Bowl Game Central: 2007-08 Postseason Recaps
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
2007 New Orleans Bowl
Florida Atlantic def. Memphis, 44-27
Rusty Smith tossed an R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl five touchdown passes as Florida Atlantic held down Memphis to a scoreless fourth quarter enroute to a 44-27 victory. Smith also recorded 336 passing yards on 25-of-32 completion with only an interception to help give the Owls its first bowl victory in their postseason debut and give coach Howard Schnellenberger his fifth consecutive bowl victory in as many games. The Tigers went down by as many as 17 points in the second quarter after Smith, the game's MVP, tossed his 4th score on a 4-yarder to William Rose for a 13-30 lead. Memphis, however kept the game close after Martin Hankins (25-of-39, 281 yards, 3 TDs) spotted Earnest Williams for a 19-yard score to end the first half before launching a 6-yarder to Carlos Singleton on the endzone in the third quarter to cut the lead to three at 27-30. But it was the Tigers' last gasp as Hankins went down with a leg injury and the Owls capitalized on a blocked punt that settled the outcome of the game.
2007 PapaJohns.com Bowl
Cincinnati def Southern Miss, 31-21
It wasn't the prettiest of games, but Cincinnati quarterback Ben Mauk made the best out of it anyways after throwing for four touchdown passes to lead the Bearcats to a 31-21 win in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Mauk, the game's most valuable player, went 30-for-52 for 334 yards with three interceptions in a game marked by seven sacks, 17 penalties and seven turnovers. Cincinnati cornerback DeAngelo Smith meanwhile led the Bearcat defense with a pass break-up, five tackles, and three interceptions including the last one which halted Southern Miss' final drive. Jeremy Young led the Golden Eagles with 122 yards and 2 TDs on 18-of-32 passing but had three interceptions while Damion Fletcher led the team on rushing (29 carries for 155 yards) and receiving (7 catches for 50 yards). USM drew first blood on Young's 10-yard pass to Shawn Nelson but went scoreless until midway through the third quarter while Cincinnati produced 21 consecutive points on an 8-minute interval to establish a 21-14 lead. Young temporarily stopped the bleeding with his 1-yard dash but the Bearcats responded with two straight scores on Mauk's 10-yard connection with Antwuan Giddens and Jake Rogers' 22-yard rush to end the third on a 31-14 lead and were never threatened again. The win is coach Brian Kelly's first bowl game win at Cincinnati and gave the Bearcats only their second ten win season since 1951. It was also USM coach Jeff Bower's last game as he will be replaced by former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Larry Fedora after this season.
2007 New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico def. Nevada, 23-0
New Mexico snapped the nation's sixth longest drought in the postseason in shut-out fashion with a 23-0 win over Nevada at the New Mexico Bowl. Donovan Porterie was 20-for-36 for 354 yards and 2 touchdowns while Paul Baker, making his first start in place of ineligible starter Rodney Ferguson, rushed for 167 yards on 22 carries to lead the Lobos to their first postseason win in 46 years while giving coach Rocky Long his first bowl victory in five attempts. The Lobo defense held the Wolfpack, who averaged 36 points per game, to its first scoreless outing after 329 games (since 1980) allowing only 73 rushing yards and forcing 11 punts. Porterie opened the first quarter with two TD strikes to Marcus Smith and Travis Brown (7 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD) while John Sullivan took care of the scoring the rest of the way with three field goals (53, 45, and 37 yards). Colin Kaepernick led the Nevada offense with 137 yards on 13-of-31 passing while Luke Lippencott rushed ten times for 40 yards.
2007 Las Vegas Bowl
BYU def. UCLA, 17-16
Eathyn Manumaleuna blocked a Kai Forbath field goal as time expired to give Brigham Young a 17-16 victory over UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. Down by 11 with a minute left in the first half, the Bruins managed to keep their distance from the Cougars as Brandon Breazell (4 catches, 44 yards) caught a 4 yard touchdown pass from Mcleod Bethel-Thompson (11-for-27, 154 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) to end the second quarter then snapped a scoreless tie in the second half with Forbath's 50-yard field goal to draw close at 16-17 halfway through the fourth quarter. With just about 2 minutes left in the game, the Bruins had one last ditch effort after forcing the Cougars to punt and placing themselves 89 yards deep into the BYU territory. But with three seconds left, Forbath, who was previously 3-for-3, had his FG blocked to hand the Bruins its second defeat in five outings against BYU since 1983. Max Hall led the Cougars with 231 yards (21-of-35) and 2 TDs while Austin Collie caught six passes for 107 yards and a touchdown for BYU who won the Las Vegas Bowl for the second straight year.
2007 Hawaii Bowl
East Carolina def. Boise State, 41-38
East Carolina salvaged a 41-38 Hawaii Bowl victory over Boise State on a 34-yard Ben Hartman field goal as time expired. Despite the absence of star running back Ian Johnson (ankle injury, 11 yards on 4 carries), the Broncos staged a rally that erased a 24-point deficit in the second half with Taylor Tharp (30-of-44, 270 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) throwing a 25-yard score to Jeremy Avery (10 carries, 69 yards), Kyle Brotzman kicking a 31-yard field goal, D.J. Harper rushing for a 1-yard touchdown, and Marty Tadman returning a fumble 47-yard into the endzone to knot the score at 38 with just over a minute left in the game. The Broncos however could not sustain the rally on defense as the Pirates managed to set up Hartman's FG attempt at the 17 to settle the final score. Chris Johnson, ECU's most valuable player, led the Pirates with 223 rushing yards and 1 TD on 28 carries, caught 3 passes for 32 yards and 1 TD reception, and returned six kickoffs for 153 yards while in the process setting the NCAA record for all-purpose yards in a bowl with 408 yards.
2007 Motor City Bowl
Purdue def. Central Michigan, 51-48
The Motor City Bowl may not be the most anticipated bowl game this season, nonetheless both Purdue and Central Michigan came out to play with the Boilermakers edging the Chippewas in a high scoring and thrilling affair, 51-48. Chris Summers nailed the CMU coffin on a 40-yard field goal as time expired to cap the second-highest combined 4-quarter scoring output in bowl game history with 99 points. Curtis Painter went 35-for-54 for a school record 546 passing yards, which also turned out to be the fourth-most in bowl game history. Painter also tossed three touchdowns with two pick-offs, Kory Sheets carried 12 times for 27 yards and 2 TDs, and Greg Orton caught 9 passes for 136 yards and 1 TD for the Boilermakers who outgained the Chippewas 587-435. Purdue established their largest lead of the game at 21 in the second quarter after Summers sank a 21-yard FG to put his team ahead at 27-6. After Dan LeFevour (17-of-34 for 292 yards and 4 TDs) tossed his first TD of the game on a 49-yarder to Bryan Anderson (7 receptions, 129 yards, 3 TDs), the Boilermakers regained the 21-point lead after Sheets rushed for 1 to the endzone to close the first half. Purdue tasted a 21-point lead for the third time early in the second half with Painter tossing 19 yards to Jake Standeford before the CMU onslaught took place. LeFevour threw one touchdown and ran for a couple more in a 10-minute span to tie the game at 41 at the end of the third. The two exchanged TDs in the fourth before Summers nailed the game-winning FG as time went out.
2007 Holiday Bowl
Texas def. Arizona State, 52-34
Texas stormed with three straight touchdown scores in the first quarter and never looked back as the Longhorns dominated Arizona State, 52-34 in the Holiday Bowl. Colt McCoy (21-for-31, 174 yards, 1 TD) tossed a 2-yard score, then John Chiles and Jamaal Charles (27 carries, 161 yards, 2 TDs) ran 4 and 15 yards into the endzone, respectively in the first before an unusual and controversial call early in the second quarter gave the Sun Devils a chance to score. Chris Jessie, one of his stepfather's (Mack Brown) football operations staff inadvertedly touched the football after ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter's fumble and was penalized with an unsportsmanlike foul for illegal interference. The Sun Devils was given the possession back half the distance to the goal which they converted easily on Chris McGaha's TD reception. Texas however was never threatened the rest of the way as the Longhorns established a 25-point lead in the 4th on Vondrell McGee's 28 yard run. Carpenter led ASU with 2 TDs and 187 yards on 18-of-36 passing while McGaha caught 9 passes for 79 yards and a TD. The victory gave Texas its 7th straight 10-win season, just behind Florida State's 14 ten-win seasons and Miami's 8.
2007 Champs Sports Bowl
Boston College def. Michigan State, 24-21
In his final collegiate football game, Matt Ryan completed 22-of-47 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns to aid Boston College to its eight consecutive postseason win after edging out Michigan State, 24-21. Andre Callender also chipped in 33 yards on the ground from 12 carries while Rich Gunnell contributed 138 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns from 6 receptions for BC, which was led by All-America safety Jamie Silva on defense with 2 pick-offs and 10 tackles enroute to being named as the game's most valuable player. Trailing 13-24 with nine minutes in the fourth, the Spartans cut the deficit to three after Brian Hoyer threw a 14-yard pass to Deon Curry for a touchdown then threw one to Kellen Davis in the ensuing 2-point conversion. Michigan State had a couple more chances to tie or take the lead but could not come up with a first down with Hoyer getting picked off for the fourth time in the game with under three minutes remaining. Hoyer completed 14-of-36 passes for 131 yards and 2 TDs for the Spartans, who outgained the Eagles 303-276. BC won despite only rushing for 27 yards or an average of 0.9 yard per carry.
2007 Texas Bowl
TCU def. Houston, 20-13
Andy Dalton completed 21-of-30 passes for 294 yards with an interception to go along with 11 carries and 17 yards with a scoring run, leading TCU to a 20-13 win over Houston in the Texas Bowl. It was a close game althroughout with the Horned Frogs claiming the lead on junior running back Justin Watts' 7-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Chris Manfredini then nailed a 36-yard field goal halfway to the final quarter to extend TCU's lead to 10 before Houston's T.J. Lawrence cut the deficit to a touchdown on a 32-yard field goal with less than two minutes left. The Cougars then attempted an onside kick but couldn't recover the football and blew their final shot after Case Keenum, who was sacked five times, got sacked for the final time by Chase Ortiz. Keenum finished the game going 23-of-38 for 335 yards, Donnie Avery had 10 receptions for 120 yards, while Anthony Alridge was limited to 28 yards on 15 carries.
2007 Emerald Bowl
Oregon State def. Maryland, 21-14
Yvenson Bernard rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown on 38 carries while James Rodgers caught 5 passes for 40 yards and a touchdown as Oregon State held down Maryland, 21-14 at the Emerald Bowl. The Terps were held scoreless in the final three quarters and were held to 19 yards on the ground. After Chris Turner connected with Dar Hayward-Bey for a 63-yard touchdown with a minute left in the opening quarter, the Beavers retaliated with a touchdown a piece on the second and third quarters on Bernard's 2-yard run and Rodgers (career high 115 yards rushing) fumble recovery in the end zone. Bernard's output pushed him four spots to sixth place in the Pac-10's career rushing yardage list, overtaking Arizona's Trung Canidate, UCLA's Gaston Green and USC's Anthony Davis and Ricky Bell.
2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl
Wake Forest def. Connecticut, 24-10
After a silent first half, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons came alive in the second half, scoring 24 straight unanswered points to seal a Meineke Car Care Bowl victory over Connecticut. Kenneth Moore, the game's most valuable player, had 112 receiving yards on 11 receptions to improve his total to 98 for the season, setting a new ACC single-season record. Riley Skinner completed 29-of-38 passes for 268 yards and 1 touchdown while Josh Adams rushed 19 times for 66 yards and a touchdown for the Demon Deacons, who with the win tallied the school's second most wins in history with a 9-4 record just behind last season's 11-3 standing. Connecticut absorbed its fourth loss in 13 outings, the team's best record since making the move from the FCS six years ago. Tyler Lorenzen passed for 98 yards on 13-of-26 passing with an interception while Donald Brown rushed 13 times for 72 yards for the Huskies. UConn drew first blood on a 68-yard punt return in the first quarter then followed with a 29-yard field goal from Tony Ciaravino while shutting out Wake Forest in the first 30 minutes for the first time this season. The Demon Deacons however retaliated with Adams' 38-yard TD run, Tereshinski's 20-yard scoring reception, Sam Swank's 43-yard field goal, and Micah Andrews' 9-yard rush to complete the win.
2007 Liberty Bowl
Mississippi State def. Central Florida, 10-3
Mississippi State came up with the W in the defense oriented game, topping UCF 10-3 in the Liberty Bowl. Both teams' defense tossed everything but the kitchen sink at the opposing team, with the Knights limited to 219 total yards (88 passing, 131 rushing) and the Bulldogs limited to 199 (39 passing, 160 rushing). Anthony Dixon, who scored the decisive rushing TD with under two minutes remaining in the fourth, finished the game with 86 rushing yards on 24 carries while the game's MVP, cornerback Derek Pegues, registered 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and two interceptions. The Bulldogs were able to limit the nation's leading rusher Kevin Smith to 119 yards on 35 carries, falling 61 yards short of matching Barry Sanders' 2,628 yards recorded in 1988. The game, which featured 17 punts and five turnovers, was the lowest scoring Liberty Bowl since Penn State's win in 1979 over Tulane with the two teams combining for 15 total points.
2007 Alamo Bowl
Penn State def. Texas A&M, 24-17
The Nittany Lions squeaked out a 24-17 win over Texas A&M to give their coach, Joe Paterno, his 500th career victory and his 23rd career bowl game win. At the start of the game, the Aggies looked like unwilling victims to become the 500th team to bow to Paterno, scoring back-to-back touchdowns on a 12-second span. Mike Goodson first scored on a 1-yard run, then after a Penn State fumble, ran for a 16-yarder for a Texas A&M 14-0 lead. Penn State however produced a 17-point cluster with Anthony Morelli connecting on a 30-yard score with Deon Butler, Daryll Clark scoring on an 11-yard run, and Kevin Kelly kicking a 25-yarder to put the Nittany Lions ahead at 17-14. The Aggies were still able to tie the score at 17 with Matt Szymanski's 38-yard field goal in the third which was later on broken by Evan Royster's 38-yard rushing score for the go-ahead. Rodney Kinlaw led the Nittany Lions with 143 rushing yards on 21 carries, Morelli tossed for 143 yards on 15-of-31 completion, and Sean Lee recorded 14 tackles with a tackle for loss and a pass break-up. Stephen McGee was 19-for-31 for 164 yards with an interception and Goodson rushed 14 times for 65 yards to go with his 7 receptions for 30 yards for the Aggies.
2007 Independence Bowl
Alabama def. Colorado, 30-24
Alabama started strong and produced enough cushion to hold on to a 30-24 PetroSun Independence Bowl win over Colorado. John Parker Wilson, who completed 19-of-32 passes for 256 yards, led the Tide's 1-1/6 quarter of dominance as he followed up on two of Leigh Tiffin's two field goals (41 and 24 yards) with three touchdown strikes of 15-, 34-, and 31- yards to Keith Brown, Matt Caddell, and Nikita Stover respectively for a 27-0 lead. The Buffaloes however were able to get back to the game with Cody Hawkins (24-of-39, 322 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT) going 8-for-8 in the last two drives of the half which produced two touchdown receptions from Tyson Devree (4 yards) and Dusty Sprague (25 yards). Kevin Eberhart trimmed the lead a little more with a 39-yard field goal in the third for a 17-27 score before Tiffin nailed a 26-yarder to create some distance. The Buffs made it a little more interesting on Hawkins' 14 yard scoring strike to Devree to cut the lead to 6 with four minutes left but could not complete a multilateral, last-second attempt as time expired. The Alabama win broke the Tide's four game losing skid while the Colorado loss handed the Buffaloes their second straight losing season after a 2-10 record in 2006.
2007 Armed Forces Bowl
California def. Air Force, 42-36
California bucked a three touchdown deficit early in the first half to come back with a 42-36 victory over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Bears sorely missed the services of Robert Jordan and DeSean Jackson in the first quarter after both catchers were forced to sit for disciplinary reasons early in the game. The two finally got a chance to show their wares in the second quarter and Jackson quickly went back to work with a 40-yard acrobatic catch to put the Bears on the board for the first time. Approximately 6 minutes later, Lavelle Hawkins followed suit with a 5-yard TD reception to narrow the gap to a single score by the end of the first half. Jordan (6 catches, 148 yards) for his part, caught an 18-yard Kevin Riley (16-for-19 for 269 yards and 3 TDs) pass that trimmed the lead to three at 21-24 in the third. Ryan Harrison kept Air Force in the thick of things in the third with a couple of field goals, the second one after quarterback Shaun Carney (5-for-8 for 68 yards and 1 TD, 15 carries for 108 yards and 1 TD) was sidelined with a right knee injury. With Cal's passing game on sync, Justin Forsett (23 carries, 140 yards) decided to join in on the Bear offense with a 1-yard TD at the end of the third to give Cal its first taste of the lead, then padded on the margin with a 21-yard rushing TD in the final quarter to put the Bears on top at 35-27. Air Force managed only a field goal and 6 more points on Chad Hall's 4-yard run which was not enough to claim its first twin-digit win season for the Falcons since 1998. It was the first bowl game for Air Force, who outgained the Bears on the ground 312-202, since 2002. Cal on the other hand, notched its sixth straight winning season with the victory.
2007 Humanitarian Bowl
Fresno State def. Georgia Tech, 40-28
Fresno State piled up the points early on and never looked back as the Bulldogs took care of Georgia Tech, 40-28 in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl. After Demaryius Thomas' 35-yard reception from Taylor Bennett, Fresno State racked up 27 consecutive points with Clint Stitser producing two field goals (21 and 39 yards), Marlon Moore and Clifton Smith rushing for scores, and Tom Brandstater (23-for-30 for 285 yards, 3 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown) tossing one score to Drew Lubinsky in that stretch and the Yellow Jackets could not recover. Jonathan Dwyer stepped up big time for the hurting Tashard Choice (12 carries, 69 yards), scoring 2 touchdowns in the third and finishing the game with 62 rush yards. The Bulldogs' bowl game win capped a huge turnaround for Fresno State which could only afford a 4-8 standing a year ago to a 9-4 standing this season. The win was also the second postseason victory over Georgia Tech in five years, and the fourth in the last five postseason appearances.
2007 Sun Bowl
Oregon def. South Florida, 56-21
For a while, fans got curious where the Oregon Ducks went after nearly making a case for the national championship only to drop three straight games to end the season. After some weeks of hiatus, the Oregon of old finally made a comeback with a 56-21 demolition job of South Florida in the Brut Sun Bowl while setting several records in the process. The Ducks set Sun Bowl records in points (56), touchdown passes (4, ties Matt Moore in 2006), and most points in the third quarter (28, ties most points in any quarter) while running back Jonathan Stewart rushed for a season-high and a Sun Bowl record 251 yards. The absence of former Heisman hopeful Dennis Dixon, which was obvious in the last few losses, was not evident against the Bulls as redshirt freshman Justin Roper made his first start and produced 4 touchdown passes and 180 yards on 17-for-30 passing. After USF came as close as 4 to end the first half on Delbert Alvarado's buzzer-beating 35-yard field goal, the Ducks tore up the Bulls' defense in the third as Roper tossed back-to-back TD passes for Jaison Williams (14 yards) and Ed Dickson (15 yards) then tightened their own D with back-to back interceptions with the first one producing a 25-yard TD return from Walter Thurmond and the next netting a score on an 8-yard reception from Stewart. The Ducks placed some icing on the cake with Matt Evensen sinking a 30-yard FG and Michael Divincenzo returning an interception 15 yards into the endzone to cap a fiery Oregon juggernaut. South Florida, which like Oregon reached as high as no.2 in the rankings, almost reached the 10-win mark for the first time in 11 seasons.
2007 Music City Bowl
Kentucky def. Florida State, 35-28
Andre' Woodson played like how a collegiate career finale should be played: with a bang! Woodson broke several records after passing for 4 touchdowns in leading Kentucky to a 35-28 win over the shorthanded Florida State. Despite missing 36 players, the Seminoles battled the Wildcats up until the last minute but fell short on Drew Weatherford's incomplete last-second pass. Woodson (32-for-50, 358 yards), who broke the SEC single-season TD pass, UK single-season TD pass, and UK career TD pass records, opened the scoring with a 14 yard connection to tight end Jacob Tamme which was answered by Weatherford with a 6-yard run by the end of the first quarter. Woodson retaliated with a 13-yard TD strike to Steve Johnson early in the 2nd but was answered by Tony Carter with a 24-yard interception return to knot the score once more. Rafael Little, who ran for a season-high 152 yards (13th 100-yard rushing game) on 28 carries, caught a 2-yard scoring pass from Woodson to open the second half before Tony Dixon made it 28-14 on a 4-yard run. Weatherford, who registered his first game with two TD runs, scored on a 1-yard dash halfway to the 4th before Woodson tossed a 38-yarder to Johnson to pad the lead to two touchdowns. But the Wildcats were not out of the woods yet as Weatherford tossed a 7-yarder to Greg Carr before the 'Noles' last ditch play misfired. Weatherford went 22-for-48 for 276 yards and 1 TD with 2 INT, Antone Smith rushed 17 times for 156 yards, and Preston Parker caught 8 passes for 105 yards for the Seminoles, who dropped coach Bobby Bowden's December bowl record to 7-1-1. The UK victory was the school's first back-to-back postseason win since 1951-52 under coach Bear Bryant.
2007 Insight Bowl
Oklahoma State def. Indiana, 49-33
Oklahoma State displayed fluidity in the first half, establishing a huge lead and never looking back as the Cowboys made quick work of Indiana in the Insight Bowl, 49-33. After the Hoosiers put a three on the scoreboard on an Austin Starr 43-yard field goal, the Cowboys zoomed with four straight touchdowns on Dantrell Savage's 3-yard run, Dez Bryant's 24-yard scoring catch, Zac Robinson's 7-yard scoring rush, and Adarius Bowman's 14-yard scoring catch for a 28-3 lead. Kellen Lewis (22-for-43, 204 yards, 2 TDs; 10 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD) tossed a 4-yarder to Marcus Thigpen at the endzone to momentarily stop the bleeding but Robinson went at it again on a 1-yard run to maintain the 25-point lead going into the intermission. The Hoosiers, who managed to rack up 24 points in the second half, still fell short after Robinson connected with Bryant for the second time on an 11-yarder before Crosslin capped the Cowboy scoring with a 1-yard scoring run. Robinson, a sophomore, completed 24 of 34 passes for 302 yards and an interception, Bryant caught 9 passes for 117 yards and 2 TDs, while Savage carried the pigskin 23 times for 100 yards and a TD. The win was OSU's second straight in the postseason while handing the Hoosiers a defeat in their first bowl appearance since 1993.
2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl
Auburn def. Clemson, 23-20 OT
The Auburn Tigers deployed a new spread offense and put it in motion in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, edging Clemson with a three-point overtime win. Freshman quarterback Kodi Burns, who shared snaps with outgoing starter Brandon Cox, provided the decisive play on a 7-yard rushing score in the extra period and went on to finish the game with 69 rushing yards on 13 carries. As expected, both teams' defense were on full display with the 22nd ranked Auburn coming out on top, limiting Clemson to 104 passing yards and 293 total. Auburn was first on the board with Wes Byrum's 36-yard field goal in the first quarter, before Clemson followed with C.J. Spiller's 83-yard breakaway to give the Tigers its first taste of the lead. Auburn regained the lead a quarter later on the only passing touchdown of the game, with Burns throwing a 22-yarder to Mario Fannin for a 10-7 lead. Clemson then went on to tie and claim the lead after Mark Buchholz nailed a 22-yarder and James Davis rushing for a yard to the endzone for a 17-10 Clemson lead. Auburn then sent the game to overtime with a 70-yard TD drive, after Burns scampered for 15 yards to the 1 to set up Ben Tate's game-tying touchdown. In the extra period, Buchholz sank his second of two field goals of the game on a 25-yarder before Burns ran for the winning score. Cox went on to finish the game completing 25-of-39 passes for 211 yards with 1 INT for Auburn while Cullen Harper completed 14-of-33 for 104 yards and Spiller rushed 8 times for 112 yards.
2008 Outback Bowl
Tennessee def. Wisconsin, 21-17
In his final collegiate game, Erik Ainge went 25-of-43 for 365 yards and two touchdowns and the Tennessee Volunteers foiled Wisconsin's last minute offensive play to preserve a 21-17 Outback Bowl victory. The win improved the Vols' record to 3-5 in the postseason since winning the inaugural BCS title game in the 1998 season and chalked up UT's first 10-win season since 2004. Wisconsin's loss on the other hand prevented the Badgers from becoming only the second Big Ten team after Michigan to beat SEC opponents in three straight bowl games. The Outback Bowl is the 4th consecutive January bowl game for UW, with the Badgers beating Auburn and Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl the past two seasons. The Vols scored first after Gerald Jones took a direct snap and rushed 3 yards for a touchdown before Wisconsin's Tyler Donovan replied with a 6-yard scoring run halfway through the quarter. Ainge then went to work and completed two touchdown passes to Josh Briscoe (29 yards) and Brad Cottam (31 yards) in the second quarter to open up a 21-7 lead before Donovan spotted Andy Crooks for a 4-yard score to trim the lead to seven by halftime. Both teams could not get anything going in the 2nd half, combining for a measly three points on UW's 27 yard field goal from Taylor Mehlhaff. Wisconsin had one last shot in the final minute but Donovan was picked off by Antonio Wardlow to seal the victory for the Vols, who played minus 6 academically ineligible players. Montario Hardesty rushed 7 times for 35 yards, Briscoe caught 7 passes for 101 yards while linebacker Jonathan Casillas recorded 10 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and a forced fumble for UT. Donovan was 14-of-24 for 155 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT while P.J. Hill had 16 carries for 132 yards for UW.
2008 Cotton Bowl
Missouri def. Arkansas, 38-7
Tony Temple rushed for Cotton Bowl records of 281 yards and 4 touchdowns to help Missouri turn back Arkansas, 38-7. Temple, the game's most valuable player, had 24 carries and scored a touchdown apiece in each quarter to fuel a 28-0 blast midway through the third. Temple ran for 22 yards in the endzone in the first, then followed up with 4 yard scoring runs in the 2nd and 3rd before William Moore returned an interception 26 yards for a score to up Mizzou's lead to four touchdowns. Arkansas' Heisman hopeful Darren McFadden finally put the Razorbacks on the board with a 3 yard scoring run but did not play in the last 15 minutes and went on to register 21 carries for 105 yards. For the season, McFadden has registered 1,830 yards while recording 4,590 for his career, both school records. For good measure, Mizzou added ten more points in the 4th quarter courtesy of Jeff Wolfert's 32 yard field goal and Temple's 40 yard dash to the endzone to put the game away. Missouri's 25th ranked rushing defense did a fine job controlling McFadden and Felix Jones and holding down the nation's third ranked rushing offense to 164 yards. Chase Daniel, another Heisman hopeful, only managed 136 passing yards on 12-of-29 completion.
2008 Gator Bowl
Texas Tech def. Virginia, 31-28
Alex Trlica sank in a 41-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to seal a Texas Tech comeback, winning 31-28 over Virginia in the Gator Bowl. Like last year's Insight Bowl win against Minnesota where they had to overcome a 31-point deficit midway through the third, the Red Raiders had to recover from 14 points down with less than four minutes left in the game as they got shut-out for over 1-1/2 quarters. After Harrell threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Detron Lewis, the Cavaliers binged up 21 straight points with Jameel Sewell connecting with Jonathan Stupar for a short scoring pass, Mikell Simpson rushing 96 yards for a score, Nate Collins and Clint Sintim each tackling Harrell in the endzone for a two-pointer, and Chris Gould nailing a 23-yarder as time ran out in the first half to put the Cavs ahead, 21-7. Danny Amendola started the second half with a 6-yard TD catch to trim the lead to 7 but Simpson caught an 11-yard TD pass from back-up quarterback Peter Lalich to stretch the lead to 14 again with 11 minutes left in the game. Despite missing several chances for a score, Tech kept on their attack which finally paid off with Crabtree catching a 20-yard score which stuck despite a pass interference call. Not long after, Tech forced a turnover then scored another TD on Aaron Crawford's 4-yard run to tie the game at 28. Texas Tech then got one final shot which they capitalized with a 30-yard, 7-play drive that ended with Trlica's game-winning FG. Harrell spearheaded the Tech attack, going 44-for-69 for 407 yards and three TDs while Crabtree hauled in 9 passes for his third lowest single game total of the season of 101 yards and a score for Tech. Sewell, who was injured in the final quarter, managed only 14-of-23 pass completion for 78 yards and a TD while Simpson had 20 carries for 170 yards and a score to go along with his 5 receptions for 36 yards and another score for the Cavaliers.
2008 Capital One Bowl
Michigan def. Florida, 41-35
The Michigan Wolverines sent a pretty neat going away present for head coach Lloyd Carr and three of its outgoing key players after delivering an upset win over Florida, 41-35 in the Capital One Bowl. Chad Henne went 25-of-39 for 373 yards and 3 TDs, Mike Hart rushed 32 times for 129 yards and 2 TDs, and Adrian Arrington compiled 153 receiving yards and 2 TDs from 9 receptions for the Wolverines, who gave their seniors their first bowl win in four attempts. Michigan's turnovers, a total of four for the game, nearly cost the Wolverines a victory after Florida overtook UM 35-31 with less than 6 minutes remaining in the game. The Gators however blew a couple of chances as they failed to convert a 4th down play which eventually resulted to a K.C. Lopata field goal that extended UM's lead to 41-35. The Gators last opportunity was lost on four straight incomplete passes from Tebow that basically did them in. Tebow finished the game going 17-of-33 for 154 yards and three touchdowns with 57 rushing yards and a score while Percy Harvin had 13 carries for 165 yards and a TD and had 9 receptions for 77 yards and another score. The game was pretty close marked by three deadlocks and four lead changes.
2008 Rose Bowl
USC def. Illinois, 49-17
Joe McKnight ran for 125 yards and had 170 total yards of the Trojans' Rose Bowl-record 633 yards as USC continued to display their dominance with a 49-17 thrashing of Illinois in the "Granddaddy of 'Em All." After USC zoomed to a three touchdown lead with a little over two minutes remaining in the first, Illinois strung ten straight points on Jason Reda's 2nd quarter field goal and Rashard Mendenhall's 79 yard scoring dash to shine a glimmer of hope for the Illini fans. Unfortunately, Illinois could not pounce on the opportunity as they turned the ball over in an all-important possession and later on gave up 65 yards on a near USC fumble that resulted to a 2-yard score from Fred Davis (7 catches for 87 yards). It was all downhill from there as the Trojans picked up three more scores with McKnight finding the endzone once more on a 6-yard run, John David Booty (25-of-37 for 255 yards and 3 TDs) throwing a 15-yard score to David Ausberry, and Hershel Dennis rushing for a 3-yard touchdown to ice the game with still 6 minutes left. It was a record game for USC as the Trojans tied the Rose Bowl record in most points scored (49) and set the Rose Bowl record for most touchdowns tallied (7), while topping the 11 win mark for the 6th straight year. Illinois was led by Juice Williams' 21-of-35 passing for 245 yards while Mendenhall had 17 carries for 155 yards and 1 TD.
2008 Sugar Bowl
Georgia def. Hawaii, 41-10
Defensive end Marcus Howard registered four tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery for touchdown leading the Bulldogs' dominating defense in clamping down the Hawai'i Warriors, 41-10. Georgia's tenacious D limited the nation's number one scoring team to 10 points, a far cry from its 46.2 average, while holding the WAC titlists to 306 yards (529.3 average per game) and 311 passing yards (450.2 average per game). UH QBs were also sacked eight times, got intercepted four times, and was forced to six turnovers. The Dawgs got two scoring runs from Knowshown Moreno in the first quarter, from 17 and 11 yards out, setting the tone for a 14-3 lead in the first 15 minutes. UH was blanked for 2-1/3 quarters after Daniel Kelly drained a 41-yard field goal in the first quarter. Georgia on the other hand added 27 more points to put the game away with still approximately a quarter left. Heisman runner-up Colt Brennan chose the wrong night to display one of his dismal performances, completing only 22 of his 38 passes for 169 yards with 3 pick-offs. His receiving corps, which received the inaugural WAC Offensive Unit of the Year award, were held to 268 receiving yards on 27 receptions. Matthew Stafford went 14-of-23 for 175 yards and 1 TD, Thomas Brown had 19 carries for 73 yards and 1 TD, and Moreno had 9 carries for 61 yards and 2 TDs for the Bulldogs, which outgained UH 334-306.
2008 Fiesta Bowl
West Virginia def. Oklahoma, 48-28
West Virginia played minus head coach Rich Rodriguez but got the most from mobile quarterback Pat White as the Mountaineers held off Oklahoma, 48-28. White completed 10-of-19 passes for 176 yards and 2 TDs and carried the football 20 times for 150 yards as the Mountaineers led from start to finish while holding down the potent Oklahoma offense 15 points below their average. Sam Bradford, the nation's top-rated passer, got sacked thrice and picked off once while completing 21-of-33 passes for 242 yards and two scoring strikes. After WVU put 6 points on two Pat McAfee field goals in the opening period, Oklahoma responded with two field goals in the second but still fell by 14 at halftime after Owen Schmitt rushed for a 57-yard score and White tossed a 21-yard TD pass to Darius Reynaud. OU managed to slice the lead furthermore to five in the third after another Garrett Hartley field goal and Chris Brown's 1 yard rush but failed to capitalize on a two-point attempt and an onside kick attempt that went awry, paving the way for a 6-play, 39-yard WVU drive that ended in Noel Devine's 17-yard touchdown run. Oklahoma could not cut the lead below 13 in the fourth and Devine increased the lead to 20 with the final touchdown of the game. With the win, WVU became the first of 6 teams to win a bowl game under an interim coach, while improving their BCS bowl game record to 2-0.
2008 Orange Bowl
Kansas def. Virginia Tech, 24-21
Kansas zoomed to a 17-0 lead midway through the first half and never looked back to hold on to a 24-21 win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The victory, Kansas' 12th of the season, set a team record for victories and at the same time gave the Jayhawks their first Bowl Championship Series win. Virginia Tech on the other hand, dropped their fourth straight BCS game and ended the season with eleven wins in 14 games. KU was first to score after Aqib Talib, the game's most valuable player, returned an interception 60 yards into the endzone. The Jayhawks followed it up with a 32-yard field goal by Scott Webb and a 13-yard TD reception from Marcus Henry for a 17-point lead before Tech drove 68 yards that was capped by Brandon Ore's 1-yard run to put the Hokies on the board late in the first half. Tech narrowed the gap a little bit more to three on Justin Harper's 84-yard punt return in the third canto but the Jayhawks came up with their third interception of the night with Justin Thornton picking off Sean Glennon early in the 4th. The VT turnover resulted in Todd Reesing's 2-yard run to extend the lead back to 10 with 11 minutes left. The Hokies managed to cut the lead to 3 again on Glennon's 20-yard heave to Harper with 3 minutes left but KU's Raimond Pendleton fielded the ensuing onside kick and the Jayhawks ran the clock out to preserve the win. Reesing was 20-of-37 for 227 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT while his counterpart Glennon was 13-of-28 for 160 yards and a score with one pick-off. Ore also chipped in 116 yards from 23 carries with 1 TD.
2008 International Bowl
Rutgers def. Ball State, 52-30
Ray Rice ran the Cardinal defense to the ground with 280 yards and four touchdowns to help Rutgers win only its second postseason game with a 52-30 defeat of Ball State. The junior rusher, who has collected 25 scoring runs this year, highlighted what could be his college football finale with a 90-yard run early in the third to extend the lead to 22. Aside from that career-long run, Rice ran for three short TDs, two of them in the first half where the Scarlet Knights held a 24-9 lead before intermission. Rice, who had 35 carries in the game, broke the 2,000-yard mark in the third quarter to become the first Big East player to achieve the feat. Ball State could not recover from a 0-14 first quarter deficit and went on to lose its sixth of 13 games this season and also dropped 0-6 in postseason play. Mike Teel went 16-of-25 for 303 yards and 3 TDs while Kenny Britt caught 6 passes for 125 yards and a TD for Rutgers, who has won back-to-back bowl games. Nate Davis was 25-of-49 for 291 yards and 3 TDs for Ball State, with all of his scoring passes coming in the second half. Dante Love caught 13 passes for 169 yards and 1 TD while Ian Mcgarvey scored on three field goals from 47, 24, and 32 yards out to provide all of the Cardinals' 9 points in the first half.
2008 GMAC Bowl
Tulsa def. Bowling Green, 63-7
Paul Smith completed 27 of 45 passes for 312 yards and five touchdowns and Tulsa took advantage of the turnover-prone Bowling Green for an easy 63-7 win in the GMAC Bowl. Smith, who also chipped in 46 yards and 1 TD from nine carries, has now compiled 14 straight 300-yard passing games to eclipse the 13 he shared with BYU's Ty Detmer. Smith, along with teammate Tarrion Adams, also joined Houston's David Klingler and Chuck Weatherspoon as the NCAA's only 5,000-yard passing and 1,000-yard rushing tandem. The versatile Adams (17 carries for 112 yards) chipped in two touchdowns from a 1 yard run and a 19-yard reception while also passing for a 4-yard score to Kyle Grooms, all of which happened in the first half when the Golden Hurricane was already ahead by five touchdowns. Bowling Green's four lost fumbles did not help as the Falcons could not recover, managing to score only in the third with a 78-yard TD kickoff return from Roger Williams. With the win, Tulsa has reached the 10-victory mark for the first time since 1991. The 56-point margin also sets the record for the biggest bowl game win in history, passing the 55-point win by Alabama over Syracuse in the 1953 Orange Bowl. Bowling Green's loss on the other hand snapped the Falcons' four straight postseason wins and gave the Mid-American Conference its second loss in seven GMAC Bowls. Tyler Sheehan, who left the field in the first half with an injury and never returned, completed 14-of-49 passes for 141 yards and ran 7 times for 21 yards for the Falcons.
2008 BCS Championship
LSU def. Ohio State, 38-24
Matt Flynn completed 19-of-27 passes for 174 yards and 4 touchdowns spearheading the LSU Tigers in their conquest of the Ohio State Buckeyes, 38-24 in the Bowl Championship Series national title game. The Tigers, the first two-loss team to compete for the title, also became the first team to win two BCS titles since the system was first implemented in 1998 and the fourth favorite to win in 10 BCS championship games. The national championship was the third overall for the school, following title reigns in 1958 and 2003. Ohio State, on the other hand, dropped their second straight opportunity for the national title after losing to Florida 14-41 last year. Ohio State, who was on the hunt for their second championship in six years, is now 0-9 in bowl games against Southeastern Conference teams. The Buckeyes looked to have the Tigers' number early on after Chris Wells ran for a 65-yard score, a career-long, on the fourth play from scrimmage. Ryan Pretorius added a 25-yard field goal on OSU's next drive to make it 10-0 with over 9 minutes left in the game. LSU finally got on board on Colt David's 32-yard field goal that eventually ignited a 31-0 run helped by Flynn's three touchdown passes to three different receivers and Jacob Hester's 1-yard rush to put the Tigers 21 points ahead. After being silenced for almost two quarters, OSU finally scored another touchdown on Todd Boeckman's 5-yard connection with Brian Robiskie to cut the lead to two TDs once more. Then Flynn, the game's most outstanding offensive player, put some salt on the Buckeyes' wounds with a 5-yard scoring pass to Richard Dickson with just approximately 2 minutes left in the game. Ohio State actually had several opportunities to put the game closer but blew their chances with a blocked field goal, a dropped TD pass, a sack on a fourth down, a roughing the punter penalty, just to name a few. Boeckman finished the game completing 15-of-26 passes for 208 yards and 2 TDs but had 2 INts while Wells rushed for 146 yards and a TD on 20 carries for Ohio State.
