Bowl: Winners and Losers

The College Football season is unfortunately over, but it sure was an exciting bowl season. For the final time this season, here are the winners and losers of the bowl games:

The Winners

Troy QB Corey Robinson

Troy freshman quarterback Corey Robinson had a night to remember against the Ohio Bobcats in the New Orleans Bowl as the Trojans downed Ohio 48-21. Robinson completed 32 of his 42 pass attempts for 387 yards and four touchdowns as Troy cruised to its first bowl win since 2006 and only its second ever. The Trojans finish 2010 with a record of 8-5.

The Mountain West

The Mountain West Conference finishes with the Bowl Cup going 4-1 in bowl games. Utah was the lone loser for the MWC as it fell to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU thumped UTEP in the New Mexico Bowl 52-24 while San Diego State was impressive in its 35-14 victory over Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl. Air Force used a fourth-quarter-touchdown to top Georgia Tech 14-7 in the Independence Bowl and TCU held off Wisconsin 21-19 as the Mountain West collected a BCS win for the third time ever.

Boise State

Although it didn't come in a BCS game, Boise State overcame a slow start to down Utah 26-3 in the Las Vegas Bowl. Quarterback Kellen Moore passed for 339 yards and a pair of scores to lead the Broncos to their 12th victory of the season. Running back Doug Martin rushed for 147 yards and used an 84-yard-touchdown-run in the second quarter to put Boise State ahead for good and spark the Broncos' romp. The bowl win was the second straight for Boise State over a school from the Mountain West Conference. The Broncos finish 12-1 and will likely finish in the top 10.

LSU WR Terrence Toliver

LSU's Terrence Toliver caught five passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns in his last game as a Tiger as LSU downed Texas A&M 41-24 in the Cotton Bowl. The win gives LSU an 11-2 finish and its fourth 11-win-season in the last six years.

Ohio State

Despite numerous distractions and five player suspensions that will take place at the beginning of the 2011 season, the Ohio State Buckeyes were able to knock off eighth-ranked Arkansas 31-26 in the Sugar Bowl. Ohio State used four first-half-touchdowns to take an early 28-7 lead and found a way to hold on. After punter Ben Buchanan's punt was blocked to set Arkansas up with a 1st-and-10 at the Ohio State 18-yard-line with just over a minute to play in a 31-26 game, defensive tackle Solomon Thomas intercepted Arkansas' Ryan Mallet to seal the Ohio State victory. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor finished with 336 yards of total offense and two touchdown passes for the Buckeyes. The win gives Ohio State its second straight BCS victory after losses in three straight BCS bowl games. Ohio State finishes 2010 with a 12-1 mark. It's the first 12-win-season for the Buckeyes since 2006.

San Diego State

The Aztecs of San Diego State jumped out to an early lead and never trailed in its 35-14 win over Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl. Running back Ronnie Hillman carried the ball 28 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns while catching another in the victory. The Aztecs racked up 555 yards of total offense against Navy. The bowl victory gives San Diego State a 9-4 record and its first bowl victory since beating Boston University in the 1969 Pasadena Bowl.

Florida International

In its first ever bowl game, Florida International used a 34-yard-field-goal by kicker Jack Griffin to knock off Toledo 34-32 in Little Caesar's Bowl. FIU fell behind 24-7, but the Golden Panthers scored the next 24 points to take a 31-24 lead. Toledo quarterback Terrance Owens scored a rushing touchdown from 14 yards out and then found Eric Page for the two-point-conversion to give Toledo a 32-31 lead with 1:14 to play. Things appeared grim for the Golden Panthers as they faced a 4th-and-17 from their own 41. With one play to keep its hopes alive FIU quarterback Wesley Carroll hit Jacob Younger who lateraled to T.Y. Hilton for 17 yards and a first down. The Golden Panthers got as close as the Toledo 17 before Griffin hit the field-goal that would turn out to be the game-winner. FIU finishes 7-6 for its first winning season in school history.

Urban Meyer

In his final game as head coach at the University of Florida, Urban Meyer's Gators defeated Penn State 37-24 in the Outback Bowl to finish 8-5. Florida scored the game's final 20 points and sealed the game with safety Ahmad Black's 80-yard-interception-return for a touchdown as Penn State was driving for a potential game-winning touchdown. Meyer finishes his career at the University of Florida with a 65-15 record, two SEC Championships, three BCS-bowl victories and a pair of National Championships.

Iowa

The Iowa Hawkeyes entered their Insight Bowl matchup with 12th-ranked Missouri at 7-5 and as a heavy underdog. With Iowa trailing 24-20 with just under six minutes to play, cornerback Micah Hyde intercepted Missouri's Blaine Gabbert and returned the pick 72 yards for a touchdown giving Iowa the 27-24 lead it would hold on to. The Hawkeyes held Missouri on downs on the following possession and proceeded to run out the clock and seal the 27-24 win. Running back Marucs Coker was forced to carry the load with starter Adam Robinson suspended and answered the call with 219 yards and two touchdowns. The win was the third straight bowl-victory for the Hawkeyes.

Stanford

In just its second BCS-bowl appearance, Stanford recorded its first BCS win with a 40-12 thrashing of ACC Champion Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The Cardinal led just 13-12 at the half, but outscored the Hokies 27-0 in the second half for their first 12-win-season in school history. Quarterback Andrew Luck made one big throw after another in the second half as the sophomore finished with 287 passing yards and four touchdown tosses while the Cardinal also rushed for 247 yards. Stanford outgained Virginia Tech 534-288 and held the Hokies to less than two yards-per-carry rushing. Stanford received more good news a few days later as Luck declared that he would return to Stanford for his junior season.

Ralph Friedgen

Despite a six-game-turnaround from 2009, Maryland elected to fire head coach Ralph Friedgen prior to its Military Bowl meeting with East Carolina. In his final game as head coach of the Terrapins, Maryland dominated the ECU Pirates 51-20. Running back Da'Rel Scott rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries including a 91-yard-touchdown-run early in the fourth quarter. Running back D.J. Adams rushed for only 35 yards, but scored four rushing touchdowns for Maryland. Maryland tallied nearly 500 yards of offense while the Terrapins' defense forced four East Carolina turnovers. Friedgen finishes his career at Maryland with a 75-50 record and one ACC title after taking over at a school that had not made a bowl game in 11 years prior to his hire.

Notre Dame

After a 4-5 start, Notre Dame won its final four games to finish 8-5. The Fighting Irish capped off their season with an impressive 33-17 win over Miami in the Sun Bowl. The Irish scored the game's first 27 points and intercepted Miami quarterbacks four times in the first half. Wide Receiver Michael Floyd's second touchdown reception of the first quarter made him Notre Dame's career leader in receiving touchdowns. Floyd finished with 109 yards receiving in the Notre Dame victory while safety Harrison Smith intercepted three Hurricane passes. The Fighting Irish could be a team to watch for as 2011 rolls around.

Washington

Washington's Huskies got off to a 3-6 start including a 56-21 loss to Nebraska at home in September. Washington won its final three games to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2002. In a rematch with Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl, the Huskies defense completely shut down the Nebraska offense as they notched their first bowl victory since 2000. Washington took care of the football while Nebraska totaled more than 100 yards in penalties. Senior quarterback Jake Locker was just 5-for-16 passing with 56 yards, but his 25-yard-touchdown-rush gave Washington a 17-7 lead in third quarter and the Washington defense did the rest. The Huskies held to the Cornhuskers below 200 yards of offense after giving up more than 500 in their first meeting with Nebraska. Washington finishes 7-6 with its first winning season in eight years.

Texas Tech QB Taylor Potts

Texas Tech's senior quarterback Taylor Potts led the Red Raiders to a 45-38 victory over Northwestern in the inaugural Ticketcity Bowl. Potts passed for 369 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another as the Red Raiders notched their second straight bowl win over Big Ten competition. Texas Tech jumped out to a 24-6 halftime lead and held on for the seven-point-victory. Potts finishes his career with nearly 8,000 passing yards and 62 touchdown passes.

Army

For the first time in NCAA history, all three military academies played in a bowl game in the same year. For the first time since 1996, Army was in a bowl game and for the first time since 1985, Army won one. On SMU's home-field in Dallas, the Black Knights defeated SMU 16-14 in the Armed Forces Bowl. Army jumped out to a 16-0 lead and held on for the nail-biting victory. Army was outgained 413-229, but took care of the ball and forced three Mustang turnovers. With just more than four minutes to play, SMU lined up for a 47-yard-field-goal-attempt to take the lead, but kicker Matt Szymanski's kick sailed wide and Army picked up a pair of first downs to run out the clock. The Black Knights finish 2010 with a record of 7-6.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma entered its Fiesta Bowl match-up with Connecticut riding a five-game-losing-streak in BCS games. That streak however, ended abruptly on New Year's Day as the Sooners dominated the Big East Champions 48-20. The Oklahoma offense piled up 524 yards of total offense while the Sooners' defense did not allow UCONN an offensive touchdown. Oklahoma jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead and never looked back. Quarterback Landry Jones passed for 429 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Ryan Broyles made 13 receptions for 170 yards and a score in what many believed could be his final game as a Sooner. The win gave Oklahoma its 12th win on the season and gave the Sooners' their first victory in a BCS game since beating Washington State in the Rose Bowl in 2002.

Syracuse WR Marcus Sales

Against Kansas State in the inaugural Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, Syracuse's Marcus Sales put on a show. The junior receiver entered the game with just one touchdown reception on the year, but against the Wildcats, it was Sales that went wild. Sales caught five passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns. The last of Sales' three scores came midway through the fourth quarter on a 44-yard-reception that put the Orange ahead for good. Syracuse sealed the victory when Kansas State's potential game-tying two-point-conversion attempt saw a pass sail just high for receiver Adrian Hilburn. The bowl victory was the first for the Orange since beating Kansas State ironically, in the 2001 Insight.com Bowl.

Florida State

In the final game of the 2010 calendar year, the Florida State Seminoles knocked off South Carolina 26-17 in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl to capture their first 10-win-season since 2003. Florida State forced five Gamecock turnovers and rushed for better than 200 yards to notch the victory. Senior quarterback Christian Ponder left the game late in the first half with a concussion, but backup E.J. Manuel more than picked up the slack. The Seminoles never trailed, but South Carolina drew to within two early in the final quarter. With the score 19-17, Manuel led a six and a half minute scoring drive that resulted in his 7-yard-touchdown-pass to Taiwan Easterling to clinch the victory. Running back Chris Thompson carried the load for FSU rushing for 147 yards and a score. The Seminoles won their third consecutive bowl game and their fourth in five tries.

UCF

The Central Florida Golden Knights entered their Liberty Bowl meeting with Georgia in search of the first bowl win in school history. The match-up saw very little offense and the third quarter ended with UCF trailing Georgia 6-3. But with just more than nine minutes to play in the final quarter, running back Latavius Murray scored a 10-yard-touchdown to give the Knights their first lead of the game. Georgia converted two fourth downs on its final drive, but on the final play on the game, Gerogia quarterback Aaron Murray's pass was knocked down and UCF had its first ever bowl victory. UCF finishes the year with an 11-3 record.

Illinois RB Mikel Leshoure

Although it didn't match his record performance at Wrigley Field, Illinois' Mikel Leshoure was a nightmare for the Baylor defense in the Texas Bowl in Houston. The Fighting Illini jumped out to a 24-0 lead and cruised to a 38-14 win. Leshoure carried the ball 29 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. The junior running back also scored on a two-point-conversion in the third quarter. The bowl victory is the first for Illinois under head coach Ron Zook and the first for the school since 1999.

TCU

The TCU Horned Frogs needed only to beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl to complete a perfect season and clinch a top 5 finish. TCU was outgained by the Badgers, but took care of the ball and made plays down the stretch. Quarterback Andy Dalton accounted for two first half touchdowns to give the Horned Frogs a 14-13 halftime lead. TCU extended its lead to eight early in the third quarter on a Luke Shivers 1-yard-touchdown-run. The score remained 21-13 until Wisconsin's final drive of the football game. Wisconsin mounted a ten play, 77 yard drive that took more than five and a half minutes off the clock and culminated in a four-yard-touchdown by Montee Ball. With the score 21-19, the TCU defense needed to stop the ensuing two-point-conversion-attempt. Wisconsin's Scott Tolzien dropped back to pass, but his throw was batted down at the line of scrimmage by linebacker Tank Carder. After the Horned Frogs came up with Wisconsin's onside-kick-attempt, TCU proceeded to run out the clock and seal its 13th victory of the year. With the win, the Horned Frogs completed their first perfect season since 1938.

The Losers

December 18th

The first day of the bowl season featured three games squaring teams from non-BCS conferences, but none of the three bowls were all that competitive. BYU downed UTEP 52-24 in the New Mexico Bowl while Northern Illinois in the closest of the three games, beat down Fresno State 40-17 in the Humanitarian Bowl. The final game of the night saw Troy crush Ohio 48-21 in the New Orleans Bowl. Although it was nice to see bowl season underway, the first day of bowl games lacked drama.

Rich Rodriguez

After a 5-0 start, Michigan limped into its Gator Bowl outing against Mississippi State with a record of 7-5. The Wolverines jumped out to a 14-10 lead after a quarter behind a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Denard Robinson, but that would be the last time Michigan would score. Mississippi State scored the game's final 42 points in a 52-14 thumping in Jacksonville. Just days after the loss, Michigan announced that head coach Rich Rodriguez would not return for 2011. Rodriguez, who led West Virginia to two Big East championships and a pair of BCS victories finished his three years at Michigan with a 15-22. Michigan had the nation's longest streak of bowl appearances prior to Rodriguez's arrival, but the Maze and Blue saw that streak end with a 3-9 campaign in Rodriguez's first year of 2008. Michigan's only bowl appearance in Rodriguez's was the 38-point-drubbing to Mississippi State.

Utah

The Utah Utes entered the 2010 season with the nation's longest winning streak in bowl games with nine in a row. Utah got off to an 8-0 start, but finished the year 2-2 and stood at 10-2 entering its match-up with 10th-ranked Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Utes jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but could find no offense for the remainder of the game as Utah fell to the Broncos 26-3. The Utes totaled just 200 yards of offense and converted just two of their 13 third-down-conversion-attempts. Meanwhile, Boise State tallied 543 yards and committed just three penalties. Utah's nine-game-winning-streak in bowls ended while the Utes finished what looked to be a promising season with losses in three of their final five games.

Arkansas

The Razorbacks on Arkansas finished as the SEC runner-up in both 2002 and 2006. Although Arkansas still does not have a SEC title, the Razorbacks made a BCS game for the first time this year as an at-large. But against Big Ten co-Champion Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, Arkansas was unable to come up with its first BCS victory. Ohio State jumped out to a 28-7 lead in the second quarter, but the Razorbacks never game in. Arkansas outscored the Buckeyes 16-3 in the second half and with just more than a minute to play in the game, the Razorbacks blocked a punt and began their final drive in the redzone. Quarterback Ryan Mallet threw a strike to tight end D.J. Williams on the first play, but Williams was unable to hold on to the football. On the very next play, Mallet was intercepted by Ohio State's Solomon Thomas for the game's first turnover that sealed the victory for the Buckeyes. Arkansas allowed 446 yards and had no answer for Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor most of the night. The Razorbacks finish the year 10-3.

Hawaii and SMU

Despite being the only two schools to play a bowl game on their home fields, Hawaii and SMU weren't able to reap the benefits of home-field-advantage. Hawaii entered the Hawaii Bowl as a heavy favorite against Tulsa. The Warriors never led however as they were blown out 62-35 by the Golden Hurricane. Hawaii tallied 550 yards of offense, but turned the ball over six times with two interceptions taken back for Tulsa touchdowns. SMU fell behind 16-0 before falling 16-14 to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas. Kicker Matt Szymanski's late field-goal-attempt was not to be as the Black Knights recorded their first bowl victory since 1985.

The Big Ten on New Year's Day

All five of the bowl games held on New Year's Day featured Big Ten schools and all five of the bowl games held on New Year's Day featured a Big Ten school losing. Texas Tech held on to top Northwestern 45-38 in the Ticketcity Bowl while Michigan State was beat to a pulp by Alabama in the Capital One Bowl 49-7. A late interception cost Penn State in a 37-24 loss to Florida in the Outback Bowl. Michigan was stomped by Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl 52-14 and Wisconsin couldn't salvage the day for the Big Ten as the Badgers lost 21-19 to TCU in the Rose Bowl. After a pretty good New Year's Day last year that saw Penn State and Ohio State pull off pretty impressive upsets, the Big Ten went 0-5 on January 1st this year.

Missouri

In search of their 11th win of the season, 12th-ranked Missouri met Iowa in the Insight Bowl. Despite being a huge favorite, Mizzou fell to Iowa 27-24. The Tigers gained 512 yards, but an untimely turnover did Missouri in. Iowa raced out to a 17-3 lead, but Mizzou rallied to take a 24-20 lead. With just under six minutes to play in the game and the Tigers driving to take a two-score-lead, quarterback Blaine Gabbert dropped back to pass. Gabbert's pass was intercepted by Iowa's Micah Hyde and returned 72 yards for a touchdown to give the Hawkeyes a 27-24 lead. Missouri's final possession ended on downs and Iowa went on to run out the clock and wrap up the 27-24 victory. Blaine Gabbert passed for 434 yards and accounted for two touchdowns, but the Tigers' run game netted less than three yards-per-carry while Iowa's Marcus Coker ran for 219 yards and a score. Receivers T.J. Moe and Jerrell Jackson combined for 24 receptions for 281 yards, but it was not enough as Missouri fell for the third time in 2010.

Penn State QB Matt McGloin

Penn State's former walk-on sophomore quarterback Matt McGloin got off to a good start as the Nittany Lions took a early lead on Florida in the Outback Bowl. McGloin's two-yard third quarter touchdown gave Penn State a 24-17 lead over the Gators, but Penn State would not score again. Trailing 30-24 and driving for a potential game-winning touchdown, McGloin was intercepted by Florida's Ahmad Black and Black returned the pick 80 yards for a score to cement the Florida victory. McGloin finished the day just 17-for-41 passing with 211 yards and five interceptions as Penn State fell 37-24. McGloin did account for two touchdowns, but it was not enough to overcome his five turnovers.

Virginia Tech

Riding an 11-game-win-streak and an impressive outing in the ACC Championship, Virginia Tech faced Stanford in the Orange Bowl in Miami. Virginia Tech seemed to have settled in during the first half and took its only lead on an 11-yard-touchdown pass from Tyrod Taylor to David Wilson to go up 9-7. From there on out however, it was all Stanford. The Hokies trailed just 13-12 at the half, but Stanford scored all 27 second half points in a 40-12 win. Virginia Tech was limited to just 66 yards rushing while Stanford piled up 534 yards of offense. The loss snapped Virginia Tech's 11-game-winning-streak and dropped the ACC to 2-11 in BCS contests.

Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhuskers met Washington in a rematch of a September game that saw Nebraska crush the Huskies 56-21 in Seattle. The story was all to different however in the Holiday Bowl. In September, Nebraska totaled more than 500 yards as Washington had no answer for quarterback Taylor Martinez. This time, the Cornhuskers were held below 200 yards of offense and never led as the Huskies downed Nebraska 19-7. Nebraska was held below 100 yards both passing and rushing and committed two turnovers and more than 100 yards in penalties. Nebraska finishes the year 10-4 with losses in three of their final four games after a 9-1 start.

Connecticut

In just its 10th full year as FBS program, the Connecticut Huskies won their first conference title. The Big East Champions however, met an Oklahoma team in the Fiesta Bowl that was just too much. The Huskies fell behind 14-0, but a defensive touchdown and a Dave Teggart field goal had Connecticut within 10 at the half. But from there on out, it was all Oklahoma as four second-half-touchdowns gave the Sooners a 48-20 victory. The Huskies were held without an offensive touchdown as each team scored two non-offensive touchdowns. The Connecticut defense allowed more than 500 yards to the Sooners as Oklahoma's Landry Jones passed for 429 yards and three scores. The loss dropped the Huskies to 8-5 and snapped a five-game-winning-streak.

Miami QB Jacory Harris

Jacory Harris' days as the starting quarterback in Miami may be numbered. In his first start since being injured against Virginia on Halloween, Harris struggled. The junior completed four of his seven pass attempts, but unfortunately for Harris and Miami, the three that weren't completed were still caught. Harris' three first half interceptions forced the Hurricanes to go to freshman Stephen Morris. Morris got off to a slow start, but finished with 282 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing two-thirds of his 33 pass attempts. Miami finishes 2010 with a 7-6 record; it is the fourth time in five years in which the Hurricanes lost at least six games.

Michigan State

Despite having its best regular season since the 1960s, Michigan State was no match for defending National Champion Alabama. Alabama outgained the Spartans 546-171 and scored the game's first 49 points in the 49-7 victory. Michigan State finished with negative 48 yards rushing while allowing the Crimson Tide to rush for 275 yards. Back-up quarterback Keith Nichol found Bennie Fowler for a 49-yard-touchdown with just under six minutes to play to break up the shutout. Michigan State finishes 11-2, but were outscored 86-13 in its two losses.

Georgia

The Georgia Bulldogs entered their Liberty Bowl battle with UCF needing a win to avoid its first losing season since 1993. In a defensive struggle, Georgia took a 6-3 lead into the game's final quarter. With 9:01 to play in the final quarter, UCF took its first lead on a 10-yard-run for a touchdown by Latavius Murray. After each team exchanged a pair of punts, the Bulldogs had the ball with 2:20 to play. Quarterback Aaron Murray converted two fourth downs as Georgia drove inside the UCF 30-yard-line. After Murray was sacked by UCF's Bruce Miller for a 10-yard-loss, the Bulldogs were down to one last play. Murray's hail-mary was knocked down in the endzone as Georgia fell to 6-7 finishing with its first losing season in 17 years.

Wisconsin

Playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1999, the Badgers of Wisconsin met up with third-ranked and undefeated TCU. Wisconsin's Philip Welch hit a 37-yard-field-goal as the first half expired and Wisconsin trailed just 14-13 at the half. A third quarter touchdown for TCU gave the Horned Frogs a 21-13 lead. The score went unchanged for nearly 25 minutes, but Montee Ball's four-yard-touchdown-rush capped a five a half minute drive and cut the TCU lead to 21-19. On the two-point-conversion-attempt, quarterback Scott Tolzien's pass was batted down by TCU's Tank Carder as TCU handed Wisconsin just its second loss of the season. The Badgers outgained TCU and possessed the ball for more than 13 minutes longer, but it was not enough as the Badgers lost their third bowl game in four tries.

The Final Biggest Winner

Auburn

In search of its first National Championship since 1957, Auburn faced Oregon in Glendale, Arizona for the BCS National Championship. In a game where plenty of offense was anticipated, it was the Auburn defense that shined. After a scoreless first quarter, Auburn used a pair of Cameron Neiwton touchdown passes sandwiched around a safety to take a 16-11 lead into the locker room. Auburn added a Wes Byrum field goal on its first drive of the second half to give the Tigers a 19-11 lead. Late in the third quarter, the Tigers' defense held Oregon on a 4th-and-goal from the one-yard-line to maintain their eight-point-lead. With the score unchanged, Auburn had the football with just more than five minutes to play in the game in hopes of running out the clock. On the second play of the drive however, Newton was stripped by Oregon's Casey Matthews and the Ducks recovered. On the ensuing Oregon drive, quarterback Darron Thomas found LaMichael James on a shovel pass for a touchdown to cut the Auburn lead to two. On the two-point-conversion-attempt, Thomas found receiver Jeff Maehl in the back of the endzone to tie the game at 19. The Tigers began their next drive at their own 25-yard-line. After Newton found receiver Emory Blake for a first down, running back Michael Dyer rushed for what appeared to be a six-yard-gain, but as Dyer came to his feet, he realized that he had never touched the ground and scampered another 31 yards to the Oregon 23-yard-line. Three plays later, Dyer carried the ball for what appeared to be the game-winning-touchdown, but replay marked the ball down inside the one. After a quarterback sneak by Newton was stuffed, Auburn called its last timeout with two seconds remaining. Kicker Wes Byrum, as he had done so many times before, calmly knocked home the 19-yard-game-winning-field-goal to give Auburn its 14th and final win of a National Championship season. The Tigers outgained the Ducks 519-449 and held Oregon to just 75 yards rushing. The victory for Auburn was its seventh decided by just one score. Auburn also became the fifth straight school from the SEC to win a National Championship as Cameron Newton became the second Heisman Trophy winner to lead his team to a National Championship in the same season in as many years.

The Final Biggest Loser

Oregon

After a 12-0 regular season and second straight Pac-10 Championship, Oregon found itself in the BCS National Championship against top-ranked Auburn in Glendale, Arizona. After a scoreless first quarter, Oregon drew first blood early in the second on Rob Beard field-goal. After Auburn scored a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead, Oregon answered back as quarterback Darron Thomas hit running back LaMichael James on a throwback screen for an 8-yard-touchdown followed by a two-point-conversion that gave the Ducks an 11-7 lead. Auburn scored 12 unanswered to take a 19-11 third quarter lead. After converting a fake punt into a first down in the third quarter, Oregon struck a big play as Thomas hit receiver Lavasier Tuinei for a 43-yard-gain that set Oregon up 1st-and-goal at Auburn's three-yard-line. After the Tigers stuffed Oregon on three consecutive plays, Oregon went for it on 4th-and-goal from the one. Running back Kenjon Barner was stuffed at the line of scrimmage however and the Tigers took over on downs. The score remained 19-11 until late in the fourth quarter. As Auburn was looking to drain time from the clock, Oregon's opportunistic defense came up big. Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton appeared to be running to daylight, but linebacker Casey Matthews came from behind and knocked the ball free. Cornerback Cliff Harris recovered and after a 15-yard-penalty, Oregon took over at its own 45-yard-line with 4:54 to play. On that same drive, the Ducks faced a 4th-and-5 from Auburn's 40-yard-line. Darron Thomas dropped back and found receiver D.J. Davis who raced 29 yards to the Auburn 11 for a first down. Three plays later, Thomas once again found James for a touchdown; this time on a shovel pass from three yards out. The Ducks still needed a two-point-conversion attempt to tie the game and would find it on a pass play from Thomas to receiver Jeff Maehl. With 2:33 to play, Auburn took over on its own 25-yard-line. On the second play of the drive, Oregon appeared to have stopped Auburn's Michael Dyer for a moderate gain, but Dyer had never touched the ground. Dyer sprung to his feet and raced for 37 yards to the Oregon 23-yard-line. Dyer appeared to have scored three plays later on a 16-yard-rush, but replay ruled Dyer down at the one-yard-line. After Newton was stuffed on the ensuing play, kicker Wes Byrum kicked through a 19-yard-field-goal as time expired to end the Ducks' championship aspirations. Oregon struggled to run the ball all night, but Darron Thomas did finish with 363 yards passing and two touchdowns along with two interceptions. The 19 points was Oregon's second lowest total of the season. Oregon was statistically dominated by Auburn, but missed opportunities by twice reaching the redzone and not coming away with points. Oregon finishes 12-1 with a second consecutive loss in a BCS bowl.