By
Richard Cirminiello
Of course, there were some monumental flops as well that’ll precipitate a slew of head-scratching questions that’ll linger well into the off-season. Will Notre Dame win another bowl game in your lifetime? Did Charlie Weis’ Irish actually regress this year? Can Tommy Bowden live off Clemson’s strong finish in 2003 forever? Did Minnesota really blow a 31-point lead midway through the third quarter of the Insight Bowl? Isn’t it about time Bob Stoops wins a meaningful bowl game? Is the 2006 glass half empty or half full in Ann Arbor? Discuss, and as always, don’t be shy about sharing your thoughts.
100. Troy CB Leodis McKelvin – McKelvin was the primary reason why star Rice receiver Jarett Dillard never got out of the blocks in the New Orleans Bowl. He blanketed the Biletnikoff finalist all night, chalking up 11 tackles and a couple of passes defended.
99. Arizona State RB Ryan Torain – Torain capped an improbable debut season in Tempe by running for 160 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries and adding two catches for 28 yards in the Hawaii Bowl. The junior college transfer’s 1,229 yards rushing were the most by a Sun Devil back since 1975.
98. Minnesota TE Jack Simmons – Simmons served notice in the Insight Bowl that there’ll be life after Matt Spaeth at tight end for the Gophers. Filling in for the injured Mackey Award winner, the 6-6 sophomore was Bryan Cupito’s favorite target, catching seven passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.
97. BYU TE Jonny Harline – The Las Vegas Bowl MVP toyed with the Oregon’s 10th-ranked defense, catching nine passes for 181 yards and a touchdown after getting off to a slow start.
96. Louisville WR Harry Douglas – Yeah, Brian Brohm was the MVP of the Orange Bowl, but that wouldn’t have been possible without the slippery moves and sticky hands of Douglas, who abused the Wake Forest secondary for 10 receptions and 165 yards.
95. Utah K Louie Sakoda – The Utes’ version of a dual-threat nailed all four of his field goal attempts in the Armed Forces Bowl, while averaging 47.3 yards and twice pinning Tulsa inside its own 20 on three punts.
94. Cincinnati offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn – Talk about a whirlwind post-season. Quinn served as Central Michigan’s interim head coach in the Motor City Bowl, leading the Chips to their first bowl win in school history. Less than two weeks later, after joining Brian Kelly at Cincinnati, Quinn led the Bearcat offense in a 27-24 International Bowl win over Western Michigan.
93. West Virginia RB Owen Schmitt – Playing with bruised ribs, Schmitt filled in admirably for injured starter Steve Slaton in the Gator Bowl, pounding his way to a career-best 109 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries.
92. Texas NG Roy Miller – Miller was one of the primary reasons Texas was able to hold the Iowa ground game averaged just 2.6 yards on 34 carries in the Alamo Bowl. The Longhorn sophomore with the considerable upside led the defense with a career-high 11 tackles.
91. Maryland offensive line – The Terp line, consisting of Stephon Heyer, Jaimie Thomas, Edwin Williams, Andrew Crummey and Dane Randolph, manhandled Purdue in the Champs Sports Bowl, opening holes for 206 rushing yards, while keeping QB Sam Hollenbach untouched throughout the evening.
90. Central Michigan DE Dan Bazuin – Like he’s done throughout his stellar career in Mount Pleasant, Bazuin toyed with helpless tackles and harassed Middle Tennessee QB Clint Marks in the Motor City Bowl, collecting eight tackles, 2½ tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and countless pressures.
89. BYU RB Curtis Brown – Brown provided the ground punch for the high-flying Cougar offense, running for 120 yards and two scores on just 17 carries and adding seven catches for 55 yards in the 38-8 Las Vegas Bowl demolition of Oregon.
88. Miami QB Kirby Freeman – Freeman got a leg up on injured starter Kyle Wright for the 2007 quarterback battle, throwing for a career-high 272 yards and two long touchdowns to earn MVP honors in the MPC Computers Bowl.
87. Oregon State TE Joe Newton – In a Sun Bowl battle of premier tight ends with Missouri’s Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker, Newton stood out with six catches for 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns, the final one with 23 seconds remaining helping the Beavers to a 39-38 victory.
86. Utah CB Eric Weddle – It was turn back the clock night at the Armed Forces Bowl with Weddle impersonating a two-way player from the 1950s. The Utes’ defensive leader had six tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception, yet also took direct snaps on offense in a tight one with Tulsa, putting the game out of reach with a touchdown run late in the fourth.
85. TCU QB Jeff Ballard – The way the Frog D played in the Poinsettia Bowl, Ballard didn’t have to be great, but that didn’t slow him down. The senior was 19-of-29 for 258 yards and a touchdown, adding three scores and 19 yards on the ground in the 37-7 blowout.
84. Georgia DE Charles Johnson – Johnson schooled Virginia Tech all night in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, harassing Sean Glennon into numerous mistakes and turnovers. He finished the game with four tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble.
83. San Jose State LB Matt Castelo – The Spartans’ tackling machine was well-oiled in the New Mexico Bowl, making 18 stops and forcing two key fumbles on a defense that held New Mexico to just a field goal through the first 59:45 of the game.
82. Cal RB Marshawn Lynch – Lynch ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears’ 45-10 Holiday Bowl rout of Texas A&M. In what wound up being his final college game, the NFL-ready junior displayed the blend of speed and power that’s helped make him one of the best backs to ever play in Berkeley.
81. Minnesota RB Amir Pinnix – Before the Gophers’ collapse to Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl, Pinnix looked like he might be the game’s MVP, running for 179 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries, adding a couple of catches for 14 yards.
80. Louisville D – Sure, the Cardinal defense bent in the Orange Bowl, allowing 18 first downs and 382 yards to Wake Forest, but failed to break all evening in Miami. Even when the offense sputtered, the defense, fueled by three turnovers and constant pressure applied by Amobi Okoye, Malik Jackson and Abe Brown, kept Louisville close until it was able to pull away in the fourth quarter.
79. Iowa WR Andy Brodell – Drew Tate may be out of eligibility, but his successor can take comfort in the return of Brodell and freshman Dominique Douglas. For the second straight game, Brodell could not be contained, burning a very good Texas secondary for six catches for an Alamo Bowl-record 159 yards and two scores.
78. UCLA OGs Shannon Tevaga and Chris Joseph – Tevaga and Joseph absolutely dominated a really good Florida State front seven in the Emerald Bowl, helping spring Chris Markey for 144 yards on 19 carries. UCLA’s 194 yards on the ground was the most allowed by the ‘Noles’ eighth-ranked run defense all year.
77. South Florida LB Stephen Nicholas – Nicholas capped a banner career in Tampa, fueling a Bull defense that held East Carolina to just a single touchdown in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. The senior had six tackles, three tackles for loss, two passes broken up and the two sacks needed to become the school’s all-time leader in the category.
76. LSU RB Keiland Williams – Flashing an uncommon blend of size, speed and vision for a true freshman, Williams gave a sneak peek of his vast potential with a breakout Sugar Bowl performance. In the most extensive action of his first season, he scored twice and averaged nearly eight yards on his 14 carries, making him one to watch in 2007.
75. Maryland D – In a total team effort, the Terps blanketed Purdue’s speedy receivers in the Champs Sports Bowl, sacked Curtis Painter three times and held the nation’s 10th-ranked offense to 285 yards and just a single touchdown in a 24-7 win.
74. Oklahoma State linemen David Washington, David Koenig and Kurt Seifried – The interior of the Cowboy line just destroyed Alabama’s three-man front in the Independence Bowl, paving the way for 207 yards rushing, the second most allowed by the Tide defense in 2006.
73. Kentucky D – The nation’s 118th-ranked defense delivered, by far, its best performance of the 2006 season in the Music City Bowl, creating four game-changing turnovers and holding Clemson to just six points through the first 3½ quarters, when the outcome was still in doubt.
72. Cal LB Desmond Bishop – Bishop set the tone for one of the Bears’ best defensive efforts of 2006, making 12 tackles and a handful of intimidating stops on Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl. He was the emotional leader of a unit that held the Aggies out of the end zone over the game’s final 56 minutes, while limiting them to 10 points, the lowest total in Holiday Bowl history.
71. Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour – Other quarterbacks had better numbers this postseason, but few were as crisp or commanding as LeFevour was in the Motor City Bowl, accounting for 231 total yards and two touchdowns. That performance solidified his spot as the MAC’s premier quarterback heading into the 2007 season.
70. San Jose State – Maybe Spartan head coach Dick Tomey knew something after all when he left Texas two years ago to try and rejuvenate this moribund program. San Jose State went into Albuquerque and upset New Mexico 20-12 in the New Mexico Bowl for the program’s first bowl victory in 16 years.
69. Central Michigan – Playing the Motor City Bowl with interim head coach Jeff Quinn on the sidelines, the Chippewas jumped on Middle Tennessee State early and never trailed in the game. They got balance on offense and a game-sealing interception return for a score from LB Doug Kress for the program’s first-ever bowl victory.
68. Penn State RB Tony Hunt – Even after wearing out Tennessee for 158 yards on 31 carries and earning Outback Bowl MVP honors, Hunt will still be one of the most underrated backs in America. He’s used to it. In his final collegiate game, he and the Lion line were just too physical for the Volunteers, controlling the clock in the early going and milking it when Penn State took the lead in the fourth quarter.
67. Houston WR Vincent Marshall – The Cougars’ most combustible receiver, who struggled all year to make big plays, finally broke loose in the Liberty Bowl. Marshall caught nine balls for 201 yards and two long touchdowns, which had Houston thinking upset against favored South Carolina.
66. Texas Tech WR Joel Filani – Filani was Graham Harrell’s favorite target as the Red Raiders charged back against Minnesota in the second half of the Insight Bowl. He caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a 43-yard touchdown that got the rally started for Tech midway through the third quarter.
65. South Florida D – The Bulls lost their offensive catalyst, QB Matt Grothe, in the first half of the PapaJohns.com Bowl, but they didn’t miss him. That’s because the defense played lights out for four quarters. Led by LB Stephen Nicholas, DE George Selvie and CB Mike Jenkins, the speedy South Florida unit held East Carolina to 268 yards and no points over the final 50 minutes for the school’s first bowl win.
64. Florida State OTs Mario Henderson and Shannon Boatman – No one did a better job of walling off UCLA’s dynamic pass-rush duo of Justin Hickman and Bruce Davis this year than Henderson and Boatman in the Emerald Bowl. The nation’s sixth-ranked sack unit had just one on Drew Weatherford, which came on a blitz from LB Eric McNeal.
63. Boston College LB Jolonn Dunbar – Dunbar was the story on defense for the Eagles in the Meineke Bowl. BC’s feisty junior linebacker had 14 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery with 1:43 left that led to Steve Aponavicius’ game-winning field goal as time expired.
62. Oklahoma LB Rufus Alexander – Yeah, they did play some defense in the Fiesta Bowl, particularly Alexander, who had 15 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, showing the nation why he was this year’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
61. Arkansas RB Felix Jones – Arkansas’ home run hitter overshadowed Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden in the Capital One Bowl, running for 158 yards and the team’s only two touchdowns on just 14 carries. Jones’ damage came against a stout Wisconsin defense that was ranked 22nd nationally versus the run in 2006.
60. Wisconsin – While it won’t ever hang in a Madison art gallery, the Capital One Bowl defeat of Arkansas finally landed the Badgers that signature win over a ranked opponent that they sought all year. Despite getting out gained by the Hogs and finishing with negative rushing yards, Wisconsin found a way to win its program-best 12th game.
59. Auburn D – The Auburn offense was not very good in the Cotton Bowl. Luckily for Tiger fans, it didn’t have to be. Auburn pitched a second-half shutout of Nebraska in a tie game, got 11 tackles for loss and five sacks against an overmatched Husker line and used turnovers to set up both of its touchdowns.
58. Cal Offensive Line – You don’t get two 100-yard rushers in a game by accident. The Bear front wall of Alex Mack, Noris Malele, Erik Robertson, Mike Gibson and Andrew Cameron toyed with a makeshift Texas A&M line in the Holiday Bowl, opening gaping holes for Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett, while allowing no sacks on QB Nate Longshore.
57. Rutgers RB Ray Rice – Rice capped his breakthrough sophomore season by running for 170 yards and a long score on 24 carries, copping Texas Bowl MVP honors while sparking the Scarlet Knights to their first-ever bowl victory.
56. Oregon State coach Mike Riley – In one of the best individual coaching decisions of the bowl season, Riley passed on a chance to tie the game in the waning seconds of the Sun Bowl, sending his offense back on the field for the two-point conversion. The Beavers converted for a 39-38 win, making the coach look like a genius.
55. LSU DBs Chevis Jackson, LaRon Landry, Jonathan Zenon and Craig Steltz – Yeah, the Tiger secondary got help up front in the Sugar Bowl, but still did a bang up job of preventing big plays, while forcing Brady Quinn into his worst game in over two years. The Heisman finalist finished just 15-of-35 for 148 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, a far cry from his typical output.
54. Nebraska front seven – Husker linemen and linebackers dominated a good Auburn offensive line at the point of attack, doing everything but put points on the board in the Cotton Bowl. With ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore pressuring Brandon Cox and LBs Stewart Bradley, Corey McKeon and Bo Ruud controlling the running game, the Tigers managed just 178 total yards and less than two yards a carry.
53. Arkansas front of Jamaal Anderson, Keith Jackson, Marcus Harrison and Antwain Robinson – It’s been a long, long time since a Wisconsin offensive line was physically out muscled as handily as it was in the Capital One Bowl. The talented Razorback quartet had all six of the unit’s sacks, while helping hold the usually potent Badger running game to negative yards.
52. Rutgers D – Ray Rice and Brian Leonard may make more headlines, but the aggressive Scarlet Knight defense has been the unsung hero throughout the 2006 season. The Texas Bowl was no different. Rutgers created three turnovers, sacked Josh Freeman three times and held Kansas State to just six first downs and no offensive touchdowns.
51. Troy – You can strike the Trojans from the list of programs that have never won a bowl game. Troy got five interceptions from its defense and five touchdowns from QB Omar Haugabook in a surprisingly easy 41-17 smackdown of Rice in the New Orleans Bowl.
50. Liberty Bowl – Offense, offense, offense. South Carolina and Houston, and specifically Blake Mitchell and Kevin Kolb, went toe-to-toe for almost four hours, combining for more than 1,000 yards, seven touchdown passes, 52 first downs and six lead changes in a frenetic second quarter. Mitchell won by TKO with a couple of 43-yard touchdown passes to Kenny McKinley in the final quarter.
49. Emerald Bowl – It took nine games, but the bowl season finally delivered a game worth watching from start to finish. Florida State and UCLA had every reason to be flat, but instead played an inspired game that had five touchdowns of at least 25 yards, three second-half lead changes and an outcome that was in doubt in the fourth quarter.
48. TCU – Save for a blocked punt early in the fourth quarter, TCU played a perfect Poinsettia Bowl, routing Northern Illinois 37-7. The Frogs out gained the Huskies 456 to 60, holding NIU’s vaunted running game to -29 yards and not a single first down on the ground. The speed of the TCU D, particularly DE Tommy Blake, was way too much for the MAC’s entry into this game.
47. Oklahoma State RB Dantrell Savage – One of the beauties of the bowl games is the exposure they give players like Savage, who normally never play in front of a national audience. The junior college transfer weaved in and out of the Alabama defense for 112 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and 41 yards on three catches, earning MVP honors, while sparking the Cowboys to an Independence Bowl win.
46. Independence Bowl – Shreveport was home to one of the best fourth quarter’s of the bowl season. Exhibit A. Bobby Reid’s perfectly thrown fade pattern to Adarius Bowman, giving Oklahoma State a 31-17 lead. Exhibit B. Alabama freshman Javier Arenas’ 86-yard punt return to pull the Tide within a score. Exhibit C. Hulking Bama tackle Andre Smith’s two-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 31. Exhibit D. Jason Ricks’ game-winning field goal with 13 seconds left, giving the Pokes a 34-31 win. Fun.
45. Missouri RB Tony Temple – If not for the Tigers’ collapse to Oregon State in the Sun Bowl, Temple would probably be even higher for the way he shredded the Beaver defense. On just 20 carries, the Mizzou scatback scampered for 194 yards and two touchdowns, the last one from 65 yards that should been a back-breaker.
44. Texas QB Colt McCoy – Two weeks ago, McCoy was a question mark to even play with a severely pinched nerve in his neck. Today, he’s the Alamo Bowl MVP after rallying the ‘Horns from a 14-3 deficit versus Iowa with a gutsy 308-yard, two-touchdown effort in San Antonio.
43. Oklahoma State – The Cowboys’ 34-31 win over Alabama in the Independence Bowl is the kind of game that can catapult a young team to new heights in 2007. Oklahoma State was typically balanced on offense, getting 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing against a stingy Tide defense that entered the game ranked 18th in the country.
42. Georgia Tech RB Tashard Choice – Faced with the nation’s No. 8 run defense, Choice humbled West Virginia in the Gator Bowl, running for a career-high 169 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. His seventh straight 100-yard game to end the season positions the junior as one of the top returning backs of 2007.
41. Houston QB Kevin Kolb – In the final game of his stellar career, Kolb did all he could to engineer an upset of South Carolina in the Liberty Bowl. Too bad he couldn’t play defense. Kolb went 26-of-39 for 386 yards, three touchdowns and a pick in the 44-36 loss.
40. Gator Bowl – Once Patrick White got done hoisting West Virginia on his back, Georgia Tech and seven Gator Bowl offensive records had fallen on New Year’s Day. White led the Mountaineers back from a 35-17 deficit with a furious third-quarter rally, offsetting a monster effort from the Yellow Jacket offense.
39. Georgia LB Tony Taylor – If not for Taylor’s second-half heroics, the Dawgs’ come-from-behind win over Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl would not have been possible. The all-conference senior had nine tackles, a tackle for loss and two game-changing interceptions in the fourth quarter that spurred Georgia to the upset.
38. WAC – It was a banner post-season for the Western Athletic Conference, which was a one-point loss by Nevada to Miami from going an unthinkable 4-0 in bowl games. Obviously, Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl upset of Oklahoma was the headliner, but don’t forget that Hawaii knocked off Arizona State and San Jose State surprised New Mexico in Albuquerque. Not too shabby for a league that didn’t even have perennial giant-killer Fresno State in the mix this year.
37. Georgia Tech QB Taylor Bennett – Yo Chan, why didn’t you give this kid a few more reps the past two seasons? With error-prone starter Reggie Ball ineligible, Bennett was terrific in his first career start, going 19-of-29 for 326 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in the Gator Bowl. The 326 yards was a Tech bowl record and more than Ball had at any point in his career in Atlanta.
36. South Carolina QB Blake Mitchell – An understudy to Syvelle Newton for half the 2006 season, Mitchell closed the year with a flurry, carving up Houston in the Liberty Bowl for 323 yards and the second four-touchdown game of his Gamecock career.
35. Troy QB Omar Haugabook – After just one year at Troy, Haugabook is already on the verge of becoming a local icon. The Sun Belt Player of the Year added to his legend in the New Orleans Bowl, throwing for 217 yards and four scores, running for 92 yards and a touchdown and even catching a pass in the 41-17 Trojan win.
34. Florida State – It was a minor bowl game, but a major win for a 6-6 Seminole program that desperately needed to harness some momentum to carry into the off-season. Playing clear across the country in a meaningless December game, Florida State dug deep and got big plays from every unit in an impressive come-from-behind win over UCLA.
33. Florida O-line – The supposed weak link in the Gator armor held up extremely well in the national championship game, having its way all night with a very good Ohio State interior. The combination of Jim Tartt, Steve Rissler, Phil Trautwein, Carlton Medder and Drew Miller dominated at the point of attack, paving the way for 41 Florida points, the most allowed by the Buckeyes in more than seven years.
32. Big East – Formerly known as the Big Least, the conference finished its 2006 National Tour for Respect by sweeping all five of its bowl games. None of the victories were especially surprising, however, for a league that was on its heels just a couple of years, the post-season performance was yet another sign that the news of its demise had been greatly exaggerated.
31. Boise State QB Jared Zabransky – Never before has a quarterback gone from goat to hero faster than Zabransky did in the Fiesta Bowl. The series after inexplicably throwing a pick six to Oklahoma’s Marcus Walker that might have lost the game for Boise, he led the Broncos downfield in under a minute for the game-tying touchdown. Zabransky finished his night with a memorable win and three touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing.
30. Penn State D – In the battle between the rugged defense and the high-powered offense, Penn State came out on top in the Outback Bowl. Lion corners Justin King and Tony Davis contained Tennessee’s prolific receiving tandem of Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain, helping hold the Vols to just 10 points, their lowest total of 2006. And early in the fourth quarter, it was Davis’ 88-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown that snapped a tie, leading Penn State to the statement win it sought all year long.
29. Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson – With more support from his quarterback than he’s had in a long time, Johnson literally looked like a man playing among boys in the Gator Bowl. He pulled down nine receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns, but was kept from taking over the game in the second half after Tech fell behind West Virginia.
28. BYU – The Cougars finally got the signature, non-conference win that escaped them during the regular season, embarrassing Oregon 38-8 in the Las Vegas Bowl. In its most lopsided bowl victory, BYU rolled up 548 yards of balanced offense and kept the usually high-powered Duck offense from scoring for the first 50 minutes of the game.
27. Kentucky QB Andre Woodson – Woodson added another chapter in his breakthrough junior season, withstanding some early pressure from Clemson in the Music City Bowl to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-30 passing. By leading the Wildcats to their own Music City Miracle, the junior became just the third Kentucky quarterback in the last half-century to win a bowl game.
26. Rutgers – The Scarlet Knights were supposed to beat Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. It just wasn’t supposed to be this easy. Rutgers was completely dominant on both sides of the ball, out gaining the Wildcats 479 to 162 for the program’s first-ever bowl victory, the next big milestone for Greg Schiano at the university.
25. Florida State RB Lorenzo Booker – Where was this over the last four years? Booker actually got some support up front in the Emerald Bowl, playing arguably the best game of his Seminole career in the final game of his Seminole career. In front of 130 friends and family members, he ran for 91 yards and two scores, caught five passes for 117 yards and made a couple of huge plays when Florida State pulled away from UCLA in the fourth quarter.
24. LSU QB JaMarcus Russell – Sure, he faced the softer of the two defenses in New Orleans, but Russell easily got the better of Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn in the Sugar Bowl, throwing two touchdown passes, running for a score and earning a unanimous selection as the game’s MVP.
23. Insight Bowl – If you had NFL Network, didn’t bail when Minnesota went up 38-7 in the third quarter and stayed up close to midnight in parts of the country, congratulations. You’re one of the two dozen or so people that caught the ending of the greatest comeback in bowl history and an improbable 44-41 Texas Tech win in overtime.
22. Cal – With the memory of the 2004 Holiday Bowl spanking at the hands of Texas Tech still on the minds of many players, Cal played with a sense of purpose in this year’s game. In what was billed as an evenly-matched game, the Bears destroyed Texas A&M 45-10, getting inspired play from both sides of the ball and giving a boost to the Pac-10, which began the bowl season 0-3.
21. Hawaii WR Jason Rivers – Perhaps lost in Colt Brennan’s performance was the heroics of Rivers, who roamed through the Arizona State secondary in the Hawaii Bowl as if he was completely undetectable. He pulled down 14 passes, tying a school record, for 308 yards, establishing a new NCAA bowl record, and two scores in the Warrior win.
20. Sun Bowl – The Sun Bowl has become the new Holiday Bowl, that one postseason game that consistently delivers plenty of points and late-game drama. This year’s edition involving Oregon State and Missouri featured more than 1,000 yards of offense, seven touchdown passes and a 39-38 Beaver win on a successful two-point conversion with 23 seconds left.
19. Kentucky – The Wildcats authored a historical and improbable win against Clemson in the Music City Bowl, adding an exclamation point to their turnaround season. The double-digit underdogs started fast, forcing the Tigers to abandon the run, and held on behind a surprising effort from the defense for their first bowl win in 22 years. For Rich Brooks, it was sweet redemption for a coach that’s spent most of his four years in Lexington on the hot seat.
18. Georgia – At 21-3 in the third quarter of the Chick-fil-A Bowl, raise your hand if you thought Georgia had any chance of catching Virginia Tech, which sported a defense that had allowed just 32 points over the last 6½ games. The Dawg D, however, allowed just three second-half points and created four enormous turnovers, carrying the team to its third straight win over a ranked opponent.
17. Texas Tech – As bad as the Red Raiders were for the first 38 minutes of the Insight Bowl, falling behind Minnesota 38-7, they were even better the rest of the way, climbing all the way back and winning 44-41 in overtime. Tech head coach Mike Leach told his team at halftime that they had a chance to make history. He was right—the comeback was the largest in bowl history.
16. Florida QB Chris Leak – Sure, others had better numbers than Leak this post-season, but no one could boast a bigger win than the maligned Gator senior. In his final college game, he was crisp, mistake-free and always in control of the Florida offense, completely out playing Heisman winner Troy Smith, while picking up the MVP trophy in the national championship game.
15. LSU – For the second straight year, the Tigers roared in a bowl game, destroying Notre Dame 41-14 in the Sugar Bowl one year after sucker punching Miami in the Peach Bowl. LSU silenced the Irish passing attack and ran roughshod on its defense, rolling up 577 yards and 31 first downs with a blend of JaMarcus Russell’s arm and Keiland Williams’ legs.
14. Oregon State QB Matt Moore – Maligned throughout his career and nearly benched earlier in the year, Moore enjoyed the last laugh, rallying the Beavers to a comeback win over Missouri in the Sun Bowl with four touchdowns and 356 through the air and a touchdown run. On Oregon State’s final drive to victory, Moore went 5-of-7, driving his team 54 yards in 60 seconds and hitting Joe Newton for the game-winner.
13. Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell – Harrell was by no means perfect in the Insight Bowl, starting slowly and turning the ball over twice, but when observers look back at the greatest comeback in bowl history, they’ll recognize that he was at the controls. Harrell threw for 445 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, all in a second-half rally that erased a 31-point Minnesota lead.
12. West Virginia QB Patrick White – His body aching and his best weapon, Steve Slaton, sidelined, White willed the Mountaineers to a Gator Bowl victory, erasing an 18-point Georgia Tech lead with a furious third-quarter rally. In Slaton’s absence, White led the West Virginia ground game with 145 yards and a touchdown, adding two more scores and 131 yards on 9-of-15 passing.
11. Boise State head coach Chris Peterson – In his first season as a head coach, Perfect Pete called a brilliant game in the Broncos’ Fiesta Bowl upset of Oklahoma. He was poised in the face of tumultuous swings of momentum, inventive with his play-calling, especially late in the game, and responsible for one of the most memorable decisions in recent history, a gutsy Statue of Liberty two-point conversion in overtime for the win.
10. USC – Facing a very good Michigan team that some felt belonged in Glendale, the Trojans made a rather nice recovery from last month’s loss to UCLA, routing the third-ranked Wolverines 32-18 in Pasadena. By winning handily and dominating both sides of the ball, USC took its first big step toward a pre-season No. 1 ranking in the 2007 polls.
9. USC WR Dwayne Jarrett – Jarrett went over, past and around the Michigan secondary in one of the great individual efforts by a receiver in Rose Bowl history. In what was likely his final game as an unpaid athlete, the big-play junior had 11 catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns, helping turn a tight game with the Wolverines into a second-half rout.
8. USC front seven – For the second time in four years in the Rose Bowl, USC abused a good Michigan line, proving that big and fast always beats big and slow. In a near repeat of the 2004 game between these two schools, USC owned the line of scrimmage, holding the Wolverines to 12 yards rushing and sacking Chad Henne six times with a combination of blitzes and brute force. Defensive MVP Brian Cushing had seven tackles, four tackles for loss and 2½ sacks, but got plenty of help from Sedrick Ellis, Keith Rivers and Lawrence Jackson.
7. Hawaii QB Colt Brennan – In one of the great second halves in bowl history, Brennan threw five touchdown passes as part of a school-record 559-yard evening, rallying the Warriors to a 41-24 win over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl. The five touchdown strikes gave the junior 58 on the season, surpassing Houston’s David Klingler for the NCAA single-season record.
6. USC QB John David Booty – Like Vince Young in the 2005 game, Booty is going to use the Rose Bowl as his launching point for a Heisman run next season. Playing his best game as a Trojan, the junior shredded the Michigan secondary for 391 yards and four touchdowns on 27-of-45 passing, blowing open a game that was tied 3-3 at halftime.
5. Florida coach Urban Meyer – In one of the best title game coaching jobs in recent history, Meyer and his staff put on an absolute clinic in how to call a game and prepare a team for the post-season. Yeah, the Gators were quicker than the Buckeyes in the title game, but they were also always one step ahead of Ohio State, a testament to Meyer’s attention to detail and pursuit of perfection.
4. Florida D – You probably have to go back to the 2001 Orange Bowl to find a big game defensive effort that approaches what Florida did in Glendale Monday. Facing the Heisman winner and one of the country’s most prolific offenses, the Gators completely manhandled Ohio State from start to finish, holding the Buckeyes to a hard-to-fathom 82 total yards and no points over the final 43 minutes. Led by ends Jarvis Moss and Derrick Harvey, the Gator pass rush made the heralded Ohio State line look as if it was wearing ten-pound ankle weights.
3. Fiesta Bowl – You know how everyone says the bowl season can’t match up to March Madness for sheer excitement and upset potential. Well, for one night in Glendale, it felt an awful lot like a Thursday afternoon in March. Boise State’s 43-42 overtime upset of Oklahoma had everything, including some of the most well-executed trick plays ever. Where does it rank all-time? First? Third? Sixth? Who cares? All that matters is that those who stuck around until the end got treated to one of those rare, insane games that they’ll never forget.
2. Boise State – Yeah, Florida is the national champ, but Boise State was the next biggest winner this post-season, capturing the imagination of the country with its thrill ride upset of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos will reap the benefits of this game for many years, but so will other small schools seeking national respect, giving Boise’s 43-42 overtime victory historical and far-reaching significance.
1. Florida – There were about 14 people outside the Sunshine State that seriously believed Florida could take it to Ohio State in the national championship game. That number dropped to zero after Ted Ginn took the opening kickoff back for an electrifying touchdown. The Gators took the Buckeyes’ first blow and then proceeded to dish out three hours of punishment in an improbable 41-14 romp. Florida was masterful all night, robbing Ohio State of its heart well before halftime and making a ton of believers out of a previously doubting nation.
|