DALLAS (FWAA) – The Alabama Crimson Tide's thrilling come-from-behind
win at LSU electrified college football fans everywhere late Saturday
night. So too did the Oregon Ducks' record-shattering showing at
USC.
The two prime time efforts by a pair of the nation's undefeated
teams earned a share of Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team
of the Week honors for games of the weekend of Nov. 3.
The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College
Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Eddie George. This
marks the first time in the 11 seasons of the team of the week award
that the honor has been split.
It was already late in the evening when Oregon outlasted USC,
62-51, behind a school-record 321 rushing yards and five touchdowns
by Kenjon Barner. The Ducks put on an offensive showcase, and their
730 yards and 62 points were the most ever allowed by USC in its
storied 124-year football history.
Barner broke the USC opponents' rushing record by the end of
the third quarter in what was Oregon's closest game of the season.
It took that type of effort to trump Marcus Mariota, who added a
20-of-23 night for 304 yards and four touchdowns through the air.
"That's the kind of game you want to play in," Mariota
said. "When I was growing up, I wanted to play in the Coliseum
and go through these types of games."
Fans had barely caught their breath from Oregon's romp when Alabama
began its triumphant march in Baton Rouge. Trailing 17-14 with 1:34
left, AJ McCarron began the Crimson Tide's 72-yard touchdown drive
by hitting on passes on three successive plays to put Alabama at
the LSU 28. Following an incompletion, the junior found T.J. Yeldon
alone in the left flat and the freshman did the rest getting into
the end zone to give the Tide a 21-17 win.
"We've never really had to use two-minute [offense], but
we actually scored two touchdowns in two-minute offense –
one before the half and one at the end of the game," Alabama
coach Nick Saban said. "Both teams really played hard and competed.
I kind of told our guys at the end of the game that I've never been
prouder of a bunch of guys for the way they competed in the game."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees
for the weekend of Nov. 3 included:
• San Diego State (7-2): The Aztecs ran the
opening kickoff back for a touchdown, and converted a blocked
punt in the third quarter into another score on the way to an
upset 21-19 win at No. 19 Boise State. Adam Muema ran for 127
yards on 25 carries and set up with winning touchdown with a
43-yard run. The win was the Aztecs' fifth straight, marking
its longest single-season win streak since 1995.
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 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 |
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