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WAC roundup
WAC Game of the Week
| Hawaii 31, Fresno State 24, 2OT |
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Dan Robinson's third touchdown pass of the game, a 9-yarder to Craig Stutzmann in the second overtime, sparked a wild championship celebration at Aloha Stadium. The win gave the Rainbow Warriors (7-3, 5-2) a share of their first Western Athletic Conference title in seven years and a berth in the Oahu Bowl. Most significant, it completed a remarkable turnaround for the 'Bows, who started the season amid a national-longest 18-game losing streak. But with first year coach June Jones, who left as head coach of the San Diego Chargers to move to Honolulu to try to build up the program, Hawaii has been the most shocking of a season full of surprise teams in college football.
No team in college football history has turned the corner more completely from a winless season into a better season than the Rainbows, who already have matched the zero-to-seven-win mark set by Florida in the 1979-80 seasons. Hawaii has two more regular-season games, facing Navy and Washington State, and then will advance to the Oahu Bowl in its home stadium, probably to face the winner of the Sept. 27 Arizona-Arizona State game. |
Other WAC action
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Texas-El Paso 30, Rice 29 |
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Quarterback Jay Stuckey led two touchdown drives over the final 6:14 and Paul Smith scored three touchdowns to rally Texas-El Paso. The Miners (5-6, 3-3 Western Athletic Conference) trailed 29-17 when Stuckey took only 44 seconds to drive the Miners 86 yards to a 10-yard touchdown run by Smith with 6:14 left.
Rice (5-6, 4-3) tried to run out the clock, once succeeding on a fourth-down play, but the Owls finally had to punt and give the Miners one more chance. This time, Stuckey directed a 78-yard drive in seven plays that took 1:17 and ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Lee Mays with 1:22 to play.
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Louisiana-Monroe 37, Tulsa 34 |
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Tulsa (2-8, 1-5 WAC) held a 20-10 halftime lead, but couldn't execute in the second half, and Louisiana-Monroe (5-6) used the collapse to close out its first season under coach Bobby Keasler with a victory. Michael Mitchell scored a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Indians, but it was a defensive score that put Monroe over the top. When Cedric Robinson intercepted a Tulsa pass and took it back 64 yards for a TD midway through the third quarter, the Indians had their first lead of the evening and were on their way. The Golden Hurricane close their season out next week, hosting Southern Methodist. |
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Southern Methodist 58, Cal-State Northridge 16 |
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Kris Briggs ran for four touchdowns and Chris Cunningham added two long scores as Southern Methodist pounded Division I-AA Cal State Northridge in the Mustangs' final home game at the Cotton Bowl. With about 3,000 fans in the 68,252-seat stadium, SMU (3-5) showed hope for its future by getting all eight of its touchdowns from freshmen and scoring its most points since beating Grambling 59-27 in 1981.
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Texas Christian 27, North Texas 3 |
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With the defense paying attention to running back LaDainian Tomlinson, freshman Casey Printers threw three touchdown passes to pace TCU. Despite ranking 108th among major-college run defenses, North Texas (2-7) limited Tomlinson to 75 yards in 21 carries, less than half his 155-yard average that ranks fourth nationally.
Printers' 30-yard touchdown pass to LaTarence Dunbar in the third quarter gave TCU (5-4) a 20-3 lead, more than enough margin against a North Texas team that managed only 164 yards. Printers was 10-of-15 for 189 yards with one interception.
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