DALLAS (FWAA) – The Duke Blue Devils
(6-2) pulled off their first upset over a ranked team on the road
since 1971, ending No. 16 Virginia Tech's six-game win streak,
13-10, and ending a 12-game losing streak to the Hokies dating
back to 1981. By winning in Blacksburg for the first time in the
21-game series, Duke earned the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
National Team of the Week honor for games of the
weekend of Oct. 26.
The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College
Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Eddie George.
Duke intercepted four passes, the last on a deflection with
four minutes left, to win the defensive struggle. The win was
Duke's first over a ranked opponent since 1994. Duke, which has
never played in a bowl game in back-to-back seasons, is now
bowl-eligible for a second straight year
"Being a part of a change in the program is the most amazing
feeling you can have," said Duke linebacker David Helton, who
had 19 tackles and a pass breakup in the game. "It feels out of
this world."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees
for the weekend of Oct. 26 included:
• Minnesota (6-2): Quarterback Philip
Nelson accounted for three touchdowns and David Cobb added
138 rushing yards as Minnesota snapped a 16-game losing
streak to Nebraska with a 34-23 win. After trailing 10-0,
the Golden Gophers rallied to take a 14-10 lead in the
second quarter, marking Minnesota's first lead against
Nebraska since 1969, a span of 11 meetings.
• South Carolina (6-2): Quarterback
Connor Shaw, nursing a shoulder injury, came off the bench
with the Gamecocks trailing No. 5 Missouri 17-0 in the third
quarter and led a remarkable comeback that finished in a
27-24 overtime win. Shaw finished 20-of-29 for 201 yards and
three touchdowns. Missouri was the highest-ranked team the
Gamecocks have defeated on the road since 1981.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national
team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the ninth 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 2013 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. 1, 2014, at University of Phoenix
Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl will
be played on Dec. 28, 2013, 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.
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.
2013 FWAA ALL-AMERICA
COMMITTEE |
Mark Anderson |
Las Vegas Review-Journal |
Mountain West |
Greg Barnes |
Inside Carolina |
ACC |
Kirk Bohls |
Austin American-Statesman |
Big 12 |
Joseph Duarte |
Houston Chronicle |
Conference USA |
Lee Feinswog |
Sports225.com |
SEC |
Tommy Hicks |
Mobile Press Register |
Sun Belt |
Joey Johnston |
Tampa Tribune |
American |
David Jones |
Harrisburg Patriot-News |
Big Ten |
Lindsay Schnell |
The Oregonian |
Pac-12 |
George Schroeder |
USA Today |
National |
Phil Steele |
Phil Steele Publications |
National |
John Wagner |
Toledo Blade |
Mid-American |
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