Bowl Overview
| No. 2 LSU 38 (12-2) , No. 1 Ohio State 24 (11-2) | ||
| ALLSTATE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AT NEW ORLEANS LA | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| LSU scored 31 answered points to turn a 10-0 deficit into a 21-point lead. From there is was a matter of running out the clock to end the season No. 1. | Matt Flynn. The LSU quarterback went 19-of-27 for 174 yards and 4 TDs in leading the Tigers to their second national title in the BCS era. | 0-9. With the second straight loss in the BCS title game, Ohio State fell to 0-9 all-time vs. the SEC in bowl games. |
| Up Next: No. 2 LSU's regular season completed. No. 1 Ohio State's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 8 Kansas 24 (12-1) , No. 3 Virginia Tech 21 (11-3) | ||
| FEDEX ORANGE BOWL AT MIAMI FL | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Kansas recovered an onside kick with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and proceeded to run out the clock with three first downs. | Kansas defense. Overlooked coming into the game, the Jayhawks defense forced three turnovers that led to 17 Kansas points, including the game's first seven on Aqib Talib's 60-yard interception return for a TD. | 5. After totaling just 21 sacks during the regular season (80th in nation), the Jayhawks had five against Virginia Tech, including four in the first quarter. |
| Up Next: No. 8 Kansas' regular season completed. No. 3 Virginia Tech's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 9 West Virginia 48 (11-2) , No. 4 Oklahoma 28 (11-3) | ||
| TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL AT GLENDALE AZ | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| West Virginia receiver Darius Reynaud took a reverse 30 yards for a touchdown, putting the Mountaineers up 34-15 late in the third quarter. | Pat White. The West Virginia quarterback did it all, running for 150 yards on 20 carries and passing for 176 yards and two touchdowns. | 349. West Virginia ran for 349 yards against a Sooners' defense that had given up just 91.9 rushing yards per game. The 349 yards was by far the most given up by a Bob Stoops-coached OU team. |
| Up Next: No. 9 West Virginia's regular season completed. No. 4 Oklahoma's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 5 Georgia 41 (11-2) , No. 10 Hawaii 10 (12-1) | ||
| ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL AT NEW ORLEANS LA | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Knowshon Moreno rumbled 17 yards to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 early. Georgia dominated every phase of the game from start to finish. | Marcus Howard. The Georgia senior picked up three sacks and two forced fumbles, recovering one for a touchdown. | 8, 4. The Bulldogs picked up eight sacks and four interceptions while completely dominating Hawaii's high-powered offense. |
| Up Next: No. 10 Hawaii's regular season completed. No. 5 Georgia's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 6 Missouri 38 (12-2) , Arkansas 7 (8-5) | ||
| COTTON BOWL AT DALLAS TX | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Missouri's defense stepped on the field. The 25th-ranked rushing D in the nation kept dynamic Darren McFadden and Felix Jones from taking over the game. | Tony Temple. The Tiger senior had a Cotton Bowl record-breaking day, finishing with 281 yards and four touchdowns on just 24 carries. | 160. Arkansas owns the nation's third-best rushing offense. Mizzou, the nation's 46th. Yet the Tigers outrushed the Hogs by 160 yards. |
| Up Next: No. 6 Missouri's regular season completed. Arkansas' regular season completed. | ||
| No. 7 USC 49 (11-2) , No. 13 Illinois 17 (9-4) | ||
| THE ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY CITI AT PASADENA CA | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| USC converted two Illinois third-quarter turnovers into TDs and extended an 11-point lead into a 35-10 score. | Joe McKnight. The USC freshman RB ran for 125 yards (1 TD) and also caught six passes for 45 yards. | 1,078. Illinois and USC racked up over a thousand yards in total offense, lead by the Trojans' 633. |
| Up Next: No. 13 Illinois' regular season completed. No. 7 USC's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 19 Texas 52 (10-3) , No. 11 Arizona State 34 (10-3) | ||
| PACIFIC LIFE HOLIDAY BOWL AT SAN DIEGO CA | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Tight end Jermichael Finley fell on quarterback Colt McCoy's fumble in the end zone to give Texas a 35-13 lead late in the third quarter. | Texas' rushing offense, defense. The Horns pounded out 306 yards on the ground and held the Sun Devils to 22 rushing yards. | 10. The Longhorns have won 10 or more games in seven straight seasons, which is the third-longest streak in major-college history. |
| Up Next: No. 11 Arizona State's regular season completed. No. 19 Texas' regular season completed. | ||
| Michigan 41 (9-4) , No. 12 Florida 35 (9-4) | ||
| CAPITAL ONE BOWL AT ORLANDO FL | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow was held to a total of 4 yards in the Gators' final two possessions. | Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines sent their legendary coach out on top, and played inspired football for 60 minutes. | 1-3. Michigan's seniors went 0-for-Ohio State, but they ended their bowl draught (1-3 bowl record). |
| Up Next: Michigan's regular season completed. No. 12 Florida's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 14 Boston College 24 (11-3) , Michigan State 21 (7-6) | ||
| CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL AT ORLANDO FL | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Paul Anderson intercepted a Brian Hoyer with less than two and a half minutes remaining, ending a Michigan State drive. | Matt Ryan. BC's senior signal-caller finished with 22-of-47 passing for 249 yards and three touchdowns in the win. | 0.9. Ryan's numbers are even more impressive when you consider that BC avearaged less than a yard (0.9) per carry. |
| Up Next: No. 14 Boston College's regular season completed. Michigan State's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 23 Auburn 23 (9-4) , No. 15 Clemson 20 (9-4) (OT) | ||
| CHICK-FIL-A BOWL AT ATLANTA GA | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Kodi Burns sprinted for a 7-yard touchdown to carry Auburn over Clemson in overtime. | Burns, who connected on a 22-yard TD pass in addition to his game-winning run. | 16-5. Auburn moved to 16-5 in its last 21 games decided by seven points or less. |
| Up Next: No. 15 Clemson's regular season completed. No. 23 Auburn's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 16 Tennessee 21 (10-4) , No. 18 Wisconsin 17 (9-4) | ||
| OUTBACK BOWL AT TAMPA FL | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Antonio Wardlow intercepted a Tyler Donovan pass, ending a Wisconsin drive that could have given the Badgers the lead in the final seconds of the game. | Erik Ainge. After a rough fourth quarter in the SEC title game, Ainge threw for 340 yards and two TDs on 24-of-42 passing in the win. | 3-5. With the win, the Vols improve to 3-5 in bowl games since winning the inaugural BCS title game at the end of 1998 season. |
| Up Next: No. 18 Wisconsin's regular season completed. No. 16 Tennessee's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 17 Brigham Young 17 (11-2) , UCLA 16 (6-7) | ||
| PIONEER LAS VEGAS BOWL AT LAS VEGAS NV | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| BYU's Eathyn Manumaleuna blocked Kai Forbath's field goal attempt as time expired to allow the Cougars to escape with a win. | Max Hall, who weathered a relentless UCLA pass rush to throw for 237 yards and two touchdowns for the Cougars. | 117. Chris Markey ran for 117 yards for UCLA, the first runner to break the 100-yard mark against BYU this season. |
| Up Next: UCLA's regular season completed. No. 17 Brigham Young's regular season completed. | ||
| Texas Tech 31 (9-4) , No. 20 Virginia 28 (9-4) | ||
| GATOR BOWL AT JACKSONVILLE FL | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Alex Trlica nailed a 41-yard field goal to break open a 28-28 game in the final seconds of the game. The score capped a 17-point fouth-quarter comeback for TT. | Graham Harrell. We didn't get to see the usual TT aerial assault, but Harrell still racked up the yards -- 398 yards, three TDs, 43-for-68 passing. | 102. Virginia effectively contained standout freshman WR Michael Crabtree, who was held to his third-lowest total yards (102) of the season. |
| Up Next: Texas Tech's regular season completed. No. 20 Virginia's regular season completed. | ||
| Oregon 56 (9-4) , No. 21 South Florida 21 (9-4) | ||
| SUN BOWL AT EL PASO TX | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Oregon scored 31 unanswered points in the second half. The Ducks put South Florida away in the third quarter. | Justin Roper. No Dennis Dixon? No problem. Roper completed 16-of-29 passes for 175 yards and four TDs. | 251. Jonathan Stewart, Oregon's star RB, put the Ducks on his back and tied a season-high with 251 rushing yards. |
| Up Next: No. 21 South Florida's regular season completed. Oregon's regular season completed. | ||
| No. 22 Cincinnati 31 (10-3) , Southern Miss 21 (7-6) | ||
| PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL AT BIRMINGHAM AL | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Ben Mauk connected on his fourth touchdown pass of the game, this one a 10-yarder Antwuan Giddens that put the Bearcats up 28-14 in the third quarter. | Mauk. Mauk completed 30 of 52 passes for 334 yards and 4 TDs. Mauk also ran for 41 yards, all while dancing around the pocket to give himself time to throw. | Two. The win was Cincinnati's 10th of the season, just the second time in school history that Bearcats have reached that total. |
| Up Next: Southern Miss' regular season completed. No. 22 Cincinnati's regular season completed. | ||
| East Carolina 41 (8-5) , No. 24 Boise State 38 (10-3) | ||
| SHERATON HAWAII BOWL AT HONOLULU HI | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| After a furious Boise State rally tied the game, East Carolina's Ben Hartman nailed a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give the Pirates the win over the Broncos. | Chris Johnson. The East Carolina running back dominated the action, rushing for 223 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. | 408. Johnson set an NCAA bowl record with 408 total yards. In addition to his 223 rushing yards, he posted 32 receiving yards and 153 return yards. |
| Up Next: No. 24 Boise State's regular season completed. East Carolina's regular season completed. | ||
| Wake Forest 24 (9-4) , No. 25 Connecticut 10 (9-4) | ||
| MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL AT CHARLOTTE NC | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| John Tereshinski hauled in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Riley Skinner, putting the Demon Deacons up 14-10 late in the third quarter. | Kenneth Moore. The Wake receiver grabbed 11 passes for 112 yards, setting an ACC record for receptions in a season with 98. | 2. Wake Forest linebacker Stanley Arnoux had two key fourth-down stops in the fourth quarter. |
| Up Next: No. 25 Connecticut's regular season completed. Wake Forest's regular season completed. | ||
| Utah 35 (9-4) , Navy 32 (8-5) | ||
| SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL AT SAN DIEGO CA | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Joe Dale intercepted Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada final pass, thwarting the Mids' game-winning (or tying) drive. | Darrell Mack. The Utes' junior RB has carried the ball 22 times for 76 yards and two touchdowns. | 15. Combined, Utah and Navy converted on just 15 third- and fourth-down attempts -- out of 34. |
| Up Next: Utah's regular season completed. Navy's regular season completed. | ||
| Florida Atlantic 44 (8-5) , Memphis 27 (7-6) | ||
| R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL AT NEW ORLEANS LA | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Two plays after FAU blocked a punt, Rusty Smith hit Jason Harmon for a 16-yard TD to put the Owls up 37-27 in the third. | Smith. The sophomore threw for 336 yards and a New Orleans Bowl record five touchdown passes in a win against the Tigers. | 1, 5. FAU picked up a victory in its first bowl appearance and coach Howard Schnellenberger improved to 5-0 in bowl play. |
| Up Next: Memphis' regular season completed. Florida Atlantic's regular season completed. | ||
| New Mexico 23 (9-4) , Nevada 0 (6-7) | ||
| NEW MEXICO BOWL AT ALBUQUERQUE NM | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Donovan Porterie hit Marcus Smith on a 66-yard touchdown pass on the game's third play, giving the New Mexico defense all the points it would need. | New Mexico defense. Nevada came into the game averaging over 36 points per game and has not been shutout since 1980, a span of 329 games. | 46. The Lobos ended a 46-year skid without a postseason victory and gave 10th-year coach Rocky Long his first bowl win in five tries. |
| Up Next: Nevada's regular season completed. New Mexico's regular season completed. | ||
| Purdue 51 (8-5) , Central Michigan 48 (8-6) | ||
| MOTOR CITY BOWL AT DETROIT MI | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Purdue's Chris Summers nailed a 40-yard field goal in the final seconds of regulation to give the Boilermakers the win. | Curtis Painter. It wasn't always pretty, but Painter got the job done: 546 yards, three TDs (two INTs), on 35-of-54 passing. | 0. CMU didn't turn the ball over in the loss, while Purdue committed three turnovers and doubled CMU's penalty yards. |
| Up Next: Central Michigan's regular season completed. | ||
| TCU 20 (8-5) , Houston 13 (8-5) | ||
| TEXAS BOWL AT HOUSTON TX | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| The Horned Frogs' defense held Houston to just 4 yards in the Cougars' final drive of the game. TCU ran a minute off the clock to hold onto the win. | Andy Dalton. TCU's freshman quarterback completed 21 of 30 passes for 249 yards and ran for 16 more yards and a score on 11 carries. | 30. Houston's Anthony Alridge, the nation's seventh-leading rusher, was held to a season-low of 30 yards on the ground in the loss. |
| Up Next: TCU's regular season completed. Houston's regular season completed. | ||
| Oregon State 21 (9-4) , Maryland 14 (6-7) | ||
| EMERALD BOWL AT SAN FRANCISCO CA | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| James Rodgers recovered Yvenson Bernard's fumble in the end zone, breaking open a 14-14 tie. | Bernard. The Beavers' senior paced the offense, rushing 38 times for 177 yards and a score in the win. | 11. Oregon State held Maryland to just 11 first downs, less than half the amount the Terps tallied (25). |
| Up Next: Maryland's regular season completed. Oregon State's regular season completed. | ||
| Mississippi State 10 (8-5) , UCF 3 (10-4) | ||
| AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL AT MEMPHIS TN | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon scored on a 1-yard plunge, providing the game's lone touchdown with two minutes left in the game. | Bulldogs defense. Mississippi State didn't allow a touchdown and held the nation's leading rusher, Kevin Smith, to 119 yards, 68 yards below his season average. | 61. With his 119 yards rushing, Smith fell 61 yards shot of breaking Barry Sanders' single-season record of 2,628 yards set for Oklahoma State in 1988. |
| Up Next: UCF's regular season completed. Mississippi State's regular season completed. | ||
| Penn State 24 (9-4) , Texas A&M 17 (7-6) | ||
| VALERO ALAMO BOWL AT SAN ANTONIO TX | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Penn State snuffed out an option play on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. | Penn State backfield. The Nittany Lions out-rushed the Aggies 270 yards to 164. Rodney Kinlaw led the way with 143 yards on 21 carries. | 500. The Alamo Bowl victory was the 500th game Joe Paterno has coached at Penn State. Paterno won his record 23rd postseason game. |
| Up Next: Penn State's regular season completed. Texas A&M's regular season completed. | ||
| Alabama 30 (7-6) , Colorado 24 (6-7) | ||
| PETROSUN INDEPENDENCE BOWL AT SHREVEPORT LA | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Colorado's multilateral, last-second attempt to go 80 yards fell short around midfield as time expired. | John Parker Wilson. Wilson's first half is what earns him the award here. The Bama QB completed 13 of his first 15 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns before quieting down in the second half. | 50. With the victory, the Crimson Tide stopped a four-game losing streak and avoided consecutive losing seasons for the first time in 50 years. |
| Up Next: Alabama's regular season completed. Colorado's regular season completed. | ||
| California 42 (7-6) , Air Force 36 (9-4) | ||
| BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL AT FORT WORTH TX | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney was knocked out of the game with a knee injury. Carney sparked the Falcons' offense and was the heart of the team. | Kevin Riley. Cal's offense sputtered until Riley took over. He led the Golden Bears with 269 yards and three TDs on 16-of-19 passing. | 61. Air Force entered the game as the nation's No. 2 rushing offense, and its dedication to the ground game was evident in thei 61 rushing attempts. |
| Up Next: California's regular season completed. Air Force's regular season completed. | ||
| Fresno State 40 (9-4) , Georgia Tech 28 (7-6) | ||
| ROADY'S HUMANITARIAN BOWL AT BOISE ID | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Fresno State went on a 27-0 run in the first half, effectively taking Georgia Tech out of the game. | Clifton Smith. The Fresno State senior rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. | 285. Talk about a balanced offense. Fresno State passed and rushed for exactly 285 yards each. |
| Up Next: Georgia Tech's regular season completed. Fresno State's regular season completed. | ||
| Kentucky 35 (8-5) , Florida State 28 (7-6) | ||
| GAYLORD HOTELS MUSIC CITY BOWL AT NASHVILLE TN | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Drew Weatherford's last-play heave into the end zone hit the turf to end Florida State's rally and give Kentucky the win. | Andre' Woodson. The Wildcats' senior QB went out in style, throwing for 358 yards and four touchdowns in UK's win. | 2. Kentucky ended its season with a second consecutive bowl win for the first time since 1951-52 under Bear Bryant. |
| Up Next: Kentucky's regular season completed. | ||
| Oklahoma State 49 (7-6) , Indiana 33 (7-6) | ||
| INSIGHT BOWL AT TEMPE AZ | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| The Cowboys left the field at halftime. OSU exploded for 35 first-half points to put away the Hoosiers early. | Zac Robinson, who passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns and added two more TDs on the ground. | 513. The balanced Oklahoma State offense picked up 302 yards through the air and 211 on the ground. |
| Up Next: Indiana's regular season completed. Oklahoma State's regular season completed. | ||
| Rutgers 52 (8-5) , Ball State 30 (7-6) | ||
| INTERNATIONAL BOWL AT TORONTO ONTARIO | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Ray Rice rushed for the first of his four TDs in the first quarter to put the Knights up 14-0. | Rice. In what may have been the junior's final collegiate game, he ran for 280 yards and four TDs. | 303. Rutgers rushed for 291 yards, but actually gained more yards in the air -- 303. |
| Up Next: Rutgers' regular season completed. Ball State's regular season completed. | ||
| Tulsa 63 (10-4) , Bowling Green 7 (8-5) | ||
| GMAC BOWL AT MOBILE AL | ||
| IT WAS OVER WHEN... | GAME BALL GOES TO... | STAT OF THE GAME |
| Paul Smith stepped onto the field. The Tulsa QB threw for 312 yards and five touchdowns, his NCAA-record setting 14th consecutive 300-yard passing game. | Smith. Even more accolades for Smith: The Tulsa senior became only the 7th QB to pass for 5000 yards in a season. And he did it on the ground, running for his 13th TD of the year. | 56. Tulsa's 63-7 win over Bowling Green was the biggest blowout in bowl history, surpassing the 1953 Orange Bowl when Alabama beat Syracuse, 61-6. |
| Up Next: Bowling Green's regular season completed. Tulsa's regular season completed. | ||
