Oklahoma State nips Stanford 41-38 in OT

Published 2:53 am Tuesday, January 3, 2012

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Brandon Weeden threw for 399 yards and three touchdowns to Justin Blackmon in his final collegiate game, and Quinn Sharp hit a 22-yard field goal in overtime to give No. 3 Oklahoma State a 41-38 win over Andrew Luck and No. 4 Stanford in a wildly entertaining Fiesta Bowl on Monday night.

The most anticipated postseason game outside of the BCS championship, the Fiesta Bowl was an impressive offensive show, two of the nation’s best teams trading big plays and scores.

Oklahoma State (12-1) had the last one on Sharp’s game-winner to win in its first BCS bowl game, earning a chance to stake claim at being No. 1 in The Associated Press poll should Alabama beat LSU in the BCS title game.

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Stanford (11-2) had a chance to win in regulation, but redshirt freshman Jordan Williamson hooked a 35-yard field goal wide left as time expired. He also missed from 43 yards in overtime.

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ROSE BOWL

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Oregon’s incredible offense busted up Wisconsin and the record books on the way to the Ducks’ first Rose Bowl victory in 95 years.

Darron Thomas passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns, freshman De’Anthony Thomas scored on runs of 91 and 64 yards, and the No. 6 Ducks earned their first bowl victory under coach Chip Kelly, holding off Wisconsin 45-38 Monday night in the highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever played.

And it wasn’t over until the Badgers (11-3) ran out of time at the Oregon 25, out of timeouts and unable to spike the ball in time to stop the clock for a last-gasp fling.

Lavasier Tuinei caught eight passes for 158 yards and two TDs for the Ducks (12-2), who had no postseason success to show for Kelly’s otherwise wildly successful three-year tenure until this landmark offensive performance in the 98th Rose Bowl.

The Granddaddy of Them All had never seen this many points, beating the record 80 scored by Washington and Iowa in 1991.

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OUTBACK BOWL

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Kirk Cousins threw for 300 yards and one touchdown and Dan Conroy kicked a 28-yard field goal in the third overtime to give No. 12 Michigan State a 33-30 win over No. 18 Georgia.

It was the Spartans first bowl victory since 2001.

Georgia’s Blair Walsh became the Southeastern Conference’s career scoring leader with a field goal in the second extra period. But he missed a 42-yarder in the first overtime after conservative play-calling and had a 47-yard attempt blocked on the final play of the game.

Michigan State (11-3) ended a five-game bowl losing streak with its first postseason win since beating Fresno State in the 2001 Silicon Valley Bowl. Georgia (10-4) finished on a two-game losing streak, including a lopsided loss to top-ranked LSU in the SEC championship game.

Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin scored a safety, returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown and caught a 13-yard TD pass that helped the Bulldogs take a late lead.

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TICKETCITY BOWL

DALLAS (AP) — Penn State’s tumultuous year ended with a loss, a dispiriting finish to a season in which coach Joe Paterno was fired as part of a child sex-abuse scandal that shook college sports.

The Nittany Lions were picked apart by Houston’s star Case Keenum, who threw for 532 yards and three touchdowns as the No. 20 Cougars beat No. 24 Penn State 30-14.

Penn State was allowing 162 yards passing per game, but Keenum threw for more than double that by halftime.

He burned the Nittany Lions’ veteran secondary with touchdown passes of 40 and 75 yards to build a 24-7 lead by halftime.

It was the school’s first bowl game without Paterno as head coach since the 1962 Gator Bowl, a 17-7 loss to Florida.

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CAPITAL ONE BOWL

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Connor Shaw threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, and No. 10 South Carolina had six sacks as the Gamecocks shut out No. 21 Nebraska over the final three quarters in a 30-13 win.

The victory gave South Carolina 11 wins for the first time in school history and snapped a string of three straight bowl losses.

Nebraska lost its second consecutive bowl game and drops to 12-6 all-time in bowl matchups against SEC foes.

Both teams lost standout players in the third quarter when Gamecocks’ leading receiver Alshon Jeffrey and Cornhuskers’ cornerback Alfonso Dennard were ejected for a post-play skirmish in which both players threw punches.

Jeffrey had four catches for 148 yards and a touchdown.