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College football

Two minute drill

A QUICK OVERVIEW OF SATURDAY'S GAMES

By wire services
Published November 20, 2005

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GAMECOCKS, TIGERS SHAKE HANDS

As their captains gathered at midfield for the coin toss, South Carolina and Clemson players lined up just inside their opposing sidelines then met for handshakes. The game in Columbia came a year after a brawl between the teams that stretched for about 60 yards and required police to break up. Hoping to set a more collegial tone, the athletic directors arranged the event. Not everyone was enamored with the idea. "It's stupid," Clemson student Robert Sherrill said. "I think it's going to cause a lot of controversy that is not needed. Just let them play."

OBSCURE GAMES OF THE DAY

BROWN 52, COLUMBIA 21: Less than 24 hours after interviewing to become a Rhodes Scholar, senior Nick Hartigan ran for 229 yards and three touchdowns to help the visiting Bears clinch their first outright Ivy League title. Hartigan's touchdowns gave him 52, surpassing the Ivy record of Cornell's (and Hill Street Blues') Ed Marinaro set from 1969-71.

NEW HAMPSHIRE 59, MAINE 47: Ricky Santos was 30-of-46 for 354 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 116 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries for the host Wildcats, who clinched the Atlantic 10's automatic berth in the I-AA playoffs. Ron Whitcomb was 36-for-60 for 363 yards and five touchdowns, four to Kevin McMahan, for the Black Bears.

PLAYERS OF THE DAY

EARL BENNETT, VANDERBILT, AND ARIAN FOSTER, TENNESSEE: Bennett caught 14 passes, including all three of Jay Cutler's completions on the winning drive, and Foster, a freshman, rushed for 223 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries in the Commodores' 28-24 victory.

TYRELL SUTTON, NORTHWESTERN: The freshman had 212 yards on 34 carries in a 38-21 win over Illinois.

DARREN McFADDEN, ARKANSAS: With 165 yards, he became the first Razorback and seventh SEC freshman to rush for 1,000 yards in a 44-10 win over Mississippi State.

D'JUAN WOODS, OKLAHOMA ST.: The junior caught 10 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-34 loss to Baylor.

DonTRELL MOORE, NEW MEXICO: The senior scored a touchdown and rushed for 143 yards, his 26th 100-yard game, in a 42-24 loss to Air Force.

JEROME HARRISON, WASHINGTON ST.: The senior ran for 207 yards (after only 15 in the first quarter) on 36 carries in a 26-22 win over Washington. It was his 14th consecutive 100-yard game.

QUINTON JONES, BOISE ST.: The junior returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown and ran 50 yards for another in a 70-35 win over Idaho.

AUBURN'S DEFENSE: The Tigers had 11 sacks, 31/2 by junior Stanley McClover, in a 28-18 win over Alabama.

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY

MOUNTAIN WEST: Utah, Florida coach Urban Meyer's former team, blew a 24-3 halftime lead but beat BYU 41-34 in overtime to become bowl eligible. TCU went unbeaten in its first season in the conference and finished 10-1. After that, it's four teams at 6-5: Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah and BYU. The Mountain West has only three bowl affiliations, but because of a shortage of eligible teams in the SEC and Big 12, all five could get bids.

NUMBERS OF THE DAY

4: Consecutive wins for Army since ending an 11-game losing streak after beating Arkansas State 38-10 (behind senior Carlton Jones' 187 rushing yards and two touchdowns); granted, the Black Knights have beaten only Akron (5-5), Air Force (4-7) and I-AA Massachusetts (7-4), but it's their first unbeaten November since 1971.

10: Stadiums Tulane has played in for its past 10 games after losing 38-14 to Tulsa in Monroe, La. With its stadium unusable because of Hurricane Katrina, the Green Wave has played its other "home games" in Shreveport, La., Baton Rouge, La., Lafayette, La., Ruston, La., and Mobile, Ala., and road games against SMU, Central Florida, Navy and Rice. Tulane finishes the season Saturday at Southern Miss.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"We told our kids that this was the most important game of their life this week. Then I told them I lied to them because next week would be the most important game of their lives." - N.C. State coach Chuck Amato, whose team beat Middle Tennessee 24-3 and must beat Maryland on Saturday to become bowl eligible.

[Last modified November 20, 2005, 00:55:14]

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