Here are the next 4 winners from this year’s 2007 college football game results:
BCS Fiesta Bowl – West Virginia Stomps at Mud Hole in Oklahoma, 48-28
Anyone who thought Southern Cal or Georgia were stingy in their resounding bowl wins didn’t see West Virginia defeat the Oklahoma Sooners 48-28 in the BCS Fiesta Bowl.
The 11th-ranked Mountaineers lost their head coach Rich Rodriguez to Michigan before the Fiesta Bowl, lost their star running back Steve Slaton to a leg injury in the first quarter, had to work together under interim coach Bill Stewart and They managed to do it all and then some. .
Quarterback Pat White rushed for 150 yards and threw for another 176 yards and 2 touchdowns. Noel Devine replaced Slaton and rushed for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns, one for 17 yards and one for 65 yards to clinch the game in the 4th quarter.
Oklahoma’s powerhouse offense, which averaged over 43 points per game, went neutral against West Virginia’s fourth-ranked defense. West Virginia’s offensive players White, Devine and Darius Reynaud appeared to be running past the Sooners, who appeared to be watching rather than taking them down.
Clearly, part of the blossoming comes from Bob Stoops and his Oklahoma players, who are far less impressive now with all their grumbling. They were embarrassed last year at the same Fiesta Bowl when Boise State made them look foolish with trick plays and a surprising upset. The Sooners need to shut up, regroup and start playing football again.
For a team that ranked ninth in scoring defense and eighth in rushing defense, the Sooners seemed slow when it mattered most. They saw the backs of many jerseys. Give credit to the West Virginia Mountaineers; they got it when it mattered.
It took about a day for the West Virginia think tank to decide that perhaps their national search for a new coach should end in their own locker room, as Bill Stewart was named the new head coach.
BCS Orange Bowl – Kansas defeats the powerful Virginia Tech Hokies, 24-21
So who was it that said Kansas was a paper tiger? A 6-6 team last year that had no business in a BCS bowl game. All the Jayhawks did this year was put up the sixth-best total offense in the nation and the second-best scoring offense nationally on their way to a dizzying 12-1 record after beating Virginia Tech 24-21 in the BCS. Orange Bowl.
If Kansas coach Mark Mangino were in a crowded subway station in New York City, he wouldn’t be the guy to whine and yell. He would be the guy you wouldn’t notice except for his big presence, nowhere more than on the sidelines when Kansas plays football. People are starting to learn that Jayhawks can fly, they are not chickens.
So here Kansas comes into their BCS game and how do the Jayhawks win? with his defense. The Jayhawks intercepted 3 passes and converted for 17 points to defeat the No. 5-ranked Hokies. It was sweet for Kansas, which won its first BCS game and set a school record with 12 wins. Virginia Tech, which lost its fourth straight BCS game, fell to 11-3.
It was a cold and windy night for both teams and the Hokies stayed in the game, but the Jayhawks took a 17-0 lead and finished what they started. They played like their future depended on it, and because they did, they have a brighter future. I understand that practically all the players on the team will return next year. As they say in the entertainment business, this could be the start of something big.
International Bowl – Rutgers and Ray Rice run for Ball State in 52-30 loss
Ray Rice created some history for a storied school by rushing for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns leading Rutgers, who played the first college football game, past Ball State 52-30.
Rutgers, in Toronto, Canada for the International Bowl, marked its second postseason victory in the school’s 138-year history, and its second straight win in two years with its 37-10 win over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl at the last year.
Rice, whose 25 TDs this season and 2,012 rushing yards are school records, also became the first Big East player to break the 2,000-yard rushing barrier on the season. He is in very good company, as former Big East players with an impact in the NFL include Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis and Willis McGahee, all of whom are Miami (FL) graduates. Quarterback Mike Teel helped Rutgers go 16 of 25 for 303 yards and 3 touchdown passes.
Among Rice’s runs was a career 90-yard touchdown run. Rice, a junior, must now decide to go to the NFL early or return to Rutgers for a senior season. He must announce his plans for the NFL draft before January 1. fifteen.
While Rice’s performance was excellent, Ball State’s run defense was not. Ball State was ranked 99th nationally in rushing defense. Ball State isn’t a real bowl game killer either, having played in 6 and won none. Such is the current state of college football when 32 bowl games are played involving 64 teams and there are only 119 to choose from. Rutgers finished their season 8-5 (not THAT big of a deal) and Ball State fell to 7-6 (at least it wasn’t a losing season).
GMAC Bowl-Tulsa capitalizes on stupid mistakes at Bowling Green, 63-7
Give Bowling Green some props to make it to the GMAC Bowl. They did not destroy the vehicle they used to get to the stadium. They managed to dress themselves. But that was it. When it was time to show up, the Falcons managed to fumble 4 times in the first half and their opponent, Tulsa, quickly scored 4 touchdowns to take a 35-0 halftime lead.
The rest went downhill for Bowling Green as they lost 63-7 to finish the year at 8-5 (at least it was a winning record, that’s more than some bowl losers can say). The result was the most lopsided (56 points) in this year’s 32-game schedule. Prior to the GMAC Bowl, Bowling Green had won their last 4 straight bowl outings.
“We were out of it before we were in it,” Bowling Green coach Gregg Brandon said.
Tulsa brought 3 things to the GMAC Bowl: the 10th best scoring offense in the nation, the 3rd best passing offense in the nation, and the #1 total offense in the nation. They showed why the Golden Hurricane can score 63 points in a game.
Quarterback Paul Smith passed for 312 yards and 5 touchdowns while racking up his 14th consecutive 300-yard passing game, breaking Ty Detmer’s record for Brigham Young. En route to the blowout victory, Tulsa became the first team in NCAA history to have a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher, and 3 (count ’em) 1,000-yard receivers. Tulsa only put up 562 yards of offense in the game.
Tulsa’s first-year coach Todd Graham led the Golden Hurricane to a 10-4 record, the first 10-win season for Tulsa since 1991, 18 years ago.
(Editor’s note: This is the seventh article in a series on the results of the 2007 bowling game.)
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
