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Wolverines Down Irish in Thriller

© Chuck Bednar

The NCAA-record crowd of 111,523 in attendance at Ann Arbor on Saturday saw one heck of a finish between the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines and the 16th ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. With just over four minutes remaining in the game, Irish quarterback Jarious Jackson hit tight end Jabari Holloway in the end zone from 20-yards out. The ensuing two-point conversion gave Notre Dame a 22-19 lead.

But the team was penalized 15 yards for excessive celebration afterwards, and Wolverine quarterback Tom Brady led the team down to the Notre Dame five yard line. With less than two minutes left in the game, tailback Anthony Thomas scored from a yard out to give Michigan a 26-22 lead.

The Irish didn't quit, however. Jarious Jackson hit Raki Nelson on two straight completions and marched his team down to the Wolverine 21. But a couple of plays later, Jackson was sacked for a 10-yard loss by Dhani Jones. With one last chance, Jackson turned again to Nelson. The duo hooked up for a 19-yard gain down to the 12, but with no time outs left, time ran out on the Irish. Michigan escaped with the four-point win.

Thomas gained 138 yards, including a 2-yard scoring run, on 32 carries to lead Michigan. Brady connected on 17-of-24 passes for 197 yards, and kicker Jeff Del Verne connected on four field goals. The Irish option looked shaky at best under Jackson, who ran 15-times for minus-1 yard.

Tennessee 42, Wyoming 17 -- If the Cowboys were a test for the Volunteers, as ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit predicted they would be, then the defending national champions passed with flying colors. The Tennessee offense was running on all cyllanders, as Jamal Lewis scored three times and Tee Martin threw two touchdown passes to Cedrick Wilson, and the defense collected a school-record 13 sacks, four turnovers and one touchdown on defense.

If anybody forgot about the defending champs, this was an exceptional wake-up call.

Lewis, returning from a knee injury that ended his season after four games last season, carried the ball 25 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Martin was 14-of-21 for 264 yards, and Wilson snagged seven receptions for 183 yards. Tennessee gained 522 yards of total offense and scored four touchdowns in a 7 1/2-minute span of the second quarter. Wyoming was held to eight net yards rushing.

Colorado State 41, Colordao 14 -- Looks like Gary Barnett's Buffalos were just a little overrated, now doesn't it. Kevin McDougal ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and the Rams' defense forced seven turnovers and set up four scores as Colorado State shocked their 14th ranked in-state rivals and spoiled Barnett's debut.