Lions Run Out Of Luck Spartans’ 452 Rushing Yards Knock Psu Out Of Alliance

Major college roundup

Joe Paterno expected Michigan State to run the ball. He just never dreamed the Spartans would run it so well.

Sedrick Irvin and Marc Renaud each ran for more than 200 yards against No. 4 Penn State on Saturday as Michigan State rolled to a 49-14 victory at East Lansing, Mich., virtually killing the Nittany Lions’ hopes for a berth in an Alliance bowl game.

“I was surprised with the way they ran,” Paterno said. “I knew they were going to run, but I thought it would be a contest. They’re good backs, but we’ve got to tackle better.”

Irvin rushed 28 times for 238 yards and three touchdowns; he also caught one of two TD tosses by Todd Schultz. Renaud rushed 21 times for 203 yards, including a 42-yard scoring dash. Afterward, Michigan State (7-4, 4-4 Big Ten) accepted an invitation to play in the Aloha Bowl.

It was the first time the Nittany Lions (9-2, 6-2) had two players run for 200 yards against them. The Spartans’ 452 rushing yards were the most allowed by Penn State, topping the previous mark of 425 by Notre Dame in 1989.

“I thought we practiced well this week,” Paterno said. “The thing I don’t think people realize is how good Michigan State is, and that worried me. Michigan State really killed themselves all year.

“They really should have been an 8-2 team if they kicked a couple of field goals.”

It was Michigan State’s first victory over a ranked opponent since Nov. 4, 1995, when the Spartans upset No. 7 Michigan. It was also the first time the Spartans had knocked off a team ranked higher than No. 5 since 1990.

(3) Tennessee 17, Vanderbilt 10

At Knoxville, Tenn., Jamal Lewis gained 196 yards and the Volunteers clinched the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title with a victory over their stubborn archrival.

The Volunteers (10-1, 7-1) earned their first division crown since the league split into divisions in 1992, and, next Saturday at Atlanta, will play Auburn for the SEC title and automatic Alliance bowl berth .

Vanderbilt (3-8, 0-8) put up yet another valiant defensive effort - the Commodores held on to the league’s No. 1 defensive ranking by holding the Vols to 339 yards - but ended without a conference victory for the second consecutive season.

(14) Georgia 27, Georgia Tech 24

At Atlanta, Mike Bobo threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Corey Allen with 8 seconds remaining and the Bulldogs (9-2) defeated the Yellow Jackets (6-5) for the seventh consecutive time.

Tech appeared to have clinched an upset when Charles Wiley powered up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 with 48 seconds remaining. A two-point conversion gave Tech a 24-21 lead.

But Georgia moved for the winning touchdown in four plays and benefited from a critical pass interference penalty on Tech that wiped out Travares Tillman’s interception with 14 seconds to go.

After the penalty, Bobo lofted a pass into the left corner of the end zone and Allen, guarded closely by Tech cornerback Kofi Smith, managed to grab the ball and drag his left foot just inside the line before tumbling out of bounds.

(16) Syracuse 33, Miami 13

At Miami, Donovan McNabb threw two touchdown passes and ran 43 yards for a third as the Orangemen (9-3, 6-1) won the Big East title and secured the conference’s spot in the Alliance.

McNabb was one of three Orangemen to rush for at least 100 yards. He had 100, while running backs Dee Brown and Kyle McIntosh each topped 100 yards as Syracuse beat Miami for the first time in 17 years.

The Hurricanes (5-6, 3-4) managed just 208 net yards and Syracuse 358.

Ole Miss 15, (22) Mississippi St. 14

At Starkville, Miss., Stewart Patridge threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Andre Rone with 25 seconds left, and the Rebels (7-4, 4-4 SEC) converted a 2-point conversion to defeat the Bulldogs (7-4, 4-4).

Patridge completed six passes as Ole Miss, which hadn’t scored since the opening possession of the game, drove 63 yards in 1:47 after a missed field goal by Mississippi State’s Brian Hazelwood.

After the second Patridge-to-Rone touchdown of the game, the Rebels refused to settle for overtime. Patridge hit Cory Peterson, who had a defender right on his back, for the game-winning points.

Notre Dame 23, Hawaii 22

At Honolulu, Scott Cengia kicked a 20-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to give the Fighting Irish (7-5) their badly needed seventh victory and an imminent bowl bid.

There was no formal announcement of which bowl the Irish would play in, but there were reports that both the Sun and Aloha Bowls were interested.

Hawaii (3-9) appeared to have the game in hand, leading 22-20 with 2:20 left and Notre Dame’s offense sputtering badly.

But a face mask penalty on an Autry Denson punt return put the ball on the Hawaii 49 with 2:20 left. Still, the Irish had to convert on a third-and-17 to keep the drive going.

Virginia 34, Virginia Tech 20

At Charlottesville, Va., Aaron Brooks threw for 390 yards and four touchdowns as the Cavaliers (7-4) dominated the Hokies (7-4), keeping Virginia’s bowl hopes alive.

Brooks was 23 of 34, including TD passes covering 4 and 25 yards to Germane Crowell, 55 yards to Anthony Southern and 5 yards to Thomas Jones. Brooks has 14 TD passes in his last four games and 20 overall.

Virginia Tech, which lost its chance for a third straight Alliance berth by losing at Pittsburgh last weekend, likely dropped further in the bowl picture.