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News Nuggets, 09.19.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Injured Clemson player has spleen removed

CLEMSON — Clemson tight end Cole Downer had his spleen removed Saturday night, just hours after he was injured catching a 6-yard pass in the fourth quarter of the Tigers' 36-30 triple-overtime loss to Miami.

The senior will likely miss the rest of the season, the school said.

Downer caught his first career touchdown in the second quarter Saturday and had five catches this season for 38 yards.

``We are really going to miss Cole Downer,'' Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. ``He has good hands, is an outstanding blocker and really fits what we are doing with this offense.''

College football headliners: stars & storylines

  —  Chris Barclay ran for 210 yards and tied a school record with four rushing touchdowns to lead Wake Forest past East Carolina 44-34.

  —  Tyrone Moss, Miami, ran for 139 yards and three touchdowns, including a 25-yard scoring run in the third overtime, to lift the No. 13 Hurricanes to a 36-30 win over No. 20 Clemson.

  —  Reggie McNeal, Texas A&M, set a school record for total yards, throwing for 349 and five touchdowns and running for 100 and another score, in a 66-8 rout of Southern Methodist.

  —  Cody Hodges, Texas Tech, completed 26 of 37 passes for 436 yards and five touchdowns as the No. 19 Red Raiders beat Sam Houston State 80-21.

  —  Brian Brohm, Louisville, threw for 368 yards and five touchdowns as the No. 11 Cardinals beat Oregon State 63-27.

  —  Jayson Davis, Rhode Island, ran for three touchdowns and passed for two, leading the Rams past William & Mary 48-29.

  —  Jamaal Charles, Texas, ran for 189 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start, leading the No. 2 Longhorns to a 51-10 win over Rice.

  —  Reggie Hall, Elon, scored three touchdowns and ran for 136 yards in a 34-19 win over Presbyterian.

ROLLING MOSS

Tyrone Moss' 25-yard touchdown run in the third overtime led No. 13 Miami to a 36-30 win over No. 20 Clemson as the Hurricanes avoided their first 0-2 start in 27 years. Moss finished with 139 yards rushing and three touchdowns, two in overtime.

PASS MASTERS

Brian Brohm threw for 368 yards and five touchdowns as No. 11 Louisville tied an Oregon State record for points by an opponent with a 63-27 victory. Brohm completed 18 of 22 passes (81.8 percent) for the second-best completion percentage in school history. Last season, Stefan LeFors went 12-for-14 (85.7) in a win over East Carolina. ... Reggie McNeal threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score while surpassing Texas A&M's yardage by a quarterback in a 66-8 win over SMU. McNeal threw for 349 yards and ran for 100 to break the record of 418, set by Edd Hargett against SMU in 1968.

UNSTOPPABLE

No. 19 Texas Tech beat Sam Houston State 80-21 for its highest point total since October 1953, when the Red Raiders put up 71 points against New Mexico A&M, now New Mexico State. Cody Hodges threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns in the first half and added another 80 yards passing and a TD throw in the third quarter.

EARLY STARTS

North Carolina State scored 31 points in the first quarter and snapped a four-game home losing streak in a 54-10 win over Eastern Kentucky. The 31 points were the most the Wolfpack has scored in any quarter since at least 1980.

HUMBLED

Oklahoma is 1-2 for the first time since 1997 after a 41-24 loss to UCLA. It was the first time No. 21 Oklahoma lost to the Bruins, who recovered three of the Sooners' six fumbles and turned them into 17 points.

CARDINAL MISTAKE

Stanford lost to UC Davis 20-17, its first loss to a non-Division I team. Davis' Jon Grant threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Blaise Smith with 8 seconds left to spoil coach Walt Harris' home debut for the Cardinal.

LOOKING AHEAD

Coach Tyrone Willingham got his first Huskies victory as Washington ended an eight-game losing streak with a 34-6 win over Idaho. The Huskies will face Notre Dame, Willingham's former school, in Seattle next Saturday. The Fighting Irish pushed out the coach with two seasons left on his five-year contract after last season.

DISAPPOINTING DEBUT

Charlie Weis became the third Notre Dame coach to lose his home opener since 1913 with a 44-41 overtime loss to Michigan State. The other two were Elmer Layden in 1934, losing 7-6 to Texas, and Lou Holtz in 1986, losing 24-23 to No. 3 Michigan. The No. 10 Fighting Irish have lost five straight to the Spartans at Notre Dame Stadium.

UNFAZED

Georgia Tech remained unbeaten despite losing quarterback Reggie Ball — who has since been diagnosed with viral meningitis — before Saturday's 28-13 win over Connecticut. Taylor Bennett made his first start for the No. 16 Yellow Jackets and threw a touchdown on his first pass, and backup tailback Tashard Choice scored the first two TDs of his career. Ball began feeling ill Friday and was taken to the hospital for tests Saturday morning.

SEEING RED

First-year South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier fell to 0-2 in the SEC for the first time with a 37-14 loss to Alabama. The Crimson Tide finished with 489 yards of total offense — their biggest total since coach Mike Shula took over in 2003. In Spurrier's 12 years at Florida, he only lost more than two SEC games once (in 1992).

STREAKING

Vanderbilt is 3-0 for the first time since 1984 and just the fourth time since 1950 after beating Mississippi 31-23. ... Baylor improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1996 with a 20-10 victory over Army, which dropped its ninth straight home opener. The Bears also won their second consecutive road game, a feat they haven't accomplished in nine years. ... South Florida beat Central Florida 31-14, extending the nation's longest losing streak to 17 games.

SLIM VICTORIES

Connor Hughes kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired to lead No. 25 Virginia to a 27-24 win over Syracuse. It was the Cavaliers' second victory in two years over the Orange, who trailed 24-14 entering the fourth quarter. ... Adam Ickes blocked Josh Cummings' 46-yard field goal attempt as time ran out, allowing Nebraska to hang on for a 7-6 victory over Pittsburgh. Pitt is 0-3 for the first time since 1984.

MILESTONE

Cardinals defensive end Elvis Dumervil set an NCAA record with his ninth sack in consecutive games as No. 11 Louisville beat Oregon State 63-27. Dumervil eclipsed the mark set by Georgia Tech's Pat Swilling in 1995.

DRUBBING

No. 4 Virginia Tech got its second shutout in a row with a 45-0 victory over Ohio University. The Hokies, who blanked Duke 45-0 last Saturday, turned three turnovers into touchdowns and turned the Bobcats away twice deep in Tech territory.

SPEAKING

``I told you they don't give out any medals for trying. I'm never content with a comeback when you end up losing.'' — Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, whose home debut was spoiled by a 44-41 loss to Michigan State in overtime. The No. 10 Fighting Irish rallied from 21 points down in the third quarter to tie the score.

C-USA Standings, Schedule, Scoreboard

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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