Nebraska wins wild one with Wolverines

Zac Taylor threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Nunn with 4:29 left as Nebraska overcame a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat No. 20 Michigan 32-28 in the Alamo Bowl on Wednesday night.

The game ended on a bizarre play, with Michigan's Chad Henne throwing a short pass and his teammates lateraling no fewer than five times up and down the field before the play fizzled out with many extra players and coaches on the field.

The Huskers (8-4) won the Alamo for the third time in six years and finished a season with three straight victories for the first time since 1999.

The loss spoiled an outstanding performance by Henne, who threw three touchdown passes and also ran for a score. His 7-yard scramble with 11:40 left gave the Wolverines a 28-17 lead.

But Nebraska used a long punt return and a turnover to end Michigan's season with another disappointment. The Wolverines, ranked as high as No. 3 in September, finished 7-5, with their losses coming by a combined 21 points.

Cory Ross ran 28 times for 161 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown that pulled Nebraska to 28-25 with 8:08 left. That score was set up by Cortney Grixby's 28-yard punt return to the Michigan 38.

MPC Computers Bowl Boston College 27, Boise State 21

Matthew Ryan and Ryan Glasper spoiled Boise State coach Dan Hawkins' last game with the Broncos, leading No. 19 Boston College to a 27-21 victory Wednesday in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho.

Ryan threw three first-half touchdown passes, and Glasper intercepted Jared Zabransky's pass in the end zone with 37 seconds left as the Broncos tried to complete a rally from a 27-0 deficit.

The Eagles (9-3) extended the nation's longest bowl winning streak to six and snapped Boise State's 31-game home winning streak. BC's last bowl loss was to Colorado in the 1999 Insight Bowl, and Boise State's last home loss was in 2001 -- a 41-20 loss to Washington State in Hawkins' first home game after taking over for Dirk Koetter.

The game was Hawkins' last with the Broncos (9-4), who failed to win 10 games for the first time since 2001. He's headed to Colorado after signing a five-year contract worth $900,000 per year on Dec. 16 -- with the stipulation that he be allowed to coach Boise State in the bowl game.

Boise State lost for the first time in its hometown bowl. The Broncos beat Iowa State (2002), Texas El-Paso (2000) and Louisville (1999) in the game.

Carroll signs extension

Pete Carroll, who coached Southern California from mediocrity to dominance since being hired in 2001, agreed to a contract extension with the school.

Neither Carroll nor USC athletic director Mike Garrett would provide specifics of the deal.

"We love what Pete is doing here," Garrett said in a statement issued late Wednesday. "He does a great job of winning games and graduating players. Pete wants to be at USC as long as he can and we want him here, too."

The top-ranked Trojans are one win away from an unprecedented third straight national championship, an accomplishment they can achieve by beating No. 2 Texas in the Rose Bowl next Wednesday night.

USC enters the Rose Bowl with a 34-game winning streak, and has a 48-3 record the past four seasons after going 6-6 in Carroll's first year.

-- The Associated Press