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DALLAS (FWAA) – With their 17-13 win over Tennessee, the Notre
Dame Fighting Irish are the FedEx Orange Bowl National Team of the
Week, as selected by the pollsters of the FWAA's Grantland Rice Super
16 Poll for games of the weekend of Nov. 6.
Mike Goolsby returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown to give
the Irish a 14-10 lead midway through the third quarter.
Despite just 216 yards of total offense, the Irish came up with the upset
on the road. Notre Dame held Tennessee to just 58 yards on the ground and
knocked Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge out of the game on the final play
of the first half. Goolsby then victimized backup quarterback Rick Clausen
with his momentum-changing play.
Other FedEx Orange Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend
of Nov. 6 included:
• Clemson (5-4): Reggie Merriweather ran for three touchdowns,
including the game-winner in overtime, as the Tigers handed Miami its
second straight loss, 24-17.
• Cincinnati (5-4): Gino Guidugli threw five touchdown passes
as the Bearcats ended Southern Miss' 13-game Conference USA winning streak
with a 52-24 win in Hattiesburg.
• Texas (8-1): After trailing, 35-7, Texas scored 49 unanswered
points to roll past Oklahoma State, 56-35. Cedric Benson ran for five
touchdowns for the Longhorns.
• Utah (9-0): The Utes moved to 9-0 for the first time in school
history as Alex Smith threw four touchdown passes in a 63-31 win over
Colorado State.
• Wisconsin (9-0): John Stocco threw for a career-high 297 yards
and a touchdown and ran for two more scores as the Badgers routed Minnesota,
38-14, to win the Paul Bunyon Axe.
The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season.
This is the first season that the award has been sponsored by the FedEx
Orange Bowl.
The 16 pollsters of the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll decide the weekly
honor. Each Monday during the 2004 college football season, the FWAA will
name the FedEx Orange Bowl National Team of the Week through Nov. 29. This
season, FedEx Orange Bowl will match the two top-ranked teams in the final
BCS standings. It will be played at Miami's Pro Player Stadium on Jan. 4,
2005.
The Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll has resumed this season and will be
released each Monday. The top-ranked team in the final poll will be awarded
the Grantland Rice Trophy as the FWAA's national champion. The FWAA has
awarded the trophy each season since 1954.
For more information on the FedEx Orange Bowl National Team of the Week,
go to www.footballwriters.com
or www.orangebowl.org.
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