COLLEGE FOOTBALL Bowden plays it safe in comeback
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The seventh-ranked Seminoles scored 28 straight points in the fourth quarter to tie No. 4 Florida 31-31 in Tallahassee. Florida State might have won had Bowden gone for the 2-point conversion following Rock Preston's 4-yard touchdown run with 1:45 left, but he sent in Dan Mowrey for the extra point that tied the game.
"It was just too good a comeback to risk losing," said Bowden, known for his willingness to risk trick plays and other unorthodox moves.
In other Top 25 games, second-ranked Penn State beat Michigan State 59-31, No. 5 Miami beat No. 25 Boston College 23-7, No. 11 Kansas State routed UNLV 42-3, No. 17 Southern Cal tied Notre Dame 17-17 and No. 19 Mississippi State downed Mississippi 21-17.
Bowden said he thought Florida State had enough time to get the ball back and drive for the winning score. The Seminoles did regain possession with 22 seconds remaining at their 29-yard line, but quarterback Danny Kanell couldn't get out of bounds following an 8-yard scramble to the Florida 43.
Kanell led the Florida State comeback, throwing for 232 yards in the fourth quarter and completing 16 of his last 17 passes.
If Florida State had made a 2-point conversion and won, it would have been the greatest fourth-quarter comeback victory in Division I-A history. Washington State overcame a 21-point deficit in the final period to beat Stanford 49-42 in 1984.
As the Atlantic Coast Conference champion, Florida State (9-1-1) is guaranteed a berth in one of the major bowl coalition games - the Sugar, Fiesta, Cotton or Orange.
Florida (9-1-1) will go to the Sugar Bowl if it beats No. 3 Alabama in next week's Southeastern Conference title game. The loser will play in the Citrus Bowl. Elsewhere, Rice beat Houston 31-13 to gain a five-way share of the Southwestern Conference championship, LSU defeated Arkansas 30-12 in Curley Hallman's last game as the Tigers' coach, and James Stewart became Tennessee's career rushing leader in a 65-0 rout of Vanderbilt.
In the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, it was Eastern Kentucky 30, Boston University 23; Montana 23, Northern Iowa 20; Marshall 49, Middle Tennessee State 14; James Madison 45, Troy State 26; Boise State 24, North Texas 20; and Appalachian State 17, New Hampshire 10.
In Division II quarterfinals, it was Indiana, Pa., 21, Ferris State 17; Texas A&M-Kingsville 21, Portland State 16; North Dakota 14, North Dakota State 7; and North Alabama 27, Valdosta State 24.
In Division III quarterfinals, it was Albion 34, Mount Union 33; St. John's, Minn., 42, Wartburg 14; Washington & Jefferson 37, Widener 21; and Ithaca 22, Plymouth State 7.
No. 2 Penn St. 59, Michigan St. 31 At State College, Pa., Ki-Jana Carter made a final push for the Heisman Trophy with five touchdowns and Penn State overcame another poor defensive performance to finish the regular season undefeated.
Penn State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) is headed to the Rose Bowl to face Oregon. The loss was the last game for Michigan State coach George Perles, who was forced to resign after 12 seasons with the Spartans.
No. 5 Miami 23, No. 25 Boston College 7 At Miami, the Hurricanes forced four second-half turnovers and all but clinched a berth in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1 against top-ranked Nebraska.
The Hurricanes (10-1, 7-0) struggled offensively against the No. 25 Eagles and trailed 7-3 at halftime. Second-half turnovers led to both touchdowns by Miami, which ranks first nationally in total defense and scoring defense.
Boston College's Mark Hartsell threw three interceptions in the second half and lost a fumble that Corwin Francis recovered at Miami's 33.
Boston College, likely bound for the Aloha Bowl against Kansas State, fell to 6-4-1 and 3-3-1.
No. 11 Kansas St. 42, UNLV 3 At Las Vegas, J.J. Smith rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Chad May ran for two scores. May was 8-of-13 for 126 yards and a touchdown despite strong winds.
Kansas State (9-2) is heading to the Aloha Bowl, while UNLV (6-5) will play Central Michigan in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Wildcats led 21-3 at halftime and put the game away with two quick scores early in the third period. J.J. Smith's 13-yard TD run gave Kansas State a 28-3 lead with 12:54 remaining.
No. 17 Southern Cal 17, Notre Dame 17 At Los Angeles, Southern Cal scored a late touchdown after blocking a field goal to salvage the tie. Notre Dame's 11-game winning streak in the rivalry thus became a 12-game unbeaten streak.
Both the Trojans (7-3-1) and the Irish (6-4-1) are probably bowl-bound, but Notre Dame fell one victory short of guaranteeing itself a spot in a coalition bowl.
Midway through the final quarter, Israel Ifeanyi blocked a 37-yard field goal by Notre Dame's Stefan Schroffner, and USC's Sammy Knight picked up the ball and returned it 56 yards to the Notre Dame 16. Four plays later, Shawn Walters scored on a 1-yard run.
No. 19 Mississippi St. 21, Mississippi 17 At Oxford, Miss., Kevin Bouie and Michael Davis each ran for over 130 yards as the Bulldogs beat the Rebels for the second straight year.
It's only the second time in five decades that Mississippi State has posted consecutive wins over Mississippi.
