TCU hands Boise State first defeat
- |
Texas Christian's Joseph Turner dove into the end zone for the winning touchdown, and LaDainian Tomlinson went nuts on the sideline.
It was a good night to be a Horned Frog, current and past.
Turner's 17-yard run midway through the fourth quarter gave the No. 11 Horned Frogs their first lead, which they preserved for a 17-16 victory over No. 9 and previously undefeated Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl last night in San Diego.
Boise State was trying to finish 13-0 for the second time in three seasons. The Broncos took a 10-0 lead on Ian Johnson's 20-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter, but their high-scoring offense bogged down against TCU's fast, aggressive defense.
TCU (11-2) piled up yards if not points until finally wearing down the Broncos' defense in the fourth quarter. The Horned Frogs moved 80 yards in 10 plays on the winning drive, with Turner finishing it off by shedding a tackle inside the 5 and diving into the end zone for a 17-13 lead.
Tomlinson, the former TCU standout now in his eighth season with the San Diego Chargers, jumped in celebration and pumped his fist near the TCU bench.
"Two top defenses, two top offenses in the nation, we just wanted it more," said TCU running back Aaron Brown, who had 102 yards on 14 carries.
After Turner's TD, Boise State got to the TCU 14 before having to settle for Kyle Brotzman's 33-yard field goal to pull to 17-16.
The Broncos got the ball back with 6 seconds left on their 33 and tried to lateral the ball after a catch, but Jeremy Childs's desperation flip was grabbed by TCU's Matt Panfil.
TCU outgained Boise State, 472 yards to 250. Boise State had only 28 yards rushing.
Portland State (9-3), which relied on a short, quick lineup, outrebounded the Zags, 39-30. The Vikings kept the lead by hitting 12 3-pointers.
Gonzaga (8-3) was coming off an 88-83 overtime loss to No. 2 Connecticut in Seattle Saturday, and it looked sloppy against the Vikings, committing 11 turnovers, missing layups, and shooting only 42 percent. It was the Zags' third home loss in 58 games since the McCarthey Athletic Center opened in 2004.
Butler 74, Xavier 65 - Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward each scored 19 points, and the Bulldogs held off the No. 14 Musketeers in Cincinnati for their first win over a ranked team in more than a year.
Butler (10-1) hadn't beaten a ranked team since its 62-59 victory over No. 18 Maryland in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
Xavier (9-2) made four threes, the last by Brad Redford, during a 14-7 spurt that put it ahead, 26-24, late in the first half. The Musketeers wouldn't lead again. Howard had two 3-point plays during a 12-4 run that put Butler ahead, 44-36, with 14:25 left.
Texas 74, Wisconsin 69 - Gary Johnson banked in a jump shot with 23.5 seconds left to help the No. 9 Longhorns (10-2) edge the host Badgers (9-3).
Georgetown 76, Florida International 38 - Austin Freeman scored 17 points, Chris Wright had 14, and DaJuan Summers added 13 to lead the No. 12 Hoyas (9-1) past the visiting Golden Panthers (4-9).
UCLA 113, Wyoming 62 - Michael Roll scored 18 of his career-high 25 points in the first half, and the No. 13 Bruins (9-2) overwhelmed the visiting Cowboys (9-2).
Arizona State 90, Idaho State 55 - Rihards Kuksiks made five of the No. 20 Sun Devils' school-record 17 3-pointers to lead a rout of the visiting Bengals (2-9).
Minnesota 80, SE Louisiana 71 - Reserves Blake Hoffarber and Lawrence Westbrook both scored 15 points to lift the No. 23 Gophers (11-0) over the visiting Lions (6-5) in their first game as a ranked team in six years.
Illinois 75, Missouri 59 - Demetri McCamey scored all but 2 of his 20 points in an almost perfect first half, helping the
Fordham 60, UNH 56 - Freshman guard Jio Fontan had 18 points, including the go-ahead layup and two free throws in the final minute, to lead the host Rams (2-7) over the Wildcats (3-6). Tyrone Conley had 12 points for the Wildcats.
