Fresno State Escapes in Overtime

Fresno State needed a 41-yard field goal from Asen Asparuhov in overtime to defeat Colorado State, 25-22, in a nonconference game Saturday night at Fort Collins, Colo.

Asparuhov also made a 48-yard field goal on the last play of regulation to send it into overtime.

The Rams (2-4) had the ball first in overtime but failed to score. Then the No. 8-ranked Bulldogs (6-0) capitalized and kept their hopes alive for a possible bowl championship series game.

Quarterback Brandon Doman scrambled for 14 yards on the option on fourth and 11 to keep alive No. 18 Brigham Young’s fourth-quarter scoring drive in a 24-20 victory against New Mexico at Albuquerque, N.M.

Two plays later, Doman threw his third scoring pass--a 15-yarder to Andrew Ord.

“I audibled into it, which I think gave everybody a heart attack,” said Doman, who ran unharmed out of bounds at the New Mexico 22.

“We usually don’t run the option on fourth and 11.

“[The defense] overloaded to the side that we were going to. We were obviously passing the ball. Coach [Gary] Crowton looked at me before I went out there and said, ‘Hey if the option’s open and you feel like you can get it, go for it.’ ”

New Mexico, aware of the Cougars’ tradition of obsession with the pass, was caught flat-footed.

“It was an obvious passing situation,” Lobo linebacker Mohammed Konte said.

New Mexico took a 20-17 lead with 6:09 left on a trick play--a double end around from which receiver Derrick Shepherd tossed a 19-yard pass to the Javier Hanson. Hanson caught the ball at the Brigham Young five and scored easily.

Brandon’s brilliance on offense enabled Brigham Young (6-0, 2-0 in the Mountain West) to overcome the absence of leading rusher Luke Staley. Staley sat out the game because the school is looking into his academic eligibility. Staley is averaging 119 yards a game.

Crowton said school officials learned Friday that Staley had dropped a class this semester which left him short of the 12 credit hours required by the NCAA.

Jeff Reynolds, Brigham Young’s media relations director, said it wasn’t known yet if any of Cougars’ first five victories would be affected.

New Mexico (2-4, 1-2) held the Cougars to 365 total yards, 200 under their average of 566.

Mountain West

Jason Thomas ran for one touchdown and threw for another as Nevada Las Vegas (2-3, 1-1) defeated San Diego State, 31-3, at Las Vegas. Joe Haro rushed for 136 yards in 23 carries for the Rebels, who finished with 427 yards. Larry Ned, who averaged 154 yards a game and had scored eight touchdowns entering the game, was held to 46 yards in 17 carries as the Aztecs (2-4, 1-2) totaled only 160 yards. ... Quarterback Keith Boyea ran for a career-high 196 yards as Air Force (4-1, 2-0) rolled to a 24-13 victory against Wyoming (2-4, 0-3) at Air Force Academy, Colo. The Falcons committed 10 penalties for 102 yards and two of those infractions negated touchdowns. They averaged only five penalties for 43 yards coming entering the game.

Atlantic Coast

North Carolina (4-3, 3-1) won its fourth in a row, a 30-24 victory against Virginia (3-3, 2-2) at Chapel Hill, N.C. It is the Tar Heels’ longest winning streak since they won 10 in a row from 1996-97. ... Tarence James ran for two touchdowns as Wake Forest (3-3, 1-3) scored 28 points in a row in the first half, then fended off a Duke (0-6, 0-4) rally for a 42-35 victory at Durham, N.C. Duke, which has lost 18 in a row, last won on Nov. 13, 1999, when it defeated Wake Forest, 48-35.

Conference USA

Houston (0-5, 0-3) lost its ninth in a row, a 52-33 setback to Memphis (4-2, 2-1) at Houston. The Cougars’ losing streak is the second-longest in the nation behind Duke. ... LaVar Glover returned an interception for a touchdown and Antwan Peek recovered a blocked punt for another score as Cincinnati (2-4, 1-2) defeated Alabama Birmingham, 31-17, at Birmingham, Ala. The Blazers fell to 2-4 and 1-2. ... Patrick Ramsey threw for 355 yards and four touchdowns to lead Tulane (2-5, 1-2) to a 48-22 victory against Texas Christian (3-3, 1-1) at New Orleans. ... Leonard Henry ran for 156 yards and three touchdowns as East Carolina (3-3, 2-0) handed Army (1-4, 1-3) a 49-26 loss. The Black Knights have lost 18 of their last 20 games and are 0-5 overall against the Pirates.

Mid American

Freshman Ben Roethlisberger passed for a school-record 399 yards, throwing a 70-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Tillitz as time ran out to lift Miami of Ohio (4-2, 3-0) past Akron, 30-27, at Oxford, Ohio. Freshman Charlie Frye was 21-for-31 for 309 yards and two touchdowns for the Zips (2-4, 2-2). ... Jeff Welsh threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns as Western Michigan (4-2, 3-0) scored a 37-28 victory against Bowling Green (4-2, 2-2) at Kalamazoo, Mich. ... Byron Leftwich passed for a career-high 455 yards and a school-record 37 completions to lead Marshall (4-1, 3-0) to a 34-14 victory against Buffalo (1-5, 0-4) at Amherst, N.Y.

Western Athletic

Ryan Dinwiddie threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns as Boise State (3-3, 2-1) routed Tulsa, 41-10, at Boise, Idaho. The Golden Hurricane (1-4, 0-3) totaled only 220 yards. ... ShanDerrick Charles ran for 243 yards and a touchdown as Southern Methodist (1-4, 1-2) scored a 24-17 victory against San Jose State (0-5, 0-2) at San Jose. ... Josh Scobee kicked a 30-yard field goal with five seconds left to give Louisiana Tech (32, 3-1) a 45-42 victory against Nevada (1-4, 1-1) at Reno, Nev. ... Kyle Herm passed for 102 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 91 yards and another score in Rice’s 21-13 victory against Navy (0-5) in a nonconference game at Annapolis, Md. The Owls are 5-1.