DALLAS (FWAA) – Coming back with a game-tying 76-yard
touchdown drive in the final three minutes of regulation, then outlasting
USC, 56-48 in overtime, earned the Stanford Cardinal (8-0)
the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games
of the weekend of Oct. 29.
Andrew Luck drove Stanford 76 yards in ten plays, setting up
Stepfan Taylor's two-yard scoring run with 38 seconds left in regulation
to tie the game at 34. Taylor scored again on a five-yard run on
Stanford's third overtime possession. The Cardinal recovered a USC
fumble in the own end zone to clinch the game on the ensuing USC
possession. On the night, Luck completed 29 of 40 passes for 330
yards and three touchdowns.
It
was the second consecutive year that Stanford beat USC in the final
minute. The win keeps Stanford tied with Oregon for the Pac-12 North
lead. The two teams play Nov. 12 at Stanford.
"We always talk about adversity being an opportunity for greatness,"
Stanford defensive end Ben Gardner said after the game. "This was
our first chance to show our mettle. We got behind, but we never
lost faith."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees
for the weekend of Oct. 29 included:
• Georgia Tech (7-2): Tevin Washington rushed for
176 yards and broke the two longest runs of his career, leading
Georgia Tech to a 31-17 upset over ACC rival Clemson. The Yellow
Jackets broke a two-game losing streak, racing to a 24-3 halftime
lead.
• Ohio State (5-3): Freshman quarterback Braxton Miller
found Devin Smith wide open for a game-winning 40-yard touchdown
pass with 20 seconds left to give Ohio State a 33-29 win over
Wisconsin. Miller finished with 188 all-purpose yards and two
touchdowns.
• Oklahoma (7-1): The Sooners fell behind 17-14 in
the second quarter, then ran off six touchdowns while holding
Kansas State scoreless the rest of the way in a blowout 58-17
win. Landry Jones threw for a school-record 505 yards and five
touchdowns, and Ryan Broyles caught 14 passes for 171 yards
and a touchdown.
The Football Writers Association of America has named
a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the seventh
season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta
Bowl.
Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor.
Each remaining Monday during the 2011 college football regular season,
the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the
Week.
Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted seven games
that have decided the college football national championship, including
four Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos
Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 2, 2012, at University of Phoenix
Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Insight Bowl will be played
on Dec. 30, 2011, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team
of the Week, go to
footballwriters.com
or fiestabowl.org.
2011 FWAA ALL-AMERICA
COMMITTEE |
Kirk Bohls |
Austin American-Statesman |
Big 12 |
Tommy Hicks |
Mobile Press-Register |
Sun Belt |
Mike Huguenin |
rivals.com |
ACC |
Tony Jones |
Salt Lake Tribune |
WAC |
Tom Kensler |
Denver Post |
Pac-12 |
Iliana Limon |
Orlando Sentinel |
C-USA |
Kelly Lyell |
Fort Collins Coloradoan |
Mountain West |
Brett McMurphy |
cbssports.com |
Big East |
Randy Peterson |
Des Moines Register |
Big Ten |
Zach Silva |
Toledo Blade |
MAC |
Andy Staples |
si.com |
SEC |
Phil Steele |
Phil Steele Publications |
National |
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