College football

UTEP stumbles, falls short of clinching C-USA West

EL PASO, Texas - Darrell Hackney threw four touchdown passes to support teammate Sam Williamson's midweek guarantee of a road victory as visiting Alabama-Birmingham beat No. 24 UTEP 35-23 Saturday night.

Reggie Lindsey caught three of Hackney's touchdown passes as UAB snapped UTEP's nine-game home winning streak, denying the Miners a chance to clinch the Conference USA Western Division title.

Hackney, the league's top passer with 2,718 yards entering the game, completed 11 of 17 passes for 184 yards.

His biggest mistake was an interception that Quintin Demps returned 43 yards, setting up a 4-yard scoring pass from Jordan Palmer to Aaron Givens to pull UTEP within 35-23 with 6:11 remaining.

Corey White ran for 106 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown for UAB, and Lindsey finished with seven catches for 146 yards.

LA.-MONROE 24, NORTH TEXAS 19: Steven Jyles threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score as the visiting Indians clinched at least a share of the Sun Belt Conference title.

TULSA 38, TULANE 14: Tulsa scored on its first play of the game - a 48-yard connection between Paul Smith and Ashlan Davis - and scored 28 first-half points to win in Monroe, La.

SMU 29, HOUSTON 24: DeMyron Martin scored two second-half touchdowns and Chris McMurtray kicked a 49-yard field goal with three seconds remaining for the visiting Mustangs.

AIR FORCE 42, NEW MEXICO 24: Shaun Carney threw for 186 yards and a touchdown, and Jacobe Kendrick ran for two more scores as the visiting Falcons snapped a three-game losing streak.

UTAH 41, BYU 34 (OT): Brett Ratliff threw for four touchdowns in his first start, including a 25-yard pass to Travis LaTendresse in overtime, as the Utes became bowl eligible.

COLORADO STATE 31, UNLV 27: Johnny Walker's 75-yard punt return in the fourth quarter allowed the visiting Rams to become bowl eligible for the 11th time in 13 years under coach Sonny Lubick.

EASTERN MICHIGAN 38, BUFFALO 14: Eric Deslauriers caught two touchdown passes from Matt Bohnet as the Eagles spoiled Bulls coach Jim Hofher's final game (8-49).

EAST CAROLINA 34, MARSHALL 29: Chris Johnson rushed for three touchdowns as the visiting Pirates broke a three-game losing streak under first-year coach Skip Holtz.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN 31, BALL STATE 24 (OT): Kent Smith hit Justin Harper for a 7-yard touchdown pass, then the Chippewas stopped the Cardinals on fourth and 1 to win in overtime.

BOISE STATE 70, IDAHO 35: Quinton Jones returned a punt 73 yards and ran 50 yards for another score, and the host Broncos scored five fourth-quarter touchdowns to keep their bowl hopes alive.

NEVADA 30, UTAH STATE 24: Jeff Rowe threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third as the visiting Wolfpack moved into second place in the conference with the win.

SAN JOSE STATE 27, NEW MEXICO STATE 10: Yonus Davis rushed for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including an 84-yard scoring run early in the third quarter, for the host Spartans. The Aggies fell to 0-11 in coach Hal Mumme's first season.

HARVARD 30, YALE 24 (3OT): Clifton Dawson's 3-yard touchdown run in the third overtime lifted the visiting Crimson to its fifth straight victory in the series in the 122nd meeting between the two schools.

NAVY 38, TEMPLE 17: Host Navy scored 24 straight points in the second half to become bowl eligible for the third consecutive year and clinch a winless season for the Owls.

ARMY 38, ARKANSAS STATE 10: Senior Carlton Jones ran for a season-high 187 yards and two touchdowns as the host Black Knights won their fourth straight.

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