Massachusetts Wins I-AA Championship

Marcel Shipp rushed for three touchdowns and 244 yards as 11th-seeded Massachusetts upset top-ranked Georgia Southern, 55-43, Saturday at Chattanooga, Tenn., for its first Division I-AA title.

The victory capped an amazing turnaround for the Minutemen (12-3), who rebounded from a 2-9 record in 1997 by winning more games than any other team in school history.

Massachusetts completed a magical season by forcing four-time national champion Georgia Southern (14-1) into seven turnovers, which the Minutemen converted into 31 points.

By the time it was over, Massachusetts set a title game record for points and the teams, two of the top three offenses in Division I-AA, combined for the most points in a title game.

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Joe Tiller, who coached Purdue to consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 18 years, was given a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the Boilermakers at least through the 2005 season. The new contract reportedly includes a base salary of $160,000, which could increase to $300,000 to $450,000 depending on the team’s performance. . . . Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Randy Edsall will get the Connecticut football coaching job, according to the Hartford Courant.