Bowl Season in full swing
Six bowls in the past two days. Seven in the next two (though only one today; Alabama versus Colorado). Yea, the bowl season is in full swing.
Matt Ryan and Boston College were able to hold off a pesky Michigan State team in the Champs Sports Bowl, 24-21. Ryan picked apart the Sparty defense with 249 yards and 3 touchdowns. The win gave BC 11 for the year, the best since 1940. It also gave them their 8th straight bowl win, the longest streak in the nation.
In the Texas Bowl, a pair of mid-majors faced off in the form of Texas Christian and Houston. After an even first three quarters and a 10-10 tie, the Horned Frogs took control with 10 straight points, though the Cougars were able to tack on a late field goal. QB Andy Dalton controlled the game nicely for TCU, completing 70% of his passes and running in a touchdown.
Yvenson Bernard came back in style, running all over the Maryland defense for 177 yards and score. Even though the Terrapins were able to get the first score of the game and a 14-7 lead at the end of the first, they were shut out the rest of the game, with the final being 21-14. James Rodgers for the Beavers had 155 total offensive yards along with two touchdowns including a fumble recovery in the end zone.
After a 10-0 Uconn lead at halftime, Wake Forest came out on fire in the 2nd half with 24 unanswered to get the win, 24-10 in the Meineke Bowl. The Huskies managed only 213 yards of offense, while the Demon Deacons had 412, including a 29-38 passing day from Riley Skinner, along with 268 yards and a touchdown.
Mississippi State shut down All-American Kevin Smith just enough to hold the UCF Knights to only three points offensively, while a 4th quarter touchdown run by Andre Dixon gave the Bulldogs a 10-3 lead and the victory. Smith ran for 119 yards, falling well short (61) of Barry Sanders and the record. The two teams combined for 418 yards of offense and was the lowest scoring game since 1976.
Joe Pa picked up win number 500 as Penn State beat Texas A&M 24-17 in the Alamo Bowl. It was a game of runs, as the Aggies dropped 14 on the Nittany Lions in the first, while State put 17 on A&M in the second. On a 4th and goal call from Penn State’s two-yard line, Stephen McGee slipped up, turning both the ball and game over. The win gave Joe 23 post-season victories and put him one behind Bobby Bowden for most all-time wins.
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