2008 Bowl Games Part 1

December 14, 2008

EagleBank Bowl: December 20 11:00am on ESPN
Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Navy (8-4)
My Pick: Navy Midshipmen
Result: Wake Forest 29, Navy 19
My MVP: Kevin Harris 136 yards on 24 carries
*Wake Forest Quarterback Riley Skinner was perfect going 11-11 passing
*Wake Forest Cornerback Alphonso Smith set ACC record with his 21st career interception
Why Wake Forest won: These two teams met in the regular season in which Navy won 24-17. Riley Skinner passed for 270 yards that game but threw 4 interceptions. He was asked to throw a lot more than he was comfortable with because Wake could not get their running game going. Today, with 3rd string fullback Kevin Harris as the starting tailback, Wake ran over the Navy defense all game long. Harris was bigger than 8 of Navy's defenders on the field. Riley Skinner could sit back and just manage the game, allowing him to make good decisions with the ball.

New Mexico Bowl: December 20 2:30 on ESPN
Colorado State (6-6) vs. Fresno State (7-5)
My Pick: Fresno State Bulldogs
Result: Colorado State 40, Fresno State 35
MVP: Gartrell Johnson 285 yards on 27 carries, 2 TD; 90 receiving yards
Honorable Mention: Anthony Harding and Lonyae Miller
Turning Point of the Game: Tom Brandstater's interception by Tommie Hill. Colorado would take the lead on that possession with under five minutes to go and hold to upset Fresno State.
Why Colorado State won...
Fresno State has one the worst run defenses, but Colorado State has one of the worst rushing offenses. Today, senior tailback Gartrell Johnson ran for 285 yards against this Fresno defense.
*Colorado State Head Coach Steve Fairchild wins a bowl game in his 1st year at his Alma-Mater.
*Fresno State defensive coordinator Dan Brown coached his last football game. He is leaving now to focus on his treatment for his battle with brain cancer.

magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl: December 20 4:30 on ESPN2
Memphis (6-6) vs. South Florida (7-5)
My Pick: South Florida Bulls
It’ll be up to Matt Grothe to perform a lot better than he did at the end of the season and I think he will. As long as he makes good decisions and knows when to run and when to get rid of the ball, South Florida will rout Memphis.
Result: South Florida 41, Memphis 14
MVP: Matt Grothe 17-24 236 yards, 3 TD; 83 rushing yards
*Matt Grothe amasses the 10,000 yards of total offense mark
Why South Florida won...
The Memphis defense was just simply overmatched. On the other side, the Bulls dominated the line of scrimmage on defense. South Florida jumped out to an early lead that forced Memphis to throw the ball more which took 1,000 yard rusher Curtis Steele out of the game plan for the most part. South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe made good decisions with the ball and knew when to run. He made accurate throws down field, 3 of which resulted in touchdowns.


Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl: December 20 8:00 on ESPN
No. 16 Brigham Young (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5)
My Pick: BYU Cougars
I love Arizona. And I love Arizona’s defense. But except for that TCU game, Max Hall’s had a great season and it’s really hard to go against him.
Result: Arizona 31, Brigham Young 21
MVP: Willie Tuitama 24-35 327 yards, 2 TD
*Arizona receiver Mike Thomas sets all-time Pac-10 record with 259 receptions
Why Arizona won...
First of all, I learned something from this game. I learned to never pick against your own team. Arizona's right up there on my favorite teams list, and I still picked them to lose. Never do that again. Willie Tuitama made big throws and kept plays alive with his legs. This was a sloppy game with turnovers and loose balls left and right, and Arizona capitalized on its turnovers; BYU didn't.


R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: December 21 8:15 on ESPN
Southern Mississippi (6-6) vs. Troy (8-4)
My Pick: Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Result: Southern Miss 30, Troy 27 (overtime)
MVP: Britt Barefoot 3-3 field goals
Honorable Mention: Austin Davis 20-34 277 yards, 2 TD
*Southern Miss's win gives them their 15th consecutive winning season
*Britt Barefoot was 6-12 in field goal attempts and longest was 29 yards prior to this game.
Why Southern Mississippi won...
Brett Favre's alma-mater got it done today with the leg of Britt Barefoot. Only making 50% of his kicks this season with a long of 29 yards, made all 3 attempts today of 38, 46, and 39 yards to win the game. Southern Miss hung around in the game with Troy and Austin Davis's 35 yard touchdown pass on 4th and 2 turned the game around. What a performance by Davis, the redshirt-freshman today who ran the newly designed spread offense for Southern Miss. Troy would have tied the game in overtime, but the potential tying field goal was blocked by Michael McGee to give the Golden Eagles are hard fought upset win.



San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: December 23 8:00 on ESPN
No. 9 Boise State (12-0) vs. No. 11 TCU (10-2)
My Pick: Boise State Broncos
This is one of the best matchups. We are going to see that Boise State offense against this TCU defense. Ultimately, I think Boise State comes out on top and completes the undefeated season proving they should have been in the BCS instead of Ohio State. As long as Kellen Moore keeps his poise and doesn’t get rattled too quickly by the TCU pass rush, he should be fine. Especially since he’s a lefty and Jerry Hughes won’t be coming from his blind side.
Result: TCU 17, Boise State 16
MVP: Stephen Hodge 11 tackles, 1 sack, game winning interception
Honorable Mention: Aaron Brown 13 carries for 105 yards, TD
*Ian Johnson sets WAC record for career rushing touchdowns
Recap: This was supposed to be one of the best matchups and it was. This game lived up to the hype 100% even though I'm not happy with the end result. Boise State's 3rd ranked defense shut out TCU until the last minute of the 2nd quarter, while TCU's 2nd ranked defense did what it had to do in making Boise State's offense one dimensional. They took away the run and forced Kellen Moore to pass more than they wanted to. Boise State's defense in the 2nd half essentially gave up as TCU took the lead. Kyle Brotzman's missed 38 yard field goal in the 3rd quarter proved to be the dooming moment for Boise State, as that would have been enough to win the game. TCU got pressure on Moore and he made a freshman mistake by throwing the ball up for grabs resulting in Hodges' interception with a minute to go but Boise got the ball back with 6 seconds to go and credit to TCU for their immense scouting of Boise's trick plays in their "gadget offense" as they snuffed out Boise's attempt at the hook and ladder on the last play of the game.



Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: December 24 8:00 on ESPN
Hawaii (7-6) vs. Notre Dame (6-6)
My Pick: Hawaii Warriors
Notre Dame has been pathetic this year. Yeah, better than last year though. I’d love to think they can win this game but I just can’t. Hawaii isn’t a bad team even without Colt Brennan. I think they actually have a better group of receivers than Colt ever had down there. I like Hawaii’s stifling defense too after I watched what they did against Cincinnati even though they lost that game. Jimmy Claussen’s gonna have another long game.Result: Notre Dame 49, Hawai'i 21
MVP: Jimmy Clausen 22-26 401 yards, 5 TD
Honorable Mention: Golden Tate 6 catches for 177 yards, 3 TD
Honorable Mention: Sergio Brown interception and blocked punt
*Notre Dame wore last name's on the back of their jerseys for 1st time in 20 years
Recap: Going back to the Arizona-BYU game, again, I will never pick against a team that I like ever again. Notre Dame played this well probably just because I thought they would lose. A lot of people thought that Hawaii would win this game by a close one, but that wasn't the case Notre Dame blew them out. Jimmy Clausen had a career game and that's why Notre Dame won. If you look at all the games this past season and then look at the performance of Clausen in each game and see how it coincides with whether the Irish won or lost.
Clausen got a lot of help tonight from the defense too. It was thought that Hawaii's run-and-shoot offense would torch the Notre Dame secondary, but that wasn't the case. Notre Dame's pass defense was 2nd in the country in the second half of the season after being 101st in the first half. But Hawaii's offense is Nothing without Colt Brennan, enough said about that. It was the same story for Hawaii playing a big name school that the opposing defensive line was just too big and too quick for Hawaii's offensive line who simply cannot block. Notre Dame got pressure on Greg Alexander all game longsacking him 8 times.
Notre Dame right now, with all of its young players and the incoming freshman class for Charlie Weiss is set up for a very, very bright future if Clausen uses this game as a major building block.



Motor City Bowl: December 26 8:00 on ESPN
Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4)
My Pick: Florida Atlantic Owls
Prediction: FAU 42, C. Mich 38
Dan LeFevour and Central Michigan haven’t lived up the hype all year long and I really think they’re going to end this upsetting season with another upsetting loss. Rusty Smith led his Owls to big a bowl win last year with 5 touchdown passes and he’ll do it again this year.
Result: Florida Atlantic 24, Central Michigan 21
MVP: Rusty Smith 20-35 306 yards, 2 TD
Honorable Mention: Frantz Joseph 13 tackles, 1 sack, crucial pass breakup in endzone
*FAU Coach Howard Schnellenberger goes 6-0 in bowl games
Recap: This game was supposed to be a shootout and it turned out to be a battle of the defenses. FAU's defense played very well all game long until the final 5 minutes of the game.
Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour really impressed me today with his throws and decision making. He made some brilliant throws into tight windows with perfect velocity in the final minutes of the game. CMU coach Butch Jones didn't make good decisions when he elected to go for it on 4th and goal and didn't get it, but CMU's defense gave the offense a break when they forced Florida Atlantic to go 3-and-out inside their own 5. CMU took the ball downfield and got their touchdown to make it 24-19. The first try for the 2 point conversion failed, but CMU actually got a break with a false start call giving them another opportunity in which LeFevour made a perfect throw to get the 2. But then, Butch Jones made another coaching error in choosing to go for the onside kick with plenty of time left. It gave FAU a short field and they took advantage, but ran out the clock to end the game.



Meineke Car Care Bowl: December 27 1:00 on ESPN
West Virginia (8-4) vs. North Carolina (8-4)
My Pick: West Virginia Mountaineers
Prediction: WVU 34, UNC 17
Pat White's never lost a bowl game and it's been a disappointing season for the Mountaineers, but Pat White will carry this team to victory like he's done for the past four years.
Result: West Virginia 31, North Carolina 30
MVP: Pat White 26-32 332 yards, 3 TD; 58 rushing yards
Honorable Mention: Hakeem Nicks, WR, UNC 8 catches for 217 yards, 3 TD
*West Virginia QB Pat White has first career 300 yard passing game
*Pat White becomes first player in history to win 4 straight bowl games
*Pat White was MVP in all 4 games
*Pat White retakes the record from USF QB Matt Grothe for most career total yards in the Big East
Recap: Wow is all I really have to say. This was by far the most exciting bowl game that has been presented so far. This game was supposed to be all about Pat White but it turned out to be a whole lot more.
West Virginia was exactly what I thought they were. An offense of Pat White and a bad defense and a bad kickoff coverage team. North Carolina had great starting field position all game long and capitalized every time. Wideout Hakeem Nicks had a huge game that might have propelled his draft status if he decides to leave early. West Virginia had no answer defending him today and in the beginning it looked like Nicks might be the one that beats the Mountaineers.
Pat White drove West Virginia down the field and got a touchdown to take the 31-30 lead with 6 minutes to go. From there, in the last 5 minutes, both teams had trouble. North Carolina started at the 44 yard line and had to punt the ball away. West Virginia fumbled the ball away giving UNC another chance to win the game. WVU's defense finally stepped up and made plays including their first sack of the game. Then they forced Shaun Draughn to fumble the ball away only to have West Virginia punt it back but then on their last effort, TJ Yates was intercepted by Pat Lazear and West Virginia ran out the clock. Pat White ended his career with history made on that field in Charlotte, NC where those memories will stay forever. Pat White is the greatest player in West Virginia football history.
Most NFL scouts have White as a slot receiver in the NFL. He has 4.3 speed and is one of the best runners in the game. His catching ability is yet to be seen but White sure doesn't want to be anything but a quarterback and proved today that he can throw the ball. He made perfect throws with good velocity all game long and his only mistake was when he didn't look off the coverage. He stared down his receiver and that's a mistake that can easily be fixed as he continues to work. My case is that Pat White, as much as Florida's Tim Tebow, at least deserves a chance at quarterback in the NFL.




Champs Sports Bowl: December 27 1:00 on ESPN
Wisconsin (7-5) vs. Florida State (8-4)
My Pick: Florida State Seminoles
Prediction: FSU 24, WIS 10
I like the way Florida State has played to finish out the season. They could’ve easily came away with the ACC championship and be in the Orange Bowl but they stumbled a little bit, but now Christian Ponder is so much more mature than he was in the beginning of the year and I think Florida State’s defense shuts down Wisconsin’s struggling offense.
Result: Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13
MVP: Graham Gano 6/6 extra points, 5 punts, 48.6 avg, 3 punts inside the 10
Honorable Mention: Derek Nicholson 2 fumble recoveries (1 returned for TD)
Honorable Mention: PJ Hill, RB, Wisconsin 140 yards on 15 carries
*Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden gets 21st career bowl win (2nd all-time)
*Florida State became the first ACC team to beat ever Wisconsin
Recap: Florida State dominated this entire game. Wisconsin didn't have a chance and didn't even get a touchdown until the 4th quarter. Florida State is just too fast and well, they have Graham Gano. The senior kicker and punter was outstanding. On his first three punts in the 1st quarter he pinned Wisconsin deep in their own territory at the 3 yard line, 1 yard line, and 1 yard line again. It was absolutely brilliant.
Christian Ponder, playing with a nagging back injury, did a good job of just managing the game and running a balanced offensive attack. With a big lead, Coach Bowden gave 3-year starter Drew Weatherford the last 11 minutes of the game to play in his final football game.



Emerald Bowl: December 27 8:00 on ESPN
Miami (7-5) vs. California (8-4)
My Pick: California Golden Bears
Prediction: Cal 33, Miami 24
I thought about Miami winning this game. This very young Miami team has grown a lot over the season and they'll win the ACC next year but in a decent bowl game like this and with the game pretty much in Cal's backyard, I gotta go with them to win it because they have experienced players on the field. Not to mention that Miami's quarterback Robert Marve was suspended for this game.
Result: California 24, Miami 17
MVP: Jahvid Best 20 carries for 186 yards, 2 TD
Honorable Mention: Zach Follett 11 tackles, 2 sacks, forced fumble
Recap: This was a highly anticipated matchup and it lived up to the hype. A great all around game as we watched the outstanding freshman of Miami grow up on national television. Jacory Harris may very well be the starting quarterback next year and might force Robert Marve to transfer (maybe to Nebraska?).
The big matchup was Jahvid Best versus the suspect run defense of Miami. Best got the best of this matchup with 186 yards breaking off big run after big run. It looked as if Cal was going to run away with the game when they took the 14-0 lead, but then for some reason Coach Tedford got away from the running game and tried to throw the ball and Nate Longshore struggled throwing all game long receiving boos from his home crowd.
In the 4th quarter, Cal got back to the run game and gained a lot of yards while taking time off the clock. From there it was all Cal defense creating two more turnovers. It was senior captain, middle linebacker Zach Follett who made the biggest impact. With 3:28 to go he sacked Harris and knocked the ball loose for a fumble recovered by Cal that set up Longshore's touchdown pass to their freshman tight end (I forget his name) from the 2 yard line to win the game.
Miami had a good 3 minutes for their chance to tie the game, but the freshman inexperience finally caught up with them. Jacory Harris had extremely poor clock management and it cost Miami of any opportunity to send the game to overtime.



Independence Bowl: December 28 8:15 on ESPN
Northern Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5)
My Pick: Northern Illinois Huskies
Prediction: N. Illinois 27, LT 17
Northern Illinois has turned things around after winning just two games last year. This game is in Louisiana so the crowd will be pro-tech but Northern Illinois has to cap off this comeback season with a big win.
Result: Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10
MVP: Weldon Brown 13 tackles, sack, interception
*La Tech coach Derek Dooley wins 1st bowl game to become the second father-son combo to win bowl games (dad Vince did it with Georgia)
Recap: Northern Illinois did what they had to do and that was to slow down the rushing attack of Louisiana Tech. La Tech got just 92 yards on the ground on 31 attempts. They got a spark though when Phillips Livas returned the kickoff 97 yards in the 1st quarter for a tying touchdown. Minutes later La Tech took the lead with an 11 yard run by Daniel Porter and never relinquished the lead from there.
Simple fact of the matter is that Northern Illinois doesn't have any 'superstar' on their team and that's why they lost 7 games this year. They don't have a real explosive player on offense which is essentially crucial to win down the stretch. In the final seconds, the Huskies sure could've used an explosive play but couldn't get one, they couldn't get one all season long. Quarterback Chandler Harnish was far less than impressive tonight completing on 50% of his passes and throwing two interceptions that gave the game away.




Papajohns.com Bowl: December 29, 3:00 ESPN
North Carolina State (6-6) vs. Rutgers (7-5)
My Pick: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Prediction: Rutgers 49, NC State 34
NC State has done a lot this year with no quarterback. But look at Rutgers’ last game. I know it’s been a disappointing season for them but right now Mike Teal is on fire. He’ll have another big game here to finish out his career.
Result: Rutgers 29, North Carolina State 23
MVP: Kenny Britt 6 catches for 119 yards, TD
Honorable Mention: Mike Teel 22-37 319 yards, 2 TD, interception
*Kenny Britt becomes Big East Conference all-time receiving yards leader
Recap: With the very first play of the game NC State tailback Jamelle Eugene fumbled the ball away. That turnover to begin the game provided some foreshadowing for how the game would end.
Rutgers scored first off the turnover with a fake field goal run by Rob Cervini but then the extra point was blocked. Rutgers drove down the field later and had a field goal blocked. Late in the game though, the special teams got better and blocked a punt to get great field position which resulted in their go-ahead score.
Rutgers QB Mike Teel was again red hot and hooked up with all-time leader in receiving Kenny Britt who was Teel's go-to guy all season long. Britt will most certainly skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft this April, but he and Teel had one final moment together with a 42 yard touchdown connection.
The turning point in the game though had to be coming out for the 2nd half. NC State redshirt freshman QB Russell Wilson was a playmaker and led the Wolfpack offense in the first half to a 17-6 lead but sprained his knee and did not play the entire 2nd half. NC State used three different quarterbacks as backup Harrison Beck was ineffective and 3rd stringer Daniel Evans came in a provided a small spark but let up at the end. Beck threw one interception and completed only one pass before Evans came in, led the Wolfpack to a score and then on ensuing possessions threw an interception. He then had one last chance, with his dad, the offensive coordinator watching, to take NC State down the field for the win but threw a ball intercepted by 4-year starting safety Courtney Greene with 9 seconds left for Rutgers to seal the win.




Valero Alamo Bowl: December 29 8:00 on ESPN
No. 21 Missouri (9-4) vs. No. 23 Northwestern (9-3)
My Pick: Missouri Tigers
Prediction: Missouri 35, Northwestern 27
tMissouri is a much much better team than they displayed against Oklahoma. Yes, they had no chance to win that game, but this is a different story. Northwestern doesn’t have anybody who I feel can cover Jeremy Maclin so I’m feelin the Chase Daniel-Maclin connection all game long.
Result: Missouri 30, Northwestern 23 in overtime
MVP: Sean Weatherspoon 13 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 9 QB pressures
Honorable Mention: Jeremy Maclin 187 all-purpose yards, 2 TD
*Missouri kicker Jeff Wolfert becomes most accurate kicker in NCAA history
Recap: Missouri came out flat and fell behind but then late in the 2nd quarter Jeremy Maclin provided a huge spark with a 75 yard punt return for the touchdown that tied the game going into halftime. Missouri had been struggling offensively while Northwestern was clicking on both sides of the ball.
In the 4th quarter, Northwestern's linebackers coach told his team to get to Daniel because they knew Missouri was going to throw the ball every down. They were made one dimensional and got away from the running game by operating the 5 receiver spread for the entire quarter. Chase Daniel took his team down the field and tied the game at 23-23 with a 37 yard field goal by the most accurate kicker in NCAA history, Jeff Wolfert with 2:49 left to go.
Missouri's defense, led by Sean Weatherspoon, then forced a 3-and-out with and got the ball back for the offense with 1:33 to go. Daniel got his team into field goal range and left 3 seconds on the clock for Wolfert to solidify his place in history. Northwestern called its final timeout to ice the kicker and 30 seconds later, Wolfert attemped the 44 yard field goal to win the game and missed it wide right sending the game to overtime so the Missouri faithful will see Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin take the field again one more time.
In overtime, Missouri got the ball first and on 3rd on 4 from the 8 yard line, Daniel in the shotgun with blitzers in his face hooked up with who else, Jeremy Maclin on the quick slant, for the touchdown.
Northwestern need a touchdown to send the game to a second overtime but on 3rd and goal, William Moore and Sean Weatherspoon came at NW QB CJ Bacher unblocked and forced him to backpedal all the way to the 30 yard line before fumbling the football. A Northwestern lineman fell on the ball but it left them with 4th and goal from the 32 yard line. Bacher threw the ball up for grabs hoping one of his men could come down with it in the endzone but it was broken up by Moore.
Chase Daniel did not have a great game going 27 of 44 for 200 yards, 2 TD and 3 interceptions, but he finished his illustrious career off in the right way, with a W. It's also likely that Missouri fans have seen the last of Maclin and Weatherspoon as they both will likely declare for the NFL Draft and be top picks.





Roady's Humanitarian Bowl: December 30 4:30 on ESPN
Maryland (7-5) vs. Nevada (7-5)
My Pick: Nevada Wolfpack
Prediction: Nevada 31, Maryland 10
I thought about Maryland cuz I picked against them last year and they went on to beat Cal in the Emerald Bowl but Nevada has played some tough games and Colin Kaepernick has a lot more experience and he's a big duel threat guy and I don't think Maryland will contain him. Maryland's one of the most inconsistent teams and there's no telling which Maryland team will show up today --- the good or the bad? It's a long way for Maryland to travel to Boise, and they might be jetlagged but either way, I don't think the Terps perform the way they're capable of today.
Darrius Heyward-Bey is needs to have a big game today to raise his stock for the NFL Draft after dropping down the board the past month, but Chris Turner just hasn't been able to get the ball to him.
Result: Maryland 42, Nevada 35
MVP: Da'Rel Scott 174 yards on 14 carries, 2 TD (all in 2nd half)
Honorable Mention: Morgan Green 72 yards on 10 carries, TD
*Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick's 370 passing yards set new Humanitarian Bowl record
Recap: Maryland is just one of those teams that I can't seem to figure out. I pick them to win and they lose; I pick them to lose and they win. Only once, have I got it right when I picked them to beat North Carolina this year. Anyway, I got misinformation for this game so it's kinda my fault. I thought that Da'Rel Scott was suspended for the game for violating team rules and what it actually was was that he was suspended for the start of the game for violating curfew last night along with 6 other players.
It was a back and forth game in the first quarter before Colin Kaepernick sprained his ankle while getting sacked. He, and the Nevada offense struggled from that point on. And Nevada was exactly what I thought they were: a bad defensive team. I debated for a while before this game if Nevada could stop Maryland's rushing attack. At first I had Maryland scoring 34, then when I thought Scott was suspended, I changed it to Nevada winning giving up only 10 points. I didn't think Green and Megget could carry the load on the ground and wrong again, Morgan Green had a huge day too.
Nevada's defense struggled all day giving up big play after big play. Kaepernick got his team back into the game by leading to some big touchdowns but ultimately turnovers and Kaepernick's inability to run with his ankle sprain was costly. Kaepernick did pass for 370 yards, a new Humanitarian Bowl record, which led to big days for his receivers. Mike McCoy had 13 catches for 172 yards and Marko Mitchell had 5 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey needed a big day to raise his draft stock, but the spotlight was stolen by Marko Mitchell.
But when it mattered, the Nevada receivers flopped. McCoy had some crucial drops while Arthur King, Jr. was running a wide open wheel route and would've gone straight in for the touchdown but he dropped the ball. Nevada receivers had 7 drops, which didn't help Kaepernick's cause. Nevada didn't execute fundamentals all game long and that along with Kaepernick's injury, is why they lost.


Texas Bowl: December 30 8:00 on NFL Network
Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3)
My Pick: Rice Owls
Prediction: Rice 52, W. Michigan 24
Chase Clement had 41 touchdown passes this year for Rice leading their explosive passing offense. Western Michigan is one of the worst pass defenses in the country. This is the last time that Clement and his record making receiver Jarret Dillard will play together and they're going to put on a show.
Result: Rice 38, Western Michigan 14
MVP: Chase Clement 30-44 307 yards, 12 carries for 72 yards; 3 passing TD's, 1 rushing TD, 1 receiving TD
Honorable Mention: Jarret Dillard 8 catches for 86 yards, TD; 13 yard TD pass
Honorable Mention: James Casey 7 catches for 112 yards, TD
*Rice wins first bowl game since 1954
*Rice wins 10 games in a season for the first time since 1949
*Rice receiver Jarret Dillard becomes 1st player to have multiple 20 TD seasons
Recap: Western Michigan's coach Bill Cubit got a 5 year contract extension earlier today before this game and his team didn't respond so well to it with their performance on the field. Their potent offense was shutout 38-0 before scoring two touchdowns in the final 6 minutes against Rice's 2nd and 3rd team defenses.
I didn't watch much of this game, only what I could see while the Oklahoma State-Oregon game was on commercial breaks, but I was right when I said that Clement and Dillard would put on a show. What a day Chase Clement had with the trifecta, getting touchdowns passing, rushing, and receiving. Clement and Jarret Dillard have hooked up on touchdowns together a record-setting amount of times throughout their careers, but in this game, Dillard returned the favor by throwing the ball to Clement for a touchdown on a trick play.


Pacific Life Holiday: December 30 8:00 on ESPN
No. 13 Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. No. 17 Oregon (9-3)
My Pick: Oklahoma State Cowboys
Prediction: OSU 41, Oregon 35
I'd like to think Oregon can play defense, but they can't and now that defense will get a taste of a Big 12 Offense. On the flipside, Oklahoma State's defense isn't that great either. Their secondary is mediocre though they do have Jacob Lacey at corner and Ricky Price at safety, but it's not the same defense that held Texas to 28 points. This defense is much worse and highly overrated. It'll be a shootout in this game but I'll take OK state's offense with Zac Robinson, Dez Bryant, Kendall Hunter, and Keith Totson anyday over Jeremiah Masoli and Jeremiah Johnson of Oregon.
Result: Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31
MVP: Jeremiah Masoli 18-32 258 yards, TD, Int; 16 carries for 106 yards, 3 TD
Honorable Mention: Jeremiah Johnson 12 carries for 119 yards, TD
Honorable Mention: Terence Scott 8 catches for 125 yards
Top Performer: Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant 13 catches for 168 yards, TD
*Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson passes Mike Gundy for most passing yards in school history (Gundy is OSU head coach)
*Dez Bryant sets Holiday Bowl record with 13 catches (previous record held by Roy Williams (Texas) with 11)
Recap: Despite the scoreboard it was a defensive game. Both defenses actually alternated the spotlight. Oklahoma State is one of those offenses that can score in a heartbeat pretty much at will. When you've got a Dez Bryant on your team to throw to, you're hard to stop, and Zac Robinson made it clear he was targeting Bryant every play. Bryant had 9 catches for 113 yards in the first quarter and a half before a left knee sprain took him out. It was Oklahoma State's defense that began playing well which to me was not a surprise. They allowed one big run, that 76 yard run by Jeremiah Johnson for their first touchdown. In the 2nd quarter, Oregon wanted some attention too and both defenses stepped up as the 2nd quarter in this thought-to-be highly offensive game, put up nothing but 0's. The Cowboys went into halftime up 17-7 after Perrish Cox blocked an Oregon field goal attempt.
Coming out for the second half was Dez Bryant with a brace on the knee. He did make 4 more big catches including his last which was a 31 yarder in which his left knee gave out again and he spent most of the remainder of the game on the sidelines. After that, Robinson was a changed player. It was as if he didn't feel comfortable throwing to anyone else and Oklahoma State got away from the run game as both Kendall Hunter and Keith Toston failed to find holes to run through. Their run game had produced over 200 yards on average all season but today only averaged 3.2 yards per carry despite Hunter's two touchdowns which were both short goalline runs. The Oregon offense however clicked in the second half. They perfectly ran the zone read option the entire 2nd half and the Cowboys knew it was coming every time and simply could not stop it. Jeremiah Masoli kept the ball and ran for 3 touchdowns in the 3rd quarter.
Oregon kept having everything go their way into the 4th quarter. Near the end, Oklahoma State's defense finally made a stop with a huge goal line stand on 4th and goal to give Zac Robinson the ball back with 5 minutes left. OK state's offense is known for scoring multiple times in less than 2 minutes. Robinson completed his first pass to tight end Brandon Pettigrew for a first down but after that got hit 3 consecutive times. On 3rd and 14 you could see Bryant on the sideline next to his coach begging to get back into the game. They didn't allow it and Robinson had no one to throw the ball and to and the Cowboys had to punt it away.
They got the ball back again with just under 3 minutes to go and Bryant came back into the game but it was too little too late. Robinson threw errant passes his way as he continued to take big hits. It was not the Robinson we saw all year and I give props to Oregon's defense stepping it up after being downplayed by the media.
Oregon's offense amassed 300 rushing yards, over 200 of them in the 2nd half. It worked well considering their receivers weren't helping the passing game dropping everything they could get a hand on. Drops and injuries seem to have been the theme of the day going back to the Maryland-Nevada game. Nevada receivers made crucial drops and Nevada's playmaker Colin Kaepernick got hurt. Let me say this, if Oklahoma State's playmaker Dez Bryant doesn't get hurt, Oklahoma State continues to move the ball down field and win the game. Bryant could've had a huge night but injuries are part of the game.





Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: December 31 12:00 on ESPN
Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4)
My Pick: Houston Cougars
Prediction: Houston 44, Air Force 32
Houston Quarterback Case Keenum will be the key for the Cougars. Houston has the country's best offense in terms of total yards but I doubt they'll be able to defend Air Force's zone-read option offense. Houston wins this game by outscoring Air Force. These two teams met earlier in the season in a game that Air Force won 31-28 in the blistering winds of Hurricane Ike. They ran the ball the entire game and never completed a forward pass. Houston on the other hand is a pass-heavy offense. The weather conditions will be much for adapt for this game and Keenum will lead the offense to plenty of points, while Air Force still gets points of their own. Houston will have to at least slow down Air Force's ground game and have their offense simply score more. As Houston's punter Chase Turner said, the less he's on the field, the better the chance to win.
Result: Houston 34, Air Force 28
MVP: Bryce Bell 22 carries for 135 yards, TD; 4 catches for 91 yards
*Houston wins first bowl game since 1980
Recap: This was a different game than when these two teams met in the regular season. Houston was playing 9 different starters while Air Force was playing 5 including their new freshman quarterback Tim Jefferson. Houston's number one offense in the country got off to a quick start with a 17-7 lead in the first quarter. They did a very good job on the defensive side after a slow start there to contain the triple option of Air Force. They've seen it before earlier in the season which really helped them today.
Air Force then changed their gameplan and got away from running the option. Tim Jefferson showed a lot of poise and that he can throw the ball well. Air Force went to a more conventional offense passing and running, but went back to the option at times and got stuffed by the Houston defense.
Fumbles on both sides really hurt, but Houston capitalized by scoring off turnovers. Air Force was able to get nothing. Houston quarterback Case Keenum, averaging 400 yards passing per game, was held only to 251 on 33 attempts. Air Force's ground game took a lot of time off the clock trying to keep the ball away from Houston's offense, but turnovers gave Houston good field position all game long.




Brut Sun Bowl: December 31 5:30 on NFL Network
Oregon State (8-4) vs. No. 20 Pittsburgh (9-3)
My Pick: Pittsburgh Panthers
Prediction: Pitt 27, OSU 24
Nice matchup of runningbacks here: Jacquizz Rodgers vs. LeSean McCoy. But now with news that Quizz Rodgers will not play in this game with an injury, and his brother James is also out, bigger advantage to Pittsburgh. Look for Oregon State QB Lyle Moevao to try to get the ball to Sammie Stroughter, essentially the Beavers' last option as a play maker.
Result: Oregon State 3, Pittsburgh 0
MVP: Victor Butler 4 sacks
Honorable Mention: Slade Norris 2 sacks
Honorable Mention: Johnny Hekker 10 punts, 5 inside 20, 45.1 avg
Recap: Neither one of these teams has a stellar defense, but this was a defense dominated game. Both teams, with good offenses, struggled on the offensive side of the ball. Oregon State did not have the brothers James and Jacquizz Rodgers who account for 50% of their offense, and Pittsburgh's quarterback Bill Stull was highly ineffective and LeSean McCoy did not have a big day on the ground.
It was the front 7 for both teams that dominated. Neither team's runningbacks could find a place to run through and neither team's quarterbacks had any time to release an accurate ball. It resulted in 5 turnovers, 3 of them interceptions.
Pittsburgh got to Lyle Moevao 5 times while Bill Stull for Pittsburgh was pressured the entire game and only completed 7 of 24 passes. Victor Butler and Slade Norris together got constant pressure while Butler recorded 4 sacks and Norris got 2. Pittsburgh, with no timeouts left, had to go from their own 10 to try to get in field goal range, but when backup quarterback Pat Bostick got sacked with 11 seconds left by Slade Norris, the game was over.
Oregon State's true freshman punter Johnny Hekker had a hell of a game as both teams battled for field position. I didn't watch this entire game while flipping back and forth with the Music City Bowl, but what I saw was a sloppy performance by both offensive lines. Pitt did take one chance to tie the game, with the wind at their backs on 4th and 3 when Connor Lee attempted a 58 yard field goal. He had the distance but pushed it wide right.




Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl: December 31 3:30 on ESPN
No. 24 Boston College (9-4) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6)
My Pick: Boston College Eagles
Prediction: BC 17, Vandy 14
Boston College has won 9 straight bowl games and Vanderbilt, after being one of the nation's biggest surprises, tailed off at the end of the season. Neither team has a stout quarterback but Vanderbilt hasn't won a bowl game since 1955. With all that history though, Vandy could pull off the upset here. It'll be up to Boston College freshman backup quarterback Dominique Davis and how he performs against this very good SEC defense of Vanderbilt.
Result: Vanderbilt 16, Boston College 14
MVP: Brett Upson 9 punts, 42.6 avg
*Vanderbilt wins first bowl game since 1955
Recap: Not much to say about this game as you can tell with me giving the MVP to the punter. He was good all day though with the rugby style punting to push Boston College's field position back.
Vanderbilt continued to rotate their quarterbacks between the senior Chris Nickson and the freshman Larry Smith and even got junior Mackenzie Adams in there late in the 4th quarter. But this game was exactly what it was supposed to be, a battle of the defenses. I was interested to see what BC's redshirt freshman Dominique Davis could do against this Vandy defense and it wasn't much. They got one big play on the 55 yard touchdown pass to Colin Larmond to take the lead in 14-13 in the 4th quarter but then Vandy came back to take the lead with a 45 yard field goal Bryan Hahnfeldt with 3:12 remaining. The comeback attempt ended for BC when Davis threw his 2nd interception of the day, this one by Myron Lewis.



Insight Bowl: December 31 5:30 on NFL Network
Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5)
My Pick: Kansas Jayhawks
Prediction: KU 21, Minn 17
Kansas got a big win in the Orange Bowl last year, and had a disappointing season this year. After losing 4 of their last 6 games, they ended the season with a big win over Missouri. Minnesota hasn't been impressive either. They lost to Iowa 55-0 to end their season.
Result: Kansas 42, Minnesota 21
MVP: Dezmon Briscoe 14 catches for 201 yards, 3 TD
Honorable Mention: Todd Reesing 27-35 313 yards, 4 TD, int
Honorable Mention: James Holt 8 tackles, 3 sacks
Recap: For Kansas to win, Todd Reesing had to continue his hot streak and the Kansas secondary had to stop Minnesota's big play receiving threat Eric Decker. Turns out, 1 out of 2 was good enough for the win. Decker had a good game with 8 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown, but Todd Reesing was just on fire. He and Dezmon Briscoe were on the same page for the entire game. I thought Minnesota's defense would be better and be able to slow Kansas down but that just wasn't the case. Reesing torched the Minnesota secondary all game long with the exception of one poorly thrown ball that was intercepted. Kansas's defense did what they had to do in stopping Minnesota's run game and this game ended up being a blowout. If Briscoe does not leave for the NFL, Kansas could be a big threat again in the Big 12 next year.





Chick-Fil-A Bowl: December 31 7:30 on ESPN
LSU (7-5) vs. vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech (9-3)
My Pick: LSU Tigers
Prediction: LSU 31, GT 30
Can LSU defend the triple option offense of Georgia Tech? Well, we’re going to find out. If they can’t, we’re in for a long high scoring one-sided game. If they can, LSU wins. I don’t know whatever happened to LSU’s defense cuz they got smoked by Georgia and Florida but I really do think they’ll show up in this game cuz they have something to prove. On the offensive side for LSU, they made the change at quarterback taking Jarrett Lee out and starting the true freshman Jordan Jefferson. This is a big game for him and he'll have his chance to take his team to a big win. Georgia Tech's 2-0 against SEC teams this year, but LSU will make them fight for win number three.
Result: LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3
MVP: Jordan Jefferson 16-24 150 yards, TD; 41 rushing yards
Honorable Mention: Charles Scott 56 rushing yards, 3 TD
Recap: I said in my preview above that LSU's defense had something to prove, well they proved it tonight. They just stifled the triple option offense of Georgia Tech. It was one of the most impressive performances I've seen by a defense all season long. Jonathan Dwyer, the ACC offensive player of the year, was not able to break off a big run until inside the 5 minute mark in the 4th quarter when there were no longer any LSU starters on defense.
LSU offensively got off to a big start. Jordan Jefferson, the true freshman making his 2nd career start, had a big game on the national stage tonight. LSU had suffered bad quarterback play all year by Jarrett Lee and Jefferson had to just not turn the ball over. It was the first time I got to see Jefferson play and he really impressed me throwing and running and started to show some leadership. LSU has a bright future next year with him.
LSU Coach Les Miles, wanted his team to get out to a quick start and after scoring their first touchdown to take a 7-3 lead, he went for the surprise onside kick that LSU recovered and went on to score. Paul Johnson, useing trickery of his own called a fake punt for GT but LSU's defense stuffed that attempt and got the ball back on the 24 yard line for Jefferson to throw a 24 yard TD pass to the tight end Richard Dixon. LSU in the 2nd quarter scored 21 points in a span of 6:41. LSU on both sides of the ball simply had better athletes on the field.
Falling behind big, Tech had to get away from the option game and try to move the ball down field faster by throwing and quarterback Josh Nesbitt, not a great passer, threw a deep ball that was intercepted by Chris Hawkins to end the 1st half.
The 2nd half was the same story, LSU's offense and defense. LSU kicker Colt David hit a career long 53 yard field goal in the 3rd quarter. With a huge lead later, Les Miles, maybe rubbing it in to GT, perfectly executed a fake punt pass. On that drive, Richard Jefferson threw a perfect deep ball to a wide open Brandon LaFell for a touchdown but it was brought back by a holding call.
Georgia Tech could not get anything going offensively including multilple failed 4th down conversions. It all ended up to a long night for Georgia Tech in what was supposed to be a very entertaining game. Happy new year everybody.





Outback Bowl: January 1 11:00 on ESPN
South Carolina (7-5) vs. Iowa (8-4)
My Pick: South Carolina Gamecocks
Prediction: South Carolina 13, Iowa 10
Iowa beat Penn State and they won that game with their defense. Their offense, isn't much of a story. This will be a matchup of defenses as South Carolina's ranks 11th and Iowa's at 12. On offense, I have to give the edge to the Gamecocks.
Result: Iowa 31, South Carolina 10
MVP: Shonn Greene 29 carries for 121 yards, 3 touchdowns
Honorable Mention: Tyler Sash 2 interceptions
Recap: The source of struggles for South Carolina's offense all season long was the quarterback carousel and the lack of a running game. Coach Steve Spurrier said today that Steven Garcia was going to play the whole game at quarterback instead of rotating Garcia and Chris Smelley in and out. Well as if South Carolina's offense wasn't bad enough, turnovers don't help. 4 turnovers in the first half, 3 interceptions and a fumble by Garcia forced Spurrier to make the change and put Smelley in the 2nd half.
Iowa's Shonn Greene, the Doak Walker Award winner, ran all over this great South Carolina defense today and that was the key to winning. Greene is the only tailback in the nation who has rushed for over 100 yards in every game of the season.
South Carolina thought they got a stop at the goal line when they recovered a fumble, but it was overturned by replay and Iowa went on to score again. Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi, I thought he would struggle against this defense and he did a pretty good job despite throwing two interceptions but the story of the day was Greene collapsing the South Carolina defense.



Capital One Bowl: January 1 1:00 on ABC
No. 15 Georgia (9-3) vs. No. 18 Michigan State (9-3)
My Pick: Georgia Bulldogs
Prediction: UGA 31, MSU 24
One of the best matchups we’ll see. Wow, what a pair of the country’s best runningbacks: Knowshon Moreno against Javon Ringer. Georgia's young offensive line might get exposed here so it'll be important for Matthew Stafford to maybe show NFL scouts that he has some mobility and extend plays. He has one of the country's best receiving corps with the senior Mohamed Massaquoi and the true freshman AJ Greene. Michigan State is going to have to rely on Javon Ringer to be the workhorse and carry the Spartans to the win, but Georgia's defense is too good.
Result: Georgia 24, Michigan State 12
MVP: Matthew Stafford 20/31 250 yards, 3 TD
Recap: A matchup of the nation's two best runningbacks was set up to be an offensive showing but the first half was all defense as Michigan State took a 6-3 lead. In the 3rd quarter, Georgia came out ready to score. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw the first two of his three touchdown passes late in the quarter to put Georgia up by dougle digits.
Michigan State's Javon Ringer got a 1 yard touchdown when they used a double stack formation with two fullbacks in to block. It was Michigan State's only touchdown of the game. Georgia's defense got to Brian Hoyer the entire game recording 6 big sacks. Neither runningback, Ringer or Knowshon Moreno had big days on the ground but Moreno doubles as a good receiver out of the backfield. Moreno caught a nice fade pass from Stafford for a touchdown with 3:43 in the 4th quarter to make it a two possession game. Michigan State faced a 4th down in which the receiver Mark Dell came a chain link short of the first down and the Spartans turned the ball over on downs in what was their last chance to stay in the game.



Konica Minolta Gator Bowl: January 1 1:00 on CBS
Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4)
My Pick: Clemson Tigers
Prediction: Clemson 28, Nebraska 23
Dabo Swinney has had this Clemson team on fire since he took over as head coach and earned the permanent job. I don’t think it ends here. They have Cullen Harper coming back and it’ll be Harper’s last chance to bring back his status as one of the top senior QB’s after a season full of injuries.
Result: Nebraska 26, Clemson 21
MVP: Joe Ganz 19-36 236 yards, 2 TD, int
Honorable Mention: Quentin Castille 18 carries for 125 yards
Recap: In the 4th quarter when the score was Clemson 21, Nebraska 23, I seriously thought that maybe, just maybe I predicted the score of this game perfectly when I predicted Clemson 28, Nebraska 23. Clemson's gonna get a touchdown here and that'll be it, I thought. It didn't quite happen that way. It was Nebraska that did more scoring while Clemson's offense sputtered out of the game.
Momentum shifted back and forth as both defenses made plays but then Clemson looked as if they would make the first score with a field goal before that 20 yard attempt was blocked by big defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh. Then Clemson made a big play on defense when Deandre McDaniel deflected an attemped pitch on the option play and recovered the ball and ran it back for a touchdown.
For Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper, this was his last chance to have a big game and raise his draft stock and he did get out to a hot start until he was intercepted on a tipped ball that wasn't his fault but that was the turning point of Harper's day. In the final seconds of the first half, Harper just lofted a ball up for grabs and his big receiver Aaron Kelly came down with a diving catch in the endzone.
Nebraska, under new coach, former defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, played great defense and took away Clemson's run game with their dynamic duo of James David and CJ Spiller. In the 3rd quarter, safety Ricky Thenarse blocked a Clemson punt which led to a Nebraska field goal. From there on, Nebraska did all the scoring with two more field goals. In a 26-21 game, Clemson had one more chance but failed on 4th and goal from the 26 yard line after Harper was sacked.