Football Writers Association of America Sept. 10, 2012
For Immediate Release
Contact: Ted Gangi
214-909-9314
Warhawks pull upset of No. 8 Arkansas
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ULM IS TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL
NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK

DALLAS (FWAA) – The ULM Warhawks (1-0) rallied from a 28-7 deficit in the third quarter to stun No. 8 Arkansas in overtime, 34-31, and earn Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week honors for games of the weekend of Sept. 8. The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Eddie George.

It was the Warhawks' first win over a ranked FBS team in school history and their first against Arkansas in their 10-game series. The upset dropped the Razorbacks from the Associated Press poll.

ULM scored first, but had to spend the rest of the evening in comeback mode. On fourth-and-10 with 55 seconds remaining, Kolton Browning found Brent Leonard for a 23-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 28. The Warhawks held Arkansas to a field goal on its first overtime possession before Browning sprinted 16 yads and dove into the end zone to win it. Browning finished 42-of-67 for 412 yards and three touchdowns on the night.

"There were certainly people that doubted us," ULM coach Todd Berry said. "I had a lot of faith. That doesn't guarantee anything. But this team has great character."

Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 8 included:

Arizona (2-0): Matt Scott and Ka'Deem Carey accounted for seven combined touchdowns and the Arizona (2-0) defense forced four critical turnovers to lift the Wildcats to a 59-38 upset of No. 18 Oklahoma State. Scott was 28-for-41 through the air with 320 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 55 yards and a score. Carey finished with 154 total yards and a career-high four touchdowns.
Oregon State (1-0): In what many termed the biggest non-conference home game in Oregon State football history, the Beavers' defense led the way by containing No. 13 Wisconsin to take a 10-7 victory at Reser Stadium. The Beavers led 10-0 before Wisconsin scored with 1:31 left, but OSU recovered the onside kick to preserve the win.
UCLA (2-0): Johnathan Franklin rushed for 217 yards and caught an 8-yard touchdown pass with 2:13 to play for the Bruins, who beat No. 17 Nebraska, 36-30. UCLA improved to 2-0 under new coach Jim Mora as its defense shut down the Huskers in the fourth quarter. Brett Hundley passed for 305 yards and four touchdowns in his Rose Bowl debut.

The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the eighth 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 2012 college football regular season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week. The winner will be announced through Nov. 26 at 9:30 a.m. ET on the SiriusXM College Sports Nation channel.

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. 3, 2013, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl will be played on Dec. 29, 2012, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.

The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com or 972-713-6198.

For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.

2012 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Teams of the Week
Weekend of Sept. 1: Ohio Bobcats
Weekend of Sept. 8: ULM Warhawks
Weekend of Sept. 15: Stanford Cardinal
Weekend of Sept. 22: Kansas State Wildcats
Weekend of Sept. 29: Washington Huskies
Weekend of Oct. 6: N.C. State Wolfpack
Weekend of Oct. 13: Texas Tech Red Raiders
Weekend of Oct. 20: Duke Blue Devils
Weekend of Oct. 27: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Weekend of Nov. 3: Alabama Crimson Tide, Oregon Ducks
Weekend of Nov. 10: Texas A&M Aggies
Weekend of Nov. 17: Baylor Bears
Weekend of Nov. 24: Penn State Nittany Lions

2012 FWAA ALL-AMERICA COMMITTEE
Mark Anderson Las Vegas Review-Journal Mountain West
Lee Barfknecht Omaha World-Herald Big Ten
Kirk Bohls Austin American-Statesman WAC
Jimmy Burch Fort Worth Star-Telegram Big 12
Jon Gold CBS Sports Pac-12
Vahe Gregorian St. Louis Post-Dispatch SEC
Tommy Hicks Mobile Press-Register Sun Belt
Ron Higgins Memphis Commercial Appeal Conference USA
John Silver Manchester Journal Inquirer Big East
Phil Steele Phil Steele Publications National
Greg Wallace Anderson Independent-Mail SEC
John Wagner Toledo Blade Mid-American