The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 29, 2001- 5B "THIS KID KEEPS MAKING CATCHES THAT DEFY DESCRIPTION. I DIDN'T THINK THAT THE BALL HAD A CHANCE OF BEING CAUGHT." -MICHIGAN COACH LLOYD CARR ON MARQUISE WALKER'S TOUCHDOWN CATCH IIIIIIIIk , NEW AP WEEKEND'S BEST HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED OH, THOSE TRICKY CORNHUSKERS: For years, Nebraska has made a living by running the ball. If the Cornhuskers don't rank in the top five nationally in rushing, some- thing is usually wrong. So, when Nebraska needed a big play against Oklahoma, what did the Cornhuskers do? They threw, naturally. A 63-yard option pass from receiver Mike Stuntz to quarter- back Eric Crouch gave Nebraska a 20-10 fourth-quarter lead. Nebraska's "Blackshirt" defense made the lead stand up, and the Cornhuskers won this week's "Game of the Century." Nebraska's Eric Crouch . AP PHOTO TwIN KILLING: Quarterback Joey Harrington has carried Oregon for so long it must have been a huge relief for the Ducks' rushing game to finally show up on center stage. With Harrington held in check by the Washington State pass defense, Oregon running backs Onterrio Smith and Maurice Mor- ris rushed for 285 and 183 yards, respectively. Smith's three touchdowns gave the Ducks all they needed to knock off the previously-undefeat- ed Cougars in Pullman. TECH-NICAL KNoCKoUT: Virginia Tech thrashed weak opposition en route to winning its first six games of the season. But Syracuse all but ended the Hokies' national title hopes by defeating Virginia Tech, 22-14, in Blacksburg. James Mungro ran for 102 yards and a touchdown as theOrangemen won their sev- enth straight game. Associated Press Poll for week of October 9. Games updated through October 16. NEW AP TOP 25 (first-place votes in parentheses) Team: 1. Miami (Fla.) 2. Oklahoma 3. Nebraska 4. UCLA 5. Virginia Tech 6. Florida 7. Texas 8. Michigan 9. Tennessee 10. Maryland 11. Oregon 12. South Carolia 13. Washington 14. Washington State 15. Georgia 16. Brigham Young 17. Auburn 18. Fresno State. 19. Florida State 20. Stanford 21. Georgia Tech 22. Illinois 23. North Carolina 24. Purdue 25. Colorado Last week: This week: beat West Virginia 45-3 Temple lost to No. 3 Nebraska 20-10 Tulsa beat No. 2 Oklahoma 20-10 at Kansas lost to No. 22 Stanford 38-28 atNo.19Washington State lost to Syracuse 22-14 at Pittsburgh beat No. 16 Georgia 24-10 Vanderbilt beat Missouri 35-16 at Baylor beat Iowa 32-26 at Michigan State beat No. 14 South Carolina 17-10 at Notre Dame lost to No. 18 Florida State 52-31 Troy State beat No. 15 Washington State 24-17 Arizona State lost to No. 9 Tennessee 17-10 Wofford beat Arizona State 33-31 No. 13 Stanford lost to No. 13 Oregon 24-17 at No. 11 UCLA lost to No. 6 Florida 24-10 bye beat Sand Diego State 59-21 Colorado State lost to Arkansas 42-17 bye lost to Hawaii 38-34 Rice beat No. 12 Maryland 52-31 No. 24 Clemson beat No. 5 UCLA 38-28 at No. 10 Washington bye No. 22 North Carolina bye at No. 15 Purdue bye No. 23 Georgia Tech beat Northwestern 32-27 at No. 22 Illinois beat Oklahoma State 22-19 Missouri TEAM 1. Miami (Fla.) (48) 2. Nebraska (17) 3. Oklahoma 4. Florida 5. Texas 6. Michigan 7. Tennesse 8. Oregon 9. UCLA 10. Stanford 11. Washington 12. Virginia Tech 13. Brigham Young 14. Florida State 15. Maryland 16. Washington State 17. South Carolina 18. Georgia 19. Syracuse 20. Purdue 21. Illinois 22. North Carolina 23. Georgia Tech 24. Texas A&M 25. Colorado 5-0 9-0 7-1 6-1 7-1 61 5-1 7-1 6-1 5-1 6-1 6-1 8-0 5-2 7-1 7-1 6-2 5-2 7-2 5-1 6-1 5-3 5-2 7-1 6-2 PTS 1,772 1,745 1,596 1,587 1,522 1,374 1,323 1,218 1,214 1,074 1,012 981 972 822 659 605 598 462 459 428 406 319 316 279 218 PVS 2 3 2 6 7 8 9 11 4 20 13 5 16 19 10 14 12 15 NR 24 22 23 21 NR 25 Dropped Out: No. 17 Auburn, No. 18 Fresno State I Paterno makes coaching history Smelling roses? On Saturday, five previously unbeaten teams suffered their first losses of the season. Nebraska and Miami, the two remaining unscathed teams from the major conferences, now control their own destiny for a trip to Pasadena in January. There are five one-loss teams that still have legitimate hopes for a GAME PROGRESSION Second Quarter: Iowa quarterback Brad Banks finds tight end Dallas Clark from five yards out on the fourth play of the second quarer. Iowa 7, Michigan O After a short punt, Iowa starts from the Michigan 34-yard line. A pair of runs by Banks move the Hawkeyes into scoring territory. Nate Kaeding kicks a 26-yard field goal. Iowa 10, Michigan O On Iowa's next possesion, Michi- gan forces a punt from deep inside the Hawkeyes' territory. Kaeding's punt is blocked by Zach Kaufman and recovered in the endzone by Roy Manning for the touchdown with 1:42 remain- ing in the half. Iowa 10, Michigan 7 Third Quarter: The Wolverines are stopped on their first possesion of the sec- ond half. On the ensuing punt, C.J. Jones takes a reverse hand- off from Kahlil Hill for a 65-yard touchdown. Iowa 17, Michigan 7 Iowa strikes again on its next series.Kaeding kicks a 40-yard field goal with 9:35 left. Iowa 20, Michigan 7 On a crucial third and fifteen play, John Navarre finds receiver Tyrece Butler for a 77-yard com- pletion. Running back Chris Perry finishes the drive on a three-yard touchdown run with 5:56 left. Iowa 20, Michigan 14, Following an interception by Mar- lin Jackson, Michigan takes advantage of good field position. The Wolverines score on a leap- ing one-handed catch by Mar- quise Walker in the corner of the endzone with 0:38 remaining in the quarter. Michigan 21, Iowa 20 Fourth Quarter: The Hawkeyes recover a Calvin Bell fumble at the Michigan 35- yard line and score off an eight- yard run from Ladell Bettsmwith 12:56 remaining in the game. Iowa fails on a two-point conver- sion. Iowa 26, Michigan 21 An interception by Cato June gives Navarre the chance to lead the Wolverines on a 50-yard scor- ing drive, capped by a 13-yard pass to tight end Shawn Thomp- son with 8:34 left to play. Navarre passes to Walker for the two-point'conversion. Michigan 29, Iowa 26 Michigan takes a 22-yard drive to the Iowa 32-yard line, highlighted by an 11-yard pass to Walker. Epstein kicks a 51-yard field goal with 3:57 left in the game. STATE COLLEGE (AP) - Joe Paterno spent the last three months saying his chase for the major college victory record was no big deal. Now that he's got it, he's changing his tune. "You never think it's going to be a big deal until it happens like this, with this many people," Paterno said Satur- day after his Nittany Lions rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat Ohio State 29-27. "It's just hard to describe. But I'm a very, very lucky guy to be at an institution such as Penn State with all these fans." The win was No. 324 for Paterno, who passed Bear Bryant for the record. Paterno has spent his entire coaching career at Penn State, serving as an assistant for 15 years before becoming head coach in 1966. Paterno came into the season just one win behind Bryant, but was ques- tioned and criticized - even by some of the Penn State faithful - after his team started 0-4. He tied Bryant last week with a 38-35 win at Northwest- ern. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said a brief congratulations to Paterno, then quickly went to his locker room. "I have respect for his tremendous career, but that moment was for he and his team," Tressel said. After the game, in the understated style Penn State fans have come to expect, Paterno praised his team, hugged his wife and held his grand- children at a ceremony at midfield. "I can't tell you how proud I am of this football team," Paterno told the crowd. "They could have packed it in a long time ago. But they came back last week, and they came back today, and I tell you they're going to be one hell of a football team." NEBRASKA 20, OKLAHOMA 10: Okla- homa is out and Nebraska is in the national title race - for now. No. 3 Nebraska beat Oklahoma 20- 10 in a defensive struggle Saturday, derailing the second-ranked Sooners' hopes of repeating as national champi- ons and ending their 20-game winning streak. With the victory, the Huskers (5-0 Big 12, 9-0 overall) likely put them- selves in front of the national title race. They were second to the Sooners (4-1, 7-1) in the Bowl Championship Series rankings entering the game. "In a game like this, a lot of people are going to look at it for years and years to come. This was icing on the cake for my career," Crouch said. SYRACUSE 22, VIRGINIA TECH 14: Syracuse forgot its humiliations of the past, and Virginia Tech can forget all Rose Bowl run - but onlyi those five possibilities: if they can get some help along the way. A look at No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners What it's going to take: The Sooners have two big games against Texas A&M and at Texas Tech that are must-wins. Should they get by those teams, Nebraska should be waiting at the Big 12 Championship in a must-win for the Sooners. Okla- homa might also need another loss from Florida or Miami to get in the Rose Bowl. Probability of success: Two injured quarterbacks, a weaker second half schedule that will lead to lower rankings in the BCS and two Florida teams will stand in the way of Oklahoma. No. 4 Florida What it's going to take: A 4-0 finish, simply put. With South Carolina, Florida State, Tennessee and the SEC Championship game during the final four weeks, the Gators will need a sweep to get in. Florida will also need a Nebraska or Miami loss in the final weeks. Probability of success: Florida has the best chance of all the one-loss teams. The Gators strength of schedule will skyrocket during those final four weeks, and that could be enough to convince com- puters to jump them over an unbeaten Miami. AP PHIOTO Penn State coach Joe Paterno celebrated on the field with his players after record- ing his 324th win as a college head coach. about the Rose Bowl. Doing what they have seen Virginia Tech do to others so many times before, the Orangemen scored on a punt return and after a turnover in the first quarter and beat the fifth-ranked Hokies (No. 5 AP) 22-14 on Saturday for their seventh straight victory. "Every time we've played Virginia Tech, it seemed like it was their day," said Syracuse quarterback R.J. Ander- son, who completed just six passes, but rushed for 63 yards. "For once maybe it was our day." The Orangemen (7-2, 4-0 Big East) ended the Hokies' 16-game home win- ning streak, and avenged their last three visits to Lane Stadium, which ended with Virginia Tech winning by a combined scored of 124-10. Syracuse also made itself part of the biggest conference game yet to come, a matchup with top-ranked Miami at the Orange Bowl on Nov. 17. Virginia Tech plays the Hurricanes here on Dec. 1, but the loss means that game will now be more about rivalry and pride for the Hokies. STANFORD 38, UCLA 28:, Chris Lewis just doesn't understand goose- bumps. After a thrilling win over UCLA, his Stanford teammates know all about them. In his fourth career start, Lewis threw for 250 yards and three touch- downs as No. 20 Stanford held on for a 38-28 victory over No. 4 UCLA on Saturday, ending tle Bruins' unbeaten season and messing with the Pac-10 race. The backup quarterback sparked the Cardinal (4-1, 5-1) to 31 straight points against a team that hadn't allowed more than 17 in any game this season. He threw three interceptions, but got his teammates to believe they could drive and score against the Bru- ins' defense. His poise under pressure didn't seem remarkable to him - but his teammates were singing his praises after Stanford got off to its best start since 1992. By the time UCLA's defense got off its heels, the Bruins (3-1, 6-1) were down 31-7 - and Stanford had enough points for an impressive upset. Lewis completed 13 straight passes in the first half as Stanford beat a top- five team for the second straight week. "I don't know why or how, but I really don't get nervous," said Lewis, who was 20-of-29. "Whenever we make mistakes, I feel we get tighter as a group. We feel that we're as good as anybody in the country. If we play well, we can put up points with the best of them." No. 5 Texas What it's going to take: Four things and the Long- horns are in. They need to win out (including a road test at rival Texas A&M), an Oklahoma loss, a " Florida loss and the Big 12 title. Their best out- come would put them against Miami in the Rose Bowl. Probability of success: While the Longhorns should emerge from College Station victorious, Texas shouldn't make any reservations to Pasadena as an Oklahoma loss in the last four weeks is highly unlikely. The Sooners must lose for Texas to play in the Big 12 Championship game. Michigan 32, Iowa 26 No. 6 Michigan What it's going to take: A lot. Losses by Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and Miami to set up the '97 title game that never happened against Nebraska. The Wolverines also need to win out and have Washing- ton, Purdue and Illinois continue winning to keep their strength of schedule atop the BCS rankings. Probability of success: If the gods of the Rose Bowl are watching, Michigan is looking as good as anyone. But in reality, a Big Ten title and a lesser BCS bowl is what they'll have to settle for. Michigan State's T. J. Duckett No. 7 Tennessee What It's going to take: Next week and Dec. 1 will be their biggest tests as they will be on the road against Notre Dame and Florida, repectively. Theoretically, a Tennessee win over Florida in the Swamp could jump the Vols above Michigan and Texas. Probability of success: Tennessee coach Philip Ful- mer has never won in the Swamp in his tenure in Knoxville. Don't expect that to change this year against the high-powered Gator offense and an improved Florida defense. If the Vols actually get past the Gators, a lot still has to happen. WHO'S NEXT: MICHIGAN STATE Michigan will face a revitalized Michigan State team next weekend at Spartan Sta- dium. The Spartans have not lost at home this season, and last Saturday they pound- ed Wisconsin 42-28 to even their Big Ten record at 2-2 (4-2 overall). Sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker threw for over 300 yards and tailback T.J. Duckett - who is averaging over 100 yards per game - scored a pair of touch- downs. BIG TEN STANDINGS L' Mediocrity at its best Remember when the four indi- viduals pictured to the right were all picking nine or 10 games right each week? Sure seems like a long time ago, doesn' it? Goodstein won this week with a sparkling 8-7 record. Granted, in comparison to the sub-.500 performances of the other three, 8-7 isn't all that bad. But, it's not a whole lot to write home about. ate tothgan Bativg STAFF PICKS WEEK 8 SELECTIONS ALL PICKS MADE AGAINST THE SPREAD. HOME TEAMS IN CAPS. rIiQAN (5,$) t WISCONSIN (-4.5) vs. Michigan State Pt)1DPE (-6) vs. Northwestern Ohio State (-7) vs. PENN STATE NCRAKA (-4) s OAho UCLA (-7.5) at STANFORD Raphael Arun Jeff Jon Goodstein Gopal Phillips Schwartz MichganMkhlgan MIchigin Mcia Michigan State Wisconsin Wisconsin Michigan State Northwestern Pru udeNrh tm Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Ohio State Okiahoma Nersk kahm kfahm UCLA UCLA UCLA Stanford Team Michigan Illinois Purdue Michigan State Ohio State Iowa Northwestern Wisconsin Penn State Minnesota Indiana Big Ten 4 0 3 1 3 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 1 3 1 3 Overall 6 1 6 1 5 1 4 2 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 5 2 4 3 4 1 5 THIS WEEKEN4D'S RESULTS Michigan 32, IowA 26 PENN STATE 29. Ohio State 27 MINNESOTA 66, Murray State 10 PURDUE 32, Northwestern 27 Michigan State 42, WIScONSIN 28 I