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News Nuggets, 12.24.03
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Broncos' postseason streak survives sans blue turf

FORT WORTH — Ryan Dinwiddie ended his career as the most efficient passer in college football, and by leading Boise State to its first bowl victory away from the blue turf of its home stadium.

Dinwiddie threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns, the last an 18-yarder to Derek Schouman for winning score, and the No. 19 Broncos beat No. 18 Texas Christian 34-31 Tuesday night in the inaugural Fort Worth Bowl.

The win wasn't secure until sophomore Mike Wynn, who had not attempted a kick for TCU all season, was well short on a 51-yard field-goal attempt with 7 seconds left.

Boise State (13-1) ended the season with 11 straight wins. The Broncos have won all four of their bowl games, including the Humanitarian Bowl three of the previous four seasons.

TCU (11-2), playing at home after being in contention for a Bowl Championship Series spot until its only regular-season loss Nov. 20, had its school-record 13-game home winning streak snapped.

Dinwiddie hit 19 of 35 passes, and overcame two interceptions. He finished with 4,356 yards passing this season, and in his career had 9,809 yards with 82 touchdowns and just 20 interceptions.

The bowl was sponsored by PlainsCapital.

Cincinnati looks to Buckeyes for new coach

Mark Dantonio was hired as Cincinnati's football coach Tuesday after helping Ohio State build one of the nation's top defenses. Dantonio, the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator, replaces Rick Minter, who was fired Dec. 1 after a decade on the job.

Minter was dismissed three days after the Bearcats (5-7) ended their season with a 43-40 loss to Louisville. He finished with a 53-63-1 record over 10 seasons and had the most wins and losses in school history.

Dantonio won't have to wait long to face his former school and longtime friend and boss, Jim Tressel. The Bearcats open the 2004 season at Ohio State on Sept. 4.

Tressel said Dantonio will coach the Ohio State defense when the team plays Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2. ``We hate to lose him, but I'm extremely proud he has achieved this position and wish him the very best,'' Tressel said.

Ohio State, keyed by its defense, won the 2002 national championship, beating top-ranked Miami 31-24 in the Fiesta Bowl.

Minter took Cincinnati to bowl games four of the past six seasons but faced increasing criticism for failing to create a larger fan base and national profile.

After a 3-0 start this year, the Bearcats lost seven of their final nine for their first losing season in four years. Attendance dwindled, with only 11,993 fans showing up in bad weather for the season finale.

Coach of disbanded program gets Elon job

Paul Hamilton was hired as Elon's football coach Tuesday after losing his job when East Tennessee State eliminated its program. Hamilton replaces Al Seagraves, who left last month after eight seasons.

``Christmas came early to the Hamilton household,'' Hamilton said Tuesday.

Hamilton went 38-41 during seven years at East Tennessee, which ended football after 80 seasons because the program was losing money. East Tennessee and Elon are in the Southern Conference.

Seagraves coached Elon for eight years, taking it from Division II to I-AA. The school went 2-10 overall and 1-7 in its first season in the Southern Conference, including eight straight losses to end the season.

In its final season, Hamilton's East Tennessee team went 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the conference. Hamilton spent seven seasons as an assistant at Air Force before going to East Tennessee.

Elon athletic director Alan White said Hamilton's experience in the conference was important. ``He is a very knowledgeable, experienced coach, which is what we felt we needed in our new Southern Conference affiliation,'' White said.

Swofford minimizes impact of refs' mistakes

The commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference said there ``were a few missed calls that affected both teams'' in the disputed Florida-Florida State game, but defended the embattled officials from his conference, saying no game is ever called perfectly.

ACC commissioner John Swofford released a statement Tuesday stating that the league's review of the game was complete.

``The game had an inordinate number of difficult ball possession calls for the game officials to make,'' Swofford said.

No fewer than six key calls went against the Gators in their 38-34 loss to the Seminoles last month. On Monday, Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said he had met with Swofford, who acknowledged to him that some calls had been missed.

Neither Foley nor Swofford, in the five-paragraph statement he released Tuesday, divulged whether the crew, headed by Jack Childress, would be reprimanded.

``Those calls have to be made immediately with a single view at full speed action,'' Swofford said. ``Even with the aid of slow motion and various camera angles, several calls are still inconclusive as to whether they were absolutely the correct ones or not.''

But, Swofford, conceded, ``as in most games, there were a few missed calls that affected both teams.''

Foley said there was nothing more to pursue with the ACC offices. He does, however, want to change the contract with Florida State, and bring in officials from a neutral conference. The current contract, which expires after next season, calls for a crew from the conference of the visiting team to call the game.

Bowl results/TV schedule for C-USA teams

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16
New Orleans Bowl
Memphis 27, North Texas (Sun Belt) 17
(ESPN 2) 7:00 pm

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18
GMAC Bowl
(14) Miami (OH) (MAC) 49, Louisville 28

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23
PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl
(16) Boise State (WAC) 34, (19) Texas Christian 31
(ESPN) 7:30 pm

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Houston vs. Hawaii (WAC)
(ESPN) 8:00 pm

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31
AXA Liberty Bowl
Southern Miss vs. (25) Utah (MWC)
(ESPN) 3:30 pm

All times Eastern.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2003 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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