8B - The Michigan Daily - SportsThursday - January 5, 2005
TOP SIX BOWL GAMES
Rose Bowl
No. 2 Texas 41,
No. 1 USC 38
Sheraton Hawaii
Bowl
Nevada 49,
Central Florida 48
it
MVP: Vince Young. This
guy was as close to perfect
as it gets, capping his night
off with an eight-yard touchdown run
on fourth-and-5 to give Texas the final
margin of the game with 19 seconds left.
It was over when: The game lived
up to the hype in the second half,
with the teams trading the lead back
and forth. It was over when Matt
Leinart threw an incomplete pass
intended for Dwayne Jarrett as the
clock ran out. -Dan Bromwich
Orange Bowl
No. 3 Penn State 26,
No. 22 Florida State 23
(30T).
I didn't change the chan-
nel because: If two coach-
ing legends nearly four times the age of
anyone they're coaching can stay up three
hours past their bedtime - so can I.
The quirkiest moment of the game: The
kicking fiasco that ensued between the
two kickers. In a game where two teams
played equally well, it was comical to see
two kickers play equally bad. Florida State
kicker Gary Cismesia won the "kicks gone
awry" battle, 3-2. -Bryan Hamilton
Nokia Sugar Bowl
No. 11 West Virginia 38,
No. 8 Georgia 35
I didn't change the chan-.
nel because: Everyone was
a little suspicious of how
quickly West Virginia put the SEC champs
on the ropes. Also, the 1,000-plus yards
that the two teams provided was enough
reason to keep watching.
The most shocking play of the game
by far was: The fake punt West Virginia
called on fourth-and-6 in the game's final
XP PHOTOS two minutes. -Chris Herring
I knew it was over
when: In the last play of
overtime, Central Florida's kicker Matt
Prater missed the extra point to give
Nevada the win.
MVP goes to: B.J. Mitchell and his coun-
terpart Brian Hubbard. The two com-
bined for five rushing touchdowns, 30 of
Nevada's 48 points and more than 300
yards. -Eileen Hengel
Music City Bowl
Virginia 34,
Minnesota 31
It was over when: On
the final drive Minne-
sota quarterback Bryan
Cupito prematurely through a Hail Mary
pass that was intercepted in the end-
zone with 36 seconds left.
The funniest part of the game hap-
pened: in the second quarter, when a
scrum in front of the Minnesota bench
led to pushing and thrown punches.
But like in the Alamo Bowl, no flag was
thrown. -David VandeVusse
Independence Bowl
Missouri 38,
South Carolina 31
It was over when:
Missouri QB Brad Smith
ran for a one-yard
touchdown with 2:13
left in the fourth quarter.
The most bizarre moment of the game:
Midway through the second quarter,
South Carolina was about to put the
game out of reach when quarterback
Brian Mitchell threw an errant pass that
was picked off by Marcus King, who
IF YOU MISSED THEMV..
ran it
score
AT&T Cottn ow
No. 13 Alabama 13, No. 18 Texas
Tech 10
MVP: After previously missing a 39-
yarder and having another 38-yard field
goal blocked, Alabama Kicker Jamie
Christensen connected on his third
attempt of the game as time expired in
the fourth quarter.
The most surprising thing from the
game was: Texas Tech's star quarter-
back Cory Hodges was expected to
end his collegiate career on a high note.
Only 196 yards? Oops. -Kimberly Chou
Tostltos Plesta Bowl
No. 4 Ohio State 34, No. 5 Notre
Dame 20
The funniest moments were: The
numerous times Laura Quinn (Brady
Quinn's sister and A.J. Hawk's girl-
friend) was interviewed by ABC, and
her multiple facial expressions in
the stands.
I didn't change the channel because:
Ohio State's Ted Ginn had the chance
to go the distance every time he
touched the ball -Dave Murray
Cap tal ne Bowl
No. 21 Wisconsin 24, No. 7 Auburn 10
MVPs: Wisconsin running back Brian
Calhoun and wide receiver Brandon
Williams combined for more than 400
yards of total offense and two touch-
downs to lead the Badgers.
You knew the game was over when:
Wisconsin quarterback John Stocco
connected on a 36-yard pass to Wil-
liams on third-and-5 from his own end-
zone in the middle of the fourth quarter.
-lan Robinson
Meinke Car Care IowiA
NC State 14, South Florida 0
The most interesting part of
the game: ESPN2 continually
inserted clips of NC State coach
Chuck Amato winning the pre-
game tire changing contest.
Amato practiced before the
contest to ensure victory.
I didn't change the channel
because: The commercials were
as entertaining as the actual
game. There's something special
about seeing the great George
Foreman trying to sell me car
Holiday Bowl
Oklahoma 17, No. 6 Oregon 14
The most bizarre moment was:
Adrian Peterson cut his head on his
teammate's helmet while celebrating
Rhett Bomar's third quarter touch-
down pass to J.D. Runnels.
Most Interesting tidbit: Oklahoma
running back and offensive line coach
Kevin Wilson was named the team's
offensive coordinator just one week
prior to the bowl game. Wilson's
offense scored 14 straight points in
the third quarter to give the Sooners
the lead. -lan Robinson
Champs Sports Bowl
No. 23 Clemson 19, Colorado 10
I didn't change the channel because:
I was waiting for Colorado to show any
signs that they actually belonged in a
bowl game.
The quirkiest part of the game: How
inept Colorado's offense was. Before
its lone touchdown late in the fourth
quarter, the starting quarterback and
running back combined for 42 yards of
offense - both played for the majority
of the game. -Mike Schneider
Vitalis Sun Bowl
No. 17 UCLA 50, Northwestern 38
it was over when: UCLA's Brandon
Beazell ran back his second consecu-
tive onside kick return for a touch-
down, tiptoeing into the endzone with
23 seconds remaining to seal the 50-
38 victory with a wild flourish.
I didn't change the channel because:
UCLA quarterback Drew Olson's resur-
gence kept me glued. The Wildcats
quickly resolved all confusion caused
by their 22-0 lead as UCLA responded
with 27 unanswered points before the
half. -Max Kardon
Toyota Gator Bowl
No. 12 Virginia Tech 35, No. 15 Lou-
isville 24
It was over when: Virginia Tech line-
backer James Anderson intercepted
a Cantwell pass and returned it 39
yards for a touchdown, giving the
Hokies a 35-24 lead with just more
than five minutes to play.
Most Inspiring effort: It looked as
if Louisville's redshirt freshman
quarterback Hunter Cantwell's day
would end early after he broke his
back 99 yards for the Tigers first
of the game. -Mike Schneider
San Diego County Credit Union
Poinsettia Bowl
Navy 51, Colorado State 30
I knew it was over when: Colorado
State, trailing 34-24 and surging,
took a page out of Jim Hermann's
playbook and was bushwacked by the
Navy offense on the very next drive.
Five plays + 70 yards = 41-24, Navy.
And they never looked back.
I didn't change the channel because:
Navy had the nation's top rushing
attack, and Colorado State was one
of the nation's worst teams against
the run. With that matchup there
would be more scoring than a Quag-
mire swinger's party ... giggity, gig-
gity! -H. Jose Bosch
Fort Worth Bowl
Kansas 42, Houston 13
I knew it was over when: Kansas
turned two consecutive interceptions
by Houston quarterback Kevin Kolb
into touchdowns during a three-minute
span in middle of the fourth quarter.
The most interesting part of the
game was: learning Houston has no
playbook. It runs all of its plays from
memory and reads of the defense. Or,
judging by its 13-point performance,
it tries to. -Dan Feldman
Insight Bowl
Arizona State 45, Rutgers 40
I didn't change the channel
because: Even from the opening
minutes, it was obvious that fans
were in for a high-scoring game that
would come down to the wire. The
remainder of the game proved to be
a see-saw battle between the two
teams, with a show of offensive tal-
ent thankfully overshadowing two
defensive disasters.
The funniest part of the game was
when: Jimmy Kimmel looked like he
was having a bit too much fun. Being
interviewed by the game's announcers
in the middle of the third quarter, Kim-
mel was sweating bullets and could
hardly keep his eyes open - causing
any suspicious viewer to conclude
that the TV talk-show host/come-
dian was clearly intoxicated. -Jamie
Josephson
Outback Bowl
No. 16 Florida 31, No. 25 Iowa 24
I knew it was over when: Iowa was
chosen to represent the Big Ten
01
Emerald Bowl
Utah 38, No. 24 Georgia Tech 10
MVP: Utah's Travis Latendresse. He col-
lected 214 yards on 16 receptions and
scored four touchdowns. To add insult
to injury, he scored on an unnecessary
two-point conversion midway into the
fourth quarter as well.
The reason I kept watching was: I
hoped watching another double-digit
favorite lose to a weaker team would
cheer me up after Michigan's loss ... It
didn't help much. -Scott Bell
WIPC Conputes Bowl
No. 19 Boston College 27, Boise
State 21
I didn't change the channel because:
I would have missed a surprising and
dramatic comeback by Boise State
from a 27-0 third quarter deficit.
The quirkiest play of the game was:
When Boston College quarterback Matt
Ryan did his best Doug Flutie impres-
sion, throwing a Hail Mary caught by
Tnet Houston Bowl
No. 14 TCU 27, Iowa State 24
MVP: TCU's quarterback Jeff Ballard
threw for 275 yards - completing
21 of his 33 attempts - and led the
Horned Frogs to a thrilling three-point
victory over Iowa State.
I didn't turn the channel because: This
bowl featured the one-loss Horned
Frogs. TCU finished off a season in
which it defeated Oklahoma in Norman
and handed Utah its first loss in two
years. -Kevin Wright
Las Vegas Bowl
California 35, BYU 28
I didn't change the channel because:
All the offense. California running
back Marshawn Lynch was unreal,
scoring three touchdowns and run-
ning for 195 yards.
The most shocking play of the game
was: California wide receiver DeSean
New Orleans Bowl
Southern Mississippi
State 19
0
31, Arkansas
When I knew it was over: With just
over eight minutes to go in the game,
Southern Mississippi quarterback
Dustin Almond rolled out and hit
Shawn Nelson for a six-yard score. The
touchdown gave the Golden Eagles
their final margin of victory, 31-19.
Most interesting aspect of the game:
Arkansas State had pride stickers on
the back of its helmets, featuring two
words: "I Will". "I Won't" would have
been more appropriate. -Matt Singer
Chick-fIl-A Peach Bowl
No. 10 Louisiana State 40, No. 9
Miami 3
I didn't change the channel because: I
kept thinking that Miami would mount
a comeback against the Tigers. If I
knew that Miami would not pick up
one first down after halftime, I prob-
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