Arkansas: 2022 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, Fla. -- — Arkansas football is on the rise.

KJ Jefferson picked up 104 of his 110 rushing yards in the second half and threw for 90 more to lead No. 22 Arkansas past Penn State 24-10 in the Outback Bowl on Saturday. Raheim Sanders had 79 yards and two touchdowns on 13 rushing attempts and Dominique Johnson added 85 yards on 11 carries as the Razorbacks finished with 361 yards on the ground.

"We've come a long way," Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said.

Arkansas (9-4), coming off four consecutive seasons of four or fewer wins, got its first nine-win year since going 11-2 in 2011. The Razorbacks also played in their first bowl game since the 2016 Belk Bowl.

"I believe in this program and where it's headed," Sanders said. " I know coach Pittman has a plan in place and this is just the beginning. We want to compete at the highest level. In order to do that we have to win these games, beat these teams and continue to raise our game."

Sean Clifford went 14 of 32 or 195 yards for Penn State (7-6). He gained 47 yards on the ground on 11 attempts.

"I thought our guys played extremely hard but we didn't play well enough, obviously, to win the game," Penn State coach James Franklin said,

Jefferson ran 20 times while completing 14 of 19 passes. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound sophomore was sacked five times and limited to 6 yards rushing on 11 carries during the first half.

"I'm just embracing it," said Jefferson, who was the game's MVP.

Jefferson and Sanders had TD runs, and Cam Little made a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter to put Arkansas up 24-10.

Arkansas took the opening kickoff in the second half and put together a seven-play, 75-yard drive that concluded with Jefferson's 8-yard TD run.

Jefferson was hurt and left for several plays after a 34-yard dash later in the third period, and was replaced by Malik Hornsby. He had a 32-yard run to set up Sanders' 1-yard score with 2:00 left in the quarter.

"We did a really good job in the first half of limiting explosive runs," Franklin said. "But in the second half they made an adjustment, a commitment to run the quarterback."

Jefferson said he had the wind knocked out of him on the play. Hornsby had 67 yards on four carries.

Penn State led 10-7 at the half thanks to a 43-yard field goal by Jake Pinegar. The Nittany Lions tied it at 7 early in the second quarter when Clifford took advantage of blown coverage and hit a wide open KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 42-yard touchdown.

"I don't know. I wouldn't say I'm frustrated, we just have to take this loss to heart and work harder in the offseason to get better next season," Lambert-Smith said. "We needed to do the little things. We had to play better and execute better."

Arkansas took a 7-0 lead on the last play of the first quarter when Sanders had a 3-yard TD run. The Razorbacks converted a pair of fourth-down plays during the drive, including Jefferson avoiding a sack and running for 13 yards.

MISSING PLAYERS

Both teams were impacted by bowl opt outs. Penn State was without leading receiver Jahan Dotson; defensive end Arnold Ebiketie and tackle Derrick Tangelo; safety Jaquan Brisker; and linebackers Ellis Brooks and Brandon Smith.

"We need to thank Penn State," Pittman said. "Penn State had a lot of guys go to the NFL and coach Franklin elected to play the game. I respect that big time."

Arkansas played without wide receiver Treylon Burks and defensive end Tre Williams.

NUMBERS

Jefferson had his streak of 171 consecutive passes without an interception end when Ji' Ayir Brown picked off his second throw of the game in the first quarter. Brown finished with two interceptions. … Penn State DE Smith Vilbert had three sacks. ... Arkansas S Joe Foucha had an interception in the end zone and a sack during the second half.

------

Ole Miss: 2021 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, Fla. — Lane Kiffin ended his first season as Ole Miss coach with an exclamation point.

Ole Miss held off a late Indiana comeback to win the Outback Bowl, 26-20 on Saturday. The Rebels led by as many as 14 points before No. 11 Indiana (6-2) came back to tie the score, but quarterback Matt Corral led the Rebels on a quick scoring drive with under five minutes left to regain the lead. The defense forced a late turnover on downs to end the Hoosiers' late rally try.

Ole Miss finishes the season 5-5.

Here are five takeaways from the Rebels' win.

Where’s this defense been?

Ole Miss entered the game allowing more yards per game than any FBS team. This wasn’t a defense that looked comfortable slowing down winless Vanderbilt, let alone a top-25 opponent. But the Rebels did just that Saturday, holding Indiana to 20 points and 4.3 yards per play.

"I think we really limited explosive plays and made them drive the length of the field,"  Kiffin said. "We forced a long field goal and did a good job that way."

Sure, Indiana started a backup quarterback. But that same backup quarterback scored 14 points against Wisconsin, which owned the nation’s No. 1 total defense.

Ole Miss held Indiana to a paltry 141 yards and three points in the first half and intercepted one pass in the red zone to end a Hoosiers scoring threat. Though the tackle-for-loss and sack numbers weren’t high, the Rebels supplied consistent pressure off the edge, especially from senior Sam Williams. 

Oh, that defense

Ole Miss allowed more than 100 points across nine fourth quarters this season. Naturally, Indiana started scoring in bundles in the fourth quarter of this one. Ole Miss led by 14 points when the third quarter ended. By the time there were six minutes left in the game, the score was tied.

The Ole Miss defense still deserves some credit for playing the best three quarters it had all season to start the game. But for a team that has struggled to finish games all season, this was the worst possible scenario for a game to end.

Until it wasn't. The defense got the stop when it needed to in the final minutes, going back to the way it played in the first three quarters just like Kiffin advised them to in the huddle before the drive began.

"That's what we wanted," linebacker Jacquez Jones said after his 13-tackle performance. "We knew it was going to come down to us. That's what we wanted and I feel like we got. Big Sam (Williams), Ced (Johnson), all them boys rushing the quarterback, they couldn't block them boys."

No weapons, no problem

Corral played Saturday without most of his favorite targets. Wide receivers Elijah Moore and Braylon Sanders, tight end Kenny Yeboah and running back Jerrion Ealy all missed Saturday for various reasons. But Corral still managed to spread the ball well, picking apart the Indiana drop-eight zone and completing passes to eight different receivers. 

"We said 'Look around the country,' " Kiffin said. "'There are some teams that are stepping up with players out and there are teams that are making excuses.' We wanted to be that team that stepped up. It was awesome to see."

Corral struggled against drop-eight zone early in the season, particularly against Arkansas when he threw six interceptions. But Saturday, Corral used his check down options and short, timing throws to navigate the zone properly and slice without mistakes through an Indiana defense that led college football in interceptions this season.

Getting creative

Everyone notices when backup quarterback John Rhys Plumlee plays slot receiver. Plumlee caught five passes for 73 yards, ran once for four yards and completed a 4-yard pass.

But Ole Miss used a number of other converted or less-heralded players in creative ways Saturday, and all season. Converted running back Tylan Knight forced a third-quarter fumble and tight ends Casey Kelly and Chase Rogers caught nine passes after catching two combined in the first nine games. 

"These are guys that haven't played a lot, just like John at receiver, and they want to play more," Kiffin said. "Now they get a chance to play and they made plays today. It was awesome to see."

Fix the kicking

Kicker Luke Logan had one of his better games on the year, hitting two first-half field goals. But those field goals were from 26 and 24 yards out. He got another try from 37 yards to put Ole Miss up two scores in the fourth quarter but he couldn’t connect. Logan didn’t make a kick longer than 40 yards in either of the last two seasons despite being Ole Miss’ primary kicker.

Logan is a senior who can come back because of the NCAA’s eligibility rules for 2020-21. But Ole Miss needs an upgrade at that position if it wants to feel comfortable with leads.

Minnesota: 2020 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, FLA. – Tyler Johnson launched off the field and outstretched his right arm.

Reaching, reaching.

Eyes pinned on the ball as it smacked into his curved palm. His right foot, toe pointed, just barely tapped the green turf before he tumbled out of bounds.

Like Michelangelo’s hand of God imparting the spark of life to Adam, Johnson ignited the Gophers. Not just to a divine victory against SEC powerhouse Auburn in the Outback Bowl but to a future that doesn’t just look bright — it might be electric.

Johnson, a senior playing his last collegiate game, caught 12 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns to become the Gophers’ all-time leader in receiving yards and touchdowns in the 31-24 win against the No. 12 Tigers on Wednesday at Raymond James Stadium. He cemented his legacy of 213 catches for 3,305 yards and 33 touchdowns by helping build the No. 18 Gophers program into one that demands national attention and respect after an 11-2 season.

“It was my last chance to go out there and give everything I got,” Johnson said. “To be able to not only represent myself but my family and my community. One last chance at the school that I decided to go to, back four years ago.”

Johnson’s journey embodies that of the entire senior class, with many of the 12 other graduating players from the same 2016 recruiting class. While their impact on the field has been prominent, from seven key defensive players to the all-purpose yards record-holder in running back Rodney Smith, the path they’ve paved off it has led the Gophers to their current star status.

For Johnson, he came back for this final season despite the allure of the NFL. He did so to show his five younger siblings the importance of graduating from college, to show his north Minneapolis community what hometown pride means, to show his young receiving corps how it’s done.

Johnson said seeing out his Gophers career instead of turning pro last year was “definitely worth it.”

“He’s going to leave here the greatest receiver in the history of the University of Minnesota,” said teary-eyed Gophers coach P.J. Fleck. “… Everybody is going to look at that game. Every NFL scout, every NFL wide receiver coach, GM, president is going to watch that game.

“Look at what he just did.”

An announced crowd of 45,652, saturated with Gophers fans, saw it all, what Johnson achieved and more. They witnessed the Gophers respond from early setbacks such as quarterback Tanner Morgan’s interception on the third play and a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. They watched sophomore running back Mohamed Ibrahim reclaim his No. 1 spot, one he took up for an injured Smith last year but ceded with no qualms back to his mentor this season.

Ibrahim, last year’s Quick Lane Bowl MVP with 224 yards, ran for 140 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries against Auburn. He dragged defenders for every extra yard and exploited every hole his offensive line gave him, with that unit refusing to bend to Auburn’s veteran defensive line boasting SEC Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brown.

The senior-heavy defense held Auburn’s rush, which averaged 211 yards per game heading into Wednesday, to just 56 yards. The Tigers converted only three of 11 third downs.

“Throughout the entire season, it was one of those things where we have to earn everybody’s respect,” senior defensive end Carter Coughlin said. “And we did this year. We earned the respect and respect from other conferences now. And now that’s just a wake up to the rest of the world.”

Coughlin finished his time with the Gophers upholding his father’s and grandfather’s legacies. Linebacker Thomas Barber did the same for his father and two brothers. They’re both Minnesota natives in Johnson’s same class that Coughlin nicknamed all those years ago as the “Empire,” after how the Romans dominated their era.

“That all has to start somewhere,” Coughlin said. “We kind of started that. I think that we were a part in making Gopher football what we’ve always dreamed it could be.”

This could just be the beginning for the Gophers, who probably will enter next season ranked and return all but two of their offensive starters, including Morgan and next-in-line receiver Rashod Bateman.

For Johnson, Coughlin, Barber and more, though, this is the end.

On his penultimate catch for the Gophers, Johnson looked up in the open field. He would track the ball as it dropped into his waiting hands before running free to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown.

But in that moment, he was Adam. Looking up into the light, anticipating what’s to come.

Iowa: 2019 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Iowa Hawkeyes lost a yard on the last play of the Outback Bowl, pushing their final rushing total to minus 15 yards, and didn't mind a bit.

They ran the play from victory formation.

Safety Jake Gervase's interception in the end zone helped preserve a late lead, and a ball-hawking defense compensated for a sputtering offense as Iowa beat No. 18 Mississippi State 27-22 on Tuesday.

Gervase also batted down an errant fourth-down pass to end the Bulldogs' final drive at the Iowa 32 with 25 seconds left. Two earlier Mississippi State threats in the fourth quarter led to only three points.

The Hawkeyes totaled just 199 yards, with 75 coming on a touchdown pass from Nathan Stanley to Nick Easley , but they converted three takeaways into 17 points.

The Hawkeyes won despite losing 27 inches per rush. Their three running backs totaled 4 yards in 15 carries.

"We had a hard time blocking their front," coach Kirk Ferentz said. "Defense really bailed us out."

Iowa (9-4) earned its biggest postseason victory since an Orange Bowl win over Georgia Tech to cap the 2009 season. Mississippi State (8-5) lost to a team outside the top 15 for the first time.

Trailing 24-19, the Bulldogs had a first down at the Iowa 1 early in the fourth quarter, but three quarterback draws lost 2 yards and they settled for a field goal.

They were again on the verge of taking the lead with nine minutes left, but receiver Stephen Guidry bobbled a tipped pass in the end zone, and Gervase snatched it away.

"Sometimes you get lucky," Gervase said.

The Hawkeyes then drove 50 yards for a field goal, the game's final score.

"Bowl games are a lot like early season games, where turnovers and penalties really factor in," Ferentz said. "If you aren't on top of that part of your game because you haven't played in a while, it can be a really tough thing. Obviously it helped us today being a little bit more opportunistic."

Iowa had no penalties, while Mississippi State was penalized 90 yards, including a holding call that negated a 51-yard completion.

"Too many missed opportunities, too many penalties," Bulldogs coach Joe Moorhead said. "Can't turn the ball, can't give up explosive plays, can't have penalties take scores off the board. We didn't do enough to earn the right to win."

Mississippi State receiver Osirus Mitchell put it another way.

"We definitely beat ourselves," he said. "They weren't better than us."

A takeaway helped Iowa score two touchdowns in 97 seconds for a 17-6 lead -- especially impressive against a team that allowed only 12 TDs during the regular season.

Mississippi State rallied with two touchdowns in 18 seconds to go up 19-17. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald gave the Bulldogs the advantage on a nifty 33-yard touchdown run , his 100th career score rushing or passing.

But on their next possession, Fitzgerald's tipped pass was intercepted by defensive lineman Chauncey Golston. Stanley then scrambled to convert a fourth and 1, and on the next play he hit Easley with an 8-yard score to put Iowa ahead to stay, 24-19.

MAKING THE ADJUSTMENT

Easley had a career-high 104 yards receiving on eight catches and was chosen the most valuable player. He nearly ran out from under his helmet on his long touchdown.

"I had a little bit of a malfunction with my helmet strap -- a little piece broke the play before," he said. "As I was running, it started coming off a little bit. Thankfully I was able to pull it back on and continue to run."

Easley and Gervase played their final game as seniors who walked on.

"It's how we're built," Ferentz said.

INJURY REPORT

Running back Kylin Hill left the game when he took a hit to the helmet in the fourth quarter, but he was back in the lineup on the Bulldogs' final possession.

Moorhead said Hill cleared the concussion protocol.

"I'm good," Hill tweeted with a thumbs-up emoji after the game.

TAKEAWAYS

Iowa will likely finish in the Top 25 for only the second time in the past nine seasons. Ferentz concluded his 20th season at Iowa and improved to 152-101, including 8-8 in bowl games.

The down-to-the-wire finish was a rarity for the Bulldogs, who had only one other game decided by fewer than 14 points.

UP NEXT

Stanley will be a third-year starter returning to lead the 2019 Hawkeyes, who also will have their top three rushers back. They open the season Aug. 31 at home against Miami (Ohio).

With fifth-year senior Fitzgerald departing, the Bulldogs will have a new starting quarterback when they open the 2019 season on Aug. 31 in New Orleans against Louisiana.

South Carolina: 2018 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, Fla. -- Will Muschamp envisions championships in South Carolina's future.

Lots of them.

"We don't have all the trophies and the tradition and history but we have some grit," the coach said after the Gamecocks rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit. to beat Michigan 26-19 in Monday's Outback Bowl.

"We've got some toughness and resolve. You saw us down 19-3 and not a lot of good things happening for us," Muschamp added. "All the arrows are pointing up for us. We're going to have those trophies."

Jake Bentley threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns Monday to pace the win, which gave the Gamecocks (9-4) at least nine wins in a season for just the seventh time.

Bentley shrugged off a slow start to toss scoring passes of 21 yards to Bryan Edwards and 53 yards to Shi Smith, the latter giving his team a 23-19 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The sophomore said once the Gamecocks began to have some success, the offense's confidence grew.

"It's just we started to execute well. The excitement, I think, is contagious to the whole team," Bentley, voted the game's most valuable player, said. "You see where we went from there."

Michigan (8-5) finished with its first three-game losing streak under coach Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines turned the ball over five times after halftime, including an end zone interception that denied them an opportunity to regain the lead with just under eight minutes to go.

The loss also cost the Big Ten a clean sweep of bowl games involving conference members. The league entered 7-0, looking to go unbeaten in postseason play for the first time since 1998 when it went 5-0.

"We kind of let them hang around and they took advantage of it.," Harbaugh said. "They got better as the game went on. We didn't get the knockout punch when we needed it."

Bentley was 19 of 32 passing with one interception. Rico Dowdle, playing for first time since breaking his leg against Tennessee on Oct. 14, began South Carolina's comeback from a 19-3 deficit with a 17-yard TD run.

Brandon Peters had a tough day for Michigan, completing 20 of 44 passes for 186 yards and two interceptions. His second pick, with 1:05 remaining, sealed South Carolina's second Outback Bowl victory over the Wolverines in five years.

"There's some really good, and there's a few I know he'd like to have back," Jarbaugh said. "But he was battling just like the rest of the guys. There was some error there, a little too much at the wrong time."

Quinn Nordin accounted for most of Michigan's scoring, kicking field goals of 35, 26, 45 and 48 yards. Fullback Ben Mason scored on a 1-yard run in helping Michigan build its 16-point lead.

Peters, who returned to the lineup after missing the regular-season finale against Ohio State with a concussion, was hoping to make it more difficult for Harbaugh to replace him next season -- even if Shea Patterson is one of coach's options.

Patterson plans to transfer to Michigan from Mississippi, a program hit with sanctions, and to petition the NCAA to allow him to be immediately eligible.

ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES

South Carolina leads the all-time series between the team 3-1, including a 33-28 victory in the 2013 Outback Bowl. Michigan's lone win came in 1985.

THE TAKEAWAY

Michigan: The Wolverines started 4-0, but their inexperience showed in going 5-4 in Big Ten play with losses to Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State. Losing to South Carolina extended the team's season-ending skid to three games.

South Carolina: South Carolina feels good about its progress in two seasons under coach Muschamp, whose 15 victories match the most by any coach in his first two years with the Gamecocks. Joe Morrison (1983-84) and Steve Spurrier (2005-06) also won 15.

"This whole month we've talked about going on out top and leaving the right legacy for this class," linebacker Skai Moore, one of 12 seniors on South Carolina's 109-player roster, said. "It means a lot to this senior group."

UP NEXT


Michigan: Wolverines could open the 2018 season against Notre Dame with a new quarterback. But there likely will not be nearly as many changes as this season when Michigan returned the fewest starters (six) of any FBS program in the country. In addition to Peters and Patterson, the competition for the QB job will include Dylan McCaffrey, son of former NFL player Ed McCaffrey and brother of Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.

South Carolina: Muschamp fired offensive coordinator Kurt Roper last month and must decide on a replacement. Co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon called plays Monday, and Muschamp said before the game he was impressed with the job McClendon did during preparation for Michigan.

Florida: 2017 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, Fla. -- Austin Appleby threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, helping No. 20 Florida end a two-game losing streak with a 30-3 rout of No. 21 Iowa in the Outback Bowl on Monday.

Mark Thompson scored on an 85-yard pass play in the first half and Appleby, a graduate transfer who spent the past four seasons at Purdue, tossed a 6-yard TD pass to DeAndre Goolsby to break the game open late in the third quarter. Chauncey Gardner, Jr., returned the first of his two fourth-quarter interceptions 58 yards for a 24-3 lead.

Florida (9-4) rebounded from lopsided losses to archrival Florida State and No. 1 Alabama, scoring more points on Iowa (8-5) than the Hawkeyes allowed to Michigan, Illinois and Nebraska combined while ending the regular season on a three-game winning streak.

Iowa's C.J. Beathard led an early field goal drive, and managed to get his team close to the end zone on two other occasions. Florida's defense stiffened both times, stopping the Hawkeyes on downs at the Gator 3 in the second quarter and forcing them to settle for a 30-yard field goal that sailed wide right midway through the third quarter.

Appleby, who actually began his career at Purdue against Iowa, shrugged off throwing interceptions on Florida's first two drives of the day to finish 14 of 25 passing.

Akrum Wadley ran for 115 yards, giving Iowa a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season for the first time. The junior finished with 1,081, and LeShun Daniels wound up with 1,058 after gaining 45 Monday.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida: The Gators could be looking at having to replace at least three stalwarts on defense -- tackle Caleb Brantley and cornerbacks Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson -- who are expected to leave school early to enter the NFL draft. Linebacker Alex Anzalone and defensive back Duke Dawson also are considering turning pro.

Iowa: Like Florida's Tabor and Wilson, cornerback Desmond King is a likely high NFL draft pick. He won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back as a junior and was just as good this year, though opponents' reluctance to throw his way -- three interceptions this season vs. eight in 2015 -- may have hurt his chances to win the award again as a senior. The Hawkeyes will also lose quarterback C.J. Beathard, who finished his career 21-7 as a starter.

TURNING POINT


Beathard directed the best drive of the game by either team, moving Iowa from its own 36 to inside the Florida 10 with help from runs of 27 yards by Akrum Wadley and 11 yards by LeShun Daniels, plus an 18-yard pass to tight end George Kittle on third-and-14 from the Gators 28. Three plays later, Beathard dropped back to throw before scrambling for a 6-yard gain near the goal line. The Hawkeyes thought he scored, but officials ruled him down at the 1. Daniels was dropped for a 2-yard loss on fourth down. Florida snapped the 3-3 tie less than six minutes later, when Thompson scored on the longest reception and TD in Outback Bowl history.

UP NEXT

Florida: Opens next season Sept. 2 against Michigan in Arlington, Texas.

Iowa: Wyoming visits Iowa City for season opener on Sept. 2.

Tennessee Volunteers: 2016 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Joshua Dobbs threw for 166 yards and ran for two touchdowns Friday, helping Tennessee cap its best season in eight years with a 45-6 rout of No. 12 Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.
  
Dobbs scored on runs 14 and 18 yards, while Jalen Hurd ran for 130 yards and one TD for the Volunteers (9-4), who finished with at least nine wins for the first time since 2007.
  
Northwestern (10-3) sputtered offensively and was unable to keep up with the stronger, faster Vols defensively in falling short on a bid to finish with a school-record 11 victories.
  
Dobbs completed 14 of 25 passes. The dual-threat quarterback ran 12 times for 48 yards, including a highlight-reel burst around right end in which he dove for his second TD after picking up a bobbled snap and tight-roping his way up the sideline to make it 31-6 early in the fourth quarter.
   

Wisconsin: 2015 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, Fla. -- They knelt on the sideline in small groups, heads bowed with thoughts that a higher power could perhaps influence a football game. OtherWisconsin players already were mentally preparing for another overtime session, while still more simply closed their eyes and listened for crowd reaction. But in the moment Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson's 45-yard field goal attempt sailed into the air, there was nothing but silence. Maddening, unbroken silence of 44,023 fans and players collectively holding their breath.

So much disappointment had permeated Wisconsin's football program on this day in recent years. Four New Year's Day bowl games the past four seasons each resulted in crushing losses, and the defeats only seemed to magnify in intensity. Those outcomes left this lingering thought inside players' heads: couldn't something good happen for a change?

Then, the moment arrived all at once in a triumphant, spontaneous burst of emotion.

Carlson's kick to tie from the left hash sailed toward the middle of the uprights and pushed on further until it smacked yellow paint and bounded off the right upright, caroming away unsuccessfully to set off a Badgers celebration years in the making.

The miss sent No. 18 Wisconsin to a stirring come-from-behind 34-31 Outback Bowl victory against No. 19 Auburn in overtime Thursday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium. And with it, the senior class could leave the field having washed away, at least partially, memories of all those missed opportunities.

"I just couldn't believe it happened," Badgers linebacker Marcus Trotter said. "I was waiting five years for this. Finally when it happened, I was just like, 'Thank God.' Finally to get a chance to win against a great opponent meant everything to us."

Added right tackle Rob Havenstein: "I don't think I can describe it. I'm just flying right now. It's unbelievable the way this team battled, the way they came back from everything, over the years, in this game and in the season."

When interim coach Barry Alvarez conducted a television interview on the field, Havenstein and fellow offensive lineman Dallas Lewallen crept behind and dumped a jug of blue Gatorade on him, a smile creasing Alvarez's face as the remains clung to his skin. Dozens of players then hoisted Alvarez in the air, Alvarez lifting his right arm and pumping his fist while the team chanted "U-DUB. U-DUB. U-DUB."Havenstein, Ray Ball, Derrick Tindal and Corey Clement watched the field goal miss and sprinted behind the uprights toward the family section to leap into the first row to revel in the team's first bowl victory since 2009. Badgers players convened at midfield for hugs and soon began high-fiving members of the student band.

"I've had a couple of those, and I like them," Alvarez said. "It's a little uncomfortable afterwards, but I like them. And it's special for those seniors. It meant a lot to them. They've won a lot of games here. They haven't won a lot of bowl games. They've put a lot into it. They bought into it. They gave us strong leadership when it was needed, and now they can enjoy it."

Four weeks earlier, this result seemed improbable. Ohio State had embarrassed Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten championship game, raising questions about the Badgers' talent level against upper-tier programs. And what followed only added to the turmoil.

Head coach Gary Andersen left the team four days later to become coach at Oregon State in a move few saw coming. Alvarez, the current athletic director and the most legendary figure perhaps in Wisconsin football history, returned to the sideline only at the behest of the team's seniors. He had brought the team out from the depths of despair as head coach in the early 1990s and retired in 2005. He had returned for one game only two years ago after former coach Bret Bielema left, but Wisconsin lost to Stanford 20-14 in the Rose Bowl, and the outcome ate at Alvarez.

This time, Alvarez insisted things would be different. He would insert himself more into the gameplan as the interim coach. He would take charge during critical moments of the game. He would lead in the way he had when he won eight bowl games during his Hall of Fame career.

"I'll tell you the difference that I noticed in preparation was that we were so much more confident because coach Alvarez is a winner, he doesn't take any nonsense and he makes the right calls," Badgers linebacker Derek Landisch said. "He makes the gutsy calls, too. You saw on all the fourth downs where we went for it, he's a great coach and we're just so lucky to have him."

Alvarez did indeed have a hand in all of the team's fourth-down decisions. He bypassed a potential game-tying 50-yard field goal on fourth-and-5 in the final minutes, and quarterback Joel Stave connected with tight end Sam Arneson for a first down. Kicker Rafael Gaglianone ultimately buried a 29-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime.

Stave did not play particularly well, finishing his day completing 14 of 27 passes for 121 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. But he also made the plays necessary to keep the Badgers in the game during the fourth quarter and overtime.

"The first three quarters weren't my day," Stave said. "But it's a team game. That's why we've got a good running game like that. The way they were able to keep us in it, give us an opportunity to win, I needed to tell myself to get it out of your mind and make the plays you need to make in the end."

Wisconsin's defense then held strong against Auburn (8-5). The Badgers snuffed Tigers tailback Cameron Artis-Payne for a 2-yard loss and allowed two passes for a total of minus-one yard. All of it set up Carlson's field goal, whose miss came after he drilled a 51-yarder earlier in the game.In the extra session, Wisconsin (11-3) took possession first and quickly created a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line. But the Badgers gained only two more yards and had to settle for Gaglianone's 25-yard field goal.

Badgers tailback Melvin Gordon, a redshirt junior playing his last game before entering the NFL Draft, was named the game's most valuable player after capping his career with an Outback Bowl-record 251 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Gordon climbed to second on the single-season rushing list with 2,587 yards and finished behind only Barry Sanders' 2,628 yards set at Oklahoma State in 1988.

Earlier in the week, Artis-Payne suggested Gordon would not have been a 2,000-yard rusher had he played in the Southeastern Conference while alleging Wisconsin played easier opponents such as "Illinois, Northwesternand Purdue." Those comments made their way back to Gordon, who took notice.

"It had me a little fired up, I'm not going to lie," Gordon said. "I had to bite my tongue a little bit when I heard it. You've just got to step up to the plate, and I think I did that."

So did the rest of Wisconsin's team when it mattered most, which paved the way for a celebration players likely will never forget.

"None of these seniors will play another college football game, and we won our last one," Havenstein said. "It is a special thing to end it on a high note."

LSU: 2014 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, Fla. -- Chilly, wet conditions bogged down Wednesday's Outback Bowl, but No. 16 LSU used Jeremy Hill's tough running and a stifling defense to outlast Iowa 21-14 and earn its 10th win of the season for a school-record fourth straight season. 

Here's how the Tigers earned the win: 

It was over when: Jeremy Hill broke three long runs -- including a 37-yard touchdown -- on LSU's final possession, allowing the Tigers to run three minutes off the clock and go up 21-7 with 2:02 to play. Hill finished with 216 yards, becoming the first LSU back since 2004 to crack the 200-yard mark in a game. 

Game ball goes to: Jamie Keehn and LSU's punt coverage team. While neither team's offense was able to get it in gear consistently, Keehn's overall consistency kept Iowa deep in its own territory. The Tigers' James Wright recovered Kevonte Martin-Manley's muffed punt at the Iowa 39, setting up a Hill touchdown run that made it 14-0 LSU in the second quarter. 

Stat of the game: Two. Iowa's two turnovers -- the fumbled punt and Craig Loston's fourth-quarter interception deep in LSU territory -- were the difference in the game. The offenses combined to generate just 535 yards (302 by LSU and 233 by Iowa), so the turnover battle played a major role on Wednesday.