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Return of the Upset

© Chuck Bednar

On September 8, 1998, eight Associated Press Top 25 teams were upset. Two more were knocked off the following week. We might have had to wait a little longer for it to kick in this season, but the upset is alive and well in 1999.

Four teams in the Top 25 fell to major upsets on Saturday, and none was more stunning than No. 8 Wisconsin's 17-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats. While Ron Dayne ran for 231 yards to move into sixth place on the all-time rushing charts, it was Robert Cooper who stole the show. Cooper rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown. Deontey Kenner added a 5-yard scoring run, and a couple of late Badger fumbles -- including by Dayne in the end zone -- sealed Wisconsin's fate.

18th-ranked Alabama was another upset victim, losing a 29-28 heartbreaker to Lousiana Tech. Down by six points with just two seconds remaining, backup quarterback Brian Stallworth found Sean Cangelosi in the end zone from 28-yards out. Just two plays earlier, the Bulldogs star quarterback Tim Rattay left the game with an ankle injury. Shaun Alexander had 263 all-purpose yards and a trio of touchdowns in the loss. It was 'Bama's second straight loss to Louisiana Tech, who beat the Tide 26-20 two years ago on homecoming.

The evening of upsets hit especially hard in the state of Arizona, where both the Wildcats and Sun Devils were handily beaten. Stanford quarterback Todd Husak threw for 364 yards, and freshman Kerry Carter rushed for three touchdowns as the Cardinals routed the Wildcats 50-22. Meanwhile, in Tempe, undefeated New Mexico State ran for 363 yards and dominated both sides of the ball in a 35-7 win over Arizona State.

Several other teams dodged the proverbial bullet on Saturday as well. Fifth-ranked Michigan survived a tough 18-13 game with Syracuse. No. 6 Nebraska held off Southern Miss and escaped with a 20-13 victory. 19th-ranked USC won by a field goal over San Diego State. No. 22 Texas downed Rice by a slim 18-13 margin, and Pittsburgh, who nearly upset Penn State last weekend, was itself almost stunned by Kent State.

Florida 23, Tennessee 21 -- Just like last year, one of the most anticipated match-ups of the season turned out to be one of the year's sloppiest games. Except this time it was Florida who took home the win, as Doug Johnson was 21-for-44 for 343 yards and a pair of touchdowns and the fourth-ranked Gators overcame five turnovers in a 23-21 victory.

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