Notre Dame Needs Some Late Heroics to Escape Hawaii With a 23-22 Victory

Scott Cengia kicked a 20-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to give Notre Dame a 23-22 victory over Hawaii on Saturday night in Honolulu.

Hawaii (3-9) appeared to have the game in hand, leading, 22-20, with 2:20 left and Notre Dame’s offense sputtering badly.

A facemask penalty on an Autry Denson punt return put the ball on the Hawaii 49 with 2:20 left, and the Irish (7-5) had to convert on a third and 17 to keep the drive going.

Ron Powlus connected with Raki Nelson on a 47-yard pass that put Notre Dame on the Hawaii nine. Three plays later, Cengia made the game-winning kick.

No. 14 Georgia 27, Georgia Tech 24--Mike Bobo threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Corey Allen with eight seconds remaining and the Bulldogs pulled off a stunning victory at Atlanta.

It was the Bulldogs’ seventh consecutive victory over their state rival.

The Yellow Jackets appeared to have clinched an upset when Charles Wiley powered up the middle for a three-yard touchdown run with 48 seconds remaining. A two-point conversion gave Tech a 24-21 lead.

But Georgia (9-2) moved for the winning touchdown in four plays and benefited from a pass interference penalty on Tech (6-5) that wiped out Travares Tillman’s interception with 14 seconds remaining.

After the penalty, Bobo lofted a pass into the left corner of the end zone and Allen managed to grab the ball before tumbling out of bounds.

No. 16 Syracuse 33, Miami 13--Donovan McNabb threw two touchdown passes and ran 43 yards for a third as the Orangemen beat the Hurricanes at Miami to win the Big East title and secure a spot in the bowl alliance.

The Orangemen (9-3, 6-1) won their eighth consecutive game and are probably headed to the Fiesta Bowl. The Hurricanes (5-6, 3-4) finished with their first losing season since 1979.

Syracuse beat Miami for the first time in 17 years. Miami managed only 208 total yards--56 rushing--while Syracuse had 358 yards in avenging a 38-31 loss last year.

Except for three probation years, the Hurricanes have been to a bowl game every year since 1979, but won’t play in the postseason this year.

Virginia 34, No. 21 Virginia Tech 20--Aaron Brooks completed 23 of 34 passes for 390 yards and four touchdowns as the Cavaliers beat the Hokies at Charlottesville, Va., to keep their bowl hopes alive.

Virginia (7-4) came in needing a victory for the required six against Division I-A teams and got it behind Brooks, whose yardage broke the school single-game record by 44 yards. Virginia Tech is 7-4.

Mississippi 15, No. 22 Mississippi State 14--Stewart Patridge threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Andre Rone with 25 seconds left and the Rebels (7-4, 4-4) converted on a two-point conversion to beat the Bulldogs (7-4, 4-4) at Starkville, Miss., in an SEC game marred because of a pregame fight.

Patridge completed six passes as Ole Miss (7-4, 4-4) drove 63 yards in 1:47 after a missed field-goal attempt by Mississippi State. Patridge passed to Cory Peterson for the game-winning conversion.

The brawl broke out during warm-ups about 40 minutes before the game and had to be broken up by coaches and security personnel, including Mississippi Highway Patrol officers.