By The Associated Press

STARS - Willis McGahee, Miami, ran for a school-record six touchdowns and career-best 205 yards as the top-ranked Hurricanes beat No. 18 Virginia Tech 56-45 to earn a spot in the national championship game against Ohio State at the Fiesta Bowl.

- Craig Candeto, Navy, set a school record with six rushing touchdowns - tying a national mark for quarterbacks - and passed for another to lead the Midshipmen past Army 58-12.

- Quentin Griffin, Oklahoma, rushed for a Big 12 championship game-record 188 yards and two touchdowns as the eighth-ranked Sooners beat No. 12 Colorado 29-7 to earn a BCS bowl berth.

- Byron Leftwich, Marshall, passed for 404 yards and four TDs - including a 40-yarder with 49 seconds left - to lift the Thundering Herd to a 49-45 win over Toledo in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

- Roy Hampton, Trinity, Texas, passed for 481 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-32 win over Bridgewater, Va., in the Division III quarterfinals.

SMELL THE ROSES

Jason Gesser, wearing braces on his sprained right knee and ankle, passed for 247 yards and two touchdowns as No. 7 Washington State beat UCLA 48-27 Saturday to reach the Rose Bowl for just the fourth time. The Cougars, champions of the Pac-10, also played in the Rose Bowl following the 1915, 1930 and 1997 seasons.

SWEET AS SUGAR

Fourth-ranked Georgia routed Arkansas 30-3 in the Southeastern Conference championship game, sending the Bulldogs (12-1) to the Sugar Bowl and giving them their first conference title since 1982 - when Vince Dooley was the coach and Herschel Walker was taking handoffs.

MILESTONE

St. John's (Minn.) coach John Gagliardi won his 400th game with a 21-14 victory over Linfield in the Division III quarterfinals. Gagliardi is only the second coach to reach the 400 mark and is nine victories from breaking Eddie Robinson's record of 408.

RECORD-SETTING RECEIVERS

David Kircus caught four touchdown passes in Grand Valley State's 44-7 Division II playoff victory over Northern Colorado, breaking his own national all-division single-season record. Kircus has 88 catches for 1,772 yards and a record 32 TDs this year. The Division I-A mark is 27 TD catches, set by Louisiana Tech's Troy Edwards in 1998. ... Georgia's Terrence Edwards had seven catches for 92 yards against Arkansas, becoming the SEC's career leader in receiving yards.

STREAKING

Miami beat Virginia Tech 56-45 to win its 34th game in a row, tying Penn for the sixth-longest winning streak in Division I-A history. Miami's run is the longest since Toledo won 35 straight from 1969-71. ... Defending champion Mount Union defeated Wabash 45-16 in a Division III playoff quarterfinal for its 40th straight victory. The Purple Raiders (12-0) hold the nation's longest winning streak and have won 94 of their last 95 games. They are seeking a third straight national title and seventh in 10 years. Mount Union will play John Carroll next Saturday in the semifinals. ... Chaz Williams had his 10th straight 100-yard rushing game and ran for two touchdowns as Georgia Southern advanced to the Division I-AA semifinals with a 31-7 victory over Maine. The Eagles, who have won 10 straight, are 38-7 all-time in Division I-AA postseason play, the winningest mark in I-AA history.

BLOWOUT

Navy's point total in a 58-12 win over Army was the most in the game's history, and the 46-point margin was the second-largest in the series, behind a 51-0 Navy win in 1973. Navy's 508 yards of total offense and 421 rushing yards were also a game record, and quarterback Craig Candeto's six touchdowns were the most by a player in the series. Midshipmen coach Paul Johnson became the first coach of either school to win in his debut in this game since Navy's Gary Tranquill in 1982.

HEISMAN HOPEFULS

Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey improved to 38-1 as a starter with a 56-45 victory over Virginia Tech. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 300 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. ... Miami running back Willis McGahee tied a school record with 39 carries and scored six times to raise his single-season school record to 27 touchdowns. He finished the regular season with 1,686 yards rushing. ... Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich passed for 4,019 yards this season and became the MAC's career passing leader with 11,654, surpassing the 11,299 yards set by Tim Lester from 1996-99. The Thundering Herd won their fifth MAC championship since rejoining the league six seasons ago.

SNAPPED

Navy ended a 10-game losing skid with a 58-12 win over Army. ... Northern Colorado had won 16 straight against Division II opponents before a 44-7 playoff loss to Grand Valley State. ... Joliet scored 24 consecutive points to beat Georgia Military College 24-14 in the national junior college championship, ending a 20-game winning streak for the defending champions. ... Arkansas had won six in a row before a 30-3 loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game.

CLUTCH PLAYS

Peter Martinez kicked a 25-yard field goal with 40 seconds left as Western Kentucky rallied for 17 fourth-quarter points and beat Western Illinois 31-28 in the quarterfinals of the Division I-AA playoffs. ... Robb Latrielle found Mark Gallik for a 28-yard touchdown with 2:42 left to send Carroll, Mont., to the NAIA title game with a 20-17 victory over Sioux Falls, S.D. Carroll will play two-time defending champion Georgetown, Ky., for the championship on Dec. 21 in Hardin County, Tenn. Georgetown beat McKendree, Ill., 35-19 in the other semifinal. ... McNeese State quarterback Ryan Corcoran threw two second-half touchdown passes to B.J. Sams as the Cowboys rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Montana 24-20 in the Division I-AA playoffs. McNeese State (12-1) will play Villanova in the semifinals.

SECOND TO NONE

Curt Anes threw four touchdown passes to David Kircus, and Grand Valley State had nine sacks to send the Lakers to the Division II national championship game with a 44-7 victory over Northern Colorado on Saturday. They will play Valdosta State in Florence, Ala., next Saturday. It was Grand Valley's 22nd straight win at Lubbers Stadium. The Lakers, who defeated C.W. Post, N.Y., 63-13 and Indiana, Pa., 62-21 in previous playoff games, have scored 169 points in the postseason. The four-game record in NCAA Division II playoffs is 176 points.

COACHING CHANGE

East Carolina coach Steve Logan won't be back next season after going 4-8 in his 11th year. Logan had more wins than any coach in school history. His teams were 69-58 and went to five bowl games, winning two, but the Pirates won just four of their last 15 games. Athletic director Mike Hamrick said Saturday that Logan and the school reached a mutual agreement that he would resign.

TRAGEDY

North Carolina reserve defensive lineman Carl Smalls was shot and killed Saturday morning at a fraternity party in South Carolina. The 6-foot, 285-pound sophomore played in seven games and made four tackles for the Tar Heels this season after transferring from South Carolina. Smalls was suspended for the final two games for violating team rules.

SPEAKING

"I may be the luckiest coach in the world." - Miami coach Larry Coker, who improved to 24-0 since replacing Butch Davis two years ago with a 56-45 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.

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"We're not just playing for the Academy. We're playing for all the people who have fought and died for our freedoms. It's bigger than us. We're playing on a field for people who are fighting overseas for us. Football is small in the whole realm of things." - Navy quarterback Craig Candeto after a 58-12 win over Army on Saturday.