Quick Kicks
Heisman watch
There are plenty of also-rans in this race, but it’s finally come down to Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning and Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf.
Manning completed 20 of 35 for 264 yards in Tennessee’s 30-22 victory over Arkansas - a good win on national cable TV, but not the best Heisman statistics.
With no television coverage to boost his chances, Leaf didn’t have huge numbers either. He completed 23 of 37 for 258 yards and tied the Pac-10 single-season record with his 31st touchdown pass.
Stars and stats
John Dutton, Nevada, threw for 425 yards in a 38-19 loss to Utah State. He averaged 446 yards in his previous five games.
Thad Busby, Florida State, passed for 390 yards and four TDs in a 58-7 victory over Wake Forest.
Jonas Lewis, San Diego State, rushed for 253 yards and two TDs in a 20-19 victory over Fresno State.
Corey Thomas, Duke, set a school record for receptions in a game with 16 for 276 yards and scored four touchdowns in a 41-38 loss to Georgia Tech.
Reggie Greene, Siena, ran for 80 yards in a 34-9 loss to Marist to break the Division I-AA career rushing record with 5,415 yards. Greene is third on the all-time Division I rushing list, behind Pittsburgh’s Tony Dorsett (8,082 yards) and USC’s Charles White (5,598).
Torry Holt, North Carolina State, had three TD catches in a 31-24 win over Virginia to set school season marks for receptions (56) and yards (963) and the career mark for TD receptions (18).
Skip Hicks, UCLA, scored four TDs in a 52-28 victory over No. 13 Washington, giving him 24 this season to break the Pac-10 record of 23 held by USC’s Marcus Allen and Washington’s Corey Dillon.
Travis Prentice, Miami of Ohio, rushed for a career-high 239 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-0 victory over Northern Illinois.
Streaks, trends and other tidbits
Florida State’s defense, ranked second nationally and first against the rush, sacked Wake Forest quarterback Ben Sankey 11 times and also picked off five of his passes in its 58-7 win over Wake Forest.
Southern Methodist, 6-4 after five consecutive victories, has clinched its first winning season since being hit with the NCAA “death penalty” 10 years ago.
Marshall, gaining notice for its potent offense with quarterback Chad Pennington and receiver Randy Moss, can play defense, too. The Thundering Herd held Ohio to two first downs, one of which came on a penalty, in a 28-0 Marshall victory.
Seminoles, Cornhuskers just keep winning
Florida State has won 10 or more games in 11 consecutive seasons, extending its NCAA record. The Seminoles have also won 21 straight regular-season games dating back to the final game of the 1995 season at Florida.
FSU has gone 43-5-1 since quarterback Thad Busby, center Kevin Long and the other current fifth-year seniors arrived in 1993.
Nebraska’s 77-14 victory over Iowa State marked the final appearance at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., for 23 Nebraska seniors who were unbeaten at home during their careers.
The Huskers own a 42-game home winning streak, tying Texas for fifth all-time.
No cure for Illinois ills
Illinois lost to Ohio State 41-6 Saturday, giving the Fightless Illini 16 straight losses, the longest streak in school history. They have lost their last 13 conference games, their last 12 against ranked teams and haven’t won on the road in more than two years.
Still, the Illini are always thankful for Northern Illinois, which has a longer losing streak - 18.
It would be difficult to convince Alabama residents that things are not quite so bad for the Crimson Tide. A loss next week against Auburn would give the Crimson Tide its worst record since going 2-7-1 in 1957, the year before Bear Bryant arrived.
At 0-11, Rutgers has completed its first winless season since a seven-game season in 1901. The Scarlet Knights and Northern Illinois are the fifth and sixth Division I-A teams in the ‘90s to have a winless season. TCU (0-10) may be next.
Prairie View lost its 77th straight game, remaining winless this decade.
That Ricky Williams is a busy guy
Ricky Williams, Texas, ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries in a 45-31 win over Kansas. Williams has 43 career TDs, a school record.
Ricky Williams, Texas Tech, rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown as the Red Raiders upset No. 24 Oklahoma State 27-3.
Looking ahead to next Saturday
Rivalry Saturday is highlighted by the run for the roses: No. 4 Ohio State at No. 1 Michigan and No. 14 Washington State at No. 13 Washington. And don’t forget Florida State at Florida.
, DataTimes