The Houston Cougars knocked off the No. 5 team in the nation and in doing so have become the first team to receive two Southern Fans' National Team of the Week honors. The Cougars took down Oklahoma State in Stillwater 45-35 on Saturday to improve to 2-0.
Cougars QB Case Keenum completed 32-of-46 passes for 366 yards with an interception and three touchdowns, the last of which came on a fourth down pass that was tipped high into the air before falling into RB Bryce Beall's hands. But it was DB Jamal Robinson who sealed the game after the Cougars squandered a 17-point halftime lead.
Robinson intercepted a Zac Robinson pass and returned it 26 yards for the final score with three minutes remaining. That touchdown capped a 21-point fourth quarter for the Cougars. The Houston defense held all-star Cowboy WR Dez Bryant to five catches for 85 yards.
The victory was Houston's first over a top 5 team in 25 years, when the Cougars defeated No. 3 Texas in 1984. Interestingly, this is the third straight time Oklahoma State has fallen after reaching the top 5; the last game the Cowboys won as a top 5 team was also in 1984.
Other nominees for Southern Fans' National Team of the Week for the weekend of Sept. 12:
Central Michigan, 29-27
W - Michigan State
Central Michigan ran the gambit of emotion on Saturday, as the Chippewas scored its final touchdown on a Dan LeFevour 11-yard pass to Paris Cotton with 32 seconds remaining but then saw LeFevour misfire on a two-point conversion attempt to take the lead; CMU then executed a perfect onside kick to get the ball in position for a 42-yard game winning field goal by Andrew Aguila to defeat the Spartans and extend their winning streak over Big Ten teams to two - following a 15-game Big Ten losing streak which dated back to 1993.
Michigan, 38-31
W - Notre Dame
Michigan frosh QB Tate Forcier completed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Greg Matthews with only 11 seconds remaining to give Michigan three of the past four games over the rival Irish. ND had overcome an 11-point fourth quarter deficit but ND coach Charlie Weis helped U-M save timeouts near the end of the game, as the Irish continued calling passing plays while up 34-31. The game marked only the fifth time the Wolverines scored 30-or-more points on ND - all wins.
Southern Cal, 18-15
W - Ohio State
In a low scoring game more fitting of the No. 11 Buckeyes than the No. 3 Trojans, USC came out on top after being held tight all game. USC needed a late fourth quarter drive to overcome the Buckeyes in Columbus, as frosh QB Matt Barkley teamed up with RB Joe McKnight to take the Trojans 86 yards in 14 plays. The Trojans went to 33-1 in non-conference games, won it's tenth straight over Ohio State, and took it's seventh consecutive game against Ohio State.
The Southern Fans' Poll began naming a national team of the week in 2008. Members of the Southern Fan's pool of voters decide the weekly honor. Each week during the 2009 college football season, the Southern Fans will name the National Team of the Week through the bowl season.
2009 Southern Fans' National Teams of the Week
• Weekend of Sept. 5: William & Mary
• Weekend of Sept. 12: Houston
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