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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, November 22, 2009

UConn stuns Irish in 2 OTs, 33-30


Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Connecticut Huskies finally won one for their slain teammate, handing Notre Dame and coach Charlie Weis a second straight bitter defeat on senior day.

Andre Dixon scored on a 4-yard run in the second overtime to give the Huskies a 33-30 victory, their first win since cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death.

"Jazz this is for you," coach Randy Edsall said, referring to Howard by his nickname. "Best win we have ever had."

The loss was the third straight for Notre Dame (6-5) and will add to the mounting calls for Weis to be fired. The Irish led 14-0 early in the second quarter but didn't score another touchdown until the first overtime.

The Huskies (5-5) had lost three straight painfully close games since Howard was killed. This time they made the plays at the end to win in dramatic fashion.

Jordan Todman ran for 130 yards on 26 carries, including a 43-yard TD run for UConn. He also added a 96-yard kickoff return for a TD.

Jimmy Clausen was 30 of 45 passing for 329 yards for Notre Dame. Golden Tate had nine catches for 123 yards.

ACC

Florida State 29, Maryland 26: Freshman Lonnie Pryor ran for a pair of touchdowns, including a 3-yard run with 32 seconds left, and the host Seminoles (6-5, 4-4 ACC) became bowl eligible for the 28th straight year by handing the Terrapins (2-9, 1-6) their sixth straight loss.

North Carolina 31, Boston College 13: Cam Thomas and Kendric Burney each had defensive touchdowns as the visiting Tar Heels (8-3, 4-3) scored three times in a span of 2 minutes, 19 seconds to open a 21-point lead and hold on to beat the Eagles (7-4, 4-3).

BIG 12

Missouri 34, Iowa State 24: Danario Alexander had 11 catches for 173 yards and a 63-yard score and Jerrell Jackson had eight receptions for 142 yards and a 70-yard score, helping the host Tigers (7-4, 3-4 Big 12) rally past the Cyclones (6-6, 3-5) to end a three-game home losing streak.

Texas Tech 41, Oklahoma 13: Taylor Potts threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns as the host Red Raiders (7-4, 4-3 Big 12), who became bowl eligible for the 16th straight season, rolled to their most lopsided win ever over the Sooners (6-5, 4-3).

Texas A&M 38, Baylor 3: Freshman Christine Michael scored on a 97-yard run for the longest play from scrimmage in school history as the Aggies (6-5, 3-4 Big 12) secured bowl eligibility, while the Bears (4-7, 1-6) will end with a losing record for the 14th consecutive season.

Nebraska 17, Kansas State 3: Roy Helu Jr. ran 26 times for 95 yards and a touchdown as the host Huskers (8-3, 5-2) beat the Wildcats (6-6, 4-4) and will play in the conference championship against the South champion for the first time since 2006.

BIG EAST

South Florida 34, Louisville 22: B.J. Daniels threw for 304 yards, ran for 141 more, and scored twice, leading the host Bulls (7-3, 3-3 Big East) over the Cardinals (4-7, 1-5), who lost for the ninth straight time on the road.

BIG TEN

Purdue 38, Indiana 21: Joey Elliott threw four touchdown passes as the visiting Boilermakers (5-7, 4-4 Big Ten) retained the Old Oaken Bucket with a victory over the Hoosiers (4-8, 1-7), who had more total yards (462-330), but lost the turnover battle 4-0.

CONFERENCE USA

Central Florida 49, Tulane 0: Brynn Harvey ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns, Kamar Aiken caught two TD passes, and the host Knights (7-4, 5-2 Conference USA) forced five turnovers and held the Green Wave (3-8, 1-6) to just 50 yards of total offense.

East Carolina 37, Alabama-Birmingham 21: Dwayne Harris caught eight passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, and also returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score as the host Pirates (7-4, 6-1 C-USA) beat the Blazers (5-6, 4-3).

Rice 30, UTEP 29: Charles Ross rushed for three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter, and the host Owls (2-9, 2-5 C-USA) forced six turnovers to overcome a 29-17 deficit and beat the Miners (3-8, 2-5)

MARSHALL 34, SMU 31: Brian Anderson threw two second-half touchdown passes to Aaron Dobson as the host Thundering Herd (6-5, 4-3 C-USA) became bowl eligible with a victory over the Mustangs (6-5, 5-2), who fell into a first-place tie in the West Division with No. 24 Houston.

MOUNTAIN WEST

New Mexico 29, Colorado State 27: James Aho kicked a 27-yard field goal with 12 seconds left as the host Lobos (1-10, 1-6 Mountain West) rallied from a 26-24 fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Rams (3-8, 0-7) and end their 14-game losing streak.

PACIFIC-10

UCLA 23, Arizona State 13: Redshirt freshman Kevin Prince passed for 161 yards and the Bruins' (6-5, 3-5 Pac-10) defense accounted for two touchdowns and set up a field goal in beating the Sun Devils (4-7, 2-6) to become bowl eligible.

SEC

Arkansas 42, Mississippi State 21: Ryan Mallett threw for 313 yards and five touchdowns, setting a school record for most TD passes in a season with 28 and leading the host Razorbacks (4-7, 2-5 SEC) over the Bulldogs (4-7, 2-5).

Tennessee 31, Vanderbilt 16: Jonathan Crompton threw for two touchdowns as the host Volunteers (6-5, 3-4 SEC) became bowl eligible, while the Commodores (2-10, 0-8) finished without a conference win for the first time since 2002.

Kentucky 34, Georgia 27: Randall Cobb ran for two touchdowns and the visiting Wildcats (7-4, 3-4 SEC) scored 14 points off four second-half turnovers, rallying from a 20-6 halftime deficit to beat the Bulldogs (6-5, 4-4) for their first win in Athens in 32 years.

ELSEWHERE

WEBER STATE 47, CAL POLY 14: Cameron Higgins threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Tim Toone, to lead the host Wildcats (7-4) over the Mustangs (4-7). Higgins, a Saint Louis alum from Honolulu, completed 23 of 33 passes with no interceptions.

Harvard 14, Yale 10: Collier Winters threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns and 'Iolani alum Jon Takamura made an interception with less than a minute remaining as the visiting Crimson (7-3, 6-1 Ivy) rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Bulldogs (4-6, 2-5) in the 126th meeting of The Game. Takamura, a senior linebacker, had five solo tackles and four assisted tackles in his final game.

Army 17, North Texas 13: Trent Steelman rushed for 132 yards and scored on a 2-yard run with 1:43 left as the visiting Black Knights (5-6) beat the Mean Green (2-9). Army can become bowl eligible for the first time since 1996 with a victory Dec. 12 against Navy.