#4 Tennessee Volunteers defeat #2 Florida Gators, 34-32
The Gators were supposed to beat Tennessee at home and then go on to win the Southeastern Conference Championship. This was the victory that would have secured a Florida-Miami Rose Bowl Championship game. But, Tennessee, the 18-point underdogs, saw it differently.Tennessee won in the Swamp for the first time in 30 years and significantly improved its chances at playing in the Rose Bowl, while ruining those very hopes for the Gators. A failed Florida two-point conversion with just over a minute remaining won the game for Tennessee.
In the first quarter, the Volunteers took a two-touchdown lead, but by halftime, Florida was back on top, 20-14. Florida and Tennessee then traded scores all the way through the second half. A final touchdown by Florida with 1:10 left in the game brought the score to 34-32. The Gators then missed their two-point conversion, handing Tennessee the victory.
The Volunteers' win was fueled by the play of tailback Travis Stephens, who ran for 226 yards on 19 attempts and scored two touchdowns. Stephens, a redshirt freshman, showed veteran leadership all year, the type that was exemplified in this game. If Stephens and his teammates can beat LSU in the SEC Championship game, they might be going the Rose Bowl. But a loss or a weak performance could send Oregon or even Nebraska to the coveted game.
#24 LSU Tigers defeat #22 Auburn Tigers, 27-14
This game was the showdown for the SEC West representative in the SEC Championship game. Claiming the spot to take on Tennessee, LSU controlled Auburn to earn the victory.Rohan Davey led his LSU squad with 245 yards passing, one touchdown, and only one interception. He came up big when the team needed him, including three key rushes that totaled 21 yards.
LSU jumped on top with a surprise onside kick that led to a touchdown, followed by a four-play scoring drive from Auburn. LSU clinched the victory in the second quarter, though, taking a two-touchdown lead which it held onto for most of the game.
As the Tigers look toward playing Tennessee, they hope to dash the National Championship contender's hopes. More realistically, though, Tennessee and Travis Stephens should run all over LSU.
#1 Miami Hurricanes defeat #13 Virginia Tech Hokies, 26-24
In a game that was closer than expected, the Hokies pulled off a fourth-quarter run that made the game interesting. In the end, their comeback efforts fell short and Miami landed a spot in the Rose Bowl Championship game.Virginia scored first, with a field goal in the first quarter. In the second, Miami took control of the game, scoring 20 unanswered points. Entering the fourth quarter, Miami led 26-10, but Virginia Tech refused to die. The Hokies scored two touchdowns in under three minutes - including a Brandon Manning 22-yard blocked punt return - and the comeback threat loomed.
After the second touchdown, with the score 26-24 and six minutes remaining, the Hokies risked a two-point conversion attempt. But Ernest Wilford dropped Grant Noel's pass, and on the next series Miami controlled the ball and the clock, running both to the end.
#3 Texas Longhorns defeat #10 Colorado Buffalos 39-37
With a late game on Saturday, Texas should have played better. Though time of day should not matter, the Longhorns saw Tennessee beat Florida earlier and knew that a victory over Colorado would almost assuredly have put them in the Rose Bowl.Instead, they fell into the trap of Colorado's late season surge, which enabled them to win the Big 12 crown. With two big Colorado victories - last week they ran up the score on Nebraska - the Buffalos should see their number 10 ranking shoot up a few spots.
Unfortunately for Colorado, its two early season losses make a Rose Bowl berth virtually impossible, though the last two victories should propel them high enough in the rankings to play in either the Sugar or Fiesta Bowls.
Major Applewhite, the Longhorns' quarterback, passed for 240 yards in relief of starting quarterback Chris Simms. Yet because of Simms' four first half turnovers, Applewhite could not bring the Longhorns back from their deficit. The Buffalos ran for 223 yards on 53 carries, led by Chris Brown's 182 yards and three touchdowns.
#5 Oregon Ducks defeat Oregon State Beavers, 17-14
With all of the upsets this weekend, Oregon held a slim chance of making a BCS bid for the Rose Bowl. Yet their narrow victory over unranked, in-state rival Oregon State was not a convincing argument.Down 6-3 in the fourth quarter of a rainy evening, the Ducks capitalized on a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown by Keenan Howry. The return gave a spark to the Oregon squad, who scored later in the quarter on a 12-play, 80-yard drive.
The win assures Oregon of playing in the Fiesta Bowl. The Ducks probably will not make enough of a surge in the rankings for a Rose Bowl appearance, though they hope their Pacific 10 Conference title will sway voters.
