Talking Points: 2014 Discover Orange Bowl

Just when we all thought that the 2014 BCS Bowls couldn’t get any more dramatic, here came the Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium down in Miami, and boy, did we see some wild and exciting football?

You figured Clemson would come in with a chip on their collective shoulder. Sun Life Stadium has not been a happy hunting ground for the Tigers. In their previous appearance in the Orange Bowl, in 2012, they were horrendous, and paid the price, routed by a rampant West Virginia Mountaineers squad 70-33. 

Nothing went well for Clemson that night, and those players still on the Tiger team, star QB Tajh Boyd amongst them, would have almost certainly come into the 2014 incarnation of the Orange Bowl wanting a measure of redemption. Well, they got it, and Clemson, in the last year of the current and controversial post-season era, recorded their first BCS win.

After a penalty-filled start, including a brain-fade personal foul given up by Clemson’s All-American Defensive End Vic Beasley which extended a drive that resulted in Ohio State’s opening touchdown (a 33 yard run by star Ohio State QB Braxton Miller, who was 18-26 for 246 yards and two touchdowns through the air), both teams settled in, and offensive fireworks ensued. Early on, neither defense was getting any traction. 

Then, ironically, a safety, but this one was all about the offense. Clemson WR Sammy Watkins set an Orange Bowl record – no mean feat for a game that’s been played for eighty years – with 227 yards receiving on sixteen catches, which doubles as a personal best. Ohio State had their own big-time receiver, with Corey ‘Philly’ Brown catching eight balls for 116 yards. It seemed that every time Clemson needed a big play, Watkins provided. Likewise, when the Buckeyes needed a spark, it came by way of Brown.

Boyd (30-39 for 371 yards and five touchdowns) erased all the memories of the Orange Bowl disaster of two years ago, throwing for 378 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winner, a 5-yard pass off a brilliant play call to Stanton Seckinger, untouched and alone in the end zone. As if that wasn’t more than enough, he added 128 yards and a score on the ground. 

So, Boyd’s final game as a Clemson Tiger will be remembered for being the first quarterback in Orange Bowl history to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards. He also brought his team back from nine points down in the third quarter – there was a fumbled punt, followed by a Miller interception – courtesy of touchdown receptions to Watkins and the equally-impressive Martavis Bryant. 

Thankfully for Boyd and Clemson after Boyd tossed a late-game interception, Ohio State gave it right back, the quarterbacks playing a game of duelling turnovers, when Braxton Miller threw his own pick, Stephone Anthony gratefully accepting the second interception thrown by Miller in the last 3:12 of the game. From there, Clemson ran out the clock, preserving a wild 40-35 victory in a game that seesawed tremendously throughout.

Defensively, Clemson did better than I expected in terms of containing Miller. That isn’t an easy thing to do – just ask pretty much every other defense that the Buckeyes have played this year. Yes, they gave up 30 points to the Buckeyes, but, compared to what Ohio State has done to other teams, that’s a mere drop in the ocean. I saw him live at Michigan Stadium in November, and it’s an impressive sight to behold.

All season, Miller had made a living out of shredding opposition with his legs, dazzling people in the stands and watching on TV with his incredible athleticism and, moreover, his ability to escape and elude. It’s Manziel-like. Clemson limited him to 35 yards on eighteen carries, when you take away yardage from. A good result, even if two of those rushes went for touchdowns. 

Overall, the Tigers had success limiting the Buckeye running game – just 181 yards on the night – which, of course, put the onus back on Miller to make throws or use his own legs to generate yards and plays, but the Tigers always seemed to be there, harassing and hassling. Vic Beasley, the All-American, seemed to be right there in Miller’s grill every single play. It seems silly to say that the Tigers defense was good when they gave up 427 yards, but they did enough when their team really needed it to deserve kudos.

With the conclusion of the Orange Bowl concludes the ‘minor’ BCS Bowls. I can’t remember a more entertaining series of football games than what we’ve seen since New Year’s Day. I guess a little more defense wouldn’t have gone astray, but there’s been plenty of drama and action to go around nonetheless.

Now, the college football world’s focus now turns to Monday night’s BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Based on what we’ve seen over the last few days from the Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Rose Bowls, it’s anyone’s guess as to what might transpire between No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Auburn out west. 

If you’re wondering what I think: Florida State by ten.

Talking Points: 2014 Allstate Sugar Bowl

Well, where do we start after that football game? 

The 2014 edition of the Allstate Sugar Bowl will be remembered for a David vs. Goliath classic, with the Oklahoma Sooners beating the Alabama Crimson Tide 45-31. The way the Sugar Bowl went reminded me of last night’s Fiesta Bowl, where the heavy underdog Central Florida, got up and shocked highly-favoured Baylor. Who knew lighting could strike twice, let alone twice in as many nights?

Let’s focus on the anomaly that stands out most to me: I don’t know what’s stranger: Alabama losing two games in a row (they haven’t done that in five years, since losing the SEC Championship and 2009 Sugar Bowl in succession) or the Sooners, who fielded arguably their least potent team in a decade, going into the New Orleans Superdome and dominating a Crimson Tide unit who’s rarely been dominated in such fashion in Nick Saban’s incredible (and continuing) reign in Tuscaloosa.

Consider this, too: Alabama loses a BCS game a day after favoured Georgia lost to Nebraska and favoured Stanford lost to Michigan State. The Big XII and the Big Ten have, to somewhat different degrees, been criticised this season, placed by many pundits below the SEC and Pac-12 in the national pecking order. Yet, over the first two days of the new year, we’ve seen Big Ten and Big XII teams beating highly-fancied opponents from allegedly stronger conferences. This, though, was the most shocking.

Four Alabama turnovers led to 28 Oklahoma points. The Tide actually turned it over five times. Unlike last night, when Baylor couldn’t take advantage of three quick-fire turnovers committed by Central Florida, the Sooners got their hands back on the football and made the Crimson Tide pay. The Oklahoma defense played as well tonight as they have all season. Consider that, coming in, the Alabama offensive line had given up just ten sacks all season, but they gave up seven

Just where did redshirt freshman Trevor Knight come from? He played like a fourth-year starter, and looked more like Alabama QB AJ McCarron than AJ McCarron did tonight. His deep ball touch was outrageously good, routinely torching a Crimson Tide defense stacked with NFL talent, looking a lot like his childhood hero, Saints quarterback Drew Brees, whose heroics in the Superdome speak for themselves. It just wasn’t the Crimson Tide defense that we’ve been used to seeing take the field, not just this year, but for years’ past.

It’s fair to say that there hasn’t been much quarterback stability at Oklahoma this season. The Sooners seemed to be unsure between Blake Bell and Trevor Knight. Then, Sooners head coach Bob Stoops made a decision, going with Knight – against what most people thought was the right thing to do. Was it a gamble? Certainly, but, boy, did it pay off. Knight finished his first ever Bowl game an eye-popping 32-44 for 348 yards, four scores and the lone interception. He was clearly the better of the two quarterbacks.

Who would have thought that the Crimson Tide defense would give up so many big plays? Not me, that’s for certain. Knight completed touchdown throws of 45 and 43 yards, but connected on many other pass plays for big chunks of yardage, some of the, bravely, on third down. Clearly, Stoops had come in determined not to die wondering, and the play calling suggested as much. Tonight, Alabama gave up the second-most points of any Tide defense in their storied Bowl game history. The 45 points OU scored tonight is the most any Saban-coached Alabama defense has ever given up.

That Knight prospered against such a good Alabama secondary even with a distinct lack of a running game makes his performance even more eye-popping. Crazily, Knight had completed only 27 passes coming into the game, and set a Sugar Bowl record with 32 tonight. He completed 55.5% of passes during the regular season. Tonight? 72.7% The transformation is just incredible.

I felt sorry for Alabama’s AJ McCarron, whose college record with now stand at36-4. The insane thing about that stat is that, before Thanksgiving weekend and the Tide’s last-second loss to Auburn in the Iron Bowl he was 36-2. That’s right: 50% of his losses came in the last two games of his career. Regardless, McCarron will be fondly remembered in Tuscaloosa for delivering two National Championship (and picking up a third as a backup). It’s just a shame that his career ended in such an ignominious way: a sack-strip-score to ice Oklahoma’s win.

Another triumph for Bob Stoops when many – myself included – didn’t believe that Oklahoma deserved to be in a BCS Bow this season. I mean, Oregon missed out, but the Sooners got in? It made no sense then. Now, it seems like a masterstroke. Stoops can now lay claim to being the only coach to win all four of the BCS Bowls over the controversial system’s run. This being the last year of the BCS, that feat will never be matched or overtaken. 

That, like Oklahoma’s victory today, is something to be celebrated.

Talking Points: 2014 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Originally posted at The Roar

Quite simply, Central Florida were the better team. Not by a little bit, either. Where Baylor seemed flat and uninterested, the Knights were committed, hungry and they played disciplined football. 

This wasn’t a victory where they got lucky. No, this was a signature win for a program who made their debut this past season in the American Athletic Conference, having spent years in the non-automatic qualifying Conference USA. Anyone who had previously not known about Blake Bortles…well, now you’re aware of the guy, and the UCF quarterback surely saw his draft stock rise even further. 

Despite two picks, Bortles was tremendous tonight – 301 passing yards and 93 rushing yards on just eight carries (a career record), with four combined touchdowns, ripping apart the Baylor secondary. He carried the team a long way. When the Knights needed a big play, invariably it was the quarterback who delivered. 

Baylor’s Bryce Petty was good, too, passing for more yards than Bortles but he will ultimately rue missed opportunities. It didn’t help that was saddled with a defence that just couldn’t make stops when it needed to, but when the defence did force turnovers – Bortles was intercepted three times – Petty and his offense failed to take advantage by scoring points.

Maybe it was because they had missed out on a chance to play for the National Championship after being strangled by Oklahoma State, but Baylor were insipid for most of the time. This was not the same team we saw late in the regular season, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. Even in their up-tempo offense, the Bears didn’t seem as sharp or as committed as I’ve seen them on previous occasions. Not all that well prepared, either. Yes, the yards and points were there, as per usual, but there was something missing: the x-factor if you will. 

The defence, so good against Oklahoma in November, seemed to be mailing it in. They just couldn’t get a handle on what Bortles was doing.Strangely, for an Art Briles-coached team, Baylor were undisciplined, giving up 135 yards on seventeen penalty flags, which will make for some interesting team meetings in the morning.It’s incredibly hard to win football games, especially big ones, if you’re going to draw that many fouls.

It isn’t the first time that a team’s been disappointed with their Bowl destination and come out flat as a result, even in the BCS – remember Alabama soundly beaten down by Utah a few seasons back – but you’d think that a school in its first ever BCS appearance would have been a little more hungry. Truly, they were never quite in the game, even when they were tied, and theoretically in with a shot to win. It always seemed like Bortles and the Knights had an answer.

Often, the answer was RB Storm Johnson, who carried the football twenty times for 124 yards and three scores. If it wasn’t Bortles shredding Baylor’s secondary, it was Johnson abusing their front seven in what could only be described as a coming out party for George O’Leary’s team, whose likelihood of keeping up with Baylor, let alone recording a win, were decried by all and sundry (including myself, I must admit) during the lead-up to the game.

Art Briles said it best: “We caught a football team that was hot. They played extremely well early, got into us. We tried to play catch up the whole game, never could turn it around when it needed turning.”

‘Nitro-hot’ is the best way to describe Central Florida. It happens, you run into a buzz-saw and things don’t go well, but I was surprised how completely dominant the Knights were. Imagine if Bortles hadn’t turned the football over three times, getting points instead, it might’ve been an even more lopsided victory. 

The bottom line is this: Central Florida are a damned good football team. We all assumed it was a fluke when they beat Louisville in the regular season, but their Fiesta Bowl performance suggest otherwise. If Bortles comes back for his senior season, the Knights could be dangerous as we head into the era of college football playoffs. There are weapons galore, and that defence is only going to get better with more time together. 

At least Central Florida won’t – or shouldn’t – be underestimated going forward.

Talking Points: 2014 Rose Bowl Game

Originally posted at The Roar

A few thoughts in the wake of No. 4 Michigan State's victory 24-20 victory over No. 5 Stanford in the 100th Rose Bowl Game.

I saw the 100th Rose Bowl Game like this: Stanford were beaten at their own game by a ferocious Michigan State team, whose defense came up trumps on a number of crucial occasions to deliver the signature win the Spartans have been waiting and hoping for since Mark Dantonio took over as coach.

Sparty’s first Rose Bowl title in 26 long years will be remembered for a long time, and Athletic Director Mark Hollis, an innovator who conceived the idea of basketball on an aircraft carrier, looks like an out-and-out genius for signing Dantonio to a multi-year extension just before the game. 

September wasn’t good for the Spartans. Quarterback Connor Cook didn’t even start the season as starter. October was better. In November, this team started to flex its muscles, and it was about that time when you figured if anyone could beat undefeated Ohio State, it was Michigan State. 

Their defense was ironclad, a bunch of big guys up front who could fill a hole and tackle you for a loss, and a secondary who nicknamed themselves the ‘No Fly Zone’ because opposing quarterbacks discovered a graveyard down there when they put the football up.
December brought about the team’s defining moment – well, defining moment before their heroics in Pasadena.

Dantonio’s men beat Ohio State, handing Urban Meyer his first loss in two seasons in the Big Ten Championship Game, and it was the Spartans headed for the Granddaddy of them all, doing to the Buckeyes what they’d done to teams all season: stifling them offensively to within an inch of their collective lives.

What to say about Stanford? Well, their defense wasn’t as good on New Year’s Day as it has been for most of the rest of the season.Shayne Skov was a force in the middle, as you’d expect, but he didn’t have enough help.It’s ironic that much of the pregame talk focused on how Michigan State would miss their suspended star linebacker Max Bullough. Well, you wouldn’t have known it, the way the Spartan defense played. Instead, it looked like the Cardinal were missing their big star.

Offensively, Stanford just didn’t do enough. True, they looked dynamite in the first quarter, but that was as good as it got, a false dawn, for the Cardinal. Their offense didn’t score another point all game. Only Kevin Anderson’s 40-yard interception return for a touchdown off of an errant Connor Cook throw made the game as close as it was. Hard-nosed running back Tyler Gaffney, a pounder of defenses all year – ask Oregon – managed a meagre 24 yards after quarter time, and 91 for the game. Nothing doing, as they say. The Spartan front was dominant. Play-calling from Stanford’s David Shaw… less than dominant.

Conversely, Michigan State looked dangerous every time they had the football, and had at least a modicum of success each drive, moving the ball mostly through the air, with Cook throwing for 332 yards and two huge touchdowns, choosing the Rose Bowl to play the best game of his career after another strong showing in the Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State.

The last play, a fourth down and one near midfield for Stanford, was emblematic of the performance of MSU’s defense, which gave up only 159 yards over the final three quarters after being run through early. It was former walk-on (and the man who replaced Bullough in the centre of the defense) Kyler Elsworth, jumping over the pile to stuff Stanford’s Ryan Hewitt with less than 2:00 to play. 

It was an all-in team effort on the day and all season. No one player was bigger than the team. Pat Narduzzi’s men were disciplined all season and all game, which ultimately delivered the biggest prize in Big Ten football.

For as long as I’ve been paying attention to college football, Michigan State has been good. They’re always there or thereabouts in the Big Ten title race, and somewhat nationally relevant, but 2013 will be remembered for being the year where they became great, and that season of improvement and change was perfectly capped off in the shadows of the San Gabriel Mountains on the first day of January 2014.