Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009

Top 25 roundup: Navy ends Notre Dame chances for BCS bowl

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Navy's second consecutive victory at Notre Dame Stadium didn't produce the same euphoria for the Midshipmen as the last one.

Just another win as far Navy was concerned - though this loss to the Midshipmen was much more costly for Notre Dame.

Craig Schaefer sacked Jimmy Clausen in the end zone with 60 seconds left Saturday, and Navy held on for a 23-21 victory, its second in three seasons against the 19th-ranked Fighting Irish.

"I wanted to run on the field and jump up and down, but I was kind of tired," said linebacker Ram Vela, who had an interception and fumble recovery. "We'd done it before, and we went into this game not really placing as much emphasis or too much importance on it. We just treated it like another game."

Two years ago when Navy beat Notre Dame, the Irish were in the midst of a 3-9 season. The loss Saturday effectively ends any hope Notre Dame (6-3) had for its first Bowl Championship Series appearance since 2006.

It's the type of loss that will no doubt fire up the critics of Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis.

"That comes with the territory. The sad part of that is that's this job every week," said Weis, who is 35-24 in five season at Notre Dame. "It's a week to week deal."

(At) No. 2 Texas 35, Central Florida 3 | Jordan Shipley set a Texas record with 273 yards receiving, including an 88-yard touchdown, and the Longhorns shook off a slow start for a 35-3 win over Central Florida on Saturday. The sixth-year senior broke the previous best of 242 yards set in 1987 by Tony Jones. The touchdown came early in the fourth quarter on a drive that started at the 1.Colt McCoy passed for 470 yards with two touchdowns.

No. 5 Boise State 45, (at) Louisiana Tech 35 | Just when Boise State looked vulnerable, Kellen Moore and the Broncos quickly reminded a national television audience why they've been unbeatable. Moore threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 5 Boise State survived a brief scare on the road with a 45-35 victory over upstart Louisiana Tech on Friday night.

No. 6 TCU 55, (at) San Diego State 12 | TCU rolled over San Diego State to stay in the perfect position for a stretch run to a BCS bowl. Behind Andy Dalton's two touchdown passes and a pair of TD runs, and its top-ranked defense, No. 6 TCU ran its winning streak to 12 games in a 55-12 rout of San Diego State on Saturday. The Horned Frogs (9-0, 5-0 Mountain West) remained in the chase for their first BCS bowl with a dominating performance.

(At) Stanford 51, No. 7 Oregon 42 | Toby Gerhart bowled over the Oregon defense to make the Cardinal bowl eligible for the first time in eight years. Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and three scores, Andrew Luck threw for two touchdowns, and Stanford held on to beat Oregon on Saturday for its all-important sixth win of the season. The loss by Oregon (7-2, 5-1 Pac-10) just a week after beating Southern California 47-20 opened up the conference race and cost the Ducks any shot at a berth in the Bowl Championship Series title game.

Northwestern 17, (at) No. 8 Iowa 10 | Northwestern's Dan Persa threw a touchdown pass, and Marshall Thomas recovered a fumble for another score to help the Wildcats snap the Hawkeyes' 13-game winning streak with a 17-10 victory Saturday. Iowa played without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi after he sustained an apparent ankle injury early in the second quarter. Freshman James Vandenberg was just 9 of 27 for 82 yards and couldn't lead the Hawkeyes (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) to any points after Stanzi left the game.

(At) No. 14 Pittsburgh 37, Syracuse 10 | Greg Williams' 51-yard interception return for a touchdown just before halftime got slow-starting Pittsburgh going, and the Panthers extended their best start to a season since 1982 by beating Syracuse. Dion Lewis ran for 110 yards and a touchdown for the freshman's sixth 100-yard game, tight end Dorin Dickerson caught his 10th touchdown pass this season, and the Panthers (8-1, 5-0 in Big East) won their fifth in a row.

No. 15 Ohio State 24, (at) No. 11 Penn State 7 | Terrelle Pryor tiptoed his way around the Penn State defense, then smiled and danced all over the Beaver Stadium turf. Pryor threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in his first game back in his home state, and No. 15 Ohio State reclaimed control of the Big Ten race after beating No. 11 Penn State in a duel of the league's top two defenses. As an added bonus, the Buckeyes (8-2, 5-1) vaulted into a tie for the conference lead with Iowa.

No. 18 Oklahoma State 34, (at) Iowa State 8 | Oklahoma State needed a bounce-back performance, and Keith Toston helped the Cowboys deliver one. Toston ran for a career-high 206 yards and three touchdowns, Zac Robinson threw a touchdown pass, and No. 18 Oklahoma State (7-2, 4-1 Big 12) controlled with game with solid play on both sides of the ball.

(At) No. 21 Arizona 48, Washington State 7 | The Arizona Wildcats dispatched woeful Washington State with ease. Travis Cobb returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to set the tone for Arizona in a 48-7 rout of the Cougars on Saturday. The victory, combined with Oregon's loss at Stanford, moves the Wildcats (6-2, 4-1 Pac-10) within a half-game of the first-place Ducks. No. 24 Wisconsin 31, (at) Indiana 28 | Wisconsin relied on pure power, and it worked perfectly against Indiana yet again.

John Clay ran for 134 yards and a touchdown, Montee Ball scored two TDs and the Badgers even ran out the clock on the Hoosiers' late rally, holding on for a victory. No. 25 BYU 52, (at) Wyoming 0 | Max Hall produced some gaudy stats on the way toward an even more impressive number. The BYU quarterback completed 20 of 22 passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns in the No. 25 Cougars' 52-0 romp over Wyoming on Saturday.