#GenshinImpact #Xianyun
Michigan: 2023 College Football Playoff National Champions
No. 1 Michigan dominated No. 2 Washington on the ground in the first quarter and allowed itself to be contained for half the game before finishing the fourth quarter exactly as it started the game. The Wolverines piled up a history-making 303 yards rushing while obliterating the Huskies on both lines of scrimmage in a 34-13 victory to capture the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship in Houston and bring a ring back to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the first time since 1997.
Running back Blake Corum led the way for the maize & blue with 134 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 21 touches, but it was Donovan Edwards -- barely contributing all season while dealing with injuries -- who broke loose for two first-quarter touchdowns and totaled 104 yards on six carries. Michigan's 303 yards rushing were not only more than Washington's total yardage in the game (301), it was the most yards on the ground by a national title winner in the BCS/CFP era (since 1998).
Corum and Edwards became the first teammates to each rush for 100+ yards in a national championship since Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon of Alabama in the 2013 BCS Championship Game and the first duo to also rush for two touchdowns each since Mark Ingram II and Trent Richardson of Alabama in the 2010 BCS title game. Meanwhile, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy compiled the fewest yards passing by a winning signal caller (140) since Greg McElroy's 58 yards for the Crimson Tide in that 2010 BCS title game.
For Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh, hoisting the CFP trophy Monday night was a feather in the cap of the ultimate Michigan Man who carried on many tenets injected into the program by his former coach, the legendary Bo Schembechler. Harbaugh, who struggled to beat Ohio State across his first six seasons at Michigan, has now taken down his program's arch rival in three straight seasons, winning as many Big Ten Championship Games and now a national title.
Monday night also concludes a controversy-filled season in which Harbaugh spent six games away from Michigan while serving three-game suspensions that bookended the campaign, one instituted by U-M amid potential NCAA violations and another handed down by the Big Ten amid allegations of improper sign stealing.
A week after surviving an overtime battle against No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl for its first CFP semifinal victory in three tries, Michigan was pushed again Monday night. Washington rallied from an early 17-3 deficit and had the ball with a chance to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. However, after a defensive stand, the Wolverines marched 71 yards on just five plays with Corum's second score, a 12-yard run, pushing Michigan ahead 27-13 with 7:09 remaining.
Washington's top-ranked passing offense struggled to gain traction as Michigan's top-ranked defense proved to be the superior unit. Huskies star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was intercepted twice with the second a game-sealing pick and 81-yard return from cornerback Mike Sainristil with 3:37 remaining. Corum put the finishing touches on Michigan's title win with a 7-yard touchdown run two plays later.
Penix, the runner up in 2023 Heisman Trophy voting, finished 27-of-51 passing for 255 yards in his final college game after leading the Huskies to 21 straight victories over the past two seasons. His pinpoint accuracy and electric play fueled Washington all year, but Penix and his star-studded pass catchers were off their games Monday night with the quarterback sailing passes and his wide receivers dropping multiple balls in key situations.
Michigan won its first national championship since 1997 (split with Nebraska) and first undisputed crown of the modern era
This is the Wolverines' 10th national title in program history
Michigan became the first No. 1 seed to beat a No. 2 seed in the CFP National Championship (1-3)
U-M is the second Big Ten team to win a CFP (Ohio State, 2014)
The Wolverines are the first Big Ten team to win 15+ games since the University of Chicago in 1899
McCarthy is now 27-1 in his career as a starter (third-best winning percentage as starting QB in FBS history)
Michigan is 40-3 over the last three seasons after going 2-4 in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign
Washington's 21-game winning streak was snapped; it was the longest active streak in the FBS
Corum rushed for a touchdown in all 15 games this season
South Dakota State: 2023 NCAA Division I FCS National Champions
FRISCO, Texas -- Mark Gronowski ran for a touchdown and threw for another after halftime as South Dakota State won its second straight Football Championship Subdivision title, beating Montana 23-3 on Sunday.
The Jackrabbits (15-0) extended their overall winning streak to 29 games, including their win over North Dakota State in last year's FCS game for their first national title.
South Dakota State had an impressive game-opening drive, but led only 7-3 at halftime. Gronowski, the quarterback starting his third FCS title game, then bulled into the end zone for a 10-yard score midway through the third quarter, and on the next possession threw a 23-yard TD to Jadon Janke.
Gronowski finished 13-of-21 passing for 175 yards and ran eight times for 62 yards. The Jackrabbits outgained Montana 372-273.
Montana's 27 playoff appearances are the most in the second tier of Division I football. National champions in 1995 and 2001, the Grizzlies (13-2) have now finished as the runner-up six times, four under coach Bobby Hauck.
This was the Grizzlies' first title game since 2009, when they were the runner-up for the third time in Hauck's first seven seasons. Hauck then left for FBS team UNLV and also was on staff at San Diego State before returning to Montana in 2018.
Less than two weeks after South Dakota State was crowned champions last year, John Stiegelmeier retired after 26 seasons as head coach. He was succeeded by defensive coordinator Jimmy Rogers, a former Jackrabbits linebacker who was captain of their first playoff team in 2009 -- when they lost to Montana after blowing a 27-point lead.
Both teams had only one possession in the first quarter Sunday. Montana's opening drive spilled into the first play of the second quarter, when on its 15th play, running back Eli Gillman was stuffed by Jackrabbits linebacker Adam Bock for no gain on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
South Dakota State had opened the game with a 75-play, 11-play drive. Gronowski completed his first five passes for 55 yards and converted a third-and-4 with a 9-yard keeper right before Isaiah Davis' 6-yard TD run.
That put the Jackrabbits ahead to stay, though they had a couple of costly mistakes before halftime.
A few plays after Bock's stop, one of his 11 tackles, Gronowski had a pass intercepted by Corbin Walker that Montana turned into a field goal for its only points. South Dakota State also had a turnover when punting, as the ball ricocheted off one of its players and recovered by the Griz, though they punted it back.
THE TAKEAWAY
Montana: Playmaking quarterback Clifton McDowell, who had been 11-0 as the Griz starter, was under increased pressure, especially after halftime. He completed 22 of 39 passes for 165 yards, but was sacked four times. After he was stripped of the ball when being sacked late in the third quarter, 295-yard defensive tackle Ryan Van Marel came up with it.
South Dakota State: In their third title game appearance in four seasons, the Jackrabbits became the first team since North Dakota State (2017-19) to repeat as champions. It was another stellar defensive performance in this playoff run for South Dakota State, which had two lopsided shutout victories (41-0 and 59-0) in its previous three games.
UP NEXT
Montana: The Big Sky champion Grizzlies take on one of SDSU's Missouri Valley Conference rivals in their 2024 opener. They host Missouri State on Aug. 31.
South Dakota State: The Jackrabbits open next season on the road Aug. 31 at Big 12 team Oklahoma State, the first major conference team they will play since a 7-3 loss at Iowa of the Big Ten in the 2022 opener that was their last loss.
Genshin Impact: Genshin Misadventures - Special Episode! Teapot Shenanigans
#GenshinImpact #SereniteaPot #Klee #Fontaine
Washington: 2024 Sugar Bowl Champions
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The remarkable comeback story of Michael Penix Jr. is a victory away from a perfect ending for Washington.
Penix passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns, and the Huskies held off Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl on Monday night to advance to the College Football Playoff title game, earning both the sixth-year quarterback with two surgically repaired knees and the beleaguered Pac-12 a chance to go out a champion.
The second-ranked Huskies (14-0) will face No. 1 Michigan next Monday night in Houston with a 21-game winning streak, looking for their first national championship since 1991 and the Pac-12's first since Southern California in 2004.
Washington is one of 10 schools fleeing the Pac-12 for other Power Five conferences next season, with the Huskies headed to join Michigan in the Big Ten. The conference is not going away, but its days as a potential football power are likely done.
But first, the final season of the four-team playoff before expansion to 12 in 2024 comes down to a Pac-12-Big Ten matchup, just like the first when Ohio State beat Oregon.
"Huskie Nation stand up," Penix told the UW crowd in the postgame trophy ceremony. "We goin' to the natty!"
No. 3 Texas (12-2) had four shots at the end zone after getting to the Washington 12 with 15 seconds left, but Quinn Ewers missed on the last three passes. The final throw was a fade to Adonai Mitchell that was knocked away by Washington's Elijah Jackson.
"Those guys are the most resilient guys I have ever been around," Washington coach Kalen DeBoer said.
In Texas' first CFP appearance and final football game as a member of the Big 12 before it goes to the Southeastern Conference, Ewers passed for 318 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn't enough against Penix and his array of talented receivers.
"They were a second away from playing for a national championship," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. "They should be proud of themselves. Penix got hot and (Washington) made some big plays down the field."
Penix spent his first four college seasons at Indiana, suffering three season-ending injuries, one to each knee and one to his throwing shoulder.
When his former offensive coordinator at Indiana, DeBoer, took over at Washington, Penix didn't think twice before moving to Seattle, and then decided to take advantage of an extra year of eligibility and returned for a second year.
"He's been on a mission since he chose to come back, and a lot of the other guys followed his lead," DeBoer said
The left-hander stayed healthy and blossomed into a star, the Heisman Trophy runner-up this year, and now has a chance to win a national championship after another brilliant performance.
"It was the tough times. I feel like everything I've been through built me for this," Penix said.
Penix went 29 for 38 with no turnovers. He completed 12 straight at one point, the longest on-target streak in the CFP's 10-year history.
And he did it attacking down field as usual. He completed six passes of at least 20 yards, connecting with Rome Odunze six times for 125 yards and Ja'Lynn Polk five times for 122.
It was in some ways a perfect CFP semifinal for the last season before massive changes in college football: two teams switching conferences next season, led by star quarterbacks who transferred in.
A wild first half included a 77-yard connection with Polk on Penix's second pass of the game, Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II plunging into the end zone for a 1-yard TD run, a Penix-to-Polk TD pass when the receiver tipped the ball to himself and the Longhorns capping the second quarter with a long touchdown drive to tie it at 21-all at intermission.
There was a fourth-and-1 stop by Texas of Washington deep in Longhorns territory, which didn't deter DeBoer from going for a fourth-and-1 at his own UW 33, and converting.
Penix had 255 yards in the first half alone, and then kept it rolling on the first drive of the second half, throwing a dart down the middle to Jalen McMillen for a 19-yard score.
Washington added two field goals by Grady Gross to take a 34-21 lead early in the fourth quarter. Holding the Huskies to field goals kept Texas in the game, and when Ewers found Mitchell, the Georgia transfer with two national titles, for a 1-yard score with 7:23 left, it was a one-possession game.
The Superdome sounded like Darrell K. Royal Stadium east, with Texas fans easily outnumbering the visitors from the Pacific Northwest.
Penix calmly went back to work, hitting Odunze over the shoulder for 32 yards down the sideline to set up a first-and-goal that led to the third field goal of the day for Gross, a former walk-on who was put on scholarship after hitting a walk-off winner in the Apple Cup.
That put Washington up 37-28 with 2:40 left, and had its purple-clad fans doing its best to drown out the Longhorns with a "Let's go Huskies!" chant.
Texas kicked a field goal with 1:09 left cut the lead to six. Washington recovered an onside kick, but couldn't kill the clock. Texas flew down the field and had an improbable comeback in sight.
"Just was looking to give my guys an opportunity to go make a play," Ewers said of his final throws. At the end of the day, that's all you can really do.
Washington came through in the clutch — again.
"They've done it all year, coming up with big-time stops in big-time moments," Penix said.
The Huskies' last 10 victories have all been decided by 10 points or fewer. The close games have brought doubters.
"We're always disrespected, always made the underdogs," said defensive end Bralen Trice, another upperclassman who returned this season to make title run.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas: Came in with a vaunted defensive line led by All-America defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat and second-team All-American Murphy. They were tough to run against, as usual, but they didn't get much pressure on Penix through an offensive line that was named the best in the country. Throughout the week both sides seemed a little tired of talking about the line matchup when the Huskies had the ball. Ultimately, the Huskies' big guys came out on top, not allowing a sack.
Washington: On the Huskies' final offensive play as they tried to burn clock, star running back Dillon Johnson was shaken up, which stopped the clock and gave Texas an extra 30 seconds or so for their own drive. There was no word on Johnson's status for the matchup with Michigan.
UP NEXT
Texas: Will Ewers be back for the Longhorns or is it Arch Manning time in Austin? Stay tuned.
Washington: The Huskies are 5-8 all-time against Michigan, including 2-2 in Rose Bowls.
Michigan: 2024 Rose Bowl Champions
It was an up-and-down game but the final result was euphoric for the Michigan Wolverines against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Michigan won 27-20 in overtime and is headed to the national championship in Houston.
Here are key takeaways from Michigan’s win.
Michigan’s defense was ferocious and had an epic goal-line stand in OT
Michigan’s defense made Alabama’s offense one-dimensional. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe had limited success through the air, throwing for just 116 yards on the day. While Milroe made some great plays with his legs, he also turned the ball over on a fumble and was sacked a whopping six times by Michigan’s defense. Five of those sacks came in the first half, which is tied for the most in a half in the Nick Saban era. Michigan held Alabama to just 3-of-13 on third down and to 288 total yards. And with Michigan up 27-20 in overtime, the defense had an incredible goal-line stand which ended on a 4th and goal from the three-yard line where Milroe was stuffed on a run up the middle. There were many heroes on defense — Junior Colson had 10 tackles, Michael Barrett had nine and a sack, Mike Sainristil had some big hits and great coverage, Braiden McGregor had two sacks, Jaylen Harrell had a sack, Josaiah Stewart had a sack, Kris Jenkins and Derrick Moore both had sacks. It took cohesion from the defense for Michigan to win, and it was an epic performance down the stretch.
Michigan’s offense gets going late and turns the tide
Michigan took a 13-10 lead into halftime, but after neither team scored in the third quarter Alabama scored ten unanswered points to go up 20-13 on the Wolverines. Things were getting dire for Michigan, time was running out, and they had to score with time ticking down. A 35-yard pass from J.J. McCarthy to Blake Corum on 4th and 2 with 3;19 left in the game kept Michigan’s hopes alive. Then McCarthy rushed for 16 yards, Roman Wilson had a 29-yard reception and Wilson would score two plays later on a four-yard TD to tie the game at 27-7. In overtime, it was a quick and heavy dose of ground and pound from Blake Corum to give Michigan a 27-20 lead on a 17-yard rushing TD.
For every play that didn’t generate positive yardage, for every third-down Michigan didn’t convert (2-off-11 on the day), the offense made incredible plays happen and played inspired football, including McCarthy, who threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Roman Wilson had just four catches, but they were huge ones and totaled 73 yards. Blake Corum had a gritty 83 yards rushing and had heroic runs. The offensive line allowed just one sack after giving up four sacks to Iowa in the Big Ten Championship. Tyler Morris had the first touchdown of his career on a 38-yard reception. Just like Michigan’s defense, it took huge plays from multiple players on Michigan’s offense to get the job done.
The win silences the haters
Pundits have picked against Michigan in every big matchup this season. Penn State. Ohio State. And now against Alabama. It hasn’t turned out very well for them, and they have egg on their face, to say the least. Michigan hadn’t won a bowl game since 2015 until the Rose Bowl win on Monday. Michigan lost in the College Football Playoff semifinal in back-to-back years heading into the Rose Bowl. There was the narrative that the SEC would steamroll Michigan. There was the dynamic that Nick Saban was the best head coach ever and Jim Harbaugh had no chance of beating him. At some point, Michigan’s biggest detractors who have prestigious jobs in the media should own up to their bias against Michigan and admit they underestimated not only the talent of the Michigan team but the brotherhood within the locker room as well.
The job is not finished
Michigan’s accomplished a whole heck of a lot this season, but they still haven’t won their biggest game of the season. Sorry Ohio State, that Michigan-OSU rivalry is huge, but the national championship is substantially bigger. Multiple Michigan players spoke about the team having a Houston or bust mentality the entire season. Houston is where the national championship is being held. Well, now the Wolverines are headed to Houston on a business trip. This week of preparation is huge, as their opponent, Washington, has a prolific offense and a good defense as well. Washington’s undefeated and presents a huge challenge, a challenge Michigan gladly accepts.
Tennessee: 2024 Citrus Bowl Champions
Tennessee football capped off its 2023 season on a strong note by dominating No. 17 Iowa 35-0 in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday afternoon.
The Vols’ defense held Iowa to just 173 yards while Nico Iamaleava turned in a strong performance in the first start of his career.
Following the win, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel discussed Iamaleava’s performance, the complete defensive showing and much more. Here’s everything Heupel said.
Opening statement
“Proud of our team, our program. I thought during the course of our preparation that they were very intentional, focused when we were in the meeting room, out on the practice field. They were engaged and they competed hard. That was true in our preparation back home, and it was true while we were here. And they enjoyed the bowl festivities. At the same time, they came out and played, the right way, prepared the right way. Proud of the performance.
“You look defensively on the line on the line of scrimmage, handled the running game, really the entire day. Matched things out on the boot game and got off the field on third down. The front applied pressure throughout the course of the game. James (Pearce) did an unbelievable job the entire day. Obviously, everybody saw the pick. He was in the backfield all day, after the quarterback all day long.
“Offensively, efficient enough. Nico (Iamaleava) played really well. First-time starter. There was nothing that was too big for him, never got rattled. Very composed, in control of the communication, in control of the run game, just did an unbelievable job — decision-making and the plays with his feet as well.
“End of the day, all three phases well together. And that was a challenge for us going into this one. That’s a really good football team that we played today. It had a tremendous amount of success this season, but Coach Ferentz, great amount of respect for who he’s, how conducts his program. A great way to finish the ‘23 season and to kick off the ’24 (season).”
On James Pearce’s performance, being more versatile moving forward for Tennessee’s defense
“James has got a great football future in front of him. He’s great player right now, but he’s got a chance to be extremely special. And for him, just continuing to grow in his understanding of football IQ as we continue to move him around and put him in positions to win is gonna be extremely important as we go through this offseason. He’s dynamic, he’s got multiple moves to affect the quarterback. But there’s still growth in some of those fundamentals and continue to grow in how he defends the run. He’s going that well, but there’s still some growth there. I say all of that, he’s a dynamic playmaker for us. He’s really rare, got a really bright future in front of him.”
On how Nico Iamaleava’s play against Iowa impacts his outlook for Iamaleava moving forward
“I believe he’s going to be a great dynamic player. And I know that. I thought he handled himself really composed all day long. Subtle things, little things, breaking the huddle, communication inside of the hall, controlling the run game. His eyes went in the right place. Great to see a young guy go out and perform in that way in his first career start. There’s a lot of things that Nico can continue to grow and grow in. The challenge early in the football game was guys playing at a really high level around him, too. I didn’t think we played as well as we were capable at times around him, but we got great confidence in him and that quarterback toom. We got great confidence in those young players. A lot of guys got an opportunity to play a lot more football today than they had. And a lot of them played extremely well. But it also showed some things where they’ve got an opportunity to grow and how those things impact our game unfolds. And I’m really excited about who’s in that locker room, who’s coming back, and where we have an opportunity to go in ’24.”
On the decision to redshirt Nico Iamaleava during his freshman season at Tennessee
“End of the day, for the quarterbacks and the guys at every position, you don’t have a ‘like, listen, you’re strictly going to redshirt and won’t play in anything other than the four games’ until you’re on the very end of the season because of the way the game unfolds and injuries that take place.
“And Nico’s been one play of away in the entire season from having to carry the load the rest of the way home. And just continue to fight as a competitor. I’m really pleased and proud of the way that he has handled his preparation every single week. I think he’s gotten better throughout the course of the season in understanding the urgency and that preparation. That’s a huge part of the reason he went out and played the way he did today.”
On how impressed he was with how Iamaleava operated the offense, avoiding penalties
“The first two (penalties) weren’t on him either. We didn’t start off the way that we needed to but after that he came out, started really fast decision making, controlling everything, really excited about how he performed. Early in the football game, offensively, special teams, there was a couple things that we didn’t do the way that we needed to. We got to be able to start faster in that one. I do like the way we responded and played clean football, really, the rest of the way home. Proud of the guys for that.”
On defensive end Tyre West’s performance
“It’s true that we got a lot of guys coming back that have played a lot of football. We’ve rotated a bunch of guys. They’ve all had days where they were extremely violent, disruptive, got the quarterback, played the run game extremely well. That group’s got a chance, if they do it the right way this off season, fundamentally, continuing to change their bodies, football IQ, understanding of the game to be a game changing unit. We need that from them and we need that from this guy right here to my right (James Pearce Jr.).”
On Andre Turrentine’s interception in the end zone
“Special teams, we don’t field the pond. We get backed up, we have a couple of penalties. We end up mis-hitting the ball on the rugby (punt). They got a short field, great play by (And)Dre (Turrentine) to undercut in the backside extension and great to see him go perform the way that he did. But that was a huge play and changed the dynamics of the game early in the football game and huge play.”
On James Pearce Jr’s pick six
“Yeah, that wasn’t bad was it? Let me tell you, great job. Understand the formation where the bodies are at what type release he’s getting. Ability to take his eyes, undercut the route and athletic enough to go make the play. He’s on the jugs a couple times a week just to make sure that you’re ready for that opportunity, you know what I mean? Might have asked him why at one point in your career, but it’s for that moment and nothing looks better than seeing a big man like him run down the sidelines.”
On what type of statement this win makes for the program
“The finish to the ‘23 season is the kick off to ‘24. I think it speaks to the culture that we have inside of our building, our locker room. Speaks to the type of competitors that we have that buckle their chin straps and wear the Power T on the side of their helmet. You look at all of the young guys that got so many meaningful snaps today. I think it speaks to the future being extremely bright. There’s a lot of things that we’re going to need to reset and grow from when they come back in January. Every season starts over, but it’s a group that I love being around and if we can continue to be great teammates, care about the people around us more than we care about ourselves, we can pour into each other, we compete extremely hard every single day, while having as much fun as we possibly can the future’s extremely bright. The challenge is great. The standard is to win championships at Tennessee. Nobody shies away from that. We got to continue to grow to put ourselves in position to do that.”
Oregon: 2024 Fiesta Bowl Champions
Oregon QB Bo Nix set the single-season completion percentage record in the No. 8 Ducks’ overwhelming 45-6 win over No. 23 Liberty on Monday.
Nix entered the game less than two-tenths of a percentage point behind Alabama QB Mac Jones for the best completion percentage in a college football season. Jones finished the 2020 season 311-of-402 passing for 4,500 yards and 41 TDs to just four interceptions and broke former Texas QB Colt McCoy’s 2008 record of 76.7% with a completion percentage of 77.36%.
Monday, the Heisman finalist from Oregon was 28-of-35 passing for 363 yards and five touchdowns before leaving the game just after the start of the fourth quarter. The six incompletions mean Nix finishes the 2023 season 364-of-470 passing for 4,504 yards with 45 touchdowns, three interceptions and a completion percentage of 77.44%.
Four of Nix’s five TD throws came in the second quarter after Liberty had a moment of hope to start the game. The Flames opened the game with the ball and promptly went 75 yards on a possession capped off by a 17-yard TD pass from Kaidon Salter to Bentley Hanshaw. Oregon (11-2) responded with a field goal and Liberty led 6-3 after the first quarter.
It got ugly from there.
Nix found four different receivers for those TD throws in the second period as Oregon made it a laugher by halftime. Liberty’s defense was no match for the Ducks’ offense and Oregon’s defense quickly shut down Liberty’s offense. The Flames punted on each of their next four drives after their opening TD and ran just 18 plays on those possessions. Their sixth possession ended in an interception that was turned into an Oregon touchdown with 3 seconds to go before halftime and a 31-6 lead for the Ducks.
Bo Nix's career renaissance
Nix came to Oregon ahead of the 2022 season after spending the first three seasons of his career at Auburn. He was the Tigers’ starting quarterback in all three of his seasons there, but had thrown just 23 TDs over the last two seasons of his career and averaged less than seven yards an attempt with the Tigers.
He arrived in Eugene with head coach Dan Lanning and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham (now the head coach at Arizona State) and immediately had the best season of his career. A season ago, Nix completed nearly 72% of his passes for almost 3,600 yards and threw 29 TDs and seven interceptions.
He was even better in 2023 as Oregon made a run at the Pac-12 title. Undefeated Washington was the only team to beat Oregon over the course of the season as the Ducks outscored their opponents by over 27 points per game.
Nix’s stellar years at Oregon could make him a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Liberty's first New Year's Six game
The previously undefeated Flames (13-1) snuck into their first New Year’s Six bowl game thanks to SMU’s win over Tulane in the AAC title game.
The Green Wave were ahead of the Flames entering conference championship weekend but lost at home to the two-loss Mustangs. The win without starting QB Preston Stone wasn’t good enough for SMU to jump ahead of undefeated Liberty, and the Flames ended the season as the highest-ranked Group of Five team.
There were reasons to be suspicious of Liberty’s chances against the Ducks, however. The Flames had the weakest schedule in the country and didn’t play a single Power Five team. Liberty allowed nearly 23 points per game during the regular season and gave up at least 25 points in seven of its 13 wins.
But Monday’s blowout also doesn’t diminish the growth of the football program. Liberty joined the top level of college football in 2018 and has posted a winning season in all six of its years at the FBS level. The school’s ability to spend money on its football program was a big reason why it lured former Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell to Lynchburg to replace Hugh Freeze after the 2022 season.
With those vast resources and a relatively weak Conference USA around it, Liberty has a real chance to be a part of the 12-team playoff in 2024 with another undefeated season.
LSU: 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl Champions
TAMPA — Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels was missing, but it didn't stop LSU from having its quarterback provide heroics to win a big game.
Game MVP Garrett Nussmeier led an eight-play, 98-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter to rally No. 13 LSU football past unranked Wisconsin, 35-31, on Monday in the 2024 Reliaquest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.
Nussmeier connected with Bryan Thomas Jr. on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 3:08 remaining for the winning score. He finished 31 of 45 for 395 yards and three touchdowns as LSU piled up 492 yards of total offense.
The Tigers (10-3) needed every bit of their offense's production as their much-maligned defense, ranked 101st nationally in total defense and 76th in scoring defense, allowed 506 yards. Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Modecai had his first 300-yard game of the season and finished 27 of 40 for 378 yards and three touchdowns.
LSU's defense, however, made two big plays when it needed them to clinch the game by sacking Modecai on third and fourth downs as the Badgers were driving for the winning score in the final minute.
LSU football erases 14-point deficit for second time
Jackson Aker's 33-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half put Wisconsin up 28-14, but LSU rallied to tie the score for the second time with scores on back-to-back possessions.Nussmeier tossed a 38-ychard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr., then followed up with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hilton Jr. to tie the score, 28-28.
And of course, Wisconsin (7-6) quickly answered to retake the lead, this time on a field goal, to take a 31-28 lead into the fourth quarter.
Wisconsin strikes quickly twice for early lead over LSU
After LSU's opening drive stalled after nine plays, Wisconsin took over at its own 22 and needed just five plays to go 78 yards for the first touchdown of the game. Quarterback Mordecai completed back-to-back passes to Will Pauling for 53 yards, the first a 12-yard gain on third-and-five and the second pass going for 41 yards.
The back-to-back completions set up a 20-yard touchdown pass to Bryson Green in the corner of the end zone.
On the Badgers' third possession, they needed just two plays to go 60 yards and scored on Mordecai's 53-yard pass to Pauling that put Wisconsin up 14-0. Mordecai, who had just six touchdown passes on the season, was 5 of 5 for 127 yards in the quarter, and Pauling had three catches for 106 yards.
LSU salvages first half with big second quarter
LSU was shut out in the first quarter for just the second all season – the first coming in its 34-31 victory over Arkansas in Game 4 – but got back in the game by scoring on consecutive possessions to tie it up.
Harold Perkins Jr. scored on a 1-yard run to cap an eight-play, 60-yard drive, and Kaleb Jackson ran in from 12 yards to cap a seven-play, 67-yard drive.
A late touchdown gave Wisconsin a 21-14 halftime lead. The Badgers finished the first half with 291 yards of total offense to 232 yards for LSU. Mordecai was 14-of-20 for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Nussmeier was 18-of-26 for 179 yards and one interception.
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