December 2005 in Sports - 4 December 2005 (Sunday)

4 December 2005 (Sunday)

• NCAA
  • College football: In the Bowl Championship Series games, as expected, Southern California and Texas, the number one and two teams all season long, were placed into the Rose Bowl for the National Championship game January 4. In the other three games that make up the BCS, the Orange Bowl chooses Big Ten co-champion Penn State to face ACC winner Florida State on January 3. In the two games that are scheduled for January 2, the Fiesta Bowl selects Notre Dame and the other co-champion of the Big Ten, Ohio State after both met criteria set forth by the BCS, and SEC champion Georgia and West Virginia out of the Big East will face off in the Sugar Bowl. More bowl matchups were announced and can be found on this page.
  • Women's soccer: In the final of the 2005 College Cup, the Portland Pilots, behind two goals by Canada international Christine Sinclair, shut out UCLA by a 4–0 score, made even more incredible by the fact that the Bruins had shut out all their previous five NCAA tournament opponents before this game. The Pilots finish the season unbeaten (24 wins, 2 draws).

• National Football League Week 13
  • Carolina Panthers 24, Atlanta Falcons 6: The Panthers sack Michael Vick five times and intercept him twice; DeShaun Foster rushes for 131 yards.
  • Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 23: Chris Chambers' fifteenth reception — a 4-yard touchdown from Sage Rosenfels with six seconds left — caps a 21-point fourth-quarter Miami comeback.
  • Cincinnati Bengals 38, Pittsburgh Steelers 31: Ben Roethlisberger throws for 386 yards, but the Bengals intercept him three times as they take a two-game lead in the AFC North.
  • New York Giants 17, Dallas Cowboys 10: The Giants defense forces four turnovers, including a fumble returned for a touchdown, and sacks Drew Bledsoe four times to take first place in the NFC East.
  • Chicago Bears 19, Green Bay Packers 6: The Bears' defense comes up with four turnovers, including a late interception returned for a touchdown by Nathan Vasher.
  • Baltimore Ravens 16, Houston Texans 15: Kyle Boller leads the Ravens on a last-minute drive that ends in a game-winning 38-yard field goal by Matt Stover.
  • Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Cleveland Browns 14: The Jaguars sack Browns rookie quarterback Charlie Frye five times in the second half; Greg Jones rushes for 103 yards.
  • Minnesota Vikings 21, Detroit Lions 16: The Vikings win their fifth-straight game thanks to a 17-for-23 performance from Brad Johnson.
  • At LSU Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10, New Orleans Saints 3: Ronde Barber intercepts Aaron Brooks three times, including an end-zone pickoff with 1:33 left.
  • Indianapolis Colts 35, Tennessee Titans 3: Peyton Manning throws three touchdown passes as the Colts go to 12–0, and become the first team to clinch a playoff berth.
  • Arizona Cardinals 17, San Francisco 49ers 10: Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin connected for a 54-yard touchdown to give the Cards a win and keep the 49ers in last place in the NFC West.
  • Washington Redskins 24, St. Louis Rams 9: Clinton Portis rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns in the Redskins' win, which clinches the NFC West for the Seattle Seahawks.
  • Kansas City Chiefs 31, Denver Broncos 27: Thanks to an overturn on replay on a fourth and one that the Broncos had thought was a first down, the Chiefs won their seventeenth straight game at home in Arrowhead Stadium during the month of December.
  • New England Patriots 16, New York Jets 3: Adam Vinatieri becomes the all-time leading scorer in Pats history as the defending champions beat the battered Jets.
  • San Diego Chargers 34, Oakland Raiders 10: Drew Brees throws for 160 yards and two touchdowns, while LaDainian Tomlinson has a total of 110 yards, as the Chargers rout the Raiders for their fifth straight win.