Rebels With A Cause

Break up Nevada-Las Vegas.

Under first-year coach John Robinson, formerly of Southern Cal and the Rams, the Rebels are 2-0. Great stuff, for a team that hadn’t won a game since 1997.

But the way they won their second game was blooper material.

Baylor was leading 24-21 with 20 seconds left. It had a first down at the UNLV 8. UNLV was out of timeouts. So naturally, Baylor’s Darrel Bush took a handoff and tried to score. He was hit at the 1 by linebacker James Sunia, who forced a fumble. Kevin Thomas picked up the ball and ran 99 yards for the winning TD.

“This will go down in history as one of the most unbelievable `why-did-you-do-its,”’ said first-year Baylor coach Kevin Steele, who had opened with a one-point overtime loss at Boston College when his kicker missed a PAT. “It falls on my shoulders. I have an explanation, but it doesn’t hold water.”

Just wondering

How bad is Washington State, just two years removed from a Rose Bowl? They lost to Stanford 54-17. The same Stanford team that lost to Texas 69-17. The Cougars have now lost 10 straight, one shy of the school record that stretched over the 1970 and ‘71 seasons.

Stanford has won seven of the last eight meetings. Cougars coach Mike Price remains winless in five trips to Stanford Stadium, the only Pac-10 stadium where he has failed to win.

He said it

Ball State coach Bill Lynch, after a 50-10 loss at Wisconsin:

“My No. 1 priority is, don’t play Wisconsin again.”

Irish eyes aren’t smiling

For the second time in as many weeks, Notre Dame had a chance to win a big game on the road. The Irish could be 3-0. Instead, they’re 1-2.

Last week, they had the ball at the Michigan 11 but couldn’t get off a final play and lost by four. This time, it was worse. The Irish were on the Purdue 1, down five, facing a third-and-goal with 16 seconds and no timeouts remaining. But quarterback Jarious Jackson rolled left and was tackled for a 9-yard loss. On the play, his backs went the wrong way. There wasn’t quite enough time to get off another snap.

Last year, Notre Dame beat Purdue at home 31-30 on a late field goal.

The Boilermakers are 12-1 at home under third-year coach Joe Tiller. They’ve won their last eight, dating to last October at Penn State (31-13).

On a day when the Heisman Trophy was on display in the Purdue bookstore, junior Drew Brees was 24 of 40 for 317 yards and a TD.

Did you know?

For the first time this decade, a Clemson tight end caught a touchdown pass. Welcome to the Tommy Bowden era. Brandon Streeter threw for a school-record 342 yards, in a 33-14 victory over nationally ranked Virginia.

Oregon State, under first-year coach Dennis Erickson, is 2-0 for only the third time since 1967. The Beavers, who haven’t had a winning season since 1970, were 2-0 last season under Mike Riley (now with the San Diego Chargers) and finished 5-6. This week they host I-AA power Georgia Southern. They haven’t started 3-0 since ‘67.

Welcome back

With 5:28 remaining in a 38-21 Texas victory Saturday night, the moment everyone in the record crowd of 41,511 at Rutgers Stadium has been waiting for arrived. Why else would they have stuck around?

Backup Longhorns freshman quarterback Chris Simms, son of former local hero Phil Simms, came in.

The fans responded with their most enthuiastic ovation of the evening - all boos. On his third snap, the north Jersey native dropped back to pass, was hit and fumbled the ball, forcing his team to punt. The boos turned to cheers. And you wonder why he went away to school?

“I’ve gotten that all my life, it really doesn’t faze me,” said Simms, who finished without a pass attempt in two series. “ (But) I didn’t expect them to boo that loud. I didn’t know they were so disappointed in me for not going to Rutgers.”

Old college try

Georgia Tech might not have won at Florida State, but at least it came down to an on-side kick in the final minute, which is more than any of the previous 29 ACC opponents who played in Tallahasee can say.

“They’re a real team, and the ACC is getting better,” said FSU cornerback Mario Edwards. “It was an awakening experience.”