6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - December 2, 2002 WEEKEND'S BEST HOW THE AP TOP 25 FARED NEW AP TOP 25 SWEET ARKANSAS-sY MoLASsY: After escap- ing Kentucky thanks to what is now known as "Bluegrass Miracle," Louisiana State got a taste of its own medicine as Arkansas marched down the field with less than a minute left and scored a touchdown on a Matt Jones to DeCori Birmingham 31-yard connection with just nine seconds left on the clock. Louisiana State got the ball back inside its own 5-yard line, but could not muster enough magic to score again. yard bomb the Tigers needed to defeat Kentucky, the game was much more meaningful. Now it is the Razorbacks who will face Georgia next week in the SEC Championship game, rather than Louisiana State. No SIESTA EN ROUTE TO FIESTA: After being held scoreless for nine straight quarters of play, Syracuse finally got in the end zone against Miami (Fla.) in the second quarter. The touchdown was the high- light for the Orangemen, who were rout- ed 49-7, behind two long touchdown runs of 61 and 51 yards by Hurricanes' running back Willis McGahee. The speed of the Hurricanes was just too much for Syracuse, as was quarter- back Ken Dorsey's amazing accuracy. Dorsey began the game by completing his first 10 passes and torched the Syra- cuse secondary for nearly 300 yards in the first half. Miami (Fla.) is now just one win away from meeting Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and a shot at the team's second national title in a row. With Virginia Tech ending the season with a whim- per, the Hurricanes' ticket looks to be stamped. Associated Press Poll for week of November 26. All games played November 29, 30. Team: 1. Miami (Fla.) 2. Ohio State 3. Oklahoma 4. Iowa 5. Georgia 6. Southern Cal. 7. Notre Dame 8. Kansas State 9. Washington State 10. Texas 11. Penn State 12. Michigan 13. Colorado 14. Alabama 15. Florida 16. Colorado State 17. Pittsburgh 18. Louisiana State 19. Boise State 20. Auburn 21. North Carolina State 22. Virginia Tech 23. Florida State 24. West Virginia 25. Maryland Last week: beat Syracuse 49-7 idle lost to Oklahoma State 3828 idle beat Georgia Tech 51-7 beat Notre Dame 44-13 lost to Southern Cal. 44-13 idle idle beat Texas A&M 50-20 idle idle idle beat Hawaii 21-16 lost to Florida State 31-14 lost to UNLV 36-33 lost to West Virginia 2417 lost to Arkansas 21-20 idle idle idle beat Virginia 21-9 beat Florida 31-14 beat Pittsburgh 24-17 beat Wake Forest 32-14 This week: vs. Virginia Tech idle vs. Colorado idle vs. Arkansas idle idle idle at UCLA idle idle idle vs. Oklahoma idle idle idle idle idle idle idle idle at Miami (Fla.) idle idle idle TEAM 1. Miar 2. Ohio 3. Iowa 4. Geor 5. Sout 6. Kane 7. Was 8. Okla 9. Texa 10. Per 11. No' 12. Col 13. Mic 14. Ala 15. We 16. Flo 17. No 18. Virg 19. Bo 20. Auk 21. Ma 22. Ark 23. Flo 24. Col 25. Pit (first-place votes in parentheses) PTS I mi (Fla.) (73) 1,825 State 1,749 1,663 rgia 1,597 :hern Cal. 1,542 sas State 1,402 hington State 1,315 homa 1,304 as 1,296 nn State 1,070 tre Dame 1,052 lorado 1,041 CHIGAN 1,023 bama 943 st Virginia 616 rida State 559 rth Carolina State 495 ginia Tech 494 ise State 482 burn 470 ryland 386 ransas 379 rida 262 lorado State 239 tsburgh 221 PVS 1 2 4 5 6 8 9 3 10 11 47 13 12 14 24 23 21 22 19 20 25 NR 15 16 17 Dropped out: Louisiana State Sooner bloopers: Oklahoma falls to Cowboys yet again STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Rashaun Woods and Josh Fields did it to Oklahoma again. One year after ruining the Sooners' postseason plans with a late touchdown in Norman, Fields and Woods connect- ed for three TDs as Oklahoma State pulled off a 38-28 upset of No. 3 Okla- homa on Saturday. Woods had 12 catches for a school- record 226 yards, while Fields complet- ed 18-of-27 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns against the nation's ninth-ranked defense. "We played our best opponent; we played our best football," Cowboys coach Les Miles said. "Considering all of our big wins this year, this was undoubtedly our best one." The Cowboys (5-3 Big 12, 7-5) beat Nebraska and Oklahoma in the same season for the first time. As the last seconds ticked off the clock, orange- clad Oklahoma State students and fans ran onto the field and tore down the goal posts. In beating the Sooners for the fifth time in eight years, Oklahoma State enhanced its chances of going to its first bowl game since 1997. The Cowboys also never let Oklahoma take the lead, something no team had done against Bob Stoops in his first 49 games as Oklahoma's coach. "We just wanted to prove that last year wasn't a fluke," said tight end Billy Bajema, who had a 58-yard catch on a second-quarter scoring drive. "It will improve our bowl desti- nation, but that's not what we were thinking coming in. Playing Okla- homa was enough motivation." Last year's 16-13 stunner by Okla- homa State cost Oklahoma a trip to the Big 12 title game, where a victory would have sent the Sooners to the national title game. Oklahoma (6-2, 10-2) came into this game with the South Division title sewn up, but the Sooners have no shot of playing for a national title. "There are no excuses," Stoops said. "They did an excellent job all around - their coaches and players - and just beat us." Oklahoma, which will play No. 13 Colorado for the Big 12 title next week in Houston, had no answer for Woods. He caught TD passes of 41, 60 and 13 yards in the first half and had three catches on the Cowboys' first drive of the third qu~rter, when they took a 35-6 lead. Woods then had two more recep- tions on a clinching fourth-quarter drive that led to a field goal and a 38-21 lead. "Their defensive backs are known for sitting on short passes," Woods said. "When they do that, they're susceptible to the double move." The Cowboys set the tone for the game by driving 64 yards for a touch- down on their first possession. Mixing the pass and run, the Cowboys drove to the 30 before Seymore Shaw broke free. He fumbled at the 1, but receiver John Lewis picked it up and fell into the end zone for a touchdown. Oklahoma State needed just two plays to make it 14-0. After a personal foul put the ball at the Oklahoma 41, Woods got behind cornerback Andre Woolfolk on a post pattern and was wide open when he caught Fields' perfect pass. The Sooners used the final 6:35 of the first quarter to drive from their 17 to the Oklahoma State 1, where Kejuan Jones scored on the first play of the sec- ond quarter. The extra-point kick failed. The Cowboys immediately seized the momentum back, going 71 yards in three plays for another touchdown -- this one a 60-yard pass to Woods, who again burned Woolfolk. Inish make no case for Orange LOS ANGELES (AP) - Before Saturday night, Notre Dame had played 1,081 games since the school first put a football team on the field in 1887. And the Fighting Irish had never been so overrun as they were by South- ern California. Carson Palmer threw for 425 yards and four touchdowns, and Southern Cal. outgained Notre Dame by an astounding 610 yards to 109 as the sixth-ranked Trojans beat the No. 7 Irish 44-13. Both the passing yards and the total yards were the most ever against Notre Dame. "After the way we played, we don't deserve to play in the Orange Bowl," Irish offensive tackle Jordan Black said. "This wasn't this year's team, it was last year's team that showed up tonight ... I just want to go home and throw up." The Trojans (10-2, 7-1 Pac-10) also dominated the Irish offense, allowing just 70 yards passing and 39 rushing, and giving up just two field goals. Notre Dame's touchdown came on a blocked punt, and the Irish didn't score in the second half. With Notre Dame (10-2) still under consideration for a Bowl Champi- onship Series at-large berth, Irish coach Tyrone Willingham did a bit of lobbying. "I can make a case to the BCS," said Willingham, who has turned the Notre Dame program around in his first year as its coach. "We played 12 games. We won 10 of them. We've been very good and very sound. This game is not a true indicator of what kind of team we can be. "Our team had a heck of a season, nothing to sneeze at. It's disappointing tonight, without question. Now we have to be patient and wait until someone makes a decision." The Trojans, meanwhile, believed their performance should enhance their standing in the BCS rankings. "It proved we're a heck of a team. I couldn't imagine why somebody wouldn't want us to play in their game, although I know that some people might not want to play us," Carroll said. In his final game at the Coliseum, Palmer completed 32-of-46 passes and was intercepted twice. Rix comes back to lead 'Noles TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - All of a sudden, the season doesn't seem so bad for Florida State. Taking advantage of his second chance, Chris Rix ran for 83 yards and threw two touchdowns to Anquan Boldin to help the No. 23 Seminoles earn their biggest win of the year, 31-14 over No. 15 Florida on Saturday night. "We finally looked like Florida State," a relieved coach Bobby Bow- den said. Freshman tailback Leon Washing- ton ran for 134 yards in the place of Greg Jones. Linebacker Kendyll Pope returned an interception for a touchdown. A week of turmoil melted away with a big post-game celebration, and a season of disappointments took a long-awaited positive turn for the Seminoles (9-4). "We knew we had the receivers, we knew we had the quarterbacks, we knew we had the runners," Bow- den said. "But it just wasn't hap- pening. Tonight was the first night it happened." The Seminoles beat their biggest rival for the fourth time in five years, and now they have a month to get ready for a trip to a major bowl - probably the Sugar. "It doesn't get much better than that," Pope said. On the other side, Ron Zook had no more luck in his first year than Steve Spurnier did in 12 seasons when it comes to winning at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Gators (8-4) < still haven't won in Tallahassee since 1986. "I guess the streak continues," Florida offensive lineman Shannon Snell said. 01 * * ;+ : *: * * More fun than a box of socks from Grandma. AP PHOTO Wide receiver RaShaun Woods powered Oklahoma State past rival Oklahoma with three touchdown catches. FINAL PUSH FOR HEISMAN As the college football season draws to a close, the Heisman candidates are making a final push for their case in the balloting. In particular, Southern Cal.'s Carson Palmer and Miami (Fla)'s Willis McGahee took advantage of their oppor- tunities on national television to show the nation - and their opponents - why they deserve college football's top award. CARSON PAIlMER,- -- SOUTHERN CAL. Why Palmer?: Although the southern: part of the country saw Florida State" destroy Florida, the rest of the United States saw Carson Palmer lead the Tro- jans' romp over Notre Dame, 44-13. In doing so, Palmer threw for four touch- downs and 425 yards on 32-of-46 pass- ing, though he may be hampered by two bad interceptions. He also helped South- ern Cal. rack up over 600 yards of total offense on what was once considered one of the nation's premier defenses. Should he not walk away with the Heis- man, Palmer's amazing turnaround this season has solidified him as a first round, draft pick and is atop the big board of ESPN's draft guru, Mel Kiper. Southern Cal.'s Carson Palmer WILLIS MCGAHEE, MIAMI (FLA.) Why McGahee?: On the Hurricanes' second play from scrimmage against W Syracuse, McGahee scampered 61 yards for a touchdown. That was as close as the Orangemen would get to catching him. Though he briefly left the game with injury, McGahee came back later and rushed for another long touchdown. He finished the game with ,2 134 yards on 14 carries. McGahee has one game to woo voters against Virginia Tech next week. And, just like Palmer, McGahee's record-setting play this season has made him a sure-fire first round pick, Miami's Willis McGahee should the redshirt sophomore decide AP PHOTOS to enter the NFL draft. -f 0 iBook Special Student Price: $1215 You Save: $271 12 in. Display / 800 MHz / 128MB SDRAM / 30G / Ethernet / DVD-ROM, CD-RW Combo drive / 3 year warranty & phone support Jumbo Buffalo Wings .35 each ~ ; r : : ... k: ;- . : , y. . * FOODr FR THOUGHT HANOI JANE Special UM Holiday Pricing I i A& 1