By
Richard Cirminiello
Best Eagle Bowl Moment:
The 1984 season will forever be
remembered fondly by Eagle
fans. It was the year of Flutie,
the Heisman and the miracle in
Miami. It was also the scene of
Boston College’s first bowl win
in 44 years, a 45-28 thumping of
Houston in the 1985 Cotton
Bowl. Flutie threw three
touchdown passes, but the real
hero was running back Troy
Stradford, who ran for 196 yards
and was named the game’s MVP.
Best Spartan Bowl Moment:
While rival Michigan has a
timeshare in Pasadena, it’s been
a long time since Michigan State
has played a meaningful game in
January. The Spartans are 3-1
in the Rose Bowl, including a
couple of wins over UCLA in the
1950s. In the 1954 game, No. 3
Michigan State rallied from a
14-0 halftime deficit to pull
out the win, getting a touchdown
run and a back-breaking punt
return for a score from RB Billy
Wells.
Boston College's best win ...
Boston College 14 ... Virginia Tech
10
Shut down cold for roughly 55 minutes, Boston College and QB
Matt Ryan woke up to pull off the improbable comeback thanks to a 24-yard
touchdown pass to Andre Callender with 11 seconds to play. Down 10-0 and the
ball on his own eight, Ryan took the Eagles 92 yards in just over two minutes,
finishing up with a 16-yard scoring pass to Rich Gunnell. With 2:11 to play, BC
went for the onside kick and got it as the ball bounced off a Hokie before the
Eagles recovered. Ryan went 66 yards in seven plays for the game-winning score.
Virginia Tech got a 44-yard Jud Dunleavy field goal and an eight-yard Eddie
Royal touchdown catch for the lead, but only finished with 265 yards of total
offense, while BC finished with 32 rushing yards. Player of the
game: Boston College
QB Matt Ryan completed 25 of 52 passes for 285 yards and two
touchdowns with two interceptions Stat Leaders: Boston College - Passing: Matt
Ryan, 25-52, 285 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Andre Callender, 7-29. Receiving:
Brandon Robinson, 5-86 Virginia Tech - Passing: Sean Glennon, 15-25,
149 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Branden Ore, 21-101. Receiving: Eddie Royal,
4-77, 1 TD
Boston College's worst loss ...
Maryland 42 ... Boston College 35
Maryland put up 472 yards to Boston College's 466, getting a
37-yard Darrius Heyward-Bey touchdown run off a reverse along with three Chris
Turner touchdown passes, including two to Jason Goode, on the way to a 42-21
lead. BC and Matt Ryan tried to bomb their way back late, with Ryan connecting
with Ryan Purvis for touchdowns from five and 13 yards out, but the Terps
recovered the onside kick after the final score and held on. The two teams
combined to convert 20 of 32 third down chances. Player of the
game:
Maryland QB Chris Turner completed 21 of 27 passes for 337 yards and
three touchdowns Stat Leaders: Boston College - Passing: Matt
Ryan, 33-56, 421 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Andre Callender, 12-56. Receiving: Ryan
Purvis, 10-102, 2 TD Maryland - Passing: Chris Turner, 21-27, 337
yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Lance Ball, 32-109, 1 TD. Receiving: Jason
Goode, 6-56, 2 TD
Michigan State's best win ...
Michigan State 35 ... Penn State 31
Down 24-7 at halftime, Michigan State rallied with 28 second
half points on three of Brian Hoyer's four touchdown passes, and a
one-yard Jehuu Caulcrick scoring run. Devin Thomas scored from 12,
33 and 26 yards out for the Spartans with two coming in the second
half rally. Penn State started out hot, and kept pace for a while,
with Deon Butler scoring from 37 yards out, Rodney Kinlaw getting
two four-yard touchdown runs, and even getting a five-yard touchdown
run from PK Kevin Kelly on a direct snap. The Nittany Lions had the
ball with one final shot at pulling it out, but the drive stalled
and MSU pulled out the stunner. Player of the game: Michigan State WR Devin Thomas caught seven
passes for 139 yards and three touchdowns Stat Leaders: Penn State - Passing: Anthony
Morelli, 16-35, 188 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Rodney Kinlaw, 28-125, 2 TD. Receiving:
Rodney Kinlaw, 4-22 Michigan State - Passing: Brian Hoyer, 16-21,
257 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Jehuu Caulcrick, 22-99, 1 TD. Receiving: Devin
Thomas, 7-139, 3 TD
Michigan State's worst loss ...
Northwestern 48 ... Michigan State
41 OT
Northwestern QB C.J. Bacher threw five touchdown passes
including a 12-yarder to Omar Conteh in overtime. Michigan State
misfired on four passes, and the Wildcats pulled off the big road
win. The two teams traded shots all game long, with neither getting
up by more than a score in the see-saw battle. Northwestern rolled
up 611 yards, with Conteh scoring three times, with touchdown runs
of 11 and nine yards in the first quarter, and then it was all
Bacher, hitting five different receivers for scores, including a
78-yarder to Jeff Yarbrough and a 70-yarder to Eric Peterman. Until
overtime, MSU always had an answer, with Javon Ringer ripped off
three touchdowns with dashes from four, 47 and 80 yards.
Player of the game:
Northwestern QB C.J. Bacher completed 38-of-48 passes for 520 yards
and five touchdown passes, and rushed five times for five yards. Stat Leaders: Northwestern - Passing: C.J.
Bacher, 38-48, 520 yds, 5 TDs Rushing: Omar Conteh, 19-70, 2 TDs. Receiving: Eric
Peterman, 9-141, 1 TD Michigan State - Passing: Brian Hoyer, 17-31,
194 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Javon Ringer, 12-185, 3 TDs. Receiving: Javon
Ringer, 6-54
2006 Champs
Sports Bowl
Maryland 24 ... Purdue 7
Maryland outgained Purdue 206 yards
to 21 on the ground and held on to
the ball for almost forty minutes in
a methodical, surprisingly easy win.
The Terps scored the first 21 points
of the game helped by two Sam
Hollenbach touchdown passes
including a perfect 46-yard strike
to Darrius Heyward-Bey. Purdue got a
little bit of momentum going into
the locker room on a 12-yard Greg
Orton touchdown catch with thirty
seconds left, but never got going in
the second half. Dan Ennis connected
on a 22-yard field goal for the only
points in the final thirty minutes.
Player of the
game ... Maryland RBs Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore combined for
183 yards on 38 carries Stat Leaders: Maryland- Passing: Sam
Hollenbach, 15-24, 223 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Lance Ball, 18-98 Receiving:
Darrius Heyward-Bey, 4-81, 1 TD Purdue - Passing:
Curtis Painter, 23-36, 264 yds, 1
TD, 1 INT Rushing: Jaycen Taylor, 6-19 Receiving:
Dorien Bryant, 8-101
