Nov. 24, 2007

For the second time in three years, UCF will host the Conference USA Football Championship Game. The Knights defeated UTEP, 36-20, to win the East Division with a 7-1 league record. Junior RB Kevin Smith carried a school-record 46 times for 219 yards and a touchdown to become the 13th player in FBS history to run for 2,000 yards in a season. Smith is now fourth in single-season FBS history with 2,164 rushing yards. Tulsa will be the Knights opponent, as Paul Smith passed for 441 yards and five touchdowns in the Golden Hurricane's 48-43 win at Rice.

UCF 36, UTEP 20
Running back Kevin Smith rushed for 219 yards and a touchdown on 46 carries and quarterback Kyle Israel threw three touchdowns as UCF beat UTEP 36-20 on Saturday.

The Knights - winners of six straight since losing to South Florida on Oct. 13 - secured the Conference USA East title and will host the C-USA championship game Dec 1.

The Knights (9-3, 7-1 C-USA) scored first in the second quarter when Michael Torres kicked a 47-yard field goal.

Israel, who went 18-for-26 passing and 261 yards, threw a three-yard score to Corey Rabazinski and then a 39-yard pass to A.J. Guyton.

UTEP (4-8, 2-6 C-USA) took a brief 17-16 lead in the third as quarterback Trevor Vittatoe threw a 19-yard touchdown to receiver Fred Rouse and kicker Jose Martinez hit a 48-yard field goal.

Free safety Quentin Demps intercepted Israel in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for the lead. Demps leads NCAA Division I players with 17 career interceptions. It was the second time this season Demps has retuned a pick for 100 yards.

Torres hit fields goals of 28 and 34 yards for the Knights to take a 22-17 lead. UCF added two more scores when Israel hit receiver Rocky Ross for a four-yard touchdown pass and Smith picked up a two-yard run.

Vittatoe went 20-for-37 with 292 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions. UCF's Guyton led all receivers with 96 yards on four catches.

TULSA 48, RICE 43
It was a high-scoring affair in which the Hurricane came out on top and won its fifth consecutive game and clinched the Conference USA West Division title with a 48-43 victory against the Rice Owls in front of 11,742 fans at Rice Stadium.

The Hurricane will travel to Orlando, Florida, next week to face the UCF Knights in the C-USA Championship Game. UCF won an earlier meeting at home against Tulsa 44-23 on October 20.

It was another record-breaking day for Tulsa quarterback Paul Smith, this time as he snapped Conference USA single season marks for total offense, touchdown passes and passing yards, all coming in the first half.

Smith completed 22-of-39 passes for 441 yards and five touchdowns, while receiver Brennan Marion had the sixth-best receiving performance in school history with 244 ayrds and two TDs. Running back Tarrion Adams had his fifth 100+ rushing game of the year with 146 yards.

In addition to totaling 91 points, the two teams combined for 1,292 yards, as the Owls had 700 yards of total offense on 104 plays and Tulsa racked up 592 yards for a 7.8 yard average per play.

Twenty-six minutes and 51-seconds elapsed from when Tulsa scored its 27th point to its 34th point. Tulsa took a 27-9 lead at the 14:56 mark of the second quarter, and didn't score again until the 3:05 mark of the third quarter. The Hurricane went up by 12 points, 34-22, on a two-yard pass from Smith to Cody Madison.

The Owls responded in 2:02 going 71 yards in five plays as Justin Hill ran five yards for the score, cutting Tulsa's lead to five points again, 34-29.

After a defensive stop by the Hurricane on a fourth down-and-two, the Tulsa offense went 39 yards in four plays as Jamad Williams ran in to the end zone from 13 yards out to give the Hurricane a 41-29 lead. Rice followed with another score of their own going 66 yards in nine plays to make the score 41-36 as C.J. Ugokwe scored from four yards out.

Tulsa put another seven points on the board, making the score 48-36, as Smith threw 19 yards to Trae Johnson in the end zone with 5:43 left in the contest. But, the Owls were not finished as Chase Clement threw 36 yards to Joel Armstrong with 1:44 remaining on the game clock. The drive went 99 yards in eight plays and took just 0:58.

Rice's subsequent onside kick attempt was covered by Tulsa's Adams, thus clinching the victory for the Hurricane.

Tulsa had a chance to go up by 11 points early in the third period as the Hurricane was one-yard away from its 33rd point, but the Hurricane failed to go in for a score on three straight plays from inside the two-yard line.

The Hurricane built a 20-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, and began the second period on the Rice three-yard line. Smith scored from three yards out on the first play of the new quarter giving Tulsa a 27-9 lead.

Tulsa went two possessions without mounting much offense, while the Owls scored its second touchdown at the 5:26 mark of the second quarter on a 12-yard run by C.J. Ugokwe, cutting the Hurricane lead to nine points, 27-16. Rice intercepted a Smith Pass and went 77 yards in five plays and scored on a 25-yard pass from Clement to Jarrett Dillard, The two point conversion pass fell incomplete giving Tulsa a five-point lead, 27-22.

In the first quarter, Smith completed 10-of-11 passes for 218 yards and three TDs, while Marion had four of the catches for 140 yards.

Rice scored on the game's opening possession, as the Clement threw the final 24 yards to tight end Chance Talbert, capping a 72-yard, nine-play drive.

Following a muffed return on a short kick, Tulsa took possession at the Rice 49-yard line and Smith threw the distance on the first play to Brennan Marion for six points. The Jarod Tracy PAT was blocked, and returned by the Owls for two points.

Smith found Marion wide open in the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown with just over five minutes gone in the first half. The 51-second drive went 44 yards.

Tulsa scored its first 13 points on just four plays and Brennan Marion caught all three passes for 91 yards, as the two scoring possessions totaled 93 yards.

The Hurricane scored on its third straight possession as Smith threw the final 29 yards of an 80-yard drive. His touchdown strike went to Trae Johnson.

EAST CAROLINA 35, TULANE 12
Chris Johnson ran for a pair of touchdowns and caught one of three Rob Kass scoring passes as East Carolina beat Tulane 35-12 in a Conference USA game Saturday.

East Carolina (7-5, 6-2 Conference USA), which has won six of the last seven against Tulane, has never lost at home in the series. The Pirates kept alive their slim hopes for a berth in the conference championship game, but those hopes were dashed when Central Florida defeated UTEP.

Johnson, who scored on runs of five and seven yards, finished with 155 yards on 27 carries. He also caught four passes for 85 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown pass.

Kass was 12 of 18 for 177 yards and had touchdown passes to Johnson, Dominique Lindsay and Jamar Bryant.

Kicker Ben Hartman set an East Carolina school record by running his streak of successful point-after-touchdown kicks to 54.

Tulane (4-8, 3-5 Conference USA) could muster only a pair of first-quarter field goals by Ross Thevenot and a late rushing touchdown by Matt Forte, the nation's leading rusher.

Forte had 120 yards on 25 carries to finish the season with 2,127 yards, becoming the 12th player all-time to break the 2,000-yard plateau. His season total is the sixth-best in Division I-A history.

MEMPHIS 55, SMU 52 (3ot)
Matt Reagan connected on a 32-yard field goal in the third overtime Saturday as Memphis defeated SMU 55-52.

Memphis (7-5, 6-2 Conference USA) would get its chance to win the game by stopping SMU on fourth-and-goal from the 2 on the first possession of the third overtime. Corey Mills knocked SMU quarterback Justin Mills out of bounds as Willis tried to sweep around the right side.

That set the stage for the winning kick by Reagan, who missed a 32-yarder at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. On that kick with 31 seconds left in regulation, holder Brett Toney bobbled the snap, helping send the kick wide.

Memphis quarterback Martin Hankins threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns on the day, including a 6-yarder to Greg Hinds in the second overtime. Carlos Singleton caught three touchdown passes from Hankins as the Tigers won five of their final six games on the season, and qualified for their fourth bowl in five years.

T.J. Pitts rushed for 110 yards for Memphis.

SMU (1-11, 0-8) lost its 10th straight, the final game for coach Phil Bennett, who was told a month ago he would not return to the job.

Willis led the Mustangs, completing 35-of-48 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Emmanuel Sanders. Willis also ran for 114 yards on 23 carries and had a 48-yard touchdown run in the third period.

MARSHALL 46, UAB 39
Quarterback Bernard Morris delivered once again in his final collegiate contest, completing six-of-seven passes on the Herd's game-winning drive and plunging over the goal line for a one-yard touchdown to lift Marshall to a 46-39 victory over UAB on Senior Day in Joan C. Edwards Stadium.

In a season the where the Herd has struggled to produce first quarter points, head coach Mark Snyder could not have hoped for a more perfect opening 10 minutes as Marshall scored on its first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead. UAB refused to go away and clawed its way back to a 39-38 lead with just 5:22 remaining.

Morris was 26-of-36 for the game for 309 yards and a touchdown and added an additional 55 rushing yards. The senior triggerman spread the ball to a number of targets, finding nine different receivers on his way to breaking 3000 yards passing for the season. Cody Slate led all Marshall receivers with six catches for 72 yards. Senior Shawn Lauzon had four catches for 58 yards and a touchdown in his final game for the Herd.

Freshman Darius Marshall led the Herd with 60 rushing yards and finished the day with 254 all-purpose yards, including a 91-yard touchdown return on a kickoff. Kelvin Turner and Chubb Small combined to rush for 60 yards and three touchdowns.

Joseph Webb and Sam Hunt split time at quarterback for UAB and combined to complete 27-of-50 passes for 389 yards. The duo also led the Blazers in rushing carrying the ball 20 times for 116 yards.

The Herd took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards in 10 plays, punctuated by Turner's first touchdown rush of the game from four yards out.

After a quick three-play stop by the Marshall defense, the Herd took over at midfield and took just four plays to score again on a five-yard plunge by Chubb Small.

UAB was able to slow the Herd's momentum with an eight-play, 81-yard touchdown drive of its own. Blazer fullback David Sigler got the march going with a 31-yard grab down the middle despite being drilled by Marshall defensive back Ashton Hall. UAB cut the deficit to 14-7 as Webb connected with Wright on eight yard scoring pass.

Marshall was forced to punt for the first time on the ensuing possession and UAB drove to the Marshall 22-yard line before Swayze Waters' field goal went wide.

The Herd took advantage with a methodical 13-play, 78-yard possession. Morris connected on four passes, including a nine-yard completion to Lauzon at the UAB four-yard line that set up Turner's second rushing score of the game.

The Blazers were forced to punt from their own 19-yard line on the next series and Marshall took over at its 45. This time it took the Herd only two plays to reach the end zone as Morris found Darius Marshall on a screen play for 45 yards and then connected with Lauzon on a 23 fade to put Marshall ahead 28-7.

The Herd took that score into the locker room when defensive linemen Byron Tinker and Ryland Wilson stopped Hunt on a quarterback sneak at the Marshall one-yard line as time expired in the half.

UAB cut the deficit to 18 points on a Waters field goal with 11:04 remaining in the third quarter and after Marshall gave the ball back via punt, the Blazers drove went 72-yards to cut the score to 28-18.

The game entered full shootout mode when Darius Marshall fielded Winters kickoff at the nine-yard line and bolted straight down the middle of the field for the first return touchdown of his career, giving the Herd a three-score lead.

The Blazers refused to go away and drove 64 yards for a touchdown on a sneak by Webb. After the UAB defense forced a Herd punt, the Blazers Kevin Sanders returned the ball 58 yards for a score and pulled his team to within three points.

Marshall stretched the lead to six with a 21-yard Anthony Binswanger field goal, but UAB took the lead with on its next possession on a four-yard run by Rashaud Slaughter to give the Blazers their only lead of the game.

Morris then took over and moved the Herd offense 78 yards in 11 plays, scoring the game-winner with 1:07 remaining.

HOUSTON 59, TEXAS SOUTHERN 6
The University of Houston scored on its first seven possessions and never looked back, rolling to a 59-6 non-conference win over Texas Southern in cold, damp conditions at John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium. With the win the Cougars finished the 2007 regular season with an 8-4 mark and 6-2 in Conference USA play. Houston was the Co-Champions of the C-USA West Division, but lost out on the tiebreaker to Tulsa to represent the division in the C-USA Championship game on Dec. 1.

Texas Southern finished the season winless at 0-11 and 0-9 in Southwestern Athletic Conference action.

In the first-ever meeting between the two neighborhood schools, the Cougars set the tone on their first drive, marching 57 yards in just three plays with senior running back Anthony Alridge capping the drive with a 52-yard touchdown sprint. In less than a half of play, Alridge finished the evening with 157 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries.

After forcing at Texas Southern punt, the Cougars pushed its lead to 14-0 when quarterback Case Keenum hooked up with wide receiver Donnie Avery from 24 yards out. Like Alridge, Avery had a short evening, but still responded with 143 yards on six receptions.

The Cougars wrapped up the first quarter with another score, this time Keenum kept from one-yard out to push the Houston lead to 20-0. Keenum finished the day 121 yards and one touchdown passing and tacked on an additional 11 yards rushing.

Houston increased its halftime lead to 47-0 with a scoring flurry in the second quarter. Sophomore backup quarterback Blake Joseph started the frenzy with a four-yard touchdown run, the first rushing score of his career. Then, redshirt freshman running back Andre Kohn blasted his way from four yards out, and that score was followed by a one-yard touchdown by freshman Terrance Ganaway. Alridge capped the quarter with a 35-yard scamper to give UH the insurmountable lead.

Ganaway posted the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, rushing for 122 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries. He and Alridge became the first 100-yard rushing tandem since late last season, when Alridge and Jackie Battle teamed up for century performances against SMU.

With all the starters on the bench to start the second half, Ganaway scored the second touchdown on the evening. Houston drove 65 yards in seven plays, with Ganaway cutting inside for the six-yard score.

The defense posted the final score of the game. Early in the fourth quarter senior defensive end Fred Agho tipped a pass by TSU's Cornelius Harmon that sophomore Mamoon Barbandi picked out of the air and raced untouched 41 yards for the final score.

TSU tacked on a late score, when Harmon hooked up with William Osborne for a 49-yard score.

The Cougars generated 664 yards of total offense, including a remarkable 377 yards on the ground. Houston held the Tigers to just 179 yards of total offense, including a mere 60 yards in the first half.

The Cougars are bowl eligible for the fourth time in the last five years. Houston should know its bowl future in the next few days.

SOUTHERN MISS 16, ARKANSAS STATE 10
Justin Estes kicked three field goals and Damion Fletcher ran for 133 yards and a touchdown as Southern Miss defeated Arkansas State 16-10 Saturday in Hattiesburg.

The victory assured Southern Miss (7-5) of its 14th straight winning season. The Golden Eagles will also be going to a bowl game for the ninth time in the past 10 years.

The loss prevented Arkansas State (5-7) from recording a break even season. The Indians were attempting to win six games in a season for the third straight year.

Estes made kicks from 21, 29 and 37 yards for Southern Miss.

The Golden Eagles took 7-3 lead into halftime on a 1-yard touchdown by Fletcher.

The Golden Eagles extended the lead to 10-3 on Estes' 21-yard field goal six minutes into the second half before Arkansas State tied the game on a 3-yard scoring run by Brandon Tompkins.

Estes then sealed the win in the final period with his last two field goals.

The Indians drove the Southern Miss 23 as the game wound down but Eagles linebacker Gerald McRath made a tackle on a fourth and one play to stop the threat.