2008 Alamo - Profiles, History & More

Player profiles, team history, the breakout players, the best bowl moments and more for the 2008 Alamo Bowl.

2008 Alamo Bowl Player Profiles & History

Missouri (9-4) at Northwestern (8-3)

Dec. 29, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN

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Alamo Bowl History
2007	Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17
2006	Texas 26, Iowa 24
2005	Nebraska 32, Michigan 28
2004	Ohio State 33, Oklahoma St 7
2003	Nebraska 17, Michigan State 3
2002	Wisconsin 31, Colorado 28
2001	Iowa 19, Texas Tech 16
2000	Nebraska 66, Northwestern 17
1999	Penn State 23, Texas A&M 0
1998	Purdue 37, Kansas St. 34
1997	Purdue 33, Oklahoma St. 20
1996	Iowa 27, Texas Tech 0
1995	Texas A&M 22, Michigan 20
1994	Washington St. 10, Baylor 3
1993	California 37, Iowa 3

By Richard Cirminiello

Best Wildcat Bowl Moment: No contest. When you’re the Big Ten’s perennial doormat and you haven’t been to a bowl game in 47 years, an unexpected berth in the Rose Bowl is more than a great bowl moment—it’s the modern day high point for your program. Such was the case for the 1995 ‘Cats, who shocked the world by winning the conference title and earning a trip to Pasadena. They led favored USC early in the fourth quarter before succumbing 41-32. 

Best Tiger Bowl Moment: The 2005 comeback win over South Carolina in the Independence Bowl was nice, but Missouri’s biggest bowl conquests reside deep in the past, nine New Year’s Day bowl games before 1971 and not one until 2007. A 21-14 defeat of Navy in the 1961 Orange Bowl ended a seven-game bowl losing streak, propelling the Tigers to No. 5 in the AP Poll and capping the best season in school history. In the win, the Mizzou D held Heisman winner Joe Bellino to just four yards on the ground.

The Last Time You'll See ...

Northwestern: QB C.J. Bacher. Sure, he made way too many mistakes in the passing game, but when Bacher was on, it was as if he was channeling Zak Kustok. He had the right mix of arm strength and elusiveness in the open field to make the Wildcat attack go. He’ll leave Evanston having thrown for more than 7,000 yards and leading the program to its first bowl game in three years.

Missouri: WR Jeremy Maclin. There’s no way he returns, right? Maclin has it all, from good size and great speed to the ability to change the tenor of a game on special teams. Plus, he may not want to be the last star standing in Columbia on a team that’s losing a slew of key players to graduation. Maclin has submitted his paperwork to the NFL advisory committee, which is expected to come back with a first-round grade.

Breakout Player ...

Northwestern: LB Quentin Davie. While Davie sort of hit the wall in November, the coaching staff saw enough in the first half to know he has substantial upside. A terrific all-around athlete at 6-4 and 215 pounds, the sophomore could be asked to put his hand in the dirt if he’s able to pack on some pounds in the offseason. Davie has flashed a natural ability for getting into the backfield, collecting 9.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. 

Missouri: NT Jaron Baston. Baston was quietly one of this year’s pleasant surprises, doing a nice job of replacing All-Big 12 first teamer Lorenzo Williams. In his first year in the lineup, he’s been in on 43 stops and has eight tackles for loss to earn honorable mention all-conference. At 6-1 and 305 pounds, the junior plays with good leverage and is surprisingly nimble for his size.

Best Non-Game Event
The pep rally on the river two days before the game is one of the most popular and is uniquely San Antonio. Players and bands arrive to the River Theatre via river cruisers with captains, coaches, and cheerleaders on stage. Thousands of fans pack the theatre with many more lined up and down the Riverwalk.

Player Gift Package
An 80 gig Sony PS3, a basketball PS3 video game, a Fossil watch, and a mini-helmet.

Charitable Component
The bowl has a scholarship program which recognizes 25 outstanding San Antonio high school kids at the game and gives them $3,000 toward the school of their choice.

How Success is Measured
The goal each year is to deliver top ratings, capacity crowds, and a significant economic impact to San Antonio.

MVP of the Bowl
Derrick Fox is the president of the Alamo Bowl and was hired 18 months before the inaugural game. He had previously spent six years at the Fiesta Bowl and has taken this game from No. 18 out of 18 bowl games, in terms of team payout, to No. 12 out of 34 games.

Impact to the Community
It delivers an economic impact of more than $20 million each year in terms of visitor spending, as well as millions more in measurable media value for the city.

Role of Volunteers
With a staff of just six full-time employees, the Alamo Bowl requires a volunteer staff to help deliver the San Antonio bowl experience that the teams and the fans have come to expect.

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Northwestern Bowl History (1-5)

2005	Sun	UCLA 50, Northwestern 38
2003	Motor City	Bowling Green 28, Northwestern 24
2000	Alamo	Nebraska 66, Northwestern 17
1996	Citrus	Tennessee 48, Northwestern 28
1995	Rose	USC 41, Northwestern 32
1948	Rose	Northwestern 20, California 14

Missouri Bowl History (12-13)

2008	Cotton	Missouri 38, Arkansas 7
2006	Sun	Oregon State 39, Missouri 38
2005	Independence	Missouri 38, South Carolina 31
2003	Independence	Arkansas 27, Missouri 14
1998	Insight.com	Missouri 34, West Virginia 31
1997	Holiday	Colorado State 35, Missouri 24
1983	Holiday	BYU 21, Missouri 17
1981	Tangerine	Missouri 19, Southern Miss 17
1980	Liberty	Purdue 28, Missouri 25
1979	Hall of Fame	Missouri 24, South Carolina 14
1978	Liberty	Missouri 20, LSU 15
1973	Sun	Missouri 34, Auburn 17
1972	Fiesta	Arizona State 49, Missouri 35
1969	Orange	Penn State 10, Missouri 3
1968	Gator	Missouri 35, Alabama 10
1965	Sugar	Missouri 20, Florida 18
1962	Bluebonnet	Missouri 14, Georgia Tech 10
1960	Orange	Missouri 21, Navy 14
1959	Orange	Georgia 14, Missouri 10
1949	Gator	Maryland 20, Missouri 7
1948	Gator	Clemson 24, Missouri 23
1945	Cotton	Texas 40, Missouri 27
1941	Sugar	Fordam 2, Missouri 0
1939	Orange	Georgia Tech 21, Missouri 7
1924	Christmas Festival	USC 20, Missouri 7

2008 CFN Alamo Bowl Preview