Week 13 national notebook

Teams of the Week
Missouri
The Tigers were on the big stage Saturday night, and they responded with an impressive 36–28 win over previously undefeated Kansas in the Border War. Quarterback Chase Daniel was almost perfect, completing 40-of-49 passes for 361 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions to lead a Mizzou offense that rolled up 519 total yards. Kansas rallied for 21 points in the fourth quarter to make it interesting, but Missouri was in control for most of the night. The win bumped the Tigers up to No. 1 in the latest BCS standings, putting MU in control of its own destiny to play in the national title game.

Hawaii
After feasting on a ridiculously soft schedule, the Warriors made a big statement Friday night, knocking off five-time defending WAC champions Boise State 39–27 in Honolulu. The win gave Hawaii its first ever outright league title, and, more important, put June Jones’ club in position to earn an automatic bid to a BCS bowl. The Warriors are currently No. 12 in the standings; if they don’t drop after next week’s games — UH hosts Washington — they are guaranteed a spot in a BCS bowl.

West Virginia
The Mountaineers clinched the Big East title and took a very big step towards a spot in the BCS national title game with a thorough beating of UConn in Morgantown. West Virginia rolled up 624 total yards, including 517 on the ground, en route to the 66–21 win. Four different Mounties — and none named Steve Slaton — averaged more than 10 yards per rushing attempt in the victory. WVU will play for the national title if it beats rival Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl next Saturday in Morgantown.

Disappointments of the Week
LSU
With so much at stake, LSU simply couldn’t get it done. The Tigers, the top ranked team in the nation, lost at home to an Arkansas team that lost by 21 points to Tennessee in its previous road game. LSU can still win the SEC title and have a very good season. It just won’t be a special season.

Kansas State
Kansas State failed in its fourth straight attempt to become bowl-eligible, falling 45–29 at Fresno State to end the season with a 5–7 record. The Wildcats went 0–4 in November, with losses to Iowa State (31–20), Nebraska (73–31), Missouri (49–32) and Fresno State (45–29). It might not be fair to say that the Wildcats quit on second-year coach Ron Prince, but they sure didn’t end the season playing inspired football.

Miami
The Hurricanes’ dismal season ended on a bad note, losing 28–14 at Boston College. The first year of the Randy Shannon era produced a 5–7 record, the school’s first losing season since 1997 and the second since 1979, the first year of the Howard Schnellenberger era. Miami lost six of its final seven games, including the final four, all in ACC play. Shannon is putting together a stellar recruiting class, but it’s hard to envision much of a turnaround next season unless the Canes can find a competent quarterback.

Player of the Week: Colt Brennan, QB, Hawaii
Brennan is out of the Heisman Trophy chase, but the senior quarterback was at his best in the Warriors’ biggest game of the season. He completed 40-of-53 passes for 495 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions to lead Hawaii past Boise State 39–27 in a game that decided the outright WAC title.

Freshman of the Week: Brennan Marion, WR, Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane offense continues to put up big numbers, and Marion continues to play a big role. The 6-1, 185-pound freshman caught seven passes for 244 yards (and two scores) for a staggering 34.9-yard average in Tulsa’s 48–43 win at Rice.

Vols emerge in the East
Tennessee might not be the best team in the SEC East, but the Vols will be representing the division in the league title game thanks to a gutty 52–50 quadruple-overtime win over Kentucky in Lexington. The Vols twice held leads of 17 points in the second half, but UK rallied and eventually forced overtime on a 20-yard field goal on the final play of the fourth quarter.

Tennessee will be the first team with two league losses of 24 points or more to play in the SEC Championship Game. The Vols, 6–2 in the league, lost at Florida 59–20 in September and 41–17 at Alabama in October. They won three games by three points or less, including two in overtime.

Pack packs it in
It was one of the most surprising scores of the weekend — Maryland 37, North Carolina State 0. The fact that Maryland won in Raleigh wasn’t too much of a shock, but the margin of victory was stunning. It was the first time the Pack had been shutout since a 14–0 loss to Baylor on Sept. 25, 1995 — a streak of 150 straight games, the longest active streak in the ACC and the fourth-longest streak in league history.

 “I am trying to hold in my tears right now,” said defensive end Martrel Brown. “There is no way to explain how I feel. In my five years here, I have never looked up on the scoreboard and seen a zero there.”

Tom O’Brien’s first season at State ended with a 5–7 overall record and a 3–5 mark in the ACC. The Pack won four straight late in the season but closed with losses to Wake Forest and Maryland.

Highs & Lows
Some under-the-radar performances, both good and bad:

• Florida State, which lost at Florida 45–12 on Saturday, has not scored more than 14 points vs. the Gators since 2003.

• Washington State’s Alex Brink ended his career on a high note, throwing for 399 yards and five touchdowns (with no picks) in the Cougars’ 42–35 Apple Cup win in Seattle.

• Utah State, which closed the season with wins at New Mexico State and Idaho, is on a two-game winning streak for the first time since 2003.

• Richard Kovalcheck, once a big-time quarterback recruit, ended his career by throwing for 269 yards and two touchdowns (all in the second half) in Vanderbilt’s 31–17 loss to Wake Forest. Kovalcheck, who picked Arizona over Tennessee coming out of high school, transferred to Vanderbilt after two seasons with the Wildcats but never started a game for the Commodores.

• Alabama scored a total of 36 points in its final three regular-season games (Losses to Mississippi State, UL Monroe and Auburn).

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