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DALLAS (FWAA) – With their 12-7 win over Texas, the
Texas A&M Aggies (9-3) are the
Tostitos Fiesta 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. 25.
 Quarterback
Stephen McGee capped an 88-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown
run with 2:32 remaining as the Aggies stunned the Longhorns in
Austin to prevent Texas from winning the Big 12 South and
earning a berth in the conference title game.
Texas A&M ran for 244 yards against the nation's top-ranked
rush defense, held the ball for nearly 36 minutes and
intercepted Texas quarterback Colt McCoy three times. The win
gives the Aggies their first 9-win season since 1998.
"I will need some time to absorb this win," said Texas A&M
head coach Dennis Franchione after the game. "It feels good. We
felt that there were some things we could do against the Texas
defense, and we knew if we were going to win the game, we had to
have some rushing yards."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees
for the weekend of Nov. 25 included:
• LSU (10-2): Jamarcus Russell threw a pair of
touchdown passes as the Tigers topped SWC West champion
Arkansas, 31-26, in Little Rock.
• Rice (7-5): The Owls earned their first bowl
berth since 1961 with a 31-27 win over SMU. Jarrett Dillard
caught three touchdown passes, including the game-winner
with 4:05 left.
• South Florida (8-4): The Bulls held West
Virginia to 121 yards rushing and Matt Grothe threw a
touchdown pass and ran for another score in a 24-19 upset in
Morgantown.
• USC (10-1): Dwayne Jarrett caught three
touchdown passes from John David Booty as the Trojans beat
Notre Dame for a fifth straight time, 44-24.
• Wake Forest (10-2): The Demon Deacons became the
first team in ACC history to finish 6-0 on the road in
winning their school-record tenth game, a 38-24 victory over
Maryland that clinched the Atlantic Division title and sent
the Deacons to the ACC championship game.
The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002
season. This is the second season that the award has been sponsored
by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
The 16 pollsters of the Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll decide the
weekly honor. Each Monday during the 2006 college football season,
the FWAA has name the Tostitos Bowl National Team of the Week.
This is the final team of the week presentation of the season.
The Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll, released each
Tuesday, has resumed this season. 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. Texas is
the defending FWAA national champion and Ohio State is ranked No.
1 in the most current 2006 poll.
Since 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted five games
that have decided the college football national championship, including
two Bowl Championship Series title games. The 2007 game will be
played on Jan. 1. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, along with the new Tostitos
BCS Championship Game, moves to the new University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale,
Ariz., and will be played on Jan. 8.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team
of the Week, go to
www.footballwriters.com
or www.fiestabowl.org.
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