[Vegas Vic]

2002-2003 QUARTERFINALS
#8 Kansas State (11-2) at #1 Miami (12-0)
#7 Oklahoma (12-2) at #2 Ohio State (13-0)
#6 Iowa (12-1) at #3 Georgia (12-1)
#5 USC (11-2) at #4 Washington State (10-2)

Miami 31 Kansas State 17 (MIA wins 79.2%, avg. score = MIA 32.7 KSU 19.6)

Ken Dorsey passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns, and Willis McGahee rushed for 109 yards to lead the top ranked Miami Hurricanes to a victory over Kansas State and a berth in the semifinals. The Wildcats managed to keep the score close throughout much of the game. Trailing 17-3 midway through the third quarter, Daniel Davis scored on a 34 yard touchdown run to cut Miami’s lead to 17-10. From that point on, Miami started to pull away. Dorsey connected with Ethenic Sands on a 62 yard touchdown pass to put the Canes up 24-10. After a subsequent three-and-out by Kansas State, the Hurricanes took a commanding 31-10 lead on a 21 yard touchdown run by Jason Geathers. Kansas State scored late in the game on an 8 yard touchdown run by Ell Roberson to make the final score more respectable at 31-17.


Ohio State 26 Oklahoma 23 (OSU wins 54.5%, avg. score = OKLA 23.1 OSU 22.2)

Mike Nugent kicked a 27 yard field goal with 1:55 left in the game to lift the Ohio State Buckeyes to a 26-23 win over the Oklahoma Sooners. The game was close throughout with six lead changes. Oklahoma’s final lead of the game came early in the fourth quarter on a 68 yard interception return for a touchdown by Antonio Perkins, putting the Sooners up 23-20. Nugent tied the score 23-23 on a 48 yard field goal with 10:04 left in the game. After Nugent put the Buckeyes up 26-23 late in the game, the Sooners had one final opportunity, but they turned the ball over on downs on the Ohio State 46 yard line while trying to drive into field goal range. Maurice Clarett led the Buckeye rushing attack with 116 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Sooner running back Quentin Griffin rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. The Ohio State defense did a good job limiting the Oklahoma passing game. Nate Hybl completed just 17 out of 40 passes for 201 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel threw for 279 yards, with one touchdown and an interception.

Georgia 37 Iowa 13 (UGA wins 67.3%, avg. score = UGA 27.6 IOWA 21.8)

David Greene completed 23 out of 35 pass attempts for 287 yards and two touchdowns to lead SEC champion Georgia to a convincing 37-13 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes. Bulldog running back Musa Smith chipped in with 130 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. The game was close at halftime, with Georgia holding a 14-13 lead. However, the UGA defense shut out the Hawkeyes in the second half. The Bulldogs seized control of the game in the third quarter, scoring 16 unanswered points on three Billy Bennett field goals and a 19 yard touchdown run by Smith. Tony Milton scored on a 15 yard run late in the fourth quarter to add the exclamation point for UGA. Iowa quarterback Brad Banks had a tough outing, throwing four interceptions and no touchdown passes.

USC 23 Washington State 13 (USC wins 57.4%, avg. score =USC 28.2 WSU 26.2)

In quarterfinal playoff action, visiting USC defeated Washington State 23-13 to avenge an earlier overtime loss on this same field back in October. Leading the way for the Trojans was running back Sulton McCullough, who rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries. Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer played an efficient game, passing for 239 yards without an interception. His counterpart, WSU quarterback Jason Gesser, passed for 292 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Washington State never led in the game, and the game wasn't as competitive as the final score indicated. USC held the Cougars to just 6 points on two Drew Dunning field goals until late in the game when Gesser hit Mike Bush on a 3 yard touchdown pass for the 23-13 final score.