Florida State: 2013 NCAA Division I FBS National Champions

PASADENA, Calif. -- Jameis Winston threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left and No. 1 Florida State beat No. 2 Auburn 34-31 to win the last BCS national championship game on Monday night.

Winston struggled much of the night but was near perfect when the Seminoles (14-0) needed it most, going 6 for 7 for 77 yards on the game-winning 80-yard drive. A pass interference penalty on Auburn's Chris Davis gave Florida State a first-and-goal at the 2 and on the next play Winston hit his big receiver for the touchdown.

"I said this from Day 1 in spring ball. These kids are special," coach Jimbo Fisher said. "This group never faltered. They wanted to be elite. They wanted to go to the top and there's so much character in this group."

Tre Mason had given Auburn (12-2) a 31-27 lead with a 37-yard touchdown run with 1:19 left after Kermit Whitfield had put Florida State in the lead for the first time since the first quarter with a 100-yard kickoff return to make it 27-24 with 4:31 left.

Mason ran for 195 yards.

Winston was 20 for 35 for 237 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

Nick Marshall ran for a touchdown and threw scoring passes to Mason and Melvin Ray in the first half, and Auburn led 21-13 after three quarters.

All-America kicker Roberto Aguayo's second field goal of the night accounted for the only third-quarter points for either team as both defenses took charge after a frenetic first half.

The powerful Seminoles trailed by 18 points in the second quarter and 21-10 at halftime, but picked up momentum in the third quarter with solid defensive play and improvements by Winston, who was fighting a case of big-game jitters.

The Heisman Trophy-winning freshman went 6 for 15 for 62 yards in the first half on his 20th birthday, with a key fumble setting up Marshall's 4-yard TD run 5:01 before halftime. Winston also led a 66-yard scoring drive late in the first half and consistently moved Florida State in the third quarter — but with only three points to show for it.

After trailing for the first time in any game since Sept. 28, Florida State needed a big finish to become the first team to rally from a halftime deficit to win the BCS title game.

Marshall, Winston's relatively unheralded counterpart, looked sharp in the Auburn backfield. Auburn was the nation's top rushing team, but coach Gus Malzahn showed the SEC champs can fling it as well while racking up 232 yards of offense in the first half.

Mason caught a 12-yard TD screen pass in the first quarter, and Ray ran alone down the middle with a 50-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.

Devonta Freeman had a 3-yard scoring run with 1:28 left in the half for Florida State, which faced its largest deficit and first halftime deficit of the season.

Auburn's 85-yard drive early in the second quarter ended with a TD catch for Ray, the former minor league baseball player from Tallahassee who had just four receptions in the regular season. Florida State's Jalen Ramsey failed to pick up Ray all alone down the middle. Ray juked a defender near the goal line and scored as the Tigers' fans rocked the Rose Bowl stands with cheers.

Auburn's Angelo Blackson then swatted the ball out of Winston's hand on a run moments after the Tigers missed a field goal, and Marshall finished the drive by turning the corner on Florida State's defense for a score.

A successful fake punt finally sparked the Seminoles moments later. Winston made a 21-yard run complete with a vicious stiff-arm to Auburn's Kris Frost, and Freeman scored on the next play, trimming Auburn's halftime lead to 21-10.

Auburn was making its second BCS championship game appearance after beating Oregon for the title four years ago behind Heisman winner Cam Newton. The Tigers went 3-9 last season, but Malzahn quickly returned them to the national spotlight.

The Seminoles had run over every opponent in their path to a third national title, but Fisher's team was tested in Pasadena.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/07/3856295/no-1-florida-state-beats-no-2.html#storylink=cpy

Arkansas State: 2014 GoDaddy Bowl Champions

Arkansas State backup quarterback Fredi Knighten led a 59-yard game-winning drive in the final minute and a half of the GoDaddy Bowl, and the Red Wolves beat Ball State 23-20 Sunday night in Mobile, Ala.

Knighten hit receiver Allen Muse for a 13-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining.

Red Wolves starting quarterback Adam Kennedy, a senior transfer from Utah State, re-injured his knee just before halftime. Knighten, a sophomore, took over and went 15-for-20 for 115 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Arkansas State (8-5) won the GoDaddy Bowl for the second year in a row, while Ball State fell to 0-7 all-time in bowl games.

The Cardinals (10-3) had one last chance when senior quarterback Keith Wenning drove them down the field and got kicker Scott Secor -- who had already made 26- and 37-yard field goals -- in prime position to tie the game from 38 yards out.

The kick was blocked, securing the victory for Red Wolves interim head coach John Thompson.

"God answers prayers, and he answered prayers with this team. This is a pure blessing," Thompson said. "All the glory goes to God, I'll tell you that. We kept coming back. This was a family win."

Senior running back Jawhan Edwards (28 carries, 146 yards) gave Ball State the lead when he dived into the end zone from a yard out with under two minutes remaining to cap an 80-yard, 16-play drive that took nearly seven minutes.

The march was made possible after Ball State cornerback Eric Patterson intercepted Knighten on third-and-goal with seven minutes to play and Arkansas State leading 16-13.

Knighten redeemed himself with the game-winning drive.

"Fredi's a winner," Thompson said of Knighten, who also led the team in rushing with 19 carries for 97 yards. "He stuck in there when things went against us."

Arkansas State linebacker Qushaun Lee, last year's MVP of the Red Wolves' bowl win against Kent State, picked off Wenning with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, again shutting down one of Football Bowl Subdivision's most prolific offenses that averaged 40.1 points a game coming in.

Wenning finished 23 of 44 for 215 yards with one touchdown and one interception. It was the worst passing performance of the year for the senior, who came in No. 5 in the nation with 3,933 passing yards.

Junior wideout Willie Snead led the Cardinals with nine catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Arkansas State wide receiver J.D. McKissic had 10 catches for 82 yards.

The Red Wolves opened the second half with two straight marches down the field, but they came up short in the Cardinals' red zone both times, settling for field goals of 18 and 29 yards by kicker Brian Davis that put them ahead 16-10.

Arkansas State was the only team to score in the third quarter after its defense twice stopped Ball State on fourth-down attempts.

Secor's 37-yard field goal with 12:58 remaining in the game pulled the Cardinals within 16-13, the last scoring before the final two minutes.

Thompson, the Red Wolves' defensive coordinator, led the Red Wolves to a bowl win for the second year in a row.

Last month, Arkansas State head coach Bryan Harsin left to take the same position at Boise State. In December 2012, Gus Malzahn bolted the Red Wolves to take over at Auburn.

North Dakota State: 2013 NCAA Division I FCS National Champions

FRISCO, Texas -- From Fargo to Frisco again, and a perfect championship ending for senior quarterback Brock Jensen and coach Craig Bohl at North Dakota State.

Jensen threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score in his FCS-quarterback record 48th victory, and the Bison capped a 15-0 season with a 35-7 victory over Towson on Saturday to claim their third consecutive FCS title in Bohl's final game at the school.

"It hasn't (set in) right now, but I think in a couple of months it's going to," said Bohl, who stayed with the Bison for their playoff run after accepting the job as Wyoming's coach. "This team was possessed with perfection. And they relentlessly pursued it. ... It's pretty remarkable."

The Bison joined Appalachian State (2005-07) as the only FCS teams to win three consecutive championships. They are the first undefeated champs at that level since Marshall in 1996, the year before the Thundering Herd moved to Division I.

"It gets better every time. Definitely," Jensen said. "That was the last time I'll put on a Bison jersey but man, it's been a fun ride."

Bohl was 104-32 in 11 seasons at North Dakota State, which has won 24 consecutive games to match the FCS record.

The Bison went ahead to stay on Ryan Smith's 5-yard TD run in the second quarter that snapped a 7-7 tie. That came one play after Colten Heagle blocked a field goal try that was scooped up by defensive end Kyle Emanuel and returned 59 yards. It was the first of three consecutive possessions when North Dakota State scored touchdowns.

"We made a mistake, and they made us pay for it," Towson coach Rob Ambrose said. "I think we all knew what kind of game it was at that point. ... Things were moving in the right direction, at least for us, head to head, pretty even."

Towson (13-3), the first school to play in championship games at the FCS and NCAA Division III levels, was 1-10 only three years ago in Ambrose's second season. But the Tigers had their lowest scoring total since a 28-3 loss at Maryland four games into the 2011 season.

This was the fourth consecutive year the title game was played in the professional soccer stadium in North Texas, but this game was plagued by problems with the grass turf. During each timeout, groups of workers and volunteers had to pat down chunks of turf that were coming up during play.

Nick Shafer, the stadium's vice president of operations, said in a statement that the turf between the hash marks was replaced Nov. 18. Soon after that, the area was hit by an extended stretch of unusual freezing weather and ice sat on the field for a week. Shafer says that "prevented the grass from taking root underneath the turf."

Players from both teams clearly were having problems at times with footing. The most obvious was Towson running back Darius Victor falling down behind the line for a 3-yard loss after stepping into one of the divots, two plays before the blocked field goal.

"It's really unfortunate but those things come up. Both teams where in the same position," Bohl said. "This was atypical. The last several times we've been down here, it's been a great track."

Terrance West ran 3 yards on the final play of the first quarter for Towson's only touchdown, his 41st TD rushing and 42nd overall this season. The junior finished with 22 carries for 99 yards, pushing his season total to 2,509 -- the most ever by an FCS player.

After CJ Smith reached over his shoulder for an interception and a 32-yard return just before halftime, Jensen threw a 12-yard TD to Zach Vraa, his school-record 15th scoring catch this season, for a 21-7 lead. Jensen ran 9 yards for a score on the Bison's possession after halftime, and Sam Ojuri added a 1-yard TD in the fourth quarter.

There was a sellout crowd of 19,802, most of them dressed in Bison colors in what has becoming an annual January trek.

Utopia College Sports is such a class act...

The users on Utopia College Sports are the saltiest bunch of people you will ever meet on the Internet. I gave them the most-viewed offline dynasty thread on the forum, and this is what I receive as a thank-you present: a one-week forum ban. And you call me an annoying so-and-so...same goes for everyone on that forum. The key here is that at least I am able to put up with tough crowds, unlike the admins here.

Vanderbilt: 2014 BBVA Compass Bowl Champions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Patton Robinette threw two 50-yard touchdown passes to Jordan Matthews, and Vanderbilt recovered after blowing a 24-point lead to beat Houston, 41-24, on Saturday in the BBVA Compass Bowl.

Robinette, starting after senior Austyn Carta-Samuels had season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, also had an 8-yard scoring run as Vanderbilt built a 24-0 lead in the first half.

After Houston (8-4) pulled even by scoring 24 points in the third quarter, Vanderbilt reclaimed the lead on Brian Kimbrow's 21-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Vanderbilt (9-4) closed the season with five straight wins, adding to third-year coach James Franklin's status as a possible candidate for coaching vacancies, including at Penn State and with the NFL Browns and Redskins. The Commodores played in three straight bowl games under Franklin — a first for the program — and completed their first back-to-back nine-win seasons.

Vandy players doused Franklin with a water bucket in the final seconds.

Houston gained only 22 yards and had one first down in the first half but rallied with 24 points in the third quarter to pull even. Kenneth Farrow had a six-yard scoring run and Deontay Greenberry and John O'Korn threw scoring passes to Markeith Ambles.

The Commodores regrouped with two big gains on direct snaps to running backs early in the fourth quarter. Jerron Seymour ran for 38 yards to the Houston 34. Kimbrow's touchdown run gave the lead back to Vanderbilt.

Jahmel McIntosh's interception less than a minute later gave the ball back to Vanderbilt, setting up Carey Spear's 35-yard field goal.

Seymour added a 2-yard scoring run with less than 2 minutes remaining.

Matthews, a senior who set Southeastern Conference records for career catches and yards receiving, had five catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

Matthews took advantage of a lead block by receiver Jonathan Krause to make his first touchdown catch on Vanderbilt's second possession.

A forced fumble by linebacker Chase Garnham set up the Commodores' second touchdown. After Houston's O'Korn threw a pass to Greg Ward Jr., a big hit by Garnham forced the fumbled recovered by Andrew Williamson at the Houston 16. Robinette, making his third career start, scored on an 8-yard keeper on fourth down.

No Houston defender was near Matthews on his second 50-yard scoring catch in the second quarter.

A lost fumble by Robinette set up Farrow's 6-yard touchdown run to start Houston's third-quarter comeback.

Houston built on the momentum. Daniel Spencer's 62-yard run set up O'Korn's six-yard touchdown pass to Ambles. O'Korn's 58-yard pass to Ambles set up a 30-yard field goal by Kyle Bullard. The Cougars completed their big third-quarter comeback on O'Korn's 67-yard touchdown pass to Greenberry to tie the game.

Missouri: 2014 Cotton Bowl Champions

ARLINGTON, Texas — After a mostly quiet night, Missouri’s unanimous All-American defensive end Michael Sam came up with the biggest play Friday in a 41-31 victory against Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium.

Sam raced around the left end with the Cowboys driving in the final minute, tracking down quarterback Clint Chelf from behind. Sam’s sack forced a fumble that sophomore Shane Ray scooped up and raced 73 yards for a game-ending touchdown.

The play gave Sam, who led the Southeastern Conference in sacks and tackles for a loss en route to becoming only the second unanimous All-America in program history, 11 1/2 sacks on the season.

Before that, Oklahoma State, which trailed by 10 at halftime, seemed poised to retake the lead and end Missouri’s remarkable turnaround in its second season in the SEC.

The victory also moved Tigers coach Gary Pinkel alone into first place on the program’s career wins list. Pinkel, who is 102-63 in 13 seasons at Missouri, passed Don Faurot, who went 101-79-10 in 19 seasons.

The Tigers, 12-2, trailed 31-27 after junior Desmond Roland’s 2-yard touchdown run with 5:04 left, but quarterback James Franklin, who had an otherwise tough ballgame in his college swansong, engineered a 69-yard go-ahead touchdown drive.

Junior Henry Josey scored his third touchdown on a 16-yard run as Missouri jumped back in front 34-31 in the closing minutes.

The game had been something of a snoozer for three quarters before both teams finally found rhythm on offense down the stretch.

Tied at 17-17, Josey moved Missouri back into the lead with a 25-yard touchdown run at the 11-minute, 32-second mark.

Oklahoma State answered less than two minutes later when Chelf weaved his way for a game-tying 23-yard touchdown.

Franklin was bailed out when he threw a pick-six as former KU cornerback Tyler Patmon stepped in front of sophomore Dorial Green-Beckham for an interception and 40-yard return. Patmon was whistled for pass interference to the chagrin of the Cowboys’ faithful in the crowd of 72,690.

Seven plays later, the Tigers took the lead instead on a 46-yard field goal by sophomore Andrew Baggett.

Sluggish doesn’t begin to describe the game’s start, which was memorable primarily for dueling interceptions and dropped passes by the Tigers throughout the first quarter.

Missouri finally broke a scoreless stalemate with three minutes remaining when junior Henry Josey scooted into the end zone on a 3-yard option pitch from senior quarterback James Franklin.

The drive was set by senior cornerback E.J. Gaines’ team-leading fifth interception of the season at midfield.

Oklahoma State senior quarterback Clint Chelf, who had scrambled from the pocket and appeared to have a clear path to the first down before throwing the ball straight to Gaines, answered with a 40-yard touchdown strike to junior Josh Stewart.

The Tigers then closed the half with 10 straight points for a 17-7 halftime lead.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Maty Mauk took over for a series and scrambled for 35 and 34 yards on consecutive plays.

Mauk capped a six-play, 80-yard drive by dropping a pretty 24-yard lob to senior wide receiver Marcus Lucas, dropping the pass over leaping cornerback Ashton Lampkin trailing safety Shamiel Gary.

Baggett added a 35-yard field goal on the second quarter’s final play, but the Cowboys would storm back thanks to two fumbles by Franklin.

The first, on a read-option handoff to Josey, set up Chelf’s 21-yard touchdown to Jhajuan Seales late in the third quarter and the second, on an option pitch to Josey, led to freshman Ben Grogan’s game-tying 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

ead more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/03/4728354/cotton-bowl-halftime-report-missouri.html#storylink=cp
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Clemson: 2014 Orange Bowl Champions

MIAMI GARDENS --  Ohio State and Clemson matched each other punch for punch during an entertaining Orange Bowl until the Tigers finally delivered the knockout blow.

It appeared Ohio State might run away with the Orange Bowl trophy after a surge that started in the second quarter and spilled into the third. However, Clemson quickly scored two touchdowns to take a 34-29 lead in the fourth quarter of the Orange Bowl. 

The Buckeyes delivered a quick counter-punch to take a lead, but the Tigers likely delivered the final response by scoring late and forcing a pair of turnovers.

The game drew an announced crowd of 72,080. Clemson finished the back-and-forth affair with a dramatic 40-35 win.

Tajh Boyd helped Clemson race out to an early 7-0 lead at Sun Life Stadium. Boyd scored off what was officially listed as a 48-yard touchdown scamper. The extra point gave the Tigers an early 7-0 lead at the 12:50 mark in the first quarter.

After a slew of penalties helped extend Ohio State's first drive. Despite one penalty by the Buckeyes, Braxton Miller made the Tigers pay for their miscues.

The athletic dual-threat quarterback rushed for a 33-yard touchdown. With the extra point, Ohio State tied the game 7-7 at the 5:44 mark in the first quarter.

Boyd delivered a quick response, hitting Sammy Watkins for a 34-yard touchdown. With the extra point, the Tigers took a 14-7 lead at the 4:56 mark in the first quarter.

Ohio State's defense chipped in to help the Buckeyes, tackling Boyd in the end zone for a safety. It trimmed Clemson's lead to 14-9 at the 2:25 mark in the first quarter. 

The Tigers countered with a scoring drive in the second quarter.

Boyd passed to Martavis Bryant for 3-yard touchdown. Clemson missed the extra point, making the score 20-9 at the 6:16 mark in the second quarter. 

Ohio State picked up the pace again, this time with Miller hitting a wide open Jeff Heurman for a 57-yard touchdown. The Tigers blocked the extra point, making the score 20-15 Ohio State at the 3:39 mark in the second quarter. 

Miller tacked on another score, this time rushing for a 3-yard touchdown. With the rare converted extra point by Drew Basil, the Buckeyes erased an early deficit and took a 22-20 lead at the 12 second mark in the second quarter. 

Ohio State held onto the momentum early in the third quarter, mounting a long scoring drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown scamper by Carlos Hyde. With the extra point, the Buckeyes took a 29-20 lead at the 5:50 mark in the third quarter. 

However, Clemson would rise up to change the momentum in the contest. 

Boyd connected with Watkins for a 30-yard touchdown. With the extra point, it cut Ohio State's lead to 29-27. 

On the next drive, Clemson's defense forced a turnover that would quickly set up a Boyd 3-yard touchdown pass to Martavis Bryant. The extra point pushed Clemson ahead 34-29 with 32 seconds left in the third quarter. 

Watkins had 200 receiving yards through three quarters, a new Orange Bowl record.

In the fourth quarter, Miller found Hyde wide open in the end zone. Clemson was called for a penalty for taking a shot at Miller after he released the 14-yard touchdown pass. With the extra point, the Buckyes took the 35-34 lead at the 11:35 mark in the fourth quarter. 

Clemson delivered the next blow, with Boyd passing to Stanton Seckinger for a 5-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 40-35 at the 6:16 mark in the fourth quarter. 

The Tigers and Buckeyes traded turnovers late, with Clemson coughing up the ball to give Ohio State hope. However, one more Buckeyes interception would put the Tigers in a position to seal the win. 

Oklahoma: 2014 Sugar Bowl Champions

There were some that had the Oklahoma Sooners pegged in the preseason as a potential national championship contender. Things didn’t work out that way as they finished the year at 10-2, but they certainly looked the part on Thursday night in their shocking win over the third-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, 45-31.

Freshman quarterback Trevor Knight played the absolute game of his life against one of the best teams in the country in this one, tossing for 348 yards and four touchdowns. After an up-and-down season for the youngster after being named the starter over Blake Bell back in August, he gave Sooners fans exactly what they’ve been looking for all year.

A lot of credit as well has to go to the Oklahoma defense, who was astounding throughout the evening, constantly getting pressure on Alabama’s senior QB–and Heisman finalist–AJ McCarron. The worst damage came with under a minute to go when McCarron was sacked as he was trying to lead a comeback with his team down seven, a sack which caused a fumble that was scooped up by Oklahoma’s Geneo Grissom and run in for a touchdown and put the dagger in the Tide.

Yes, considering who they defeated on this night, the Oklahoma Sooners did look like one of the elite in the nation, as we all expected they would prior to the beginning of the season.

Also, now, maybe a little bit of the “Big Game Bobby” heat will be taken off of Sooner’s head coach Bob Stoops, because he deserves it after this.

Central Florida: 2014 Fiesta Bowl Champions

Central Florida, making its first appearance in a BCS bowl, posted a massive 52-42 upset victory over Big 12 champs Baylor in Wednesday night's Fiesta Bowl. The Knights (12-1), who were 17-point underdogs at kickoff (the largest margin ever overcome in a BCS bowl), posted 558 yards of total offense and overcame three first-half turnovers with a balanced attack.

UCF running back Storm Johnson ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns, while quarterback Blake Bortles contributed four scores of his own. Meanwhile, Baylor (11-2) looked sloppy throughout. The Bears were flagged 17 times for 135 yards, including a number of crucial penalties in pass coverage that kept UCF drives alive.

The Knights jumped on Baylor early, posting two quick Storm Johnson touchdowns to take an early 14-0 lead. Baylor got a touchdown late in the first quarter on a plunge by quarterback Bryce Petty, but Central Florida held a 14-7 lead after the first 15 minutes.

The second quarter was a mess of turnovers, blown coverages, and sloppy offense. After the teams exchanged punts, Baylor was stopped on fourth down at the UCF 33 yard line when Petty fumbled the snap.

 

Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles responded by throwing an interception three plays later, but Baylor could not capitalize. Bortles threw his second interception on the next play, and this time the Bears were not so magnanimous. Petty connected with Levi Norwood on a 30-yard touchdown, though the point after attempt failed. Storm Johnson fumbled the ball back to Baylor on the next play, the third consecutive UCF snap to end in a turnover. This time, however, the Bears were in the giving spirit: Petty threw an interception into the UCF end zone, and Bortles turned it into a 50-yard touchdown pass five plays later.

Baylor took over at its own 22, and embarked on an eight-play, 78-yard touchdown drive capped when Petty scrambled right, dove for the end zone, and took a hit from a UCF defender.

The score cut the UCF lead to one point with less than three minutes to go, but neither team was done. Two minutes later, Bortles hit Rannell Hall on a swing pass that the receiver took 34 yards for a touchdown, capping a nine-play, 83-yard drive. Baylor took the ball to the UCF 28 before time ran out, but a 45-yard field goal attempt missed. Despite three turnovers, Central Florida was up 28-20 at the half.

The teams exchanged punts to start the second half, but Baylor struck first. Petty ran in his third touchdown of the night from the goal line, then ran in the two-point conversion, to finish a 68-yard series and tie the game at 28. Bortles and the Knights responded with a touchdown drive of their own, with Bortles throwing to Breshad Perriman to restore the UCF lead. Six minutes later, Bortles ran for another score, extending the Knights' advantage to two touchdowns early in the fourth quarter.

Baylor was not going quietly, though. It took the Bears just four plays and 81 seconds to score again, highlighted by Petty's 28-yard completion to Clay Fuller to set up a Glasco Martin 9-yard touchdown run. But when Storm Johnson broke a 40-yard touchdown run just minutes later to restore UCF's two-possession lead, what little momentum Baylor held evaporated. Two penalties short circuited Baylor's next drive, the Bears were forced to punt, and Central Florida bled the clock below the 5:00 mark before kicking a field goal to go up 52-35. Baylor put together a late scoring drive to narrow the UCF margin, but it was too little, too late. Central Florida fielded the onside kick, and the upset was complete.

Box Score Hero: The Player of the Game has to be Bortles, who completed 20/31 attempts for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Bortles also ran eight times for 93 yards and a score. Johnson's 124 rushing yards cannot be ignored, though, nor can Rannell Hall'sfour catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns.

Rankings Ramifications: Baylor, which entered the game ranked No. 6, will plummet with the loss, while Central Florida could well move into the finakl Top 10. It's an incredible accomplishment for a program that only moved into FBS football in 1996 and did not join a BCS automatic qualifier conference until this season.

But Did They Cover? Baylor was a massive 17-point favorite. Sometimes, even Vegas gets it wrong.

Michigan State: 2014 Rose Bowl Champions

Michigan State has defeated Stanford, 24-20, in the 100th Rose Bowl after the kind of defensive stand -- and offensive play-calling -- that might have been expected.

The game was decided on this play: Stanford has the ball on a fourth-and-one play at its own 34 with less than two minutes to play.

The Cardinal used its final timeout, presumably to decide whether they would hand the ball off to the left of center or right of center.

Then Michigan State used a timeout, apparently to talk about whether Stanford would run to the left of center or the right of center.

Stanford came out in a fullhouse backfield -- the Cardinal call it their "elephant" set -- and handed the ball to Ryan Hewitt, who was carrying the ball for the first time.

He went nowhere.

It was one of many questionable play calls by Stanford in the second half.

The tackle was made by Kyler Elsworth, the fifth-year senior linebacker -- and a former walk-on -- who started the game because star linebacker Max Bullough was benched for the game after violating an undisclosed team rule.

With 1 minute 43 seconds left, No. 4 Michigan State ran out the clock for its 13th win in 14 games this season.

Fifth-ranked Stanford dropped to 11-3.

A crowd of 95,173 enjoyed mid-70s temperatures, a cloudless sky and the type of game many predicted.

It was a test of wills between Stanford's bone-crunching running game against a top-rated Michigan State defense.

The defense won.

Stanford's Tyler Gaffney ran for 91 hard-earned yards in 24 carries. But take away a 47-yard gain early in the game and he wasn't much of a factor. Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan passed for 143 yards and ran for 41.

The game's top player on offense was Michigan State's Connor Cook. The redshirt sophomore completed 22 of 36 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. And while he was productive, he was also lucky. He threw at least three other passes that should have been intercepted.

Jeremy Langford led the Spartans' running attack, gaining 84 yards and scoring a touchdown in 23 carries.

2014 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade

2014 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, a set on Flickr.

This was a bummer. My main camera was already on a low battery when I started shooting. So I had to send my iPad over to do most of the heavy lifting. At least I got something out of it.

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. 

South Carolina: 2014 Capital One Bowl Champions

ORLANDO (AP) — Connor Shaw was responsible for five touchdowns, including three passing, and No. 8 South Carolina outlasted No. 19 Wisconsin 34-24 in the Capital One Bowl on Wednesday.

The Gamecocks' senior was named the game's MVP after picking apart the Badgers defense, completing 22 of 25 passes for 312 yards. Shaw also had rushing and receiving scores.

South Carolina (11-2) won its third straight bowl game to cap its third straight 11-win season.

Bruce Ellington caught six passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

The Badgers (9-4) lost their fourth consecutive bowl game, failing to capitalize on 100-yard rushing games from both Melvin Gordon and James White, and struggling after quarterback Joel Stave left in the third quarter with a shoulder injury.

Backup Curt Phillips was intercepted twice.

While the Gamecocks struggled to contain the Badgers rushing attack for most of the game, Shaw and Ellington did plenty to keep South Carolina productive on offense.

Trailing 17-13 in the third quarter, Ellington reeled in a juggling reception near the sideline on a fourth-and-7 play. Then, two plays later Shaw found Ellington for 22-yard touchdown strike to put the Gamecocks up by three.

The Badgers lost Stave on the next series, and with Phillips taking over, were stopped short on fourth down run inside the Gamecocks 30.

South Carolina took advantage, and needed just six plays for Shaw to find Jerrell Adams for a 3-yard touchdown that made it 27-17 with 11:05 to play in the game.

Wisconsin wasn't done. Kenzel Doe took the ensuing kickoff and ran it back 91 yards for a score to get the Badgers back within a field goal.

But then Shaw went back to work.

Pinned inside his own 15 to start the drive, he used a combination of runs and passes to set up his 1-yard touchdown plunge to cap a nine-play, 81-yard drive that made it 34-24.

Wisconsin appeared to be done after Phillips was intercepted by Kaiwan Lewis with less than five minutes to play. But the Gamecocks gave it right back on a Brandon Wilds fumble on the next series.

The Badgers picked up a few first downs, but then Phillips was intercepted again by Skai Moore with 3:14 left to end the threat.

Wisconsin got the ball back one more time, but Gordon fumbled inside the South Carolina 20 to help the Gamecocks secure the win.

Wisconsin led 14-13 at the half, scoring on a pair of touchdown passes by Stave.

But the Badgers did most of their damage on the ground, piling up 159 rushing yards and 7.2 yards per carry in the opening 30 minutes.

Both drives were over 70 yards against a South Carolina defense that entered the game ranked second in the Southeastern Conference, giving up just 142 yards per game.

Jadeveon Clowney had four tackles in the half, including one for a loss. But he was mostly a non-factor early as the Badgers alternated White and Gordon in the backfield.

North Texas: 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl Champions

DALLAS (AP) — Derek Thompson threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, Brelan Chancellor scored twice and North Texas dominated the second half Wednesday to beat UNLV 36-14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

This was the Mean Green's first postseason appearance in nine years.

This was the Mean Green's first postseason appearance since a 2004 New Orleans Bowl loss to Southern Miss and its first bowl victory since New Orleans in 2002. The Rebels lost for the first time in four bowl games.

UNLV (7-6) drove 95 yards for a touchdown on its opening possession but didn't score again until the Mean Green (9-4) were up 28-7 in the fourth quarter.

With the score 7-7 at halftime, the Mean Green went ahead for good at 14-7 in the third quarter on Thompson's 7-yard scoring pass to Drew Miller — the fourth third-down conversion on the drive.

Chancellor kept the possession alive by slipping past UNLV's Peni Vea along the sideline and staying inbounds for a 17-yard catch on third-and-16. That was one play after North Texas was backed up by a late-hit penalty on guard Mason Y'Barbo.

Tim Cornett, UNLV's career rushing leader, was held to 33 yards — 71 below his average and the same total as quarterback Caleb Herring, who threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Chancellor, who had 74 yards receiving and 47 rushing, scored on runs of 3 and 15 yards. The Mean Green sacked Herring five times.

Darnell Smith had a 34-yard catch to put North Texas up 28-7 before Herring's 13-yard scoring pass to Jerry Rice Jr., the first career touchdown for the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in his final college game.

North Texas came in with one of the nation's top scoring defenses and forced seven straight scoreless UNLV possessions. The Rebels punted on their first three possessions of the second half, and the Mean Green scored each time.

UNLV missed a chance to take control in the first quarter when Keith Whitely muffed a punt to keep the Rebels from getting the ball back after a 95-yard drive highlighted by Herring's 29-yard pass to Devante Davis and punctuated with a 9-yard scoring toss to Marcus Sullivan.

Zed Evans recovered Whitely's muffed punt at the UNLV 42, and Antoinne Jimmerson scored from inside the 1 a play after his run from the 3 was ruled a touchdown before getting overturned on replay.

Davis had 10 catches for 96 yards for the Rebels.

North Texas' James Jones dropped what would have been an easy interception that he could have returned for a touchdown in the final minute of the first half. Coach Dan McCarney called timeout moments before the Mean Green blocked a field goal that Kenny Buyers would have easily taken about 50 yards for a score on the final play before halftime.

The Rebels were in position to try the 52-yard field goal at the end of the half after the Mean Green jumped offside with UNLV punting on fourth-and-5 with 24 seconds left. Nolan Kohorst's kick was well short.