Best
Sooner Bowl Moment:
Although the last three BCS bowl appearances have been eminently
forgettable, OU’s 24-15-1 bowl record ranks among the best of any
program with at least 15 appearances. The Sooners, regulars in
Miami throughout the years, used the 2001 Orange Bowl as a vehicle
to regaining their status as a perennial national title contender.
The Oklahoma defense suffocated high-powered Florida State in a
shocking 13-2 win that captured the school’s seventh national
championship.
Best Mountaineer Bowl Moment: The postseason had been a
horror show for West Virginia…until the 2006 Sugar Bowl. The same
program that had lost 11 of its previous 12 bowl games jumped all
over heavily-favored Georgia in the Georgia Dome before holding on
for a 38-35 win that ranks among the most important in school
history. Steve Slaton’s 204 yards rushing against a quality Dawg D
was surpassed only by Texas’ Vince Young for the best individual
effort of the 2006 bowl season.
Oklahoma's
best win ...
Big 12 Championship,
Oklahoma 38 ... Missouri 17
Oklahoma opened up a tight game with a dominant second half
outscoring the Tigers 24-3. San Bradford threw two second half
touchdown passes with a five-yard scoring toss to Jermaine Gresham
coming off a Curtis Lofton interception to open things up. Allen
Patrick ran for a four-yard score and Chris Brown added two second
quarter scores. Missouri made it interesting at the end of the first
half with a four-yard Chase Daniel touchdown run with 14 seconds to
play, and a tie going into the locker room, on a reverse pass to
Martin Rucker. The two teams combined for 20 penalties for 206
yards.
Player of the
game: Oklahoma LB Curtis Lofton made nine tackles, three tackles
for loss, a sack, and an interception. Stat Leaders: Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford,
18-26, 209 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Allen Patrick, 13-88, 1 TD. Receiving:
Joe Jon Finley, 5-34, 1 TD Missouri - Passing: Chase Daniel, 23-39, 219
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jeremy Maclin, 4-40. Receiving: Jeremy Maclin,
8-69
Oklahoma's worst loss ...
Colorado 27 ... Oklahoma 24
Kevin Eberhart nailed a 45-yard field goal as time ran out to
cap a run of 20 unanswered Colorado points to stun Oklahoma. The
Sooner offense came up with two Allen Patrick touchdown runs, from
34 and 17 yards out, and started off the scoring with a 13-yard
Juaquin Iglesias grab, but the high-powered attack was held to just
230 yards of total offense with three turnovers. The Buff defense
helped give the offense great field position over the final 20
minutes, with scoring drives of just 50, 62, 16 and 23 yards. Cody
Hawkins connected with Tyson DeVree for a four-yard score, and Dusty
Sprague for a 15-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Player of the
game: Colorado LB Jordan
Dixon made 7.5 tackles and a sack Stat Leaders: Colorado - Passing: Cody Hawkins,
22-36, 220 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Hugh Charles, 24-110, 1 TD. Receiving: Hugh
Charles, 5-48 Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 8-19, 112 yds,
1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Allen Patrick, 18-96, 2 TD. Receiving: Juaquin
Iglesias, 2-15, 1 TD
West Virginia's best win ...
West Virginia 31 ... Maryland 14
West Virginia rolled for 353 rushing yards and broke open a
7-7 game with a 24-point run on three Steve Slaton touchdown runs
and a 32-yard Pat McAfee field goal. The Mountaineers started off
the scoring with a 22-yard Pat White touchdown, but Maryland
answered with a long drive culminating in a four-yard Keon Lattimore
scoring run. The Terps added a 22-yard Danny Oquendo touchdown catch
late in the fourth. Player of the
game ... West Virginia RB/WR
Noel Devine ran five times for 136 yards and returned two kickoffs
for 52 yards Stat Leaders: Maryland - Passing: Jordan Steffy,
16-23, 180 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Keon Lattimore, 21-80, 1 TD Receiving:
Keon Lattimore, 4-17 West Virginia - Passing: Patrick White, 8-13,
95 yds
Rushing: Steve Slaton, 26-137, 3 TD Receiving: Darius
Reynaud, 4-55
West Virginia's worst performance ... Pitt 13 ... West Virginia 9
In an all-time stunner that ruined West Virginia's national
title dream, Pitt got two Conor Lee field goals and a one-yard Pat
Bostick touchdown run for all the points it would need. The defense
held the high powered Mountaineer attack to 183 yards and just 104
on the ground. Pat White suffered a dislocated thumb, was in street
clothes for a little while, and then came back into the game late.
The Mountaineers had their chances, but two missed field goals
early, and a throw out of the end zone on a desperation fourth down
on their final play, helped the Panthers pull it off. Pitt held on
to the ball for 36:19.
Player of the game:
Pitt RB LeSean McCoy ran 38 times for 148 yards Stat Leaders: West Virginia - Passing: Pat
White, 5-10, 50 yds Rushing: Pat White, 14-41. Receiving: Darius Reynaud,
3-46 Pitt - Passing: Pat Bostick, 10-19, 67 yds, 2
INT
Rushing: LeSean McCoy, 38-148. Receiving: Oderick Turner,
3-29
2007 Fiesta Bowl
Boise State 43 ... Oklahoma 42 OT
In one of the wildest, most exciting finishes in college
football history, Boise State ran a trick play in overtime with
backup wide receiver Vinny Parretta connecting with Derek Schouman
for a five-yard score on fourth down, and then won it on a Statue of
Liberty play with Ian Johnson taking the ball from Jared Zabransky
for the two-point conversion. Oklahoma had to fight back to tie the
game getting a five-yard Quentin Chaney touchdown catch with 1:26 to
play. After penalties forced a third two-point conversion try, Paul
Thompson found Juaquin Iglesias for the tie. On the next play from
scrimmage, Zabransky was picked off by Marcus Walker for a 33-yard
interception return for a score. With under a minute to go, Boise
State went 78 yards in five plays converting on 4th and 18 for a
35-yard score on a hook-and-lateral with Drisan James catching the
ball and pitching it to Jerard Rabb, who took it for the score with
seven seconds in regulation. Boise State dominated the first 57
minutes thanks to four OU turnovers with a 27-yard Marty Tadman
interception for a score and two first half touchdown grabs from
James. OU fought back with 18 straight points including an
eight-yard Adrian Peterson touchdown run. Peterson scores in
overtime on OU's first play on 25-yard run. Player of the
game ... Boise State QB
Jared Zabransky completed 19 of 29 passes for 262 yards and three
touchdowns with an interception Stat Leaders: Oklahoma- Passing: Paul
Thompson, 19-32, 233 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Adrian Peterson, 20-77, 2 TD Receiving:
Juaquin Iglesias, 6-120 Boise State - Passing: Jared Zabransky, 19-29,
262 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ian Johnson, 23-101, 1 TD Receiving:
Derek Schouman, 8-72, 1 TD
