Temple Coach to Resign After Call Leads to Loss

Temple Coach Ron Dickerson, whose failed fake-punt gamble led to the winning touchdown in Pittsburgh’s come-from-behind 53-52 Big East Conference victory Saturday, announced his resignation after the game at Pittsburgh.

“I told the team in the locker room that I am resigning at the end of the season,’ said Dickerson, who is 5-33 at Temple. “I lost this game today, not them.”

With Temple, 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the Big East, leading 52-47 with 2:33 remaining, Dickerson ordered a fake punt on fourth-and-one from the Owls’ 43. Reserve quarterback Pat Bonner was stopped for a one-yard loss and Pitt (2-4, 1-2) had great field position for the game-winning drive--which culminated with Billy West’s six-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds left.

EAST

No. 19 West Virginia 34, Boston College 17--Chad Johnston threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Mountaineers (6-0, 2-0) in the Big East game at Morgantown, W. Va.

West Virginia defeated Boston College (2-3, 0-2) for the 14th time in the last 17 games of the series.

Syracuse (2-2, 2-0) had 391 yards of total offense in the first half alone of a 42-0 victory over Rutgers (1-4, 0-3) in a Big East game at the Carrier Dome. Orangemen quarterback Donovan McNabb only played the first half, passing for 153 yards and rushing for another 53 while accounting for two touchdowns. . . . Army (4-0), off to its best start in 11 years, scored four touchdowns in the second half of a 39-13 victory over Yale (1-2) at West Point, N.Y. Army outgained Yale, 430-82. . . . Quarterback Chris McCoy accounted for three touchdowns and the special teams scored three times as Navy (3-1) routed winless Duke, 64-27, at Annapolis, Md. in a nonconference game. . . . Columbia opened the season for three consecutive wins for the first time since 1946 with a 42-16 nonconference victory over Holy Cross (1-4) at Worcester, Mass. . . . Senior Anthony Caravetta rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns as Colgate ended its winless streak at 16 with a 44-27 nonconference over Brown at Hamilton, N.Y.

SOUTHWEST

Ketric Sanford ran nine yards for a touchdown with 28 seconds left to give Houston (3-2) a 31-24 victory over Southwestern Louisiana (2-3) at Lafayette, La. . . . Tulane (2-2) scored on its first three possessions, twice on touchdowns by Jamaican Dartez, on its way to a 35-7 victory Texas Christian (1-3) at New Orleans. . . . Robert Grant returned a fumble 89 yards for a touchdown to lift North Texas (2-3) to a 24-21 victory over Northern Illinois (1-5) at De Kalb, Ill.

SOUTHLAND

Ryan Fien, a transfer from UCLA, completed 17 of 34 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns to lead Idaho (2-3) to a 38-33 victory over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (1-4) at Moscow, Idaho. The Vandals led, 31-3, before the Mustangs rallied. Cal Poly quarterback Alli Abrew, a transfer from San Jose State, completed 31 of 61 passes for 410 yards--all school records. Ryan Thomas caught 13 passes for 200 yards and one touchdown. . . . Anthony Rice rushed for 148 yards and scored on touchdowns runs of eight, 81 and 22 yards to lead La Verne (3-1) over visiting Occidental (0-3), 42-14.