ESPN College Football

TUCSON, Ariz. -- There were big plays. There were strange plays. There were seemingly huge gaffes that really didn't mean much. An Oregon cheerleader got knocked out by water bottle hurled from the stands. There were expectant Arizona fans on the field, encircling this drama like a red ribbon, who ended up standing in stunned silence after Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli generated his sixth and final touchdown to conclude the second overtime of this thrilling and nearly four-hour evening.

"It got quiet really fast," Masoli said after Oregon prevailed 44-41 and took one step closer to its first Rose Bowl since the 1994 season.

Masoli scored three touchdowns running, including a 1-yard carry that won it. He also passed for three touchdowns, including an 8-yard toss that tied the score with six seconds left in regulation.

Oregon jumped to a 14-0 lead. Then Arizona scored 24 unanswered points. Both defenses were in control at times. And at times, both offenses seemed unstoppable. The score then was knotted at 24, 31 and 38, at which point Arizona's field goal in the second overtime fell short of the Ducks touchdown.

Both teams had 22 first downs. Oregon's 459 total yards was just 18 more than the Wildcats. It was about as closely contested as a game can be.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," said Arizona quarterback Nick Foles, who passed for 314 yards and four touchdowns.

But the mood in the two locker rooms couldn't have been more different.

"I have no words for it," said jubilant Oregon running back LaMichael James, who rushed for 117 yards and set a new Pac-10 freshman rushing record with 1,310 yards.

The 11th-ranked Ducks (9-2, 7-1) now pause for a moment to collect themselves and before beginning earnest preparation for a Civil War showdown with Oregon State on Dec. 3 that has very simple stakes: The winner goes to the Rose Bowl.

James, by the way, broke the record Oregon State running back Jacquizz Rodgers set last year.

The Wildcats (6-4, 4-3), meanwhile, will try to regroup for a visit to arch rival Arizona State on Saturday.

Said Arizona's senior safety Cam Nelson, "I can sit here and say we're not going to let it [get us down] but at the end of the day, we all know it is. It's something that is going to stick with us the rest of our lives knowing we let this opportunity slip out of our hands. I can sit here and say 'no, we're going to put it behind us,' but I'm not."

Some game oddities:

• Arizona kicker Alex Zendejas made a career-long 47-yard field goal just before the half, despite two time outs from Oregon coach Chip Kelly intended to ice him. After which, he jawed at the Ducks sideline with amusing abandon. He also missed a 24-yard chip shot in the third quarter.
• Oregon kicker Morgan Flint tied the game at 24-24 in the fourth quarter when his line-drive field goal bounced off the cross bar and decided to go through the uprights anyway.
• Arizona receiver David Douglas fumbled right before he scored a touchdown in the first quarter, but Juron Criner turned a short bubble screen into a 71-yard touchdown despite seeming to be surrounded the entire run.

Perhaps most curious was when Kelly decided to go for a fourth and 4 from his 45-yard line with 6:26 left with Arizona ahead 31-24. The Ducks failed to convert, at which point the Wildcats fans started their plan to storm the field.

"We never flinched," Kelly said, bringing up the call before he was even asked about it. "I went for it on fourth down because I was confident we could get a stop and get another chance."

Which is exactly what happened. Foles threw his only interception in the endzone on a third and 16 play from the Ducks 40, which mostly functioned as a punt.

Masoli and company took over with 3:11 left.

"That's a lot of time for us," Kelly said.

Oregon went 80 yards in 15 plays. It converted a third-and-11 from the Arizona 46 with an 18-yard run up the middle from James. It converted on a fourth and 4 from the Wildcats 22 with a 7-yard pass from Masoli to Jeff Maehl, who had a career-best 12 receptions for 114 yards with two touchdowns.

The drive was vintage Masoli. A little out-of-control. A little unconventional. Lots of things getting made up as he went along.

"He's unflappable," Kelly said. "Nothing bothers him."

That take was seconded by Arizona defensive coordinator Mark Stoops.

"The plays he made in critical situations are remarkable," he said.

It was a remarkable game that was worthy of simplifying what had been a complicated Pac-10 race.

A Civil War on Dec. 3 will send one Oregon program to the Rose Bowl.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Larry Asante arrived on the field Saturday blinking away tears as he prepared for his final home game.

As he left the field, the Nebraska senior safety again was dabbing at his eyes.

But after a big performance in the Cornhuskers’ 17-3 North Division-clinching victory, Asante was trying to get rid of the remnants of a post-game Gatorade shower he and Nebraska coach Bo Pelini got along the sidelines.

“He was giving me a hug, telling me how much he loved me and how far along I’d come as a player,” Asante said, chuckling at the memory. “Then out of nowhere, I got dumped. But I didn’t get mad. It was joyous. I was happy.”

So were the Cornhuskers, who rode a gritty defensive effort into the Dec. 5 Big 12 championship game for the first time since 2006.

“We want to be known as a hard-hitting, hard-nosed defense,” defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. “One where everybody is making tackles and making things happen.”

Asante keyed a stellar defensive performance by Nebraska which limited the Wildcats to a field goal on their first drive and no more scoring after that. It was the 10th time in 11 games that a Nebraska opponent has scored 17 points or less, including the Cornhuskers’ last five opponents.

His big night included an interception and a forced fumble which turned away KSU’s best scoring opportunity when he hammered KSU’s Keithen Valentine, causing a fumble at the Nebraska 1.

Saturday’s triumphant performance is a remarkable transformation from where Pelini inherited the team less than two years ago.

To call that group defensive waifs might be an insult to all of the lost souls who wander the Earth.

The missed tackles and busted coverages that marked the Kevin Cosgrove era are nothing but a bad memory for those seniors who remained in the most dramatic transition in Nebraska’s history.

That team allowed six opponents to score at least 40 points on them as they finished in the bottom ten nationally in rushing defense, scoring defense, total defense, turnover margin and sacks. The Cornhuskers were torched for 76 and 65 points in losses in two of their final three games in that lost season.

“They’ve come a long way in the last two years,” Pelini said. “When I got here, especially the guys on defense, they were written off and told how bad they were.”

But from those humble origins, Pelini nurtured the confidence and got this group to believe in his methods.

The result has been a run of games just like Saturday night.

“They kept getting better,” Pelini said. “Now, look at how far they have come. It’s been fun to watch.”

Many of those same players were integral contributors to Nebraska’s huge defensive effort. After KSU produced a field goal on its opening possession, the Wildcats were turned away on their final 10 possessions without a score. Included in that run were two possessions inside the Nebraska 20-yard line and three other stops at the Nebraska 27, 33 and 41-yard lines.

The reason for that toughness was instilled by Pelini and his older brother, Carl, who serves as Nebraska’s defensive coordinator.

“We take it personal as a unit. We don’t want to give up any points,” Asante said. “We didn’t have that culture back then. They’ve taught us how to play every play like it’s our last. And we wanted to go out there the right way.”

Suh, who finished in his final home game with nine tackles, 1.5 sacks and two passes broken up, said that Pelini's coaching has been the major reason for the change.

"We've grown tremendously, but there still is a lot of work to do,” Suh said. “His message when he first got here has been embraced by everybody. We’re not to what he expects from us, but I think we’re on a good path.”

Asante might be the best example of Pelini’s transformation. He came to Nebraska as one of the nation’s top 10 junior college prospects. But he looked lost in Cosgrove’s defense and there were some early thoughts he couldn’t play in Pelini's defense.

His seven tackles Saturday enabled him to tie for third on Nebraska’s career list for tackles.

There were still some areas of concern, like a sputtering offense that will never be confused with the Cornhuskers’ glory era when Eric Crouch, Scott Frost and Co. wreaked havoc across the Big 12.

The Cornhuskers are built to win games like Saturday’s battle over Kansas State. They will challenge Texas, but likely don’t have the firepower to dent the Longhorns’ emerging defense.

But the recent play of the Blackshirts will give them a puncher’s chance of sticking close to Texas, who might be looking ahead to their BCS title game prospects rather than worrying about the Cornhuskers next month.

“The way we played seems like it’s a recurring theme,” Pelini said. “We still have a long way to go, but there’s still a lot out there. Our kids are hungry and it’s on to the next challenge for us.”

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Wow. Great game. But, of course, you saw it.

Got to rush to the field for postgame. But you know I'll be back.

In a sentence: It's going to be a big Civil War.

The Rose Bowl is the stakes.

Fun fun.

SMU’s hold on first place in Conference USA West last a week.

The Mustangs lost 34-31 to Marshall and Houston defeated Memphis 55-14 to regain the first place standing they lost a week ago. If Houston wins its final contest against Rice, it will play in the Conference USA title game.

With the win, Marshall earned its sixth win and bowl eligibility and should earn a bowl berth with six bowls available.

Conference USA's East Division will be decided next weekend when East Carolina and Southern Miss meet. The winner of that game will play for the conference title.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- When Oregon desperately needed it, Jeremiah Masoli delivered.

He led Oregon 80 yards in 15 plays for the tying TD and we're headed to overtime.

Masoli connected with tight end Ed Dickson for the 8-yard scoring pass with six seconds left, but the big play was a fourth-and-5 completion to Jeff Maehl for eight yards to the Wildcats 15 with 17 seconds left.

Arizona will play defense first in OT.

Buckle up.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Wow, the momentum swung hard to Oregon just when it seemed to be going all Arizona's way.

Ducks answer Wildcats TD with an 80-yard TD drive of their own, then force a three and out.

Then they tie the game with the ugliest 43-yard field goal in history -- the line drive bounced off and over the cross bar.

So it's 24-24 with eight minutes left.

Stats are fairly even.

So: Will it be a mistake or big positive play that decides this?

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona owned the third quarter.

Oregon gained just 40 yards in the quarter. Arizona piled up 137.

That's the first scoreless quarter for Oregon in four games, since the first quarter at Washington.

And with a short Nick Foles TD pass, the Wildcats have now scored 24 unanswered points and lead 24-14.

Now, can they close the deal?

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska has claimed the Big 12 North Division title with a 17-3 victory over Kansas State.

The victory, although not an artistic success, will boost the Cornhuskers into the Big 12 title game Dec. 5 against Texas, which is handling Kansas in Austin.

Although the Cornhuskers gave up some significant yardage in the second half, they were still able to turn away the Wildcats twice in their red zone in the third quarter without points to turn the game around.

It will be Bo Pelini's first divisional championship and Nebraska's first North title since 2006.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- After falling behind 14-0, Arizona has scored 17 consecutive points to take its first lead.

Oregon's offense has gone quiet.

Before the game, Arizona looked like it had the athletes to slow the Ducks, the question was whether they could be consistently disciplined.

They have been. And they've slowly taken control of the line of scrimmage.

Oregon may need an answer. The 'Zona Zoo is getting into it.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Kansas State spent most of the third quarter in Nebraska territory, but could not produce any points as the Cornhuskers claim a 17-3 lead after three quarters.

Keithen Valentine's fumble near the Nebraska goal line killed one drive that looked like the Wildcats were ready to score.

KSU came away with no points despite moving to the Nebraska 15 when Josh Cherry misfired on a 33-yard field goal attempt.

And on their final third-quarter possession, the Wildcats again were stymied. Phillip Dillard's third-down sack at the Nebraska 32 ended that possession.

KSU's division title hopes are being frittered away by its sputtering offense.