Broncos slip past San Jose State to keep BCS hopes aliveThe Associated Press

San Jose, Calif. – San Jose State had an eight-point lead and a defense that had shut down No. 14 Boise State all day – yet Spartans quarterback Adam Tafralis still felt uneasy as the fourth quarter ticked away.

“You don’t count a team like that out,” Tafralis said. “They’re ranked where they are for a reason. They know how to win. They know how to come back.”

He had plenty of reason to worry. With the cool of a seasoned conference champion, the Broncos staged a dynamite fourth-quarter rally that barely kept their unbeaten season and Bowl Championship Series hopes alive.

Jared Zabransky shook off three frustrating quarters and a draining illness to lead two scoring drives in the final minutes, and Anthony Montgomery kicked his third field goal – from 37 yards – as time expired in Boise State’s 23-20 victory Saturday night.

Ian Johnson ran for 149 yards and a touchdown for the Broncos (10-0, 6-0 WAC), who stayed with Ohio State, Michigan and Rutgers as the only other unbeaten teams left in Division I-A. With two games left against Utah State and Nevada, the Broncos must win out to have a shot at getting to one of the five BCS bowl games.

For three quarters, Boise State seemed unlikely to remain perfect – but Zabransky coolly led the Broncos through their stiffest test of the season against the much-improved Spartans (6-3, 3-2).

No. 9 Notre Dame 39, Air Force 17

Air Force Academy, Colo. – Brady Quinn threw for 207 yards and four touchdowns, and Darius Walker rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries for the Fighting Irish.

No. 10 West Virginia 42, Cincinnati 24

Morgantown, W.Va. – Pat White ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and Steve Slaton added two scoring runs as the Mountaineers bounced back from their first loss of the season.

No. 11 Arkansas 31,

No. 13 Tennessee

Fayetteville, Ark. – Darren McFadden ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass, leading the Razorbacks to a convincing win.

No. 12 LSU 28, Alabama 14

Baton Rouge, La. – JaMarcus Russell threw three touchdown passes and frustrated the Crimson Tide with drive-extending scrambles to help the Tigers keep their slim hopes for an SEC West Division title alive.

No. 16 Wisconsin 24, Iowa 21

Iowa City, Iowa – Tyler Donovan stepped in for an injured John Stocco and threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns for the Badgers.

No. 18 Wake Forest 30, Florida State 0

Tallahassee, Fla. – Kevin Patterson scored on a 48-yard interception return, and the Demon Deacons become the first team to shut out the Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium in Bobby Bowden’s 31 seasons as coach.

No. 19 Georgia Tech 7, North Carolina 0

Chapel Hill, N.C. – Tashard Choice ran for 119 yards and a second-quarter touchdown to help the Yellow Jackets wrap up the ACC’s Coastal Division.

No. 20 Virginia Tech 23, Kent State 0

Blacksburg, Va. – Brandon Pace kicked three field goals to set a school record with 19 consecutive successful attempts, and the Hokies posted their third shutout of the season.

No. 22 Boston College 28, Duke 7

Boston – L.V. Whitworth and Andre Callender each rushed for more than 100 yards and a touchdown, and the Eagles took charge after a close first half to beat winless Duke.