Biggest wins in the next three bowl games of 2007 – Michigan, Southern California and Georgia – Part 6
Here are the next 3 winners from this year’s 2007 college football game results:
Capital One Bowl – Michigan tops Florida, 41-35, ace Lloyd Carr wins his final game
Had the Michigan Wolverines wrapped it up and put it under the tree, outgoing coach Lloyd Carr couldn’t have received a better Christmas present from his players as they overcame 4 turnovers to defeat No. 9 Florida , 41-35, in the Capital. A bowl.
Michigan’s longtime popular coach announced his retirement after another loss to Ohio State in November. If he hadn’t withdrawn, they probably would have asked him to leave. Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez, who left his job as head coach at West Virginia to take over Michigan’s famed football program.
The victory was huge for the Michigan seniors as they won their first bowl game in 4 tries. Chad Henne passed for 373 yards and 3 TDs and Mike Hart had 129 rushing yards and 2 TDs.
The Gators kept the game close thanks to Michigan’s 4 turnovers and many big plays by sophomore Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and speedy teammate Percy Harvin. Tebow was playing with a broken bone in his non-throwing hand and was under constant blitz pressure, but was still 17 of 33 for 154 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also rushed for 57 yards and another score.
Harvin had 165 yards on 13 carries (12.6 yards per carry), scored once, and also caught 9 passes for another 77 yards and a second touchdown. In the end, it wasn’t enough as Michigan won one for Carr.
The Gators were unable to convert a fourth down play at their 25-yard line and KC Lopata’s 41-yard field goal put Michigan ahead 41–35 with just 2:21 remaining. Florida got another shot, but Tebow threw 4 airballs in a row. Both Michigan and Florida finished the season with 9-4 records.
BCS Rose Bowl – Southern California crushes Illinois, 49-17, to make a statement
Pete Carroll and his Southern Cal players are still thinking about the BCS National Championship Game, but the Trojans will have to wait another year for that to happen. They may have finished 11-2, just like Louisiana State, which will play in the title game, but the Trojans lost at the wrong time to the wrong team: Stanford at home.
In a show of frustration and unease, Southern Cal literally stomped Illinois 49-17 in the BCS Rose Bowl game to make a statement. Freshman Running Back Joe “Where do you find these guys?” McKnight tore through the Illini defense for 170 yards (125 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards). McKnight’s production was part of the Trojans’ 633-yard offense.
The outing set a Rose Bowl record and the Trojans’ 49 points tied the record. The blowout game gave Southern Cal 11 wins for an unprecedented sixth straight year. Illinois coach Ron Zook finished the year with a 9-4 record, an unreal turnaround after a 2-19 record in his first two years at Illinois.
Make no mistake here, Illinois was a 13.5-point underdog going into it. Remember that it was Illinois that handed Ohio State its only loss, 28-21, and the Buckeyes will face LSU in the national championship game. Congratulations to Zook and his players for an incredible year.
BCS Sugar Bowl: Hawaii’s unbeaten streak ends as Georgia wins easily, 41-10
The Georgia Bulldogs were furious that they weren’t invited to play in the BCS National Championship Game, and the Hawaii Warriors were the recipients of their discontent, losing 41-10 when their dream of a perfect season ended in the Sugar Bowl in BCS.
Hawaii entered the game with a 12-0 record, the only undefeated team among the 119 NCAA Division 1A schools. They did it with coach June Jones’ run-and-gun offense that averaged over 46 points per game, the arm of junior quarterback Colt Brennan and some great receivers.
Brennan is the real deal. He’s set more NCAA passing records than Carter has liver pills, but nothing seemed to impress Georgia, and especially Marcus Howard, who became the game’s MVP by having 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a deflected ball that was intercepted by teammate Dannell Ellerbe.
The truth is, Georgia was simply too big, too fast, and too strong for the Islanders this time.
Howard and his defensive teammates lived in the Hawaii backfield as Brennan was sacked 8 times, threw 3 interceptions and lost 2 fumbles, one of which Georgia recovered for a touchdown. Georgia’s defensive line pushed Hawaii all over the field; Brennan was lucky to make it out of New Orleans alive and well enough to be drafted for Sunday Service in the NFL.
“It was the fastest team I’ve probably ever seen,” Brennan said. To be fair, they wouldn’t have been as quick on the Warriors’ offensive line, would have played better and given Brennan more protection so Hawaii’s offense could be effective.
It was a good but hard game for Hawaii to swallow, but the Warriors will live to fight another day. They had to know that their 12-0 record was against much weaker competition than every other BCS team faced. They got away with it in the Western Athletic Conference, even defeating Boise State, which also lost its bowl game to lowly East Carolina 41-38. Even the Washington Huskies, who held a 21-point lead over Hawaii, couldn’t beat the Warriors as their game ended with Hawaii on top.
The citizens of Hawaii fell in love with their Warriors and so they should have. Hawaii had a landmark year. Other teams are now trying to steal June Jones away from Hawaii. It was worth the loss when word comes out that Hawaii expects to make a $4 million payment for her BCS Sugar Bowl appearance. For a team whose recruiting budget was $50,000 a year, that’s a lot of money. Hawaii can now afford to recruit talent on the mainland.
June Jones has become an opportunity for a few other teams. Her run-and-gun offense has resulted in a 76-41 record (64% winning percentage) in 9 seasons, including this year’s 12-1 mark and her BCS bowl appearance. Jones took over a winless Hawaiian team in 1998 and went 9-4 in her first season. Translation: You don’t need to stay up at night praying for Hawaii’s success; the Warriors and they are doing well, thank you.
(Editor’s note: This is the sixth article in a series on the results of the 2007 bowling game.)
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
