UNR tops Louisiana Tech to earn share of WAC title

RUSTON, La. -- Leave it to Colin Kaepernick to tie the NCAA record for touchdowns rushing by a quarterback on a designed pass play, all while leading UNR to a conference title.

Kaepernick ran for three scores, including a dazzling 28-yard scramble on fourth-and-9, and the No. 14 Wolf Pack earned a share of the Western Athletic Conference championship with a 35-17 victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

The Wolf Pack then accepted an invitation to play in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco on Jan. 9 against a team to be determined from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Kaepernick now has 59 career TDs on the ground, tying the mark held by Nebraska's Eric Crouch.

"He is the leader of our team, there is no question about it," UNR coach Chris Ault said. "That last touchdown run he made when he scrambled on fourth down was unbelievable. That is what he does for us. He makes plays. That's what his legs do for us. He has done that throughout his career here. He is a pretty special guy."

On Kaepernick's fourth-down score, Ault called for a screen pass to Vai Taua, who tripped over a defender. Kaepernick, whose elusiveness gave the Bulldogs fits all afternoon, rolled away from pressure and sprinted into the open along the sideline. Just when it looked like he'd dart out of bounds, he cut inside and outran the pursuit to make it 28-17 in the fourth quarter.

"I had to scramble around and make a play. After scrambling around for a couple of seconds, it was amazing, the play just opened up and the hole was there," Kaepernick said.

Kaepernick wound up with 155 yards rushing, the 16th time he'd surpassed the 100-yard mark in his career