AUBURN, Ala. (AP) Damon Duval kicked a 44-yard field goal with 10 seconds left and Auburn intercepted four of Rex Grossman”s passes to shock No. 1 Florida 23-20 Saturday night.
- Paul Wong
- Ohio State”s Jonathan Wells ran for 179 yards Saturday against the Northwestern defense.<br><br>AP PHOTO
The Tigers (4-0 SEC, 5-1 overall) entered the game as a 21-point underdog against a Florida team that looked invincible in winning its first five games by an average of 40 points
Auburn fans stormed the field and wrestled down one of the goal posts, while Florida players headed to the lockerroom with their national championship hopes in serious doubt.
It was Duval”s third straight game-winning field goal, following a 48-yarder with 18 seconds left to beat Mississippi State and a 49-yarder in the final minutes against Vanderbilt.
With the stumble, Florida (5-1, 3-1) opened the door for No. 2 Miami to recapture the top spot in the rankings after dominating Florida State 49-27.
Backup quarterback Daniel Cobb played most of the game for Auburn, rebounding from a 4-of-15 start to throw for 152 yards.
Cobb finished 11-of-23 and didn”t throw an interception after entering the game 5-of-8 on the season.
Grossman, who had only been intercepted three times all season, looked out of synch most of the night against the nation”s fourth-rated pass defense.
The Gators had rolled up 500-plus yards in each of their previous five games, but managed only one big play.
Despite holding Auburn to 1 yard on its first 12 plays, Florida found itself in unfamiliar territory at halftime: trailing 10-6.
It was the first time the Gators hadn”t scored a touchdown in a first half since a 37-17 loss to Georgia in 1997.
Miami (Fla.) 49, Florida State 27: The streaks are over for Florida State, and so is another run at the national championship.
Ken Dorsey threw three touchdown passes and No. 2 Miami pulled away with a 28-point third quarter in a dominating 49-27 victory over the Seminoles on Saturday.
The loss ended No. 14 Florida State”s 54-game home unbeaten streak as well as its 37-game winning streak at Doak Campbell Stadium dating to 1991, when the Hurricanes beat them 17-16.
Florida State (3-2), which played in the national title game the past three seasons, also makes its earliest exit from the title chase since 1990. Now in jeopardy is Florida State”s record run of 14 consecutive 10-win seasons and Top 5 finishes in the final AP media poll. The Seminoles still have games against four Top 25 teams, including Florida.
By extending their winning streak to 15, the Hurricanes (5-0) made their claim to regain the top spot they lost last week to the Gators. But the players will be more satisfied they were the team that knocked the Seminoles out of title picture. Last season, Florida State made it to the title game even though Miami beat the “Noles and both teams finished with one loss.
Holding a 21-13 lead entering the second half, Miami struck early and late in the third period, with two TDs in 65 seconds early and two more TDs within 54 seconds late before a crowd of 83,836 the second largest crowd at Doak Campbell.
Wisconsin 20, Ohio State 17: Recreating the same comeback from two years ago, Wisconsin spotted No. 21 Ohio State a 17-0 lead and then roared back for a 20-17 upset victory Saturday.
Mark Neuser”s 33-yard field goal with 2:13 remaining capped the revival that came a week after the Badgers” humiliating 63-32 loss at home to winless Indiana.
Ohio State (3-2, 2-1 Big Ten), which routed then-No. 13 Northwestern 38-20 last Saturday behind a bruising running game, rushed for minus-4 yards in the second half.
The last time Wisconsin (2-1 Big Ten, 4-3 overall) made the trip to Ohio Stadium, Ohio State built a 17-0 lead only to watch the Badgers reel off the next 42 in a 42-17 victory.
This time, Ohio State again dominated the first half but Wisconsin bounced back behind the running of Anthony Davis and the running and passing of quarterback Brooks Bollinger. It was Bollinger who also engineered the upset of the 12th-ranked Buckeyes by the unranked Badgers in 1999.
Davis, who missed the Indiana loss with turf toe, gained 103 yards on 26 carries. Bollinger completed 12 of 22 passes for 202 yards with one interception.
A pair of Davis runs on the Badgers” final drive gave the Badgers a first down at the 20, from where they ran on the next three plays. Neuser then converted the 33-yard kick.
Ohio State”s last chance started at its 38. Bellisari, who struggled with his passing all day, ran for a 1-yard gain and overthrew three passes before the Badgers ran out the clock.