Catching Up With the Bowl Games: Capital One and Orange

Could have posted a babe, but who could resist this guy?

Capital One Bowl: Nebraska 31     Georgia 45

This game was everything that college football fans hope for in a bowl game. The Cornhuskers and Bulldogs game fans a little bit of everything:

• You had a blocked punt for a safety--that should have been a touchdown, but the Bulldogs couldn't hold onto it
• An interception returned for a touchdown.
• 5 turnovers
• Missed field goals
• Close to 1000 yards of offense
• A 400+ yard passer
• A pair of hard hitting running backs that cleared 100+ yards while nailing people all day (and averaging over  5 yards a carry)
• Plenty of big plays (UGA had TDs of 49, 75, and 87 yards)

In a nut shell, what you had here was an exciting game that was a lot of fun to watch. Nebraska showed that it will be a force to be reckoned with next season; I would not be surprised if QB Taylor Martinez starts out as a Heisman candidate next season. Aaron Murray certainly will as well if he ends up returning to college. he could easily be the top pick in the draft should he come out now.

What I love is that it wasn't just offense that won this game. After giving up a long drive to Nebraska to start the second half the Bulldog D clamped down on the Cornhuskers allowing them only 108 yards the rest of the half and ending Nebraska's best two drives by forcing turnovers.

Orange Bowl (Jan 1): Florida State 31    Northern Illinois 10

For shame on the Orange Bowl rep that bashed NIU to a rep from the school! Didn't belong there? Not only is is rude and unprofessional to say, but it ended up being entirely wrong.

It may not see like it with a game that ended with a 21-point differential, but the score was actually pretty close up until the fourth quarter.

NIU gave Florida State all it could handle, and didn't hesitate to do whatever it took. I'm talking a great fake punt, an on-side kick--stuff that takes brass ones to pull off, but it worked like a charm for the Huskies.

In the end the Florida State defense was too much for Jordan Lynch and the Huskies. FSU ended up wearing down the NIU defense late, and got some big plays like Lonnie Pryor's 37-yard TD run (his second long TD--he got a 60 yard one in the first quarter--and fourth big run of the day) to put this one away.