Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Bowls: California uses late turnover to beat Miami
By The Associated Press
Monday, December 29, 2008 | No comments posted.
SAN FRANCISCO — Zack Follett concocted the final pass-rushing move of his California career and slipped past the Miami linemen who taunted him all night. He chased down Jacory Harris from behind, clubbing the ball from the freshman quarterback’s hand with one big swipe.
With just enough of the brains, heart and nerve exemplified by their senior linebacker, the Golden Bears proved there’s no place like 12 miles away from home with a 24-17 victory in the Emerald Bowl on Saturday night.
After Follett forced that turnover deep in Miami territory with 3:28 left, Anthony Miller scored the go-ahead touchdown on his first career catch 47 seconds later. Although the ending was unlikely, with a freshman tight end cradling a perfect pass from a quarterback who was mostly terrible otherwise, the final result was no shock to Cal (9-4).
From Follett to Miller, the Bears were determined to capitalize on the decided home-field advantage provided by a baseball stadium teeming with screaming Cal fans.
“We couldn’t let them come across the country and beat us in our backyard,” said Follett, the defensive player of the game with nine tackles — four for losses — and two sacks. “I came to this park when it was first built. All my heroes in baseball as I was growing up played on this field — Barry Bonds, all of them. I can wear my (championship) ring with pride.”
Jahvid Best rushed for a bowl-record 186 yards and two touchdowns, yet the Golden Bears still needed a big defensive play and an unlikely hero to hold off the Hurricanes (7-6).
Cal quarterback Nate Longshore shook off a dismal 10-for-21 performance in his final game with that scoring pass to Miller as the Golden Bears won for the fifth time in a school-record six consecutive bowl appearances under coach Jeff Tedford.
Miami stayed in it with strong pass defense and a solid game from Harris, who went 25-of-41 for 194 yards and two TDs in his second career start while subbing for the suspended Robert Marve. Harris had won 31 straight starts dating back to his high school career in South Florida, but his fumble cost the Hurricanes in their first bowl game under coach Randy Shannon.
“We felt like if we could get the game into the fourth quarter, we had a chance to win,” Shannon said. “They just made a play that we weren’t capable of making.”
Laron Byrd and Thearon Collier caught Harris’ scoring passes for Miami, which tied it on Matt Bosher’s 22-yard field goal with 9:13 to play.
After Cal’s Giorgio Tavecchio missed a 34-yard field goal with 4:24 left, Follett knocked the ball away from Harris on third down.
“I was trying to get ready to throw the ball out of bounds, and I didn’t see him,” Harris said. “It was a great play by him. I’m kind of sad that I let the senior class down. I wanted to send them out with a bang, and we slipped up on that.”
Cameron Jordan recovered Harris’ fumble and returned it to the Miami 2, where Longshore connected with Miller.
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13
ORLANDO, Fla. — Derek Nicholson and Dekoda Watson returned fumbles for touchdowns, Christian Ponder threw two TD passes and Florida State (9-4) finished with more than eight wins for the first time since 2004.
Nicholson had two fumble recoveries, including one he returned 75 yards for a first-quarter touchdown. Punter Graham Gano averaged 48.2 yards on five and had three downed inside the Badgers 5 to earn game MVP.
P.J. Hill ran for 140 yards on 15 carries for the Badgers (7-6), but quarterback Dustin Sherer completed only four of nine for 55 yards through the first three quarters. His fumble early in the fourth quarter was returned 51 yards for a score by Watson to put FSU up 35-6.
Independence Bowl
Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10
SHREVEPORT, La. — Phillip Livas returned a kickoff 97 yards, Daniel Porter rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown and Louisiana Tech won the Independence Bowl by beating Northern Illinois 17-10 on Sunday.
It was Louisiana Tech’s first postseason win since the 1977 Independence Bowl and the Bulldogs’ seventh come-from-behind win of the season in what was essentially a home game. The Bulldogs (8-5), from nearby Ruston, haven’t won eight games since 1999.
The victory over Northern Illinois (6-7) marks a quick turnaround under coach Derek Dooley, former protege of Nick Saban and son of iconic Georgia coach and athletic director Vince Dooley. As his father did, Dooley won his first bowl.
With just enough of the brains, heart and nerve exemplified by their senior linebacker, the Golden Bears proved there’s no place like 12 miles away from home with a 24-17 victory in the Emerald Bowl on Saturday night.
After Follett forced that turnover deep in Miami territory with 3:28 left, Anthony Miller scored the go-ahead touchdown on his first career catch 47 seconds later. Although the ending was unlikely, with a freshman tight end cradling a perfect pass from a quarterback who was mostly terrible otherwise, the final result was no shock to Cal (9-4).
From Follett to Miller, the Bears were determined to capitalize on the decided home-field advantage provided by a baseball stadium teeming with screaming Cal fans.
“We couldn’t let them come across the country and beat us in our backyard,” said Follett, the defensive player of the game with nine tackles — four for losses — and two sacks. “I came to this park when it was first built. All my heroes in baseball as I was growing up played on this field — Barry Bonds, all of them. I can wear my (championship) ring with pride.”
Jahvid Best rushed for a bowl-record 186 yards and two touchdowns, yet the Golden Bears still needed a big defensive play and an unlikely hero to hold off the Hurricanes (7-6).
Cal quarterback Nate Longshore shook off a dismal 10-for-21 performance in his final game with that scoring pass to Miller as the Golden Bears won for the fifth time in a school-record six consecutive bowl appearances under coach Jeff Tedford.
Miami stayed in it with strong pass defense and a solid game from Harris, who went 25-of-41 for 194 yards and two TDs in his second career start while subbing for the suspended Robert Marve. Harris had won 31 straight starts dating back to his high school career in South Florida, but his fumble cost the Hurricanes in their first bowl game under coach Randy Shannon.
“We felt like if we could get the game into the fourth quarter, we had a chance to win,” Shannon said. “They just made a play that we weren’t capable of making.”
Laron Byrd and Thearon Collier caught Harris’ scoring passes for Miami, which tied it on Matt Bosher’s 22-yard field goal with 9:13 to play.
After Cal’s Giorgio Tavecchio missed a 34-yard field goal with 4:24 left, Follett knocked the ball away from Harris on third down.
“I was trying to get ready to throw the ball out of bounds, and I didn’t see him,” Harris said. “It was a great play by him. I’m kind of sad that I let the senior class down. I wanted to send them out with a bang, and we slipped up on that.”
Cameron Jordan recovered Harris’ fumble and returned it to the Miami 2, where Longshore connected with Miller.
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State 42, Wisconsin 13
ORLANDO, Fla. — Derek Nicholson and Dekoda Watson returned fumbles for touchdowns, Christian Ponder threw two TD passes and Florida State (9-4) finished with more than eight wins for the first time since 2004.
Nicholson had two fumble recoveries, including one he returned 75 yards for a first-quarter touchdown. Punter Graham Gano averaged 48.2 yards on five and had three downed inside the Badgers 5 to earn game MVP.
P.J. Hill ran for 140 yards on 15 carries for the Badgers (7-6), but quarterback Dustin Sherer completed only four of nine for 55 yards through the first three quarters. His fumble early in the fourth quarter was returned 51 yards for a score by Watson to put FSU up 35-6.
Independence Bowl
Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10
SHREVEPORT, La. — Phillip Livas returned a kickoff 97 yards, Daniel Porter rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown and Louisiana Tech won the Independence Bowl by beating Northern Illinois 17-10 on Sunday.
It was Louisiana Tech’s first postseason win since the 1977 Independence Bowl and the Bulldogs’ seventh come-from-behind win of the season in what was essentially a home game. The Bulldogs (8-5), from nearby Ruston, haven’t won eight games since 1999.
The victory over Northern Illinois (6-7) marks a quick turnaround under coach Derek Dooley, former protege of Nick Saban and son of iconic Georgia coach and athletic director Vince Dooley. As his father did, Dooley won his first bowl.
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Not already registered?
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines