nevada 45, Pacific 29: At Stockton, Calif., Oscar Galloway had three short touchdown runs and Alex Van Dyke caught two scoring passes as the Wolf Pack (8-2, 5-0 Big West) defeated the Tigers (3-7, 2-3).

Colorado St. 22, Hawaii 0: At Fort Collins, Colo., freshman running back Jaime Blake ran for 170 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Rams (7-3, 5-3 WAC) to a win over the Rainbows (4-5, 2-4).

Utah St. 42, UNLV 0: At Las Vegas, Abu Wilson rushed for 251 yards, third-highest total in school history, and scored three touchdowns as the Aggies (3-7, 3-2 Big West) routed the Rebels (2-8, 1-4).

San Jose St. 38, New Mexico St. 37: At Las Cruces, N.M., Carl Dean scored on a 5-yard run with 35 seconds to play and Joe Furlow’s PAT kick was the difference as the Spartans (3-7, 2-3 Big West) rallied to beat the Aggies (3-7, 2-3).