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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, November 19, 2006

No. 7 Rutgers falls flat, 30-11

Associated Press

Cincinnati tight end Brent Celek slips past Rutgers' Manny Collins on his way to an 83-yard TD after catching a pass from Nick Davila.

AL BEHRMAN | Associated Press

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CINCINNATI — Nick Davila fought back tears while hugging his family and friends in the middle of a rare, raucous Cincinnati celebration.

He had good reason to get choked up.

The senior quarterback who had never started a game led the Bearcats to their biggest upset in school history last night, a 30-11 victory over No. 7 Rutgers that ended the Scarlet Knights' perfect season and national title aspirations.

"I'm just caught up in the moment right now," said Davila, who scored on a 1-yard run and threw an 83-yard touchdown pass. "I can't explain what's going on. It's so unbelievable. This is the greatest scene in the world."

Only nine days earlier, Rutgers (9-1, 4-1 Big East) was engulfed in a similar scene. Red-clad fans poured onto the field in New Jersey after a 28-25 win over then-No. 3 Louisville put the Scarlet Knights smack in the middle of the national championship debate.

Davila and the Bearcats (6-5, 3-3) watched that celebration on television, and dreamed of their own.

"I thought: That's going to be us," Davila said.

Rutgers players now know what it feels like to have to run away from one of those celebrations.

"It seems like it's happened to every team in the Big East," Rutgers fullback Brian Leonard said. "It happened to West Virginia, it happened to Louisville, and now it's happened to us. We know we won't make the national championship, but we can still win the Big East."

Playing as a Top 10 team for the first time in their 137-year history, the Scarlet Knights gave by far their worst performance of the season.

"It's so hard to be at your best each week, and we weren't at our best tonight," coach Greg Schiano said.

Now, only No. 1 Ohio State and No. 13 Boise State have perfect marks.

In their second season in the Big East, the Bearcats have been looking for a signature win. They'd already played four Top 10 teams on the road this season, losing to all four.

This time, they got it right.

Rutgers' Ray Rice — the nation's third-leading rusher — couldn't find any holes in a defense stacked to stop him. Sophomore quarterback Mike Teel couldn't carry the offense with his erratic passing, and made the big mistake that got Cincinnati believing.

Cornerback DeAngelo Smith returned Teel's floating sideline pass 74 yards for a second-quarter touchdown that put the Bearcats in position for the big upset. They'd never beaten a team ranked better than No. 9.

NO. 3 FLORIDA 62, WESTERN CAROLINA 0

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tim Tebow ran for two touchdowns, threw for two more and the Gators (10-1) scored touchdowns on nine of their first 10 possessions while cruising past the Division I-AA Catamounts (2-9) to prepare for next week's game at rival Florida State.

Freshman Brandon James broke the school record for punt return yardage, returning six punts for 155 and scoring on a 77-yarder, while another freshman, Riley Cooper, caught three touchdown passes, covering 7, 55 and 20 yards.

NO. 5 ARKANSAS 28, MISSISSIPPI STATE 14

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Darren McFadden ran back a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown and Chris Houston scored on an 87-yard interception return to help the Razorbacks (10-1, 7-0) clinch the Southeastern Conference Western Division title and earn a berth in the league championship game against Florida on Dec. 2.

The Bulldogs (3-8, 1-6) shut down McFadden and the high-powered Razorbacks offense at every turn, but defense and special teams carried Arkansas. Casey Dick threw two TD passes to go with the long returns as Arkansas won its 10th straight game and remained in the national championship picture.

NO. 6 NOTRE DAME 41, ARMY 9

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Brady Quinn threw for three touchdowns, Darius Walker ran for 162 yards and two scores and the Irish (10-1), after falling behind 3-0, scored on five consecutive possessions to roll past the Black Knights (3-8) and remain in national title contention.

The Irish close out the regular season next week at No. 4 Southern California. A win could put Notre Dame in position to earn a spot in the national title game. The Black Knights close out their season against Navy on Dec. 2.

NO. 9 LSU 23, MISSISSIPPI 20

BATON ROUGE, La. — Colt David kicked a 26-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Tigers (9-2, 5-2 SEC) over the Rebels (3-8, 1-6).

JaMarcus Russell and Dwayne Bowe hooked up on a fourth-down touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime.

LSU could have won in regulation after Bowe's touchdown, but Mississippi blocked the extra point.

NO. 10 LOUISVILLE 31, SOUTH FLORIDA 8

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Brian Brohm threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver Harry Douglas as the Cardinals (9-1, 4-1 Big East) rebounded from a loss to Rutgers with a rout of the Bulls (7-4, 3-3).

Louisville limited South Florida to 286 yards and sacked Matt Grothe six times. The win, coupled with Rutgers' loss at Cincinnati, vaulted the Cardinals into a three-way tie atop the Big East with the Scarlet Knights and No. 8 West Virginia.

NO. 12 WISCONSIN 35, BUFFALO 3

MADISON, Wis. — On the first two plays of the game, the Badgers (11-1) picked off a pass and threw for a touchdown, then added two touchdown just before halftime to rout the Bulls (2-9) and post their first 11-win regular season in school history.

Tyler Donovan, who made his second straight start filling in for injured starter John Stocco, was 16 of 26 for 308 yards and two touchdowns for Wisconsin, which appears to be headed to a second straight berth in the Capital One Bowl.

NO. 16 OKLAHOMA 36, BAYLOR 10

WACO, Texas —Reggie Smith returned one of his two interceptions 42 yards for a touchdown and set up another TD with his other, and third-string tailback Chris Brown ran 24 times for 169 yards and a score as the Sooners (9-2, 6-1 Big 12) routed the Bears (4-8, 3-5) to remain in contention for the Big 12 South title.

Oklahoma overcame five turnovers, including fumbles by Smith and Brown. If Texas loses Friday against Texas A&M, the Sooners could win the South title by beating their instate rival, Oklahoma State, on Saturday.

NO. 18 GEORGIA TECH 49, DUKE 21

ATLANTA — Reggie Ball passed for three second-quarter touchdowns, two to Calvin Johnson, and the Yellow Jackets (9-2, 7-1) padded momentum to its ACC championship drive by cruising past the winless Blue Devils (0-11, 0-7).

Georgia Tech will face the still-undetermined Atlantic Division champion in the ACC title game Dec. 2 in Jacksonville. Duke must beat North Carolina next week to avoid its first winless season since 2001. Duke has the nation's longest losing streak at 19 games, has lost 23 consecutive ACC games and 29 straight conference road games.

NO. 19 VIRGINIA TECH 27, NO. 14 WAKE FOREST 6

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Sean Glennon threw two touchdown passes and Xavier Adibi had a 35-yard fumble return for a score to lead the Hokies (9-2, 5-2 ACC) past the Demon Deacons (9-2, 5-2).

Riley Skinner threw for 195 yards to lead the Demon Deacons (9-2, 5-2), who can still clinch the conference's Atlantic Division title and an appearance in the league championship game by winning at No. 21 Maryland next weekend.

NO. 20 B.C. 38, NO. 21 MARYLAND 16

BOSTON — Jolonn Dunbar scored on fumble recoveries of 14 and 38 yards for a 14-0 lead in the first four minutes, and Matt Ryan threw two scoring passes to lead the Eagles (9-2, 5-2) past the Terrapins (8-3, 5-2) in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

To win the Atlantic Division, Boston College needs a win over Miami next Thursday night and losses by Wake Forest in its final two games. The Terrapins (8-3, 5-2) can still win the division if they beat Wake Forest next Saturday and BC loses to Miami.

NO. 22 TENNESSEE 39, VANDERBILT 10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Erik Ainge threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns, LaMarcus Coker ran for two more scores to lead the Volunteers (8-3, 4-3 SEC) past the Commodores (4-8, 1-7) and end a two-game losing streak.

NO. 23 BYU 42, NEW MEXICO 17

PROVO, Utah — John Beck passed for 464 yards and four touchdowns, Curtis Brown became the leading rusher in school history with 3,056 yards as the Cougars (9-2, 7-0) beat the Lobos (5-6, 3-4) to clinch the Mountain West Conference championship.