Associated Press
Fridayís college roundup …
TULSA, Okla. ó Facing a fourth down in a tight game, Patrick Edwards saw an opportunity to put No. 8 Houston in control.
During a timeout, Edwards asked to be sent on a deep route to convert not only the fourth-and-1 but to go for more.
ěI told them, ëIf you run it, Iíll win,íî Edwards said. ěSo, we called it and I scored.î
Edwardsí 38-yard touchdown catch sparked a string of 28 straight points, and Houston pulled away to beat Tulsa 48-16 on Friday and earn a spot in next weekís Conference USA championship game.
Case Keenum threw for 457 yards and five touchdowns and Edwards finished with 181 yards receiving and four scores as the Cougars (12-0, 8-0) set a school season record by winning their 12th game. The 12 straight wins also match the schoolís longest winning streak, set over the 1990 and ë91 seasons.
ě12-0 is pretty good. Thatís a pretty good position to be in,î Keenum said. ěI couldnít ask for anything else.î
Houston will go for more next Saturday, when they host either Southern Mississippi or Marshall in the C-USA title game. With a win, the Cougars will earn their first BCS bid and become from first team from the conference to play in the Bowl Championship Series.
ěFifteen weeks ago, we set out for one goal and that goal has not changed all year,î coach Kevin Sumlin said. ěOur guys understand that and theyíve put themselves in a position to achieve that goal. Along the way, thereís been a bunch of records broken and a bunch of milestones crossed, but the ultimate goal for us from day one was to win the conference championship.î
Louisville 34, S. Fla. 24
TAMPA, Fla. ó It looked like Louisville was in trouble when it fell behind by two touchdowns against South Florida on Friday. Coach Charlie Strong didn’t get frustrated. Instead, he emphasized a simple message.
“We were beating ourselves, but I told them, ‘Just keep playing and good things will happen,’ ” Strong said.
They did.
The Cardinals rallied from their first-half deficit to win at South Florida for the first time ever, getting three touchdown passes from freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to defeat the Bulls 34-24 and clinch a share of the Big East championship.
Louisville (7-5, 5-2) got two touchdown receptions from freshman wide receiver DeVante Parker, including a 17-yarder in the back of the end zone with 13 seconds to play in the first half, and a 10-yarder that put the Cardinals ahead to stay with 9:38 remaining.
Colorado 17, Utah 14
SALT LAKE CITY ó Coleman Petersen missed a 48-yard field goal try with two seconds remaining as Colorado escaped with a 17-14 victory over Utah, ending the Utes’ hopes for a Pac-12 South title and halting the Buffaloes’ school-record 23-game road losing streak.
Petersen missed all three attempts after entering the contest leading the Pac-12 in field goals made with 17. With the loss by Utah (7-5, 4-5), UCLA will represent the South in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game.
Tyler Hansen passed for 264 yards and a touchdown to lead Colorado (3-10, 2-8), which won outside its home state for the first time since Oct. 27, 2007, when the Buffs beat Texas Tech 31-26.
Toledo 45, Ball State 28.
MUNCIE, Ind. ó Terrance Owens threw four touchdown passes, Adonis Thomas ran for 141 yards and a score, and Toledo rolled past Ball State 45-28 in both teams’ regular-season finale.
Despite the win, Toledo missed out on a MAC Championship Game berth when Northern Illinois beat Eastern Michigan. The Rockets will likely play in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Dec. 27 in Detroit.