Spartans Beat USC, 20-17; Miami Wins
Michigan State ended six years of frustration for the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl on Friday as John Langeloh kicked a 36-yard field goal with 4:14 left to give the eighth-ranked Spartans a 20-17 victory over 16th-ranked USC.
Meanwhile, the mythical national collegiate championship was won by Miami, which defeated top-ranked Oklahoma, 20-14, at the Orange Bowl in Miami.
At Pasadena, Langeloh’s field goal, his second of the fourth quarter, put the Spartans ahead after USC had tied the score, 17-17, with 8:33 left.
Big Ten champions had lost the last six Rose Bowls and had won only one of the last 13. Michigan State (9-2-1) had not played in a Rose Bowl in 22 years. USC (8-4), which lost, 27-13, to the Spartans in the season opener at East Lansing, Mich., had won its last six trips to the Rose Bowl, the latest in 1985.
35 Carries by White
Lorenzo White carried 35 times for 113 yards and scored on runs of 5 and 3 yards to give Michigan State a 14-3 lead in the second quarter.
Miami’s victory gave the second-ranked Hurricanes a 12-0 record and left little doubt that they will be crowned national champions when final polls are released.
The Sooners finished 11-1 and had the nation’s longest winning streak snapped at 20 games over two seasons.
Steve Walsh passed for two touchdowns, and Greg Cox kicked field goals of 56 and 48 yards for Miami.
At Tempe, Ariz., third-ranked Florida State drove 97 yards for a touchdown with 3:07 left to defeat fifth-ranked Nebraska, 31-28, in the Fiesta Bowl.
Sugar Bowl Tie
At New Orleans, Win Lyle’s 30-yard field goal with one second remaining gave sixth-ranked Auburn a 16-16 tie with fourth-ranked Syracuse in the Sugar Bowl.
At Dallas, Texas A&M; frustrated Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown and turned four turnovers into touchdowns to defeat Notre Dame, 35-10, in the Cotton Bowl.
At Orlando, Fla., 14th-ranked Clemson defeated 20th-ranked Penn State, 35-10, in the Florida Citrus Bowl.
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