Crowning Achievements

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DIVISION I-AA FOOTBALL James Madison

asked to pinpoint how his team beat Montana 31--21 in the title game last Friday in Chattanooga, James Madison coach Mickey Matthews answered simply, "We could run it, and they couldn't." The Dukes gained 314 yards on the ground and got two rushing touchdowns from each of two sophomores, quarterback Justin Rascati and tailback Maurice Fenner. Held to 44 yards on 23 carries, the Grizzlies moved the ball on the strength of Colorado transfer Craig Ochs's passing and took a 21--17 lead with 7:29 left in the third quarter. But four minutes later Fenner capped a 72-yard drive (all on the ground) with a one-yard scoring run to put James Madison ahead for good. It was the fifth title-game appearance for Montana, which won the IAA crown in 1995 and 2001, but the first for James Madison, which got there thanks to three road playoff wins.

DIVISION II FOOTBALL Valdosta State

on paper the championship game on Dec. 11 in Florence, Ala., looked to be a mismatch: Top-ranked and undefeated Pittsburg State of Kansas had averaged 57.6 points per game, scored 112 touchdowns and rushed for 5,157 yards--and the team's nickname is the Gorillas. But third-ranked Valdosta (Ga.) State didn't read the paper. After trailing by 14 points in the first quarter, the Blazers rallied to defeat Pittsburg State 36--31. Valdosta forced four turnovers and held the Gorillas to 371 yards of total offense, 244 yards below their average for the season. Blazers senior quarterback Fabian Walker, who started in the 2003 Sugar Bowl for Florida State, completed 19 of 27 passes for 165 yards and ran for 55 yards on 11 carries. Said Walker of his tortuous career--several seasons as a backup for the Seminoles, surgery to repair a painful bone spur in his throwing shoulder and finally a transfer to Valdosta State last January after he realized he wouldn't win the Florida State starting job--"It's all ending on a good note."

DIVISION III FOOTBALL Linfield

utah had perhaps the most exciting attack in Division I-A in 2004, but it was a Utes transfer, quarterback Brett Elliott, who ran another of college football's most prolific offenses. With Elliott calling signals, Linfield College, located outside Portland, was averaging nearly 52 points a game entering last Saturday's Division III final in Salem, Va. Against Mary Hardin-Baylor of Belton, Texas, Elliott threw two touchdown passes in a 28--21 victory, extending his NCAA all-division single-season record to 61 TD throws. His biggest came on what appeared to be an overthrown swing pass, which Wildcats running back Riley Jenkins turned into a 10-yard touchdown play with 5:51 remaining, the game's final points. "I thought it was incomplete and was thinking about the next play," said Elliott. "Then he sticks out his left arm and makes an unbelievable catch. That's been the story of our season."

WATER POLO UCLA

a reserve attacker was an unlikely hero when UCLA won its eighth national championship on Dec. 5, defeating Stanford 10--9 at the Cardinal's pool. "We had three players [foul out], and I was the next guy in line to play," said sophomore Logan Powell. "I was in the right place at the right time." In front of 3,044 screaming fans, Powell scored on a rebound shot with 13 seconds left in double overtime. Senior attacker Brett Ormsby, the tournament MVP who led the Bruins in goals (70) this fall, scored twice against Stanford, including the goal with 3:14 left in regulation that put UCLA up 7--5. But the Cardinal battled back behind three-time national player of the year Tony Azevedo, who tied the game with 21 seconds left. In the second overtime, however, he was not so fortunate: Bruins goalkeeper Joseph Axelrad made what may have been the biggest of his 374 career saves, blocking Azevedo's shot with five seconds left to secure the victory.

SOCCER Indiana