Down but never out: Best find ways to win
Here's what it said on the scoreboard at certain points during four crucial college football games Saturday:
Oklahoma State 28, Texas 12
North Carolina 16, Miami 7
Stanford 24, UCLA 3
Maryland 24, Florida State 14
Here's how those games finished:
Texas 47, Oklahoma State 28
Miami 34, North Carolina 16
UCLA 30, Stanford 27
Florida State 35, Maryland 27
That's a combined comeback score of 110-6. And that's why Texas, Miami, UCLA, and Florida State are very much in the hunt, not only for a Bowl Championship Series berth, but for a spot in the championship game.
As we move into November, the great teams shrug off whatever might be bothering them and simply go out and play, better than the teams they are facing.
Nowhere was that more evident than in Stillwater, Okla., where No. 2-ranked Texas (No. 1 in the BCS standings) was having its troubles against Oklahoma State in the first half. A year ago, the Longhorns trailed the Cowboys, 35-7, and came back to win, 56-35. Saturday's response was similar, largely because of quarterback Vince Young.
Young had 239 yards passing, 267 yards rushing, and four touchdowns against Oklahoma State. ''That's a highlight reel for a Heisman winner right there," said a relieved (and grateful) Texas coach Mack Brown.
Even Young's teammates, who have seen some amazing performances from their quarterback, were impressed. ''He's so confident," said tight end Neale Tweedie.
''And he knows he's going to make something happen. It's just a matter of time."
Young was matter-of-fact about the result. ''As a team, we decided we had to shut these guys up, and that's what we did," he said.
Oklahoma State should petition the NCAA to shorten its games against Texas to 30 minutes. In the last three years, the Cowboys have led the Longhorns at halftime each game and have lost each time.
As impressive as the Longhorns' comeback was, UCLA was down by 21 points with only 8:25 left at Stanford, Calif.
Now that's pushing it. But should anyone have been surprised by the comeback of the unbeaten Bruins, who have rebounded from double-digit deficits to Washington State, Washington, California, and now Stanford?
''It doesn't seem real," said UCLA running back Maurice Drew, who scored on a 1-yard run with 46 seconds left to send the game into overtime. ''I still can't believe what we did." The Bruins won it when Brandon Breazell caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Drew Olson in OT.
Opponents of Texas, Miami, UCLA, and Florida State should take notice. You might be able to beat them, but it will be anything but easy.
Complete turnaround
Miami's defense was probably a little miffed when it found itself trailing North Carolina at the end of the first half. The Canes allowed the Tar Heels a total of 18 yards in total offense in the second half, and 14 of those came in the final minute when the outcome long had been decided . . . Florida State's win over Maryland puts the Seminoles one victory from clinching a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game in Jacksonville Dec. 3. That win should come on Saturday in Tallahassee when the Seminoles host North Carolina State . . . Think Southern California was upset about its drop from No. 1 in the BCS standings last week, despite maintaining a winning streak that had reached 29 games? The Trojans clobbered Washington State, 55-13, Saturday and piled up 745 yards in total offense . . . Although Ohio State pulled away for a 45-31 win over Minnesota, the teams allowed a combined total of 1,027 yards . . . Memo: Don't schedule Texas Tech as a homecoming game opponent. With their 28-0 win over Baylor Saturday, the Red Raiders are 5-0 in the last five games in which they've been a team's homecoming foe.
Rutgers out of rut
Congratulations to Rutgers, which beat Navy, 31-21, to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 1992. ''This is what college football is all about," said Rutgers running back Brian Leonard. ''This is why I came to Rutgers -- why we all did." The Scarlet Knights are 6-2, their best start since 1979 . . . Even when Notre Dame doesn't play, the Irish make news, as was proven again Saturday when they announced they had given coach Charlie Weis a contract extension through the year 2015. Not that Weis doesn't deserve all the accolades he is getting, but it is interesting that Notre Dame fired Tyrone Willingham after three years of a five-year contract but decided to give Weis a 10-year contract after seven games. That's the power of the rumor mill, which had Weis sniffing around about a return to the NFL, something he said he had no interest in doing when he was hired last December.
Material from wire services was used in this report. 
