DALLAS (FWAA) With their 34-24 win over No. 11 Wisconsin, the Michigan State Spartans (5-0) are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Oct. 2.
Playing without head coach Mark Dantonio, who suffered a mild heart attack after the Spartans defeated Notre Dame in overtime two weeks ago, the Spartans improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1999. Dantonio planned to return for the game, but the school announced hours before kickoff that he had been hospitalized again because of a blood clot in his leg.
Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes, the last a one-yard pass to B.J. Cunningham to cap a 15-play, 84-yard drive that sealed the win with 2:43 left in the game.
"We are very, very proud of our young men," offensive coordinator Don Treadwell said after the game. "Coach Dantonio addressed the group afterwards. Coach D was able to share with our football team of how proud he is of what took place today in terms of our young men's effort and determination and all the things a head coach would want."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 2 included:
Alabama (5-0): In Tuscaloosa, the top-ranked Crimson Tide held No. 7 Florida without a touchdown for the first time in 61 games in a 31-6 romp. The win was Alabama's 17th straight at home.
Oregon (5-0): The Ducks rallied from an early 21-3 hole to blow past No. 9 Stanford, 52-31, in Eugene. LaMichael James ran for 257 yards and three touchdowns to help Oregon win its 10th straight game.
Washington (2-2): Erik Folk nailed a 32-yard field goal on the final play as the Huskies stunned USC, 32-31, in Los Angeles to give them their first road win since 2007 and their first win at USC since 1996.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the seventh season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Members of the FWAA All-America Committee decide the weekly honor. Each remaining Monday during the 2010 college football regular season, the FWAA will name the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.
Founded in 1971, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has hosted six games that have decided the college football national championship, including three Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will host the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 10, 2011 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 1, 2011 in Glendale and the Insight Bowl will be played on Dec. 28, 2010 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
For more information on the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, go to footballwriters.com or fiestabowl.org.