2008 Chick-fil-A - Profiles, History & More

Player profiles, team history, the breakout players, the best bowl moments and more for 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl.

2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl

LSU (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (9-3)
 
Dec. 30, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN

Chick-fil-A Bowl History formerly the Peach Bowl
2007	Auburn 23, Clemson 20 OT
2006	Georgia 31, Virginia Tech 24
2005	LSU 40, Miami 3
2004 (Dec.)	Miami 27, Florida 10
2004 (Jan.)	Clemson 27, Tennessee 14
2002	Maryland 30, Tennessee 3
2001	North Carolina 16, Auburn 10
2000	LSU 28, Georgia Tech 14
1999	Miss State 17, Clemson 7
1998 (Dec.)	Georgia 35, Virginia 33
1998 (Jan.)	Auburn 21, Clemson 17
1996	LSU 10, Clemson 7
1995 (Dec.)	Virginia 34, Georgia 27
1995 (Jan.)	NC State 28, Mississippi State 24
1993 (Dec.)	Clemson 14, Kentucky 13
1993 (Jan.)	North Carolina 21, Mississippi State 24
1992	East Carolina 37, NC State 34
1990	Auburn 27, Indiana 23
1989	Syracuse 19, Georgia 18
1988 (Dec.)	NC State 28, Iowa 23
1988 (Jan.)	Tennessee 27, Indiana 22
1986	Virginia Tech 25, NC State 24
1985	Army 31, Illinois 29
1984	Virginia 27, Purdue 24
1983	Florida State 28, North Carolina 3
1982	Iowa 28, Tennessee 22
1981 (Dec.)	West Virginia 26, Florida 6
1981 (Jan.)	Miami 20, Virginia Tech 10
1979	Baylor 24, Clemson 18
1978	Purdue 41, Georgia Tech 21
1977	NC State 24, Iowa State 14
1976	Kentucky 21, North Carolina 0
1975	West Virginia 13, NC State 10
1974	Texas Tech 6, Vanderbilt 6
1973	Georgia 17, Maryland 16
1972	NC State 49, West Virginia 13
1971	Mississippi 41, Georgia Tech 18
1970	Arizona State 48, North Carolina 26
1969	West Virginia 14, South Carolina 3
1968	LSU 31, Florida State 27

Get Tickets for the Chick-fil-A Bowl  

- 2008 CFN Chick-fil-A Bowl Preview

Scroll Down For Each Team's Bowl History

By Richard Cirminiello

Best Yellow Jacket Bowl Moment: Tech boasts a nifty 22-14 bowl record, including 8-6 since 1985. The Jackets did most of their big-game damage in the 1940s and 1950s; however, it was the 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl which means the most to today’s generation of Tech fans. Led by the passing of Shawn Jones and the running of William Bell, Bobby Ross’ team pummeled Nebraska 45-21, en route to an unbeaten season and the UPI’s share of the national championship.
 
Best Tiger Bowl Moment: Look no further than the 2004 Sugar Bowl, a more-dominant-than-the-score-indicated 21-14 win over Oklahoma, which gave LSU a share of its first national championship in 45 years.  The Tigers harassed Heisman winner Jason White from the opening drive, getting just enough of an offensive spark from freshman RB Justin Vincent to pull off the mild upset in the Superdome.

The Last Time You'll See ...

Georgia Tech: DT Vance Walker. Walker has been an ideal fit at defensive tackle for Tech, strong enough to hold up on running downs and quick enough to slice through the gaps and make plays. A fixture in opposing backfields the last two seasons, he’s had 26.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, and four forced fumbles, huge numbers for an interior lineman. Walker is a microcosm of a defensive line that’ll be gutted by graduation next season.
 
LSU: WR Brandon LaFell. LaFell is just your typical 6-3, 209-pound elite athlete playing wide receiver in Baton Rouge. Despite being surrounded by an unsettled quarterback situation, he still managed to catch 61 passes for 903 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s also grabbed the attention of pro scouts, who are eagerly waiting to see if he’ll return to school for his senior year.
 
Breakout Player ...

Georgia Tech: S Cooper Taylor. On a defense crammed with veterans, Taylor had no problem fitting in as a true freshman. A rangy 6-4, 195-pound athlete, he’s an ideal nickel back, who can cover receivers and press up to stop the run. In his first go-round with the Yellow Jackets, Taylor is second of the team with 65 tackles, showing marked improvement as the season wound down.
 
LSU: QB Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson’s baptism under fire is expected to continue in Atlanta. The true freshman with the considerable upside started the regular season finale against Arkansas, struggling at times, yet throwing two touchdown passes and flashing good acceleration outside the pocket. The staff will use this game and the 15 practices that go with it to get a better read on the quarterback situation for 2009.
 
Best Non-Game Event
The Chick-fil-A Bowl presents its events believing that the players should live, learn, and laugh during bowl week. The laughter often comes during the Georgia Power Football Feud, a game show involving each program’s players and coaches. Both schools fill out questionnaires before the event, providing the survey results for a Family Feud-style event and a very popular night every December. The learning portion of the week occurs when each school visits the Martin Luther King Center. It’s often an emotional and insightful time when players are exposed to the museum and the childhood home of Dr. King.

Player Gift Package

Players on both teams will receive a $300 Best Buy gift card, a travel bag, a commemorative watch, and a Chick-fil-A football and gift card.

Charitable Component
The charitable arm of the Chick-fil-A Bowl is one area where the bowl is most passionate. In terms of scholarships and gift-giving, it donates more money than any other bowl game by a wide margin. More than $1 million will be donated this year alone, all in cash proceeds. The organization supports and funds youth football programs that affect approximately 20,000 athletes annually. It’s also the single largest supporter of the Play It Smart, aimed at preparing student-athletes on and away from the field.

How Success is Measured
This year will be the 12^th consecutive sell-out for the Chick-fil-A Bowl, which looks at high ratings and a competitive game as givens. At the end of bowl week, the committee strives to hear from the players, coaches, and fans that they enjoyed every aspect of the bowl experience and took part in an event that they’ll remember for a lifetime.

MVP of the Bowl
The bowl considers the Chick-fil-A organization to be its MVP. At the core of the relationship, they’re a title partner not a title sponsor. The bowl meets with the Chick-fil-A sports marketing division once a month to discuss all major decisions. Chick-fil-A does so much more than just write a check. They provide ideas and leverage in a total team effort. The game wouldn’t be where it is today without the year-round support from Chick-fil-A.

Impact to the Community
The Atlanta Sports Council measures economic impact of various events, and consistently places the Chick-fil-A Bowl in the $30-$35 million range annually to the greater Atlanta region.

Role of Volunteers
The bowl has a tremendous volunteer base that includes 400-450 individuals each year. Within that group, there are almost two dozen that have been affiliated with the game for 30 years or more. With a staff of just 12 paid employees and four interns, the Chick-fil-A Bowl would not operate without a group of volunteers who really take pride in how they represent Atlanta and the game itself.

- 2008 CFN Chick-fil-A Bowl Preview

---

LSU Bowl History (20-18-1)

2008	BCS Champ	LSU 36, Ohio State 24
2007	Sugar	LSU 41, Notre Dame 14
2005	Peach	LSU 40, Miami 3
2004	Capital One	Iowa 30, LSU 25
2003	Sugar	LSU 21, Oklahoma 14
2002	Cotton	Texas 35, LSU 20
2001	Sugar	LSU 47, Illinois 34
2000	Peach	LSU 28, Georgia Tech 14
1997	Independence	LSU 27, Notre Dame 9
1996	Peach	LSU 10, Clemson 7
1995	Independence	LSU 45, Michigan State 26
1988	Hall of Fame	Syracuse 23, LSU 10
1987	Gator	LSU 30, South Carolina 13
1986	Sugar	Nebraska 30, LSU 15
1985	Liberty	Baylor 21, LSU 7
1984	Sugar	Nebraska 28, LSU 10
1982	Orange	Nebraska 21, LSU 20
1979	Tangerine	LSU 34, Wake Forest 10
1978	Liberty	Missouri 20, LSU 15
1977	Sun	Stanford 24, LSU 14
1973	Orange	Penn State 16, LSU 9
1972	Astro-Bluebonnet	Tennessee 24, LSU 17
1971	Sun	LSU 33, Iowa State 15
1970	Orange	Nebraska 17, LSU 12
1968	Peach	LSU 31, Florida State 27
1967	Sugar	LSU 20, Wyoming 13
1965	Cotton	LSU 14, Arkansas 7
1964	Sugar	LSU 13, Syracuse 10
1963	Astro-Bluebonnet	Baylor 14, LSU 7
1962	Cotton	LSU 13, Texas 0
1961	Orange	LSU 25, Colorado 7
1959	Sugar	Mississippi 21, LSU 0
1958	Sugar	LSU 7, Clemson 0
1949	Sugar	Oklahoma 35, LSU 0
1946	Cotton	LSU 0, Arkansas 0
1943	Orange	LSU 19, Texas A&M 14
1937	Sugar	Santa Clara 6, LSU 0
1936	Sugar	Santa Clara 21, LSU 14
1935	Sugar	TCU 3, LSU 2

Georgia Tech Bowl History (22-14)

2007	Humanitarian	Fresno State 40, Georgia Tech 24
2006	Gator	West Virginia 38, Georgia Tech 35
2004	Champs Sports	Georgia Tech 51, Syracuse 14
2003	Humanitarian	Georgia Tech 52, Tulsa 10
2002	Silicon Valley	Fresno State 30, Georgia Tech 21
2001	Seattle	Georgia Tech 24, Stanford 14
2000	Peach	LSU 28, Georgia Tech 14
1999	Gator	Miami 28, Georgia Tech 13
1998	Gator	Georgia Tech 35, Notre Dame 28
1997	Carquest	Georgia Tech 35, West Virginia 30
1991	Aloha	Georgia Tech 18, Stanford 17
1990	Citrus	Georgia Tech 45, Nebraska 21
1985	All-American	Georgia Tech 17, Michigan State 14
1978	Peach	Purdue 41, Georgia Tech 21
1972	Liberty	Georgia Tech 31, Iowa State 30
1971	Peach	Mississippi 41, Georgia Tech 18
1970	Sun	Georgia Tech 17, Texas Tech 9
1966	Orange	Florida 27, Georgia Tech 12
1965	Gator	Georgia Tech 31, Texas Tech 21
1962	Bluebonnet	Missouri 14, Georgia Tech 10
1961	Gator	Penn State 30, Georgia Tech 15
1959	Gator	Arkansas 14, Georgia Tech 7
1956	Gator	Georgia Tech 21, Pittsburgh 14
1955	Sugar	Georgia Tech 7, Pittsburgh 0
1954	Cotton	Georgia Tech 14, Arkansas 6
1953	Sugar	Georgia Tech 42, West Virginia 19
1952	Sugar	Georgia Tech 24, Mississippi 7
1951	Orange	Georgia Tech 17, Baylor 14
1947	Orange	Georgia Tech 20, Kansas 14
1946	Oil	Georgia Tech 41, St. Mary's 19
1944	Orange	Tulsa 26, Georgia Tech 12
1943	Sugar	Georgia Tech 20, Tulsa 18
1942	Cotton	Texas 14, Georgia Tech 7
1939	Orange	Georgia Tech 21, Missouri 7
1928	Rose	Georgia Tech 8, California 7