New Years Day Bowl Games : Ohio State, Florida State and Penn State All Bring Home Wins

Ohio State was the big underdog winner on New Years Day. Ohio State beat Oregon 26-17. Joe Paterno and Penn State overcame the elements and a late LSU rally to win their game 19-17. LSU again looked inept trying to get in position for the game winning field goal. While Bobby Bowden won his last game as a head coach for Florida State, defeating West Virginia 33-21. The most fascinating and longest game was Auburn's win over Northwestern 38-35.

Ohio State dominates Oregon with the clock and Terrelle Pryor's arm.

Ohio State capped of the New Years Day schedule with a huge win over Pac 10 Champion Oregon. Coming into the game, no one gave Ohio State a chance. Sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor was let loose on the Oregon Ducks and didn't disappoint his head coach, Jim Tressel. Pryor threw the ball 37 times and had 23 completions for 266 yards. Pryor also ran for 72 yards and was named the Most Valuable Player. The Buckeyes won 26-17.

The Buckeyes defense, prior to the game saw that Oregon's quarterback Jeremiah Masoli questioned their speed. Not that that Ohio State needed any inspiration but it didn't hurt. Ohio State's defense dominated Masoli. Holding him to 81 yards passing and only 9 yards rushing. Oregon's leading rusher was LaMichael James with 70 yards while Pryor led all rushers with 72 yards.

Time of possession was huge in the game, as Ohio State controlled the clock for 41 minutes. This did two things, it fatigued the Oregon defense and kept Masoli and the offense off the field and out of rhythm. Although one Oregon player was on Terrelle Pryor all game, defensive end Kenny Rowe. Rowe ran rough shod over the Ohio State offensive line but Pryor avoided him with the exception of a few times.

Joe Paterno and Penn State won ugly in the swamp of Tampa Bay.

The Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay was a mess. The field was in disrepair from early in the second quarter. If this was an NFL game the players would have protested. Penn State and LSU had to contend with huge chunks of dislodged sod and horrible conditions throughout most of the game. Penn State was the last team standing, giving Paterno another bowl game victory and capping off a stellar career for quarterback Daryll Clark.

Clark threw for 216 yards in bad conditions and rushed for another 20 yards to lead Penn State to victory. Penn State had to sweat out a last second charge by LSU in the final minute of the game. LSU for the second time this year struggled at the end of the game. LSU and quarterback Jordan Jefferson again failed to manage the clock late in a game. The game ended on a fumble after a 25 yard reception.

Bobby Bowden goes out on top with a Gator Bowl victory.

Bobby Bowden went out on top with a final victory to ride off into the sunset. Bowden's Florida State players rallied from an early deficit to overtake the West Virginia Mountaineers 33-21. EJ Manuel led the Seminoles with 189 yards passing and rushed for an additional 70 yards in the victory. Florida State was down 14-3 early but came back to put away the Mountaineers mid way through the 4th quarter.

Auburn outlasts Northwestern in wild marathon game.

Northwestern had not won a bowl game since 1949 and Auburn did everything they could to give them their first bowl win in 60 years. Auburn was helped by Mike Kafka throwing five interceptions. Kafka also kept Northwestern in the game, as he threw for a total of 532 yards and rushed for another 34 yards in the losing effort.

Three times Auburn thought they won the game. Rushing the field only to be hurried back to the sidelines. Northwestern capped a huge game tying drive with 1:15 left in the game. Northwestern would have two more opportunities to win the game, squandering both.

source:
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