10A • Thursday, December 1, 2011 • Daily Corinthian
Prime Time Players ZAC STACY, VANDERBILT Stacy became Vanderbilt’s all-time single-season rushing leader by running for 184 yards and three touchdowns in the Commodores’ dominating 41–7 win at Wake Forest. The junior from Alabama, who now has 1,136 yards, is only the fourth Vanderbilt running back to top the 1,000yard mark and the first to do since 1995. He will have an opportunity to add to his total as Vanderbilt heads to a bowl game for just the fifth time in school history. DENARD ROBINSON, MICHIGAN Michigan snapped a seven-game losing streak to rival Ohio State thanks in large part to the exploits of Robinson, who accounted for five touchdowns in the Wolverines’ 40–34 victory in Ann Arbor. The man they call Shoelace completed 14-of-17 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns and added 170 yards rushing and two more scores to give Michigan its 10th win of the season and likely a spot in a BCS bowl. MATT BARKLEY, USC In what might be his final game at the L.A. Coliseum, Barkley completed 35-of-42 passes for 423 yards and six touchdowns as the Trojans rolled past rival UCLA, 50–0, with ease. Barkley, a junior who will likely be a high pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, set a new Pac-12 record with his 39th touchdown pass on the season. USC finished the season with a 7–2 record in league play, two games ahead of UCLA, but is ineligible to play in the league title game or a bowl game due to NCAA sanctions. Barkley finished the season with 39 TDs and only seven INTs. TRENT RICHARDSON, ALABAMA Richardson made his case for the Heisman Trophy by rushing for a career-high 203 yards in Alabama’s 42–14 win over Auburn. He failed to run for a touchdown, but he had carries of 35 yards and 57 yards that set up scores in the second half, and he caught a 5-yard TD pass in the second quarter. Richardson leads the SEC with 1,503 yards rushing and ranks fifth in the nation with 20 rushing touchdowns. TERRANCE GANAWAY, BAYLOR Baylor is known for its passing attack, but the Bears leaned a bit more on their running game on Saturday with star quarterback Robert Griffin III sidelined for the second half with a reported concussion. Ganaway, a 242-pound tailback who began his career at Houston, rushed 42 times for 246 yards and two touchdowns in Baylor’s 66–42 win over Texas Tech at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The Bears, who close the 2011 regular season vs. Texas next week, have won eight games for the first time since 1991. CONNOR SHAW, SOUTH CAROLINA Shaw played his best game since taking over for Stephen Garcia in midseason as the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback. The sophomore threw for 210 yards and rushed for 107 to lead South Carolina to a surprisingly easy 34–13 win over Clemson. The Gamecocks have won three straight in this underrated rivalry, something that hasn’t happened since 1968-70. “Historically, Clemson has owned this series,” Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said. “They don't own us now.” MONTEE BALL, WISCONSIN Quarterback Russell Wilson stole the headlines early in the season, but Ball is emerging as the Badgers’ top Heisman Trophy contender. The junior tailback rushed for 156 yards and four touchdowns to lead Wisconsin to a 45–7 win over Penn State. Ball now has 34 touchdowns this season, the second-most in a single season in NCAA history. Barry Sanders, who scored 39 in 11 games for Oklahoma State in 1988, holds the record. Ball, who has played 12 games already, has two more games — the Big Ten title game and a bowl game — to break the record.
Upset of the Week Jacory Harris’ up-and-down career as the quarterback at Miami ended on a negative note. The four-year starter threw four interceptions in the Hurricanes’ 24–17 loss at home to a Boston ColBOSTON COLLEGE 24 lege team that MIAMI (FLA.) 17 had scored 19 points or fewer in all but one of its previous 10 games against FBS competition. Miami finished the season with a 6–6 overall record but will not play in a bowl game due to an ongoing NCAA investigation. The Canes lost three of their final five games, including two at home — by seven points to both Virginia and Boston College. BC, which trailed 14–10 at the half, took the lead on a Chase Rettig-to-Chris Pantale 32-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter and then went ahead by 10 early in the fourth quarter when All-America linebacker Luke Keuchly returned a Harris interception 45 yards for a touchdown. Keuchly, only a junior, became BC’s all-time tackles leader with his 525th career stop in the first half. He also broke his own ACC single-season tackles record of 183 that he set last season. The Eagles ended the season with a 4–8 record, their first losing mark since 1998. They went 3–5 in the ACC Atlantic Division, finishing in fifth place ahead of only Maryland.
Rewind
Case Keenum, Houston
Houston SID
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LSU Alabama Oklahoma State Oregon Stanford Virginia Tech Oklahoma Arkansas Michigan State Wisconsin USC Kansas State Boise State South Carolina Georgia Baylor TCU Houston Michigan Nebraska Penn State Notre Dame Missouri Georgia Tech Clemson
(12-0) (11-1) (10-1) (10-2) (11-1) (11-1) (9-2) (10-2) (10-2) (10-2) (10-2) (9-2) (10-1) (10-2) (10-2) (8-3) (9-2) (12-0) (10-2) (9-3) (9-3) (8-4) (7-5) (8-4) (9-3)
Tuesday, Nov. 22 Ohio 21 Thursday, Nov. 24 Texas 27 Friday, Nov. 25 Boston College 24 Bowling Green 42 California 47 Colorado 17 Houston 48 Louisville 34 LSU 41 Nebraska 20 Northern Illinois 18 Temple 34 Toledo 45 UCF 31 West Virginia 21 Western Michigan 68 Saturday, Nov. 26 Air Force 45 Alabama 42 Arizona 45 Baylor 66 Boise State 36 Cincinnati 30 Connecticut 40 FIU 31 Florida Atlantic 38 Florida State 21 Georgia 31 Hawaii 35 Kentucky 10 Louisiana Tech 44 Marshall 34 Michigan 40 Michigan State 31 Minnesota 27 Mississippi State 31 Missouri 24 NC State 56 North Carolina 37 Oklahoma 26 Oregon 49 Purdue 33 San Diego State 31 San Jose State 27 SMU 27 South Carolina 34 Southern Miss 44 Stanford 28 USC 50 Utah State 21 Vanderbilt 41 Virginia Tech 38 Washington 38 Western Kentucky 41 Wisconsin 45
Tigers overpower Hogs to secure SEC West title. Tide’s spot in BCS title game all but wrapped up. Pokes need to win big and hope voters jump on board. Ducks host UCLA in first-ever Pac-12 title game. Cardinal likely headed to the Fiesta Bowl. Hokies win yet another Coastal Division title. Sooners playing for a BCS bowl in Stillwater. Hogs overwhelmed by LSU’s rushing attack. Spartans were Legends in the Big Ten. Badgers eager for another shot at Sparty. Trojans end Year 2 of Lane Kiffin era in fine fashion. Cats were the biggest surprise of the 2011 season. Broncos still smarting from lost opportunity vs. TCU. Gamecocks finish off 10-win season in style. Dawgs take 10-game winning streak to Atlanta. Bears prove they can win without RGIII. Frogs can secure MWC title with a win vs. UNLV. Coogs one win away from BCS riches. Wolverines end painful streak vs. hated Buckeyes. Nebraska faithful don’t like three-loss seasons. Nittany Lions had no answer for Wisconsin attack. Pressure will be on Brian Kelly next season. Tigers top Kansas in last Border War showdown. Tech has lost six straight at home to Georgia. Tigers’ late-season struggles continue.
Badgers Seek Revenge in Big Ten Title Game WISCONSIN VS. MICHIGAN STATE (BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)
The Badgers will have an opportunity to avenge their “Hail Mary” loss when they face Michigan State in the first-ever Big Ten Championship Game. The Spartans have had a fine season — they won 10 games for the second year in a row — but Wisconsin is the best team in the Big Ten. The Badgers have been mauling the opposition with a devastating rushing attack and an efficient passing game. Junior tailback Montee Ball ranks third in the nation in rushing (135.2 ypg) and has topped the 100-yard mark in all but one Big Ten game. Michigan State is good. Wisconsin is better. Wisconsin 27, Michigan State 20
UCLA AT OREGON (FRI) (PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)
This isn’t what Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott had in mind when the league expanded to 12 teams to set up a conference championship game. Oregon is a 31-point favorite over a UCLA team that went 6–6 overall and is fresh off a humbling 50–0 loss to USC. The Trojans were obviously the best team in the Pac-12 South, but are banned from the postseason due to NCAA sanctions. That leaves a very mediocre UCLA team — with a coach (Rick Neuheisel) who has been fired — as the representative from the South. This will be ugly. Oregon 48, UCLA 14 VIRGINIA TECH VS. CLEMSON (ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)
Clemson established itself as a legitimate national title contender — at the time — with a dominating 23–3 win at
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Texas A&M
25
Miami (Fla.) Buffalo Arizona State Utah Tulsa South Florida Arkansas Iowa Eastern Michigan Kent State Ball State UTEP Pittsburgh Akron
17 28 38 14 16 24 17 7 12 16 28 14 20 19
Colorado State 21 Auburn 14 UL-Lafayette 37 Texas Tech 42 Wyoming 14 Syracuse 13 Rutgers 22 Middle Tennessee 18 UAB 3 5 Florida 7 Georgia Tech 17 Tulane 23 Tennessee 7 New Mexico State 0 East Carolina (ot) 27 Ohio State 34 Northwestern 17 Illinois 7 Ole Miss 3 Kansas 10 Maryland 41 Duke 21 Iowa State 6 Oregon State 21 Indiana 25 UNLV 14 Fresno State 24 Rice 24 Clemson 13 Memphis 7 Notre Dame 14 UCLA 0 Nevada 17 Wake Forest 7 Virginia 0 Washington State 21 Troy 18 Penn State 7
Fast Forward Thursday, Dec. 1 West Virginia Friday, Dec. 2 Ohio UCLA Saturday, Dec. 3 Troy Texas New Mexico Connecticut Virginia Tech Wyoming UL-Monroe BYU Southern Miss Iowa State Georgia Wisconsin Idaho Utah State Middle Tennessee Oklahoma Syracuse Fresno State UNLV
LSU VS. GEORGIA (SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)
LSU’s has all but locked up a spot in the national title game, but the Tigers still have plenty to play for — a coveted SEC championship. Les Miles’ club proved once again why it’s deserving of the No. 1 spot in the polls with a thorough 41–17 victory over Arkansas on Friday. The LSU rushing attack churned out 286 yards on 46 attempts and simply wore down the Razorback defense in the second half. Georgia’s defensive numbers are outstanding, but keep in mind that the Bulldogs did not play Alabama, LSU or Arkansas in the regular season. Georgia did not beat another SEC team that had a winning record in league play. LSU 34, Georgia 17
Miami (Ohio)
Brian Ebner
Wisconsin tailback Montee Ball rushed for 115 yards on 18 carries in the Badgers’ loss at Michigan State earlier this season. He leads the Big Ten in rushing.
Virginia Tech on Oct. 1. Times have changed. The Tigers are now 9–3, having lost three of their last four games, each by at least 14 points. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, has won seven straight since that home loss to Clemson and is coming off an impressive 38–0 win at Virginia. Look for Logan Thomas, David Wilson and the Hokies’ offense to have their way against a Clemson defense that has given up an average of 410.7 yards in its last six games. Virginia Tech 34, Clemson 24 SOUTHERN MISS AT HOUSTON (C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)
Houston is one win away from its first Conference USA title since 2006 and its first-ever spot in a BCS bowl. With a win over Southern Miss, the Cougars, currently 12–0, are likely headed to the Sugar Bowl to face Michigan. But first things first: Southern Miss is a very good team that won 10 games in the regular season, highlighted by a 30–24 victory at Virginia in September. The Golden Eagles are potent on offense — 15th in the nation in total offense and scoring offense — but have had trouble at times on defense. And that is a bad sign with Houston, the nation’s No. 1-ranked offense on deck. This should be entertaining, but the Coogs should prevail at home. Houston 47, Southern Miss 31
TEXAS AT BAYLOR
No Robert Griffin III? No problem for Baylor — at least for one half against a bad Texas Tech defense. With their star quarterback sidelined with a concussion, the Bears outscored Tech 35–14 in the final two quarters of a 66–42 win at Cowboys Stadium. Griffin III should be back this week, and Baylor will need him at his best against a very good Texas defense. The Horns somehow won at Texas A&M despite gaining only 237 yards of offense. Yards and points should be easier to come by in Waco, but Texas might not be good enough offensively to outscore the Bears. Baylor 30, Texas 27
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South Florida
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Northern Illinois Oregon
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Arkansas State Baylor Boise State Cincinnati Clemson Colorado State Florida Atlantic Hawaii Houston Kansas State LSU Michigan State Nevada New Mexico State North Texas Oklahoma State Pittsburgh San Diego State TCU
Athlon Looks Back The 1998 Oregon Ducks’ championship dreams were dashed by UCLA. Score: UCLA 41, Oregon 38 (ot) Date: Oct. 17, 1998 Details: In 1998, Reuben Droughns rushed for over 200 yards in three of Oregon’s first five games, wins over Michigan State, Stanford and Washington. The Ducks also beat Texas-El Paso and San Jose State in that early stretch, but Droughns injured his ankle against the Miners and didn’t play against the Spartans. It was a chilling omen of things to come. The Ducks were 5–0 and ranked No. 11 went they went south to meet No. 2 UCLA. The eyes of the nation were on the game, including ESPN’s GameDay crew. Oregon trailed 24–14 at halftime, then scored 17 straight to take a fourth-quarter lead. UCLA answered with two TDs, the second set up by Droughns’ third fumble of the day. The Ducks would score to tie the game, then survived a missed field goal as time expired, but Akili Smith threw an interception in overtime and the Bruins scored to win 41–38. As big as the loss that day was the one that lingered throughout the season, as Droughns had suffered a broken leg at some point during his 172-yard performance.
OKLAHOMA AT OKLAHOMA STATE
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 3 in the BCS, but it appears as though the Pokes are a long shot to play in the national title game — even with a convincing win over Oklahoma coupled with an LSU loss to Georgia in the SEC title game. O-State would still welcome a Big 12 championship and a first-ever appearance in a BCS bowl, but the Cowboys will likely never get over the stunning loss to Iowa State that ultimately cost them a shot at the title. Oklahoma will no doubt provide a stiff challenge, but the Pokes are healthier and have the advantage of playing at home. Oklahoma State 41, Oklahoma 33
Athlon Board of Experts
Mitch Light
Braden Gall
Steven Lassan
Rob Doster
Charlie Miller
Nathan Rush
Patrick Snow
This Week’s Games & Experts’ Records
102-54
102-54
105-51
108-48
102-54
105-51
103-53
105-51
West Virginia at South Florida (Thu) Ohio vs. Northern Illinois (Fri) UCLA at Oregon (Fri) Southern Miss at Houston LSU vs. Georgia Wisconsin vs. Michigan State Virginia Tech vs. Clemson Texas at Baylor Oklahoma at Oklahoma State Connecticut at Cincinnati Syracuse at Pittsburgh Iowa State at Kansas State
West Virginia by 3 Northern Illinois by 7 Oregon by 34 Houston by 16 LSU by 17 Wisconsin by 7 Virginia Tech by 10 Baylor by 3 Oklahoma State by 8 Cincinnati by 7 Pittsburgh by 10 Kansas State by 7
West Virginia by 7 Northern Illinois by 1 Oregon by 34 Houston by 10 Georgia by 1 Wisconsin by 3 Virginia Tech by 13 Baylor by 4 Oklahoma State by 7 Cincinnati by 4 Pittsburgh by 7 Kansas State by 17
West Virginia by 8 Northern Illinois by 3 Oregon by 35 Houston by 14 LSU by 7 Wisconsin by 6 Virginia Tech by 7 Baylor by 4 Oklahoma State by 3 Cincinnati by 10 Pittsburgh by 9 Kansas State by 11
West Virginia by 7 Northern Illinois by 6 Oregon by 21 Houston by 14 LSU by 9 Wisconsin by 3 Virginia Tech by 4 Baylor by 5 Oklahoma State by 1 Cincinnati by 5 Pittsburgh by 3 Kansas State by 7
West Virginia by 16 Ohio by 2 Oregon by 13 Houston by 10 LSU by 9 Wisconsin by 3 Virginia Tech by 4 Baylor by 2 Oklahoma State by 3 Cincinnati by 10 Pittsburgh by 3 Kansas State by 13
West Virginia by 4 Northern Illinois by 2 Oregon by 24 Houston by 8 LSU by 14 Wisconsin by 14 Clemson by 1 Baylor by 10 Oklahoma State by 6 Cincinnati by 4 Pittsburgh by 9 Kansas State by 13
West Virginia by 8 Northern Illinois by 3 Oregon by 32 Houston by 9 LSU by 4 Wisconsin by 6 Virginia Tech by 7 Texas by 3 Oklahoma State by 6 Cincinnati by 9 Pittsburgh by 4 Kansas State by 6
West Virginia by 7 Northern Illinois by 3 Oregon by 28 Houston by 11 LSU by 8 Wisconsin by 6 Virginia Tech by 6 Baylor by 4 Oklahoma State by 5 Cincinnati by 7 Pittsburgh by 6 Kansas State by 11
Consensus
Baylor’s ‘Big Griff’ guards Heisman hopeful RG3 The Associated Press
WACO, Texas — Baylor’s biggest player on the field has the initials RG and is referred to by teammates as “Big Griff.” Yes, his name is Robert Griffin. But he isn’t the Heisman Trophy hopeful quarterback for the 19thranked Bears. This is the 6-foot-6, 330-pound right guard blocking for the quarterback with the same name. “We never call him the other Robert Griffin,” said Robert Griffin III, the 6-2, 220-pound quarterback
who isn’t related to the big lineman. “No one calls me ‘Little Griff’, but we call him ‘Big Griff.’ He outweighs me by a lot, but by no means am I little.” There is never any confusion on the field over which Griffin is which. RG3 is the big-play, dual-threat quarterback who has 4,290 total yards and 41 touchdowns (34 passing, seven rushing) this season for the Bears (8-3, 5-3 Big 12). Robert T. Griffin, nicknamed “RG2” by coach Art Briles, is the big man
blocking up front. “He stays pretty, I get dirty. It’s my job,” said Griffin the lineman. “I was born with that name. He was born with that name, and we’re just two athletes that came to Baylor and we love it. ... I love him just like a brother. He has my name, he’s No. 10, I’m No. 79. I’m going to block for him, I’m going to do what I have to do to protect that man and keep him off the grass.” The team with two Robert Griffins already has won the most games at
Baylor in 20 years. The Bears went 4-0 in November after winning only four Big 12 games combined the previous 15 Novembers. Baylor plays its regularseason finale Saturday at home against Texas (7-4, 4-4). Then the Bears will play in their second consecutive bowl game following a 15-season postseason drought. Even while playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules, the Bears still have a chance for their only 10-win season other
than 1980, which was Mike Singletary’s senior season. Griffin the offensive lineman will be playing his final Baylor home game Saturday. He has been a starter both seasons since transferring from Navarro College after playing on a state championship team for Texas high school power Euless Trinity. Before joining the Bears, the lineman was known just as Robert Griffin. The initial from his middle name, Torrez, was added at Baylor to distin-
guish him on rosters and in publications from the quarterback. Griffin, the fourth-year junior quarterback, is one of four players in major college history with at least 9,000 yards passing and 2,000 yards rushing in his career. The game against the Longhorns will be the last chance for RG3 to impress Heisman Trophy voters. “Everybody knows who’s the Heisman,” said Griffin the lineman. “He’s big Griff too. He does big things too, just like me.”