By Chris MazaFan Fanatic Sports StaffWell, now the fun really begins. The games that are awarded to pretty much anyone who wants to pay enough money to have their name on one are done and the so-called national championship is set to go tonight. Let's take a look back at the bowl season thus far.
New Mexico BowlWyoming 35, Fresno State 28 (2OT)
It was the coming out party for Austyn Carta-Samuels. He didn't have a stellar game overall, but he did lead his team from 11 points down to tie in the fourth quarter and threw a 13-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime to win the game.
St. Petersburg BowlRutgers 45, UCF 24
UCF hung around in the first half, but never really had a chance against Rutgers' defense. They held the Knights to 3.9 yards per play and just 1.2 yards rushing, while sacking UCF's quarterbacks six times and picking off two passes.
New Orleans BowlMiddle Tennessee State 42, Southern Miss. 32
Dwight Dasher had himself a day, even after suffering what appeared to be a pretty serious leg injury. Dasher passed for 162 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 201 yards (a 7.1 ypc average) and another two touchdowns. The performance topped Vince Young's record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a bowl game. But let's remember that Young did it in the Rose Bowl against USC.
Las Vegas BowlBYU 44, Oregon State 20
Statistically, this game would have looked pretty even if you didn't know the score. But the main difference was one quarterback could find the end zone and the other couldn't. Max Hall threw three touchdown passes, completing passes to eight different receivers.
Poinsettia BowlUtah 37, California 27
Utah averaged less than two yards per carry in the game, but that didn't matter at all. Another freshman quarterback having a career day was the story in this one. Jordan Wynn passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns as the Utes scored 27 unanswered points to win their ninth-straight bowl game. That is the longest active streak in college football and the third longest in history. Before you scoff that off, remember that during that streak are a Fiesta Bowl win over Pitt and a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama.
Hawaii BowlSMU 45, Nevada 10
Nevada was missing its top back in Vaia Tua, who was deemed academically ineligible before the game, but unless he could play defensive back, it probably wasn't going to make much difference. Southern Methodist torched the Wolfpack for nearly 500 yards passing.
Little Ceasar's BowlMarshall 21, Ohio 17
This game was about as unimpressive as it appeared it was going to be. The winning quarterback passed for 86 yards as the two teams combined for less than 400 yards in total offense. Marshall was spotted a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, but didn't do anything after that. Martin Ward did have a pretty impressive game for the Herd, needing just nine carries to pick up 72 yards and two scores.
Meineke Car Care BowlPittsburgh 19, North Carolina 17
Exactly what you would expect from two defensive-minded teams. Pitt won the game with a long drive that took almost 10 minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter, then kicked the game-winning field goal with 52 seconds remaining in the game. In that drive, Pitt converted two key fourth down plays - one on a quarterback keeper, the other thanks to a UNC penalty - to extend the series. T.J. Yates was victimized as he was all season by inconsistent play by his receivers and offensive line and the defense crumbled against the run late in the game as 13 of the 17 plays on the winning drive were runs by Dion Lewis.
Emerald BowlUSC 24, Boston College 13
The Trojans didn't play a great game, but luckily for them, they didn't need to. Boston College legitimized its decision to not send a band when its football team decided not to show up, either. That may be a bit harsh as the defense did hold its own most of the way, but the offense tied for its second-lowest point total of the season. Nothing went right for the Eagles, from missing extra points to their quarterback appearing colorblind. Matt Barkley was picked off twice, but still completed 73 percent of his passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns.
Music City BowlClemson 21, Kentucky 13
C. J. Spiller was kept quiet for most of the game, but came through when in mattered. Spiller's eight-yard touchdown with 10:43 left in the game to make a lost fumble by the Wildcats hurt. Kentucky actually had a chance to win this game. Kentucky closed to within one, 14-13, with a field goal in the third and had just started a drive with just under 12 minutes remaining in the game when Gene McCaskill caught a pass, then fumbled, setting up the Tigers' final scoring drive. They then went into desperation mode, hoping for a miracle and almost got it. They drove to the Clemson 32, but were faced with a fourth-and-eight situation. They ran the ball and almost converted, but came up a yard short.
Independence BowlGeorgia 44, Texas A&M 20
After an extremely slow start, Georgia got it going. Neither team scored in the first quarter and the Bulldogs had a field goal blocked early in the second. They actually trailed at one point for nine seconds before Brandon Boykin returned a kickoff for a touchdown. The Aggies tied the game at 14 in the third quarter, but Georgia went on to score 30 straight points to put it away.
EagleBank BowlUCLA 30, Temple 21
No one thought UCLA could handle the cold and they proved everyone, including Bill Cosby, wrong. UCLA scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to spoil Temple's first bowl appearance in 30 years. Things just totally fell apart for the Owls, who had the game in hand going into the locker room. UCLA defense allowed just one completed pass in the second half and Akeem Ayers returned an interception for the winning score. Ayers actually slipped and got up just in time to put his hands up and nab the pass. To add insult to injury, Temple's long snapper launched the ball over the punter's head and out the back of the end zone for a safety, the last score of the game.
Champs Sports BowlWisconsin 20, Miami 14
Jacory Harris didn't have a chance. While he didn't throw an interception, he kept with the alarming trend of looking for the big play downfield instead of effectively reading a defense and his offensive line couldn't keep the Badgers back. Harris was sacked five times and was crushed seemingly everytime he threw the football. John Clay bruised past a pretty good Miami defense for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
Humanitarian BowlIdaho 43, Bowling Green 42
Maybe the most exciting game so far this bowl season. Head coach Robb Akey made the gutsy call of going for a two-point conversion with four seconds left and his quarterback didn't let him down. Nathan Enderle completed the pass to Preston Davis and made everyone forget that Idaho allowed two-straight touchdowns on their only two possessions of the fourth quarter. With just 16 seconds left in the game, Enderle completed a 50-yard pass to Davis, then connected with Max Komar for a 16-yard touchdown, setting up the end-of-game dramatics.
Holiday BowlNebraska 33, Arizona 0
The Huskers dominated every facet of this game, but the defense stole the show. Arizona quarterbacks completed just 10 of 31 passes as the Wildcats picked up just 109 yards of total offense. The game was Nebraska's first shutout in 46 bowl appearances. The Huskers offense wasn't outstanding, but put up enough points and did show some explosiveness with a 74-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Armed Forces BowlAir Force 47, Houston 20
Air Force was yet another MWC team illustrating just how tough the conference is. The Falcons picked off Case Keenum six times, got five touchdowns from three different runners and had a 100-yard kickoff return in a complete drubbing of the Cougars. Air Force picked up a whopping 401 yards on the ground, including 173 yards by Jared Tew and 129 from Asher Clark.
Sun BowlOklahoma 31, Stanford 27
Sam who? Landry Jones had himself a pretty good day against Stanford, passing for 418 yards and three touchdowns. All three of those touchdowns ended up in the hands of Ryan Broyles, who hauled in 13 passes for 156 yards. Toby Gerhart did his part, but backup quarterback Tavita Pritchard was ineffective for the Cardinal.
Texas BowlNavy 35, Missouri 13
Ricky Dobbs and the triple offense ran all over the Missouri defense. Dobbs scored four touchdowns while accumulating 296 total yards. He ran for three scores and completed a pass for another. All told, the Mids picked up 515 yards of offense. Missouri did complain about Navy's practice of throwing low - but legal - blocks, as several teams have this season.
Insight BowlIowa St. 14, Minnesota 13
A close game, but not really much you can say about it. Considering the two sides were both able to pile up the yardage, the score is pretty disappointing. Sure, the game was decided by one point, Minnesota didn't put up much of a fight until the third quarter and neither team even threatened in the fourth until Minnesota made it down to the Iowa State 15, where they fumbled the ball away and Iowa State ran out the clock.
Chick-Fil-A BowlVirginia Tech 37, Tennessee 14
Lane Kiffin did a pretty good job with Tennessee this year, but the Vols are nowhere near ready to compete with the big boys and the Hokies put an exclamation point on that statement. After going into the break leading by just three, Virginia Tech scored 20 unanswered points in the second half while the defense held Tennessee to just 135 yards of offense and forced a fumble through the final two quarters. Virginia Tech made the day very tough on Jonathan Crompton, sacking him six times with an average loss of nearly 11 yards. Tyrod Taylor did scored a touchdown, but was kept in check for the majority of the game. Ryan Williams, however, was not. He rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
Outback BowlAuburn 38, Northwestern 35 (OT)
At halftime Auburn seemed to have the momentum and the game in hand, but Northwestern came out fighing in the second half. Mike Kafka threw three of his four touchdown passes in the second half, including the score that tied the game after a two point conversion with 1:25 remaining. Kafka had five total touchdowns on the day when you include his two-yard run in the fourth quarter, but he also was picked off five times in a game that featured 10 turnovers. Maybe the biggest of those turnovers was a fumble by Auburn's Ben Tate that set up the game-tying drive. Tate, who calls himself the best running back in the state of Alabama was having a fine day with 104 yards and two touchdowns. Auburn came very close to losing this game after fumbling the kickoff after a great return, giving Northwestern one final shot, but Stefan Demos missed a 44-yard field goal to end regulation.
Gator Bowl
Florida State 33, West Virginia 21
There really was no reason for Florida State to win this game going in but West Virginia just didn't show up to play. The offensive line gave up five sacks and a defense that normally allowed about 125 rushing yards per game and just nine rushing touchdowns all season gave up 226 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. E.J. Emanuel complimented the Seminoles running game with a 7o percent completion rate, good for 189 yards to go along with his 70 on the ground. Just an embarassing game all around by the Mountaineers who surely will not be in the final Top-25 poll.
Captial One BowlPenn State 19, LSU 17
If LSU had any semblance of an offense, this game would have been theirs for the taking because Penn State's offensive attack was pretty feeble. The Nitany Lions held the Tigers to an embarassing 1.6 yards per carry and Jordan Jefferson again showed an inability to take the team on his back the way a quarterback for a supposed elite team in college football should. LSU's ineptitude on offense was probably most adequately reflected in the fact that Penn State ran 75 plays to the Tigers' 49. And even after all this, LSU held a one-point edge in the fourth quarter until Penn State kicked the winning field goal with just over a minute remaining. For the record, the field conditions were perhaps the worst in recent memory for a bowl game. Time to switch to field turf.
Rose BowlOhio State 26, Oregon 17
If you go strictly by bowl wins, the Big Televen looks to be perhaps the best conference in college football. That is, of course, if you go strictly based on bowl wins. Regardless, the Buckeyes deserve credit for this one. Jeremiah Masoli, one of the most underrated quarterbacks in college football, was held in check the entire game, completing just nine passes for 81 yards, while picking up a mere nine yards on the ground. Tyrell Pryor picked up more yards by himself than the entire Ducks team, passing for 266 yards and two touchdowns, while running for an additional 72. The Ducks fell behind by 10 in the first quarter and battled back to tie it with 9:19 left in the half, but scored just once more the rest of the game.
Sugar BowlFlorida 51, Cincinnati 24
Cincinnati and their fans insisted that the loss of coach Brian Kelly wouldn't have an effect on the team's performance in the Sugar Bowl because he wasn't the one out on the field playing. So does that mean that this team just wasn't as good as they claimed to be? The Bearcats, who had been giving up an alarming number of points in the weeks leading up to this game, gave up their biggest total of the season as they were torched for 659 total yards. Tim Tebow passed for an unheard of 88.6 percent completion rating, good for 482 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 51 yards and another score in a game that no doubt boosted his draft status, though it's still unlikely he'll be an above average pro quarterback. Tony Pike had himself a solid game, throwing for three touchdowns and completing passes to nine different players, but his defense let him down in a big, big way.
International BowlSouth Florida 27, Northern Illinois 3
This game was so uninteresting the broadcasters spent more time talking about a guy who wasn't even playing in the game. The matchup featured more graphics about Matt Grothe's career at South Florida than Northern Illinois points. Mike Ford steamrolled the Huskies for 207 yards and a touchdown, while Grothe's backup B.J. Daniels passed for 217 yards and two scores.
PapaJohns.com BowlConnecticut 20, South Carolina 7
The Huskies deserved this after the season they had. UConn, who has become everyone's second-favorite team after suffering the loss of murdered teammate Jasper Howard, did their fallen brother proud with a solid win. UConn's pass rush got to Stephen Garcia four times and picked him off once, while Andre Dixon took care of the offense with 126 yards and a touchdown on the ground. South Carolina's seven points were the fewest they scored since posting six points against Alabama on October 17.
Cotton BowlMississippi 21, Oklahoma State 7
You really have to wonder if after missing a BCS bid the Cowboys just mailed it in. Zac Robinson threw four interceptions as Oklahoma State committed seven total turnovers in what was a total debacle. It's not like Mississippi played well, either. Jevan Snead threw three picks himself and despite Oklahoma State's ineptitude, they were still in the game until Hubert Anyiam caught one of the few passes Robinson actually completed to his own team, and promptly fumbled it. Patrick Trahan picked it up and took it to the end zone for the insurance touchdown.
Liberty BowlArkansas 20, East Carolina 17
This is a game Ben Hartman will have nightmares about for the rest of his life, no matter what else he manages to achieve. With the score tied in the fourth quarter, Hartman had a chance to be the hero. Twice, actually. With 1:09 remaining in the game, East Carolina had made it down to the Arkansas 22, setting him up with a 39-yard field goal. He missed it. But never fear. The Pirates defense forced Arkansas into a three-and-out and East Carolina again drove, setting Hartman up at the 22-yard line again for a very similar kick with three seconds left. He missed it. In overtime, the Pirates got the ball first and were unable to get in the end zone, so they looked to Hartman to hit a 35-yard field goal. Guess what? He missed it. On their ensuing possession, Alex Tejeda kicked a 37-yarder to win the game for the Razorbacks. It's hard to think of a tougher way for a kicker to end his senior season.
Alamo BowlTexas Tech 41, Michigan State 31
The Spartans just couldn't outgun the Red Raiders. The Spartans put up nearly 400 yards of offense, but Tech bested that with 579 yards. Kirk Cousins was less than impressive for Michigan State, but did enough to keep the Spartans in the game and they actually held a lead in the fourth quarter until Tech scored 14 unanswered points to put the game away. It was a pretty impressive outing by a team that was at the center of a ton of controversy heading into the game. It was actually former walk-on Steven Sheffield that pulled the Raiders back on top in the fourth while filling in for an injured Taylor Potts.
Fiesta BowlBoise State 17, TCU 10
In what many consider the actual national championship game, Boise State's defense got to show on a national stage that their impressive season was not just due to a weak conference. The Broncos, in a battle of two the worst uniforms of the bowl season, picked off three passes, including one that ended a potential scoring drive at the end of the game. TCU tied the game at 10 with a field goal in the third, but Boise State drove 78 yards and scored on Doug Martin's easy two-yard run to the end zone. Late in the game after the Broncos pinned the Frogs back on their own one with a punt, Andy Dalton led his team downfield, aided by a huge penalty by Boise, but his pass on first-and-10 from the 30 was deflected up in the air and Will Venable caught it to put an end to the threat. It was a pretty even game throughout, but the one difference that probably doomed the Horned Frogs was their inability to convert on third down and sustain drives.
Orange BowlIowa 24, Georgia Tech 14
Everyone kept saying Iowa's run defense was maybe the best in the country, but they had never seen a running team like Georgia Tech. The Hawkeyes responded by showing that it doesn't matter what kind of running game you throw at them. They're going to stop it. Georgia Tech was held to just about half of their average rushing yards this season and picked up just nine first downs as Iowa embarassed the Yellow Jackets. There were times when Iowa was able to make Georgia Tech a one-dimensional team and rely on Josh Nesbit's passing and he completed just two all game.
GMAC BowlCentral Michigan 44, Troy 41 (2OT)
This rivals the Humanitarian Bowl for the most entertaining bowl of the season thus far. Dan LeFevour's incredible leadership on Central Michigan's final drive of regulation should have won the game. The guy was tremendous on that drive, evading pass rushes, directing players to spots and hitting them. Most notable was his two-point conversion to make it a three-point game in which he rolled right under pressure, kept his eyes downfield, saw an openning, directed his receiver to the spot, then threw across his body to the wide open receiver. That should have ended the game, but Levi Brown, who had himself a game, too, led his team downfield with ease to tie it with a field goal and send it to overtime. LeFevour ran for a touchdown, which Troy answered in the first overtime, but the Chippewas' defense finally showed up in the second OT and Central Michigan kicked the game-winning field goal on their possession. It was a nice finish for a team that lost its head coach earlier this year. That's right, Cincinnatti. You can stop complaining about another school stealing your coach before a bowl game. You've now done it to Central Michigan twice in a row.
