Four for four, baby!

I picked the winners of all four games played on Friday. Granted the scores weren’t quite right, and my goal is simply to pick the winner and not care about the point spread, but those I said would be close were and those that I thought might be won by larger margins were. Not many surprises.

******

In the Armed Forces Bowl, BYU edged Tulsa in a see-saw struggle, 24-21. It was finally decided when Riley Nelson connected with Cody Hoffman on a 2-yard TD pass with 11 seconds remaining in the game. It was the third time during the game the pair had connected for a score. G.J. Kinne tossed three TD passes for Tulsa.

******

Prior to the Pinstripe Bowl, everyone agreed that for Rutgers to win they would have to do three things: 1) get their running game untracked (Jawan Jamison carried the ball 27 times for 131 yards and two TDs on his way to being named MVP of the game),
2) Rutgers would have to get some decent quarterback play regardless of which one (Dodd or Nova) was in there (the two combined for 13 completions to 7 different receivers on 24 attempts for 196 yards and one TD—Dodd to Brandon Coleman 86 yards—and no INTs) and
3) Rutgers would have to win the turnover battle (How’s 3-0 sound? Two INTs and a forced fumble.)

The Scarlet Knights also got something special from the special teams –a blocked field goal came late in the game. Their ninth blocked kick this season. Only Fresno State has more (10). Meanwhile, San San Te converted on field goals of 21 and 24 yards.

Rutgers beats the Iowa State Cyclones handily 27-13.

Mississippi State’s Vick Ballard rushed for a career high 180 yards in leading the Bulldogs to a 23-17 victory over Wake Forest in the Music City Bowl. Ballard scored twice on runs of 60 and 72 yards. The margin of victory could have/should have been greater, but the Bulldogs turned the ball over three times in the first half including an INT in the end zone as the half ran out. Receiver Michael Campanaro made 10 catches for 128 yards for Wake Forest.

******

In the Insight Bowl, Oklahoma slowly moved out to a 21-0 lead by the end of the third quarter but watched nearly all of it disappear as James Vandenberg and the Iowa Hawkeyes scored twice early in the fourth quarter to make it 21-14. But then Mike Hunnicutt hit on a 35-yard field goal and Blake Bell scored his third TD of the night to put wrap up the scoring and give the Sooners a 31-14 victory.

You couldn’t blame the Hawkeyes receiver Marvin McNutt if he was a bit distracted in the final minutes of the game, however. The sky-cam came crashing down right behind him on one play and he got entangled in the wires. There was a five minute delay as they cleared the debris but thankfully no one got hurt. (As this occurred near the end of a game that started at 10 PM EST, it was well past my bed time. I'm sorry I missed it!)