Lost in all the hoopla surrounding LSU, USC, the BCS, the AP and numerous other acronyms was the fact that 26 “other” bowls took place during the holidays.
This year’s bowl season provided several record-setting performances, a high-profile sexual assault accusation and one more moment of anguish for a Florida State kicker.
Memphis kicked off the bowl season by winning its first bowl game in 32 years, beating North Texas 27-17 in the New Orleans Bowl.
The Mid-America Conference capped a strong season by going 2-0 in bowl games with Bowling Green winning the Motor City Bowl 28-24 and Miami of Ohio cruising to a 49-28 win over Louisville in the GMAC Bowl.
Several seniors had outstanding individual performances in their final games.
North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers set Tangerine Bowl records with 475 yards passing and five touchdowns in a 56-26 victory over Kanas.
Texas Tech quarterback B.J. Symons put up 497 yards and four touchdowns as the Red Raiders rolled over Navy 38-17. After the game Symons revealed he had been playing with a torn anterior cruciate ligament since Oct. 11.
Boston College, led by running back Derrick Knight’s three touchdowns, defeated Colorado State 35-21 in the San Francisco Bowl.
In the Holiday Bowl, Washington State defeated Texas 28-20. Texas wide receiver Roy Williams had nine catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in his final game for the Longhorns.
Boise State defeated TCU 34-31 on the Horned Frogs home field in the first-ever Fort Worth Bowl. Senior quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie had 325 yards and three touchdowns, finishing his career as the most efficient passer in college football history.
In the Sun Bowl, Oregon wide receiver Samie Parker had a record-setting day with 16 catches for 200 yards and two scores, but it wasn’t enough as Minnesota defeated the Ducks 31-20.
A pair of underclassmen running backs also had big games.
In the Las Vegas Bowl, Oregon State pounded New Mexico 55-14. Beavers junior running back Stephen Jackson, who recently declared for the NFL Draft, tied a bowl record with five touchdowns.
The 20 degree temperature in the Humanitarian Bowl didn’t slow down Georgia Tech running back P.J. Daniels. The sophomore had 307 yards rushing and four touchdowns as Tech crushed Tulsa 52-10
Two more high scoring games provided plenty of excitement for fans and players alike.
Hawaii won the Hawaii Bowl 54-48 in a wild three-overtime shootout marked by a brawl by the players after Houston was stopped on the fourth down on the final play.
In another shootout, Cal beat Virginia Tech 52-49 in the Insight Bowl on the strength of a Tyler Fredrickson 35-yard field goal as time expired.
Not all games were high-scoring, however. The Nebraska defense held Michigan State to 174 yards in a 17-3 Alamo Bowl victory. The Black Shirts also had five sacks and forced three interceptions.
Utah tied a school record with 10 wins following a 17-0 victory over Southern Mississippi in the Liberty Bowl.
Virginia defeated Pittsburgh 23-16 in the Continental Tire Bowl. The Cavaliers’ defense snapped Larry Fitzgerald’s 18-game touchdown streak, holding the Panthers wide reciever to catches and 77 yards.
The second game between West Virginia and Maryland ended up pretty much like the first as the Terrapins cruised to a 41-7 victory in the Gator Bowl. Earlier in the year, Maryland had defeated West Virgina 34-7.
The Southeastern Conference kicked off its bowl season strong with Auburn’s power running game steamrolling over Wisconsin on the way to a 28-14 victory in the Music City Bowl. Tigers tailbacks Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown combined for 197 yards and four touchdowns.
Led by Eli Manning’s three touchdowns, Ole Miss squeaked out a 31-28 victory over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. The victory was the Rebels’ first New Year’s Day bowl win since the days of Archie Manning and the 1970 Sugar Bowl.
In the Capital One Bowl, Purdue rallied back from a 24-point deficit to send the game into overtime, but the Georgia Bulldogs eventually sealed the game with a Kregg Lumpkin 1-yard touchdown to win 34-27.
The Florida Gators suffered their second straight Outback Bowl loss in a 37-17 defeat against Iowa. The win marks the first time the Hawkeyes have had consecutive 10-win seasons.
Tennessee also suffered its second straight bowl loss in the Peach, Bowl falling to Clemson 27-14. The Volunteers running game managed just 38 yards on 26 carries.
Elsewhere in the SEC, Arkansas set an Independence Bowl record with 300 rushing yards in a 27-14 victory over Missouri. Razorbacks running back Cedric Cobbs had 141 yards rushing and a touchdown and quarterback Matt Jones added 74 yards and a score on the ground.
The SEC finished with a 5-2 record in bowls, tying the ACC (5-1) for the most bowl wins by a conference. The Big Ten and Big XII sent the most teams with eight apiece, but both struggled going 3-5 and 2-6, respectively.
While the other two BCS bowls did not have the national title implications of the Sugar and Rose, they certainly were not lacking any of the drama.
In the Fiesta Bowl, defending national champions Ohio State beat Kansas State 35-28 on the strength of senior quarterback Craig Krenzel’s four touchdown passes.
“We didn’t want to be a senior class that contributed to a national championship and lost our last two games,” Krenzel told the Associated Press after the game.
Kansas State quarterback Ell Roberson played inconsistently, perhaps because of accusations of sexual assault just days before the game. No charges were filed against Roberson.
And the Florida State Seminoles watched yet another field goal sail wide right against Miami as the Hurricanes won the Orange Bowl 16-14.
Seminole kicker Xavier Beitia missed a 39-yard field goal with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter. It was the fifth game-deciding field goal missed by Florida State in their rivalry with Miami.
After the game Beitia had little to say of his errant kick.
“I missed it,” Beitia said. “There’s nothing else to say.”