DALLAS (FWAA) A big-play offense and a defense that came up with three takeaways and six sacks enabled the Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) to earn Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week honors for games of the weekend of Sept. 17. The top-ranked Sooners scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to overcome No. 5 Florida State, 23-13, in Tallahassee.
The game's key play came from its standout quarterback-receiver tandem of Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles.
Facing third-and-12 in a tie game midway through the fourth quarter, Jones hit Broyles down the middle for 22 yards, and Jones found Kenny Stills for a 37-yard touchdown on the next play for what became the winning touchdown. Stills finished the day with seven catches for 125 yards.
"I'm proud of the character we showed in the fourth quarter," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "When the stadium is against you and the momentum is going the other way, we seized it back."
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 17 included:
Clemson (3-0): Tajh Boyd threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns as Clemson ended the Auburn's win streak at 17, formerly the nation's longest. Clemson rolled up 624 total yards and outscored Auburn 31-3 in the final 37 minutes.
FIU (3-0): The Golden Panthers pulled off a second consecutive head-turner with a 17-10 home win over UCF. FIU's defense had six sacks and two fumble recoveries, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
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 2011 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 seven games that have decided the college football national championship, including four Bowl Championship Series title games. This season, the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played on Jan. 2, 2012, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., and the Insight Bowl will be played on Dec. 30, 2011, 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.