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News Nuggets, 12.01.03
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

College football weekend: The good, the bad, the ugly

STARS:  — Wali Lundy, Virginia, ran for three touchdowns and caught another, lifting Virginia to a 35-21 victory over No. 21 Virginia Tech. ... — Bruce Perry, Maryland, rushed for 237 yards and three touchdowns as Maryland rallied to defeat Wake Forest 41-28.

NOSEDIVE: East Carolina's 38-21 loss to Southern Mississippi — which ended ECU's season at 1-11 — marked the second Saturday in a row the Pirates have set a new school record for futility in a season. Prior to last week's 28-18 loss to Tulane, the most defeats incurred by the Pirates in a season was nine, in 1948 and 1986.

GIANT LEAP: Texas Christian's 20-13 victory over winless Southern Methodist gave the Horned Frogs (11-1) their most wins since their national title season in 1938.

LEAPING IN REVERSE: No. 19 TCU beat winless SMU 20-13, the Mustangs fifth straight loss to the Horned Frogs.

STRONG IN DEFEAT: Quarterback Walter Washington rushed for 117 yards and four scores in Temple's 45-28 loss to West Virginia.

BEST DEFENSE: J.R. Reed scored on a 96-yard kickoff return and a 45-yard fumble recovery in the third quarter of South Florida's 21-16 win over Memphis. Reed's three interceptions tied a Conference USA record.

DUELING DEUCES: Maryland's Bruce Perry rushed for 237 yards while Wake Forest's Chris Barclay rushed for 243 yards, marking the first time in ACC history and only the fifth time in NCAA history that opposing backs had more than 200 rushing yards in the same game. Perry scored three touchdowns in the Terrapins' 41-28 win.

GROUND CREWS: Wofford failed to complete a pass in its 31-10 win over North Carolina A&T, gaining all of its 370 yards on the ground. The Terriers threw only two passes - both were incomplete. Quarterback Jeff Zolman led the team with 141 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

SNAPPED: Virginia snapped a four-year losing streak against No. 21 Virginia Tech with a 35-21 win. ... Wofford earned its first postseason victory in 33 years with a 31-10 win over North Carolina A&T.

STREAKING: No. 24 West Virginia won its seventh straight, 45-28 over Temple. ... Southern beat Grambling State 44-41, winning for the 10th time in the last 11 Bayou Classics.

SPEAKING: "I have a lot of respect for the Hokies, but I was getting tired of hearing about the Hokies and Virginia Tech. It's our time." -Virginia's Wali Lundy, who ran for three scores and caught a touchdown pass as the Cavaliers ended a four-year losing streak against the No. 21 Hokies with a 35-21 win.

TCU gets unwanted GMAC invitation

MOBILE — Texas Christian was invited to the GMAC bowl on Saturday despite indicating its preference to go to a different game that doesn't conflict with exams. The No. 19 Horned Frogs (11-1) got the invitation to the Dec. 18 game against No. 15 Miami of Ohio after their 20-13 victory Saturday over Southern Methodist.

TCU athletic director Eric Hyman said that C-USA athletic directors and the conference commissioner will discuss the situation in a conference call and hope to have a resolution in the next few days.

The Frogs lost their chance to play in one of the four big-money games that make up the Bowl Championship Series when they lost 40-28 at Southern Mississippi on Nov. 20. Southern Miss has clinched the Conference USA title and Liberty Bowl.

The GMAC Bowl, which has second pick of C-USA teams, has a payout of $750,000 per team. TCU would prefer to play in two other bowl games tied to the conference: Fort Worth (Dec. 23) or Hawaii (Dec. 25).

The Frogs have played twice in Mobile, both games coming a week after final exams were completed. Final exams at TCU this year are Dec. 15-19.

UCF player bouncing back from spinal cord injury

ORLANDO — Central Florida linebacker Antoine Poe was moved out of the intensive care unit of Orlando Regional Medical Center on Sunday, two days after injuring his spinal cord against Miami of Ohio. Poe remains in a regular hospital room and was able to stand Sunday for the first time since the injury, school officials said.

He had increased feeling and movement in his arms and legs, and is still undergoing diagnostic testing. Poe also is receiving daily physical therapy sessions.

Poe was hurt while defending a screen pass in the second quarter of UCF's season-ending 56-21 loss, and was removed from the field by ambulance after a 15-minute delay. He entered the game with 108 tackles, including 16 for losses and three sacks.

Conference USA standings, scores, schedule

Associated Press, USA Today/ESPN coaches polls

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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