DALLAS (FWAA) – The USC Trojans
(8-3) continued their late-season surge with a 20-17 upset over
No. 5 Stanford. The win – in front of a sold-out Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum and a national television audience and sealed
with Andre Heidari's 47-yard field goal with 19 seconds left –
earned the Trojans the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the
Week honor for games of the weekend of Nov. 16.
The announcement came exclusively on SiriusXM Radio's "College
Sports Today," hosted by Mark Packer and Eddie George.
The revitalized Trojans have won five of six games under
interim coach Ed Orgeron, who replaced Lane Kiffin in late
September. Cody Kessler led USC to scores on its first three
drives and an early 17-7 lead, but the Trojans didn't score
again until the game-winning kick. That left the game in hands
of USC's defense, which came up with two fourth-quarter
interceptions and held Stanford to a season-low 17 points. Su'a
Cravens' interception on a tipped pass at the USC 44 with three
minutes left provided the field position for USC's winning
drive.
USC's win snapped a four-game losing streak to Stanford, the
longest skid for the Trojans in the 92-game series. Stanford had
also won the last three games at the Coliseum.
"In our tight-knit family, there was a belief that we were
going to find a way to win the game," Orgeron said after the
game. "I'm proud of our young men. This is something that
they've wanted for a long time now."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees
for the weekend of Nov. 16 included:
• Auburn (10-1): The Tigers used a
miracle pass in the final minute to top Georgia, 43-38, and
rescue their title chances in the SEC's West Division.
Ricardo Louis' scored on a 73-yard reception on a tipped
ball on fourth-and-18 with 25 seconds left. Auburn can win
the SEC West with a win over No. 1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl
in two weeks.
• Duke (8-2): The Blue Devils took sole
possession of first place in the ACC's Coastal Division with
a decisive 48-30 win over Miami. Brandon Connette had
touchdown runs of 1, 2, 3 and 4 yards and threw a 22-yard
score to lead Duke to its sixth straight win and another
step toward its first appearance in the ACC Championship
Game.
• Kansas (3-7): The Jayhawks snapped a
27-game Big 12 losing streak with a 31-19 home win over West
Virginia. James Sims broke free on touchdown runs of 62 and
68 yards as Kansas ended the streak that lasted more than
three seasons, winning for the first time since Nov. 6, 2010
over former Big 12 member Colorado.
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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