Cowboys stunk it up to earn needed win

Here is a scattershot roundup of the weekend of college football and holiday storms.

THUMBS UP: Gotta give it to Wyoming after falling behind, making mistakes and generally stinking it up at home against Ohio, the Cowboys rallied for a slim but valuable non-league victory. Either way, in celebration or mourning, bar tap flow would have been the same. The MWC needed this one.

THUMBS DOWN: The ACC, which is affectionately being called the Absent Credibility Conference, went 2-4 against FBS opponents over the weekend. Only Wake Forest (Baylor) and Boston College (Kent State) delivered wins.

THEY SAID IT ... : Commenting on BYU linebacker Coleby Clawson's pair of big hits on UNI quarterback Pat Grace, coach Barry Lamb: "Whew, wow. He smacked that guy a couple of times and he did it right, not helmet on helmet but shoulder pad on helmet and drove through. It was sweet and I can't wait to see the film."

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: The MWC folks had a tough time choosing an offensive player of the week before throwing the honor to triumphant Ute senior QB Brian Johnson for his sixth career 300-yard passing day against Michigan at the Big House. Cougar junior Dennis Pitta, against Northern Iowa, posted the nation's top receiving day (213 yards), broke the MWC tight end receiving mark and delivered the third highest single-game yardage by a tight end in school history. Chalk up opponent and venue.

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW: Chuck Long has to be banging his surf board against his garage this weekend. The SDSU coach endured the second Aztec loss in three years to Cal Poly, this one a 29-27 setback on a 21-yard chip-shot field goal. His new QB, Ryan Lindley, threw for 352 yards and three TDs, but got picked off twice and the Aztecs had three fumbles.

MY MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: I predicted he'd play a huge part at Michigan and Louie Sakoda's foot ended up being the difference in Utah's win at the Big House. He's not only money, but the Swiss could set watches by this kid.

DUMB AND DUMBER: One could blame it on clouds that clutter, but how about parachutists with the game ball dropping into the wrong ACC stadium on Saturday? True, two guys dropped out of the sky and landed at Duke University's stadium on the 35-yard line, right before kickoff with James Madison. The two parachutists missed their target by eight miles. They were hired by promotions folks to land at the North Carolina game at Chapel Hill.

YEAH, BUT ... : No. 19 Auburn clipped Louisiana-Monroe but got three wide receivers and a quarterback injured in the process. Ouch.