Bulldogs snuff out Tigers' title hopes

You can cross Auburn off the list of contenders for college football's national championship. <br/><br/>Tra Battle had 3 interceptions and a touchdown while the Georgia Bulldogs were racking up a 30-7

Saturday, November 11th 2006, 8:04 pm

By: News On 6

You can cross Auburn off the list of contenders for college football's national championship.

Tra Battle had 3 interceptions and a touchdown while the Georgia Bulldogs were racking up a 30-7 halftime lead in a 37-15 rout of the 5th ranked Tigers in Auburn. Battle returned his second interception 30 yards for a TD while compiling the first 3-interception game by a Bulldog since 1982. Dawgs freshman quarterback Matthew Stafford was 14-20 for 219 yards, ran 7 times for 83 yards and accounted for 2 touchdowns.

In the rest of the A-P Top-25:

-- Troy Smith threw 4 touchdown passes and the top-ranked Buckeyes tuned up for their showdown against Michigan by routing Northwestern, 54-10. Now the Buckeyes can turn their attention to the 2nd-ranked Wolverines and a game that'll determine who plays for the Bowl Championship Series title.

-- Steve Breaston scored on an 83-yard punt return and a 62-yard reception to lead the 2nd-ranked Wolverines past Indiana, 34-3. Mike Hart added a touchdown run.

-- Jarvis Moss blocked a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give 6th-ranked Florida a 17-16 victory over South Carolina. That spoiled coach Steve Spurrier's return to Gainesville and kept the Gators' national championship hopes intact.

-- Antoine Cason returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdown to lead Arizona to a 24-20 upset of 8th-ranked California. The Wildcats beat a Top 25 team for the second straight week after knocking off Washington State last week.

-- The 9th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish manhandled Air Force 39-17 for their eighth straight road win. The 9-1 Irish secured back to back 9-win seasons for the first time in 13 years. Brady Quinn threw for 207 yards and 4 touchdowns.

-- 10th-ranked West Virginia routed Cincinnati, 42-24. Pat White ran for 2 touchdowns and threw for another as the Mountaineers bounced back from their lone loss of the season. Steve Slaton ran for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 12 carries.

-- #11 Arkansas thumped 13th-ranked Tennessee, 31-14. Darren McFadden ran for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass.

-- Jared Zabransky led two scoring drives in the final minutes and Anthony Montgomery kicked his third field goal from 37 yards as time expired in 14th-ranked Boise State's 23-20 victory over San Jose State.

-- Backup Q-B Tyler Donovan threw for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns as #16 Wisconsin beat Iowa 24-21. Donovan played in place of John Stocco, who had started 35 straight games before suffering a shoulder injury against Penn State last week.

-- Paul Thompson threw for a career-high 309 yards and 2 touchdowns and #17 Oklahoma rallied to beat Texas Tech, 34-24.

-- Georgia Tech has earned a berth in the ACC title game by downing North Carolina, 7-0. Tashard Choice had 119 rushing yards for the 19th-ranked Yellow Jackets, including a 3-yard scoring run in the 2nd quarter.

-- Brandon Pace kicked 3 field goals to set a school record with 19 consecutive successful attempts and 20th-ranked Virginia Tech posted its third shutout of the season, 23-0 over Kent State.

-- #22 Boston College trounced Duke, 28-7. L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender each rushed for more than 100 yards for the 8-2 Eagles.

--#23 Maryland edged Miami 14-13. The Terps improved to 6-0 at home. Miami was playing days after one of its players, defensive lineman Bryan Pata, was murdered Tuesday night in Miami.

-- Zac Taylor threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Purify with 21 seconds left as Nebraska clinched a berth in the Big 12 championship game by beating 24th-ranked Texas A&M, 28-27.