Biggest Wins in Next Six 2007 Bowl Games: Boston College and Wake Forest - Part 3

Ed's Sports Corner:

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

Here are the next 6 winners of this year's 2007 college football bowl game results:

Champs Sports Bowl – Boston College Beats Michigan State by a Field Goal, 24-21, to Win Its 8th Consecutive Bowl Victory

Senior quarterback Matt Ryan went 22-of-47 for 249 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead Boston College past Michigan State, giving the Eagles their 8th consecutive bowl victory and an 11-3 record for first-year coach Jeff Jagodzinski. It was the first 11-win season for Boston College since 1940, 67 years ago.

The Eagles started their season 8-0 and rose to No. 2 in the polls before dropping 3 of the their last 5 games, including a loss to Virginia Tech which cost Boston College the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

The Eagles' All American safety Jamie Silva had two interceptions, one in the end zone, and was named the Most Valuable Player. Boston College played 17 fifth-year players and will have some rebuilding to do to match this year's success.

Michigan State, which amazingly made the game close, made no excuses. The Spartans, who finished at 7-6, lost their 6 games by a combined 31 points under first-year coach Mark Dantonio.

The bowl game was Michigan State's first in 4 years. The Spartans played without 4 players who were academically ineligible and another who was suspended for breaking an unspecified team rule. They included their best pass rusher and a linebacker. Spartan quarterback Brian Hoyer had a long night with 4 interceptions and a fumble.

Texas Bowl – Texas Christian Beats Houston 20-13

Texas Christian took its first lead early in the last quarter to move by Houston 20-13 in the Texas Bowl. Justin Watts got the go-ahead score. The win gave the Horned Frogs their 3rd consecutive bowl victory in 3 years. The fans were not exhausted from excitement watching this hum-drum match-up. Both teams finished the year at 8-5.

Emerald Bowl – Oregon State Runs Past Maryland 21-14

Oregon State senior Yvenson Bernard rushed for 177 yards and a touchdown, and freshman James Rodgers rushed for a career-best 115 yards, caught an early touchdown pass and recovered Bernard's fumble for the second half's only score to lead the Beavers past Maryland 21-14.

Oregon State's crack rushing defense (rated No. 2 nationally) gave up exactly 2 yards to Maryland for 3 quarters and 19 total yards for the game to seal the victory. The win by Oregon State (now 9-4) extended the Pac 10's longest bowl winning streak to 4 and snapped Ralph Friedgen's 3-game postseason winning streak at Maryland, dropping the Terrapins to 6-7, a losing season.

Meineke Car Care Bowl – Wake Forest Beats Connecticut 24-10

Connecticut scored all of its 10 points in the first half, and Wake Forest scored all of its 24 unanswered points in the second half as the Demon Deacons proved that Connecticut was not that big and that bad, winning 24-10. Wake Forest did it with defense and its speedy receiver Kenneth Moore, who caught 11 passes for 112 yards.

Wake Forest has for years endured the moniker "Weak Forest" for its ineptitude, but that nickname may go away as the Demon Deacons rolled up their second most wins ever, topped only by last year's 11-3 mark. Both Connecticut and Wake Forest finished at 9-4 this year.

Liberty Bowl – Mississippi State Slips by Central Florida, 10-3

In what may turn out to be the lowest scoring bowl game this year, Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon broke up a 3-3 tie by scoring the winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 1:54 remaining in the game to beat Central Florida 10-3.

The Bulldogs held Central Florida's Kevin Smith to only 119 yards rushing, stopping Smith only 61 yards short of Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record of 2,628 yards for Oklahoma State in 1988. The bad news for Central Florida's opponents next year is that Kevin Smith is a junior and will get another shot at Sanders' record. Mississippi State finished the season at 8-5 while Central Florida fell to 10-4.

Alamo Bowl – Joe Pa and Penn State Down Texas A&M, 24-17

Evan Royster broke a 17-17 tie with a 38-yard touchdown run and Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions overcame an early 14-point deficit to beat Texas A&M 24-17 in the Alamo Bowl. Penn State finished its season at 9-4 while Texas A&M dropped to 7-6.

"Joe Pa", college football's leader in bowl appearances with 34, led his Nittany Lions in a thriller that gave him his record 23rd postseason win. Penn State's victory over Texas A&M was its 3rd straight bowl victory and 9th in its last 11 appearances.

Paterno, the 81-year-old Happy Valley icon, now has 372 career victories, exactly one win behind Florida State's Bobby Bowden for the most wins in major college football.

Bowden, who is 78 years old, lost his bowl game this year 35-28 to Kentucky. Like Paterno, Bowden is no slouch. He has won 2 national championships, 12 Atlantic Coast Conference titles and is the only coach to have his Florida State Seminoles finish among the top 5 teams nationally for 14 consecutive seasons in the AP Top 25 Poll. Florida State has also played in a bowl game for the last 26 consecutive seasons.

It will be interesting to see whether Joe Pa or Bobby Bowden will be fired or retire first. Both coaches are obviously two of the most competitive people on planet Earth.

(Editor's Note: This is the 3rd article of a series on the 2007 bowl game results.)

Read my other articles on football, including "Famous Quotes by Vince Lombardi During Football's Annual Bowl Season", "Famous Quotes by Knute Rockne During Football's Annual Bowl Season", "Famous Quotes by Lou Holtz During Football's Bowl Season", "How to Predict When Teams Are Overrated and Due for an Unexpected Loss", "The Sagarin Ratings: What They Are, How to Read Them and What to Do With Them" and my 14 consecutive weekly wrap-up articles on the 2007 College Football Season.

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