ORLANDO - Philip Rivers made sure N.C. State's disappointing season and his record-setting career ended on a winning note.
The ACC player of the year threw for Tangerine Bowl records of 475 yards and five touchdowns Monday night, leading the Wolfpack to a 56-26 rout of Kansas.
Rebounding from a two-game skid that cost it a trip to a bigger bowl, the Wolfpack (8-5) marched 64, 68 and 97 yards on its first three possessions for a 21-7 lead.
Rivers led an 88-yard drive in the third quarter, then took advantage of a blocked punt to put the Wolfpack up 42-17 less than nine minutes into the second half.
Richard Washington scored on receptions of 45 and 14 yards, and Jerricho Cotchery had 13 catches for 171 yards and one TD. T.A. McLendon scored on a 3-yard reception and runs of 1 and 26 yards.
Rivers, the ACC's career passing and total offense leader, was 21-of-24 for 268 yards and three TDs in the first half. He finished 37-of-45 for his fifth 400-yard game this season, seventh overall.
The 6-foot-5, 236-pound senior has been the starting quarterback for every game the Wolfpack has played under coach Chuck Amato, who has taken his team to a bowl game in each of his four seasons.
Kansas fell short in its bid to finish with its first winning record since 1995, the last time the Jayhawks appeared in a bowl.
USC cap and gown champ
ORLANDO - When it comes to graduation rates, Southern California is the clear winner over LSU and Oklahoma.
In a study of graduation rates of the 56 bowl teams, USC easily beat out the other national title contenders. The Trojans graduated 61 percent of players in the years studied, compared to 40 percent for LSU and 33 percent for Oklahoma.
The numbers are an average for the freshman classes that entered school from 1993-94 to 1996-97. Students are given six years to graduate, but athletes who transfer, even if in good academic standing, count against a school.
Richard Lapchick authored the study for the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at UCF.
Northwestern had an 83 percent graduation rate, followed by Boston College (79), Virginia (76), Tulsa (66) and Oregon (64).
The Trojans had the highest rate of any school in a BCS game; Oklahoma had the lowest. Arkansas and Fresno State were tied for the lowest rate at 26 percent.
The study also looked at minority hiring practices at bowl schools. In the positions of coach, coordinators, school president, athletic director and faculty athletic representative, 94 percent were held by whites. White women held 6 percent of those jobs.
UCLA's Karl Dorrell is the only minority coach for a bowl team. There were eight minority coordinators, including USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow. The Trojans also had one of three black athletic directors in Mike Garrett.
"It is astonishing that only 13 of the 56 bowl schools employ any person of color in these key decisionmaking positions," Lapchick said.
Security's a top priority
When the nation's terror alert was raised to its second-highest level, Louisiana Superdome personnel were ready.
"We've got the drill down pretty good," spokesman Bill Curl said from New Orleans, where the Sugar Bowl will be played Jan. 4.
His advice for fans attending the BCS title game between LSU and Oklahoma: "Come early and empty-handed."
Several federal law enforcement officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, mentioned major-bowl games as potential al-Qaida targets. Still, they urged fans to go about business as usual.
"This is a period of celebration," Ridge said. "There are public gatherings in major urban areas around the country, big celebrations. ... And we encourage people to, like we said before, be vigilant and be aware."
The Superdome is no stranger to hosting national sports events amid heightened security. Two years ago, it was the site of the first post-Sept. 11 Super Bowl. The imposing dome was ringed by national guardsmen and chain-link fences. In April, during the war in Iraq, an increased police presence was in place when the Superdome hosted the Final Four men's basketball championship.
That kind of atmosphere was evident at various bowl sites around the country.
Ross Bailey, in charge of operations at the Amon G. Carter Stadium for tonight's Fort Worth Bowl, said there would be extra security sweeps of the stadium.
Silicon Valley Bowl
UCLA: Starting safety Ben Emanuel was suspended for the Dec. 30 game in San Jose for violating team rules. He started 19 straight games and had 80 tackles this season.
