Texas Cruises; Nebraska Stops Colorado

Cedric Benson ran for 283 yards and four touchdowns and No. 6 Texas strengthened its position for its first bowl championship series bid with a 46-15 victory over Texas A&M; on Friday at College Station, Texas.

The Longhorns (10-2, 7-1 in the Big 12) need No. 1 Oklahoma to win the Big 12 title game next Saturday to get a shot at either the Fiesta Bowl or Rose Bowl. A Kansas State upset would give the Wildcats and Sooners the Big 12’s two BCS bids and probably send the Longhorns -- ranked sixth in the BCS standings -- tumbling to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

“If that’s what it takes, I’ll be a Sooners fan for a week,” cornerback Nathan Vasher said.

Offensive tackle Tillman Holloway will be happy for a helping hand from the Sooners -- up to a point.

“Texas’ No. 1 priority is to have what we deserve and what we’ve been fighting for,” Holloway said. “But I won’t be learning any words to ‘Boomer Sooner.’ ”

Benson ran for 205 yards in the second half against the nation’s 95th-ranked defense. His touchdown runs of 21, four, eight and 35 yards allowed Texas to throw only eight passes.

Texas A&M; (4-8, 2-6) has lost four in a row in the series, which dates to 1894. It is the Aggies’ first losing record since 1982.

No. 25 Nebraska 31, Colorado 22 -- T.J. Hollowell’s interception set up Judd Davies’ one-yard touchdown run with 5:48 left at Boulder, Colo., helping the Cornhuskers hold off the Buffaloes in a bid to bolster Coach Frank Solich’s job security.

Solich has been under fire despite a 58-19 record in six seasons at Nebraska. The Lincoln Journal Star quoted unidentified boosters on Sunday as saying that Solich would be forced into retirement after Friday’s game.

“I don’t plan on resigning,” Solich said after the game. “I could go through a list of reasons why I would not do that.”

Asked if he planned to coach in the Cornhuskers’ bowl game, Solich said: “I would like to think so. I haven’t had anybody tell me anything different. So it’s business as usual for us. I’m ready to get back to work.”

Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson has declined to comment on the coaching situation until after the season.

The Cornhuskers (9-3, 5-3 in the Big 12) went ahead, 24-22, on David Dyches’ 19-yard field goal with 8:30 remaining.

Three plays later, Hollowell intercepted Joel Klatt’s pass, returning it 25 yards to the Colorado six, and Davies went the final yard on fourth down for the clincher.

Colorado (5-7, 3-5), which failed to become bowl eligible, then marched to the Nebraska five, where Klatt’s pass was intercepted by Pat Ricketts in the end zone.

No. 15 Miami (Ohio) 56, Central Florida 21 -- Ben Roethlisberger completed 24 of 29 passes for five touchdowns and 327 yards at Orlando, Fla., leading the RedHawks (11-1, 8-0 in the Mid-American Conference) to their 11th consecutive victory.

Central Florida (3-9, 2-6) finished with its worst record since 1984, which also was the last time the Golden Knights fired a coach in midseason. Mike Kruczek was replaced by interim coach Alan Gooch on Nov. 10.

Louisville 43, Cincinnati 40 -- Stefan LeFors threw a 54-yard touchdown pass with 70 seconds left at Cincinnati, enhancing the Cardinals’ bid for a sixth consecutive bowl appearance.

Louisville (9-3, 5-3 in Conference USA) blew a 21-point lead before rallying. Cincinnati (5-7, 2-6) ended its first losing season in four years under Coach Rick Minter, whose job status remains shaky.

Marshall 28, Ohio 0 -- Graham Gochneaur threw for one touchdown and ran for another to lead the Thundering Herd (8-4, 6-2 in the Mid-American) past the Bobcats (2-10, 1-7) at Huntington, W.Va.