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Field goals power Gophers, Hokies

© Chuck Bednar

Two classic games. A pair of the top three teams in the country, each playing an unranked conference opponent. Two last second field goals. One dashed the championship hopes of a perrenial powerhouse, while the other kept an upstart's dream of a perfect season alive.

Trailing second-ranked Penn State 23-21 with time running out, Minnesota faced a 4th-and-16 situation. With 1:22 to go in the game, Billy Cockerham attempted to hit receiver Ron Johnson for a 27-yard gain, but the ball bounced off Johnson's hands. Just as the Nittany Lions started to celebrate victory, Arland Bruce then made a miracle catch, diving to scoop up the ball at the 13. Jubilation turned to shock for Joe Paterno's squad, who then had to watch Dan Nystrom boot a 32-yard field goal as time ran out to give the Gophers a 24-23 victory.

While the field goal all but sank Penn State's national title hopes, it was the savior for Virginia Tech's, Shayne Graham nailed a 44-yard field goal as time expired to give the third-ranked Hokies a 22-20 victory over West Virginia. Shyrone Stith ran for 84 yards and a touchdown in the win, while Michael Vick completed 14-of-30 passes for 255 yards and added a crucial 26-yard run on the game winning drive.

Virginia Tech moved up to No. 2 in the latest Associated Press poll, while Penn State fell four places to No. 6. Minnesota also cracked the Top 25, checking in at No. 20.

In other action...

Tennessee 38, Notre Dame 14 -- It was another banner day for the defending national champions. Tee Martin threw for three touchdowns and for another, Travis Henry added 132 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Vols won their sixth straight game. But their loss to Florida earlier in the season means they'll need help to crack into the BCS heirarchy. Coach Phillip Fulmer seemed well aware of that after the game, telling reporters, "I have to believe if we continue to play as we have, we'll be one of the teams that has an opportunity, and that's all you can ask for."

Florida 13, Vanderbilt 6 -- Was that really a Steve Spurrier-coached Gators team that took the field on Saturday? Florida mave have escaped this weekend's fiasco with a win, but they sure didn't win any points for style. The Gators managed just one touchdown for only the second time since 1992 and didn't throw a touchdown pass for just the fifth time in the Spurrier era. The lone bright spot for the Gators was the play of running back Earnest Graham, who came off the bench to gain 124 yards on 16 carries to account for nearly half of his school's 269 yards of total offense.

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