The Central New Jersey Home News from New Brunswick, New Jersey • 29

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 1 2004 Home News tribune PAGE C7 BIG EAST PRINCETON 17 DARTMOUTH 10 Oiiiwi IMS 6i IB inl Bizarre win for Tigers THE ASSOCIATED PRESS L.V. Whitworth ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and Boston College took another step closer to its first BCS berth with a 34-17 win yesterday in Temple's final game before being booted from the Big East. The 19th-ranked Eagles (8-2, 4-1) pulled into a first-place tie in the Big East with No. 21 West Virginia (8-2, 4-1), which ends its season Thursday against Pittsburgh. Even if the Mountaineers win that game, Boston College would earn the automatic Bowl Championship Series slot and its first Big East championship if it can beat Syracuse.

BC was quarterback Paul Peterson getting knocked out of the game late in the first half. He did not return because of an injured right hand. Peterson was 12-for-15 for 115 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Matt Ryan ably filled in, going 8-for-15 and throwing a 32-yard touchdown pass to Larry Lester in the third quarter. Whitworth who missed three games this year with a knee injury had touchdown runs of 28 yards in the first quarter and 39 yards in the fourth and was the third straight running back to gain at least 140 yards against the Owls.

Temple finished with its 13th straight losing season and had only 14 Big East wins in 14 conference seasons. The Owls begin life next year as an independent. Temple created a task force to decide the long-term future of the program. It could move to another conference coach Bobby Wallace favors the MidAmerican drop down to Division I-AA or abolish the program. A decision is expected in December.

While some of the Eagles fretted during the week about a possible letdown coming off the big win at Morgantown, W.Va., there was little to worry about. The one piece of bad news for OHIO EAST ROUNDUP STATE 37, NO. 7 MICHIGAN 21 Lions give IIP, The Eagles would receive the bid because they beat West Virginia last week. The Mountaineers need to beat Pittsburgh and have Boston College lose to claim the BCS berth. While the Eagles, who are bolting for the Atlantic Coast Conference next year, are looking to end its final Big East season with a championship, Temple left the conference with a whimper.

The Owls (2-9, 1-5) are getting kicked out of the Big East for failing to meet minimum requirements for membership, most notably in attendance, facilities and fielding a competitive team. aterno win day with 14:16 left to play, but Vil-lanova (6-5, 3-5) battled back, scoring three times in the final nine minutes of the game. Gino Guidugli threw for three touchdowns and a career-high 377 yards, and Cincinnati defeated South Florida 45-23 to become bowl eligible. Butler Benton also had five carries for 70 yards and a touchdown for the Bearcats (6-4, 5-2 Conference USA). Tim Day threw the go-ahead touchdown pass and finished with 344 passing yards as Massachusetts defeated Hofstra 40-30 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Day's 56-yard pass in to Jason Peebler in the fourth quarter put the Minute-men (6-5, 4-4 Atlantic 10) ahead for good, 33-30. James West rushed for 115 yards and Shawn Brady threw for 199 yards as Northeastern forced six Rhode Island fumbles to defeat the Rams 42-14 in the Atlantic 10 Conference finale for both teams. David Ball had nine catches for 172 yards and three touchdowns as New Hampshire built a 40-14 halftime lead and held on for a 50-36 win over Maine. The Wildcats (9-2, 6-2 Atlantic 10) scored four times in the first quarter, with the last two touchdowns coming on passes from Ricky Santos to Ball. Brad Maurer rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown to lead Lafayette to a 24-10 victory over Lehigh as the Leopards secured a share of the Patriot League championship and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

Maurer also completed 11 of 21 passes for 108 yards as Lafayette (8-3, 5-1 Patriot) amassed 387 yards of total offense while limiting Lehigh (9-2, 5-1) to just 200 yards of total offense. Mike DeSantis kicked a 35-yard field goal in overtime, leading Holy Cross to a 31-28 victory over Georgetown and its first Patriot League win of the season. John O'Neil threw three touchdown passes and Steven Silva ran for a 103 yards and a score for the Crusaders (3-8, 1-5). Chris Brown threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, and Colgate scored 30 unanswered points to defeat Fordham 40-28. Brown's 4-yard touchdown pass to Luke Graham with 7:04 remaining gave the Red Raiders the lead for good.

Darrell Hackney completed 20 of 32 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns to lead UAB to a 20-14 win over Army. Dan Burks ran for 110 yards and Roddy White, the nation's leading receiver, had five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown to help the Blazers (7-3, 5-2 Conference USA) beat the Black Knights for the fifth straight time. UCONN 29, BUFFALO 0: Cornell Brockington rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns to lead Connecticut to a victory over Buffalo, assuring the Huskies of a winning record and making them eligible for a bowl bid. Senior Dan Orlovsky, in his final game at home, threw for 283 yards and a touchdown. His final play before being pulled from the game was a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon McLean.

Brockington broke the game open with a 43-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that made the score 22-0. Connecticut's defense held Buffalo to five first downs and 96 yards in total offense. ines' day other players improper benefits. An NCAA investigation is about to begin. But it's never a bad day in Columbus when Ohio State beats Michigan.

"This was important because it's Ohio State-Michigan," said Tressel, now 3-1 against the Buckeyes' archrivals. "(Former Ohio State) Coach Earle Bruce always says that if the Ohio State coach wins against Michigan he can walk down the main streets of Columbus. If he loses, he'd better walk the back alleys. It's that important." On a day where little went wrong for Ohio State (7-4, 4-4), Smith carried 18 times and came up just one yard short of tying a school record for yards rushing by a quarterback. He also completed 13 of 23 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns without an interception or a sack.

Ginn, the freshman wide-out with the sprinter's gait, gathered punt at his own 18 midway through the third quarter with the Buckeyes up 20-14. He broke tackle and went into overdrive for an 82-yard touchdown. Mama The Associated Press Ohio State wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez (11) does a chest bump with teammate Santonio Holmes after his 68-yard touchdown in the first quarter against Michigan yesterday. Buckeyes spoil Wolver THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Joe Paterno ended his 39th season at Penn State as a winner. The Nittany Lions scored four third-quarter touchdowns in a 37-13 win yesterday over Michigan State, and students who booed the Nittany Lions during three previous home losses chanted "Joe Paterno" and "Joe Pa, Joe Pa" as the game wound down.

There have been calls for the 77-year-old coach to step down, though Paterno has given no public indication he is considering such a move. Tamba Hali and Paul Posluszny had interceptions and Donnie Johnson blocked a punt for Penn State (4-7, 2-6 Big Ten), which wrapped up its fourth losing season in five years. The loss eliminated Michigan State (5-6, 4-4) from bowl consideration. Tony Hunt's 1-yard touchdown run, Penn State's only touchdown generated by the offense, gave the Nittany Lions a 10-6 lead midway through the third quarter. Two plays later, Hali's interception behind the line of scrimmage set up Zack Mills' 8-yard scoring run Penn State's second touchdown in 51 seconds for a 17-6 lead.

Posluszny's interception set up another one-play scoring drive, with Mills running it in from the 10 to make it 24-6. Johnson's block led to Mills' 6-yard touchdown pass to Michael Robinson to make it 31-6 with 21 seconds left in the third. Robbie Gould added a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter. Elswhere: Ricky Williamson scored on a 100-yard interception return and Brian Edwards ran back a punt for another touchdown to help Harvard complete a perfect season by beating Yale 35-3. Ryan Fitzpat-rick threw for a touchdown and also ran one in as Harvard (10-0, 7-0 Ivy) finished unbeaten and untied for the second time in four years.

Defensive lineman Bobby Fallon intercepted a tipped pass and ran 17 yards for a touchdown to start Penn on its way to a 20-14 win over Cornell. Mark Hartigan rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns to lead Brown to a 33-21 win over Columbia. Steve Morgan booted a pair of field goals for the Bears (6-4, 3-4 Ivy), and Hartigan recorded his 17th score of the season to become Brown's all-time single season rushing touchdown leader. Omar Cuff scored four touchdowns to help Delaware beat Villa-nova 41-35 and claim a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference title. Delaware (8-3, 7-1) built a 41-21 lead on Cuffs fourth touchdown run of the THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PRINCETON There was bound to be some controversy concerning Princeton's winning touchdown yesterday, but even the principal players responsible for the score had a bit of a disagreement over it.

In a stunning turn of events, Princeton's James Williams ripped the ball from teammate Colin McDonough's arms after a blocked field goal and raced 24 yards for the game-winning touchdown as Princeton defeated Dartmouth, 17-10, in the season finale for both teams. Princeton (5-5, 3-4) snapped a four-game winning streak while Dartmouth (1-9, 1-6) finished with its second one-win season in three years. With the score tied 10-10 and Derek Javarone attempting a 42-yard, field goal, the kick was blocked by Clayton Smith and bounced right back to McDonough. McDonough, the holder, caught the ball in midair and ran straight ahead into a crowd. As he was slowed, Williams ripped the ball from his hands and ran the final 24 yards untouched with 5:26 remaining.

There seemed to be some disagreement on how Williams got the ball. "He tells me he gave it to me, but I think I took it," Williams said with a smile. "I just came off the edge and it was a touchdown. I really didn't think they were going to give it to me." Dartmouth coach John Lyons, who felt the bitter loss mirrored his team's season, was thinking the same thing. "They caught it and (the officials) said he ran it in," Lyons said.

"I saw us get a great push up the middle and he seemed to catch the ball in midair. It looked like his momentum was stopped and he made a forward lateral to the guy next to him, but they said it wasn't." Williams insists the ball came back to him. "I saw the field goal get blocked and the next thing I know Colin McDonough is running up inside of me. I didn't know what the down and distance was but I was definitely behind him because I was going to try and push him for the first down." For a moment, Smith looked like the hero until the ensuing chaos. "It was just one of those crazy plays," he said.

"We got a good push up the middle and it went right off my right hand. It just doesn't seem right for us (seniors) to go out like this." Dartmouth responded to Williams' touchdown by driving to the Princeton 24-yard line. After gaining nothing on the first two plays, consecutive passes by Charlie Rittgers were dropped in the end zone by Bob Murphy and Aaron Brown. Both balls were right on the numbers. "You get in games like this and you can't do those types of things," Lyons said.

The Big Green got the ball one last time, starting at its 34 with 2:27 remaining. But Princeton sacked Rittgers three times for a total of 21 yards, and the Tigers ran out the clock. "Obviously it was a crazy game," Princeton coach Roger Hughes said. "But our kids fought their tails off. What I've been preaching to them the last two or three years is if you keep playing hard, good things are going to happen.

Finally, we got a break. "This was one of those wins thpt could signal the turning point of some fortu THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COLUMBUS, Ohio- Troy Smith barely got on the field for Ohio State earlier this season. After the Buckeyes' biggest game of the year, he had trouble getting off of it. With former high school teammates Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. leading the way, the Buckeyes pushed their troubles into the background for at least a day with a stunning 37-21 upset of No.

7 Michigan yesterday. Smith was swarmed by thousands of fans who flooded onto the field, dancing and singing and hugging some apparently a little too tightly. He ran for 145 yards and Ginn set school and Big Ten records with his fourth punt return touchdown. The two left after the game to catch Glenville High School's playoff game. Both starred for the Tarblooders before choosing Ohio State.

The loss kept the Michigan (9-2, 7-1) from clinching an outright Big Ten title, but the Wolverines are still going to the Rose Bowl thanks to Iowa. The TOP 25 ROUNDUP Hawkeyes (9-2, 7-1) beat Wisconsin 30-7 to dash the Badgers' Rose Bowl hopes. Michigan and Iowa will share the Big Ten title, but the Wolverines' victory over the Hawkeyes sends them to Pasadena, for a second straight season. "When you win the championship, you don't have to apologize," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "You don't have to hang your head.

Are we disappointed? You're damned right we are." This is only third time the loser of the Michigan-Ohio State game has gone to the Rose Bowl. Michigan did it in 1982 and Ohio State in 1996 Ohio State's fourth season under coach Jim Tressel has been a tough one. The Buckeyes started the Big Ten season with three straight losses and plummeted out of the rankings. Just when things started looking better on the field, problems arose off. Two weeks ago former Ohio State star Maurice Clarett accused Tressel, his staff and Buckeyes boosters of giving him and half to down a a uburn uses strong second No.

2 A Michigan. But the Wolverines claimed the invitation to the Rose Bowl thanks to their 30-17 victory over Iowa earlier this season. NO. 12 MIAMI 52, WAKE FOREST 7: Brock Berlin threw for a career-best 361 yards and four touchdowns in just over a half and Miami (8-2, 5-2) stayed in contention for the Atlantic Coast Conference title. Berlin threw scoring passes to four different receivers, completed 13 of 19 passes and continued his push for ACC player of the year honors.

In his last seven games, Berlin has completed 55.9 percent of his passes for 1,894 yards with 19 touchdowns and only two interceptions none in his last 153 attempts. NO. 13 BOISE STATE 55, LOUISIANA TECH 14: Jon Helmandollar rushed for a school-record five touchdowns and Boise State clinched at least a share of its third straight Western Athletic Conference title. Boise State (10-0, 7-0) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 21 games and tied BYU's record for the most consecutive conference wins at 25. The Broncos' last WAC loss was Nov.

3, 2001, a 48-42 setback at Louisiana Tech. The Broncos can claim the WAC title outright by beating Nevada next week. NO. 15 TENNESSEE 38, VANDERBILT 33: Cedric Houston ran for three touchdowns and No. 15 Tennessee clinched the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division title with its 22nd straight victory over Van-derbilt.

Tennessee (8-2, 6-1) will play No. 2 Auburn in the SEC championship game in Atlanta on Dec. 4 regardless of what happens in the Vols' game next week against Kentucky. It will be Tennessee's fourth trip to the title game since 1997. NO.

18 VIRGINIA 30, GEORGIA TECH 10: Alvin Pearman scored two touchdowns and Virginia came up with four key turnovers. Virginia kept alive its hopes of at least sharing the Atlantic Coast Conference title, though the Cavaliers (8-2, 5-2) are still a long-shot to claim the league's spot in the Bowl Championship Series. NO. 24 TEXAS-EL PASO 57, SMU 27: Jordan Palmer threw for 339 yards and five touchdowns and Texas-El Paso clinched a bowl berth in coach Mike Price's first season running the formerly downtrodden program. UTEP (8-2, 6-1 Western Athletic Conference) secured second place in the conference.jwhich has two guaranteed bowl spots.

first three drives of the second half. Peterson, who had 32 carries, tied the NCAA record for most 100-yard games by a freshman with his 10th. NO. 4 CALIFORNIA 41, STANFORD 6: J.J. Arrington ran for 169 yards to set California's season rushing record and the Golden Bears recorded their biggest victory in the Big Game since 1930.

Freshman Marshawn Lynch added 122 yards on just nine carries, including a spectacular 55-yard touchdown run. Lynch also threw a TD pass as the Bears racked up 474 total yards in coach Jeff Tedford's third straight victory over Stanford in the 107th edition of the rivalry. NO. 8 LOUISVILLE 65, HOUSTON 27: Stefan LeFors threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns, and Eric Shelton rushed for three more scores. The Cardinals (8-1, 6-0 Conference USA) scored the final 30 points of the game in a little more than 10 minutes to turn a close game into a rout.

NO. 17 IOWA 30, NO. 9 WISCONSIN 7: Drew Tate threw three touchdown passes and Iowa's defense forced four turnovers and earned a share of the Big Ten title. The Hawkeyes (9-2, 7-1) won their second league title in three years, splitting it this time with THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Jason Campbell passed for 224 yards and Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams ran for second-half touchdowns as No. 2 Auburn posted a 21-13 victory over Alabama.

Now the question is whether an impressive final 30 minutes will be enough to cancel out a 6-0 halftime deficit and lackluster start when this game is figured into the Bowl Championship Series standings? The Tigers (11-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) are third in the BCS behind second-place Oklahoma which beat Baylor 35-0 and Southern California. Even the nation's top scoring defense ran into a little trouble late. Alabama (6-5, 3-5) drove 84 yards on 11 plays in the final minutes, scoring on Spencer Pennington's 18-yard pass to D.J. Hall with 1:26 left. NO.

2 OKLAHOMA 35, BAYLOR Adrian Peterson ran for 240 yards, including three second-half touchdowns, and Oklahoma got the lopsided win it needed for the BCS standings. After a slow start, the Sooners (11-0, 8-0 Big 12) scored on four straight possessions. Jason White threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Travis Wilsongust before halftime to make it 14-0, and Peterson had short TD runs on the.