I went 3-2 yesterday.

I managed to get three out of five correct yesterday.

As expected, Texas A&M defeated Northwestern in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, 33-22. However, after the Aggies blew double digit half time leads 5 (or was it 6?) times this year , I confess to holding my breath as the Wildcats put 15 points on the board in the fourth quarter. (Seems like it was every single game they lost they had a double digit lead at the half.)

Ryan Tannehill threw for 329 yards and a TD, Ben Malena scored twice on the ground and Randy Bullock had field goals of 24, 40, 47, and 31 yards for the Aggies. The Aggies were playing under the guidance of interim coach Tim DeRuyter after the firing of coach Mike Sherman at the end of the season. DeRuyter is heading to Fresno State as their new head coach. They also had to deal with the death of offensive lineman Joseph Villavisencio in a car accident on December 22.

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I got the Sun Bowl wrong. I didn’t expect the Utes to be able to handle the Georgia Tech option…and they didn’t. The Yellow Jackets had 311 yards rushing on 56 plays. Preston Lyons had 138 yards on 18 carries and Tevin Washington had 96 yards on 20 carries.

What I didn’t expect was that Utah would employ a road grader at fullback named Shawn Asiata to pave the way for their own rushing game. Following Asiata and taking advantage of some of the big holes he opened, John White gained 115 yards on 26 carries. Asiata also seemed to be there when the Utes needed to get that big first down. He only caught 5 passes for 57 yards but every one seemed to be for a first down. Asiata caught a 1 yard pass from Jon Hayes in the first quarter for a TD and opened a path to the end zone for White in overtime to end the game. In between, Hays tossed TD passes to Kendrick Moeai and DeVonte Christopher. The former with 6:50 remaining in the fourth quarter and the latter tied the score in regulation with just 1:32 left on the clock.

Quayshawn Nealy returned an interception 74 yards for a TD in the third quarter to put the Georgia Tech ahead 24-10. While Justin Moore kicked field goals of 32 and 34 yards—the latter putting Tech ahead in overtime—he missed two 42 yarder tries and a 48 yard attempt as regulation ended. Any one of them could have sent Georgia Tech home a winner. Instead, the Utes came away with the 30-27 OT victory.

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In the Fight Hunger Bowl, neither team feasted on offense. This was a game between two teams that should have been playing on the Island of Misfit Toys. Illinois had a six game losing streak, UCLA had a losing record (6-7). Both teams’ head coach had been fired after the season ended and would play under the leadership of interim coaches who will be elsewhere this week.

But the Illinois defense seemed to be hungry. The Fighting Illini held UCLA to a mere 18 yards rushing and Terry Hawthorne returned an interception 39 yards for a TD in the third quarter.

Kevin Prince did throw two TD passes for the Bruins, but the second came in the final minute of play with the Illini leading 20-7.

The new coaches, Tim Beckman at Illinois and Jim Mora at UCLA, have got a lot of work ahead of them. At least Illinois can savoir the 20-14 bowl win as they prepare for next year.

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The Liberty Bowl saw Cincinnati defeat Vanderbilt 31-24.

Zach Collaros played for the Cincinnati Bearcats for the first time since he broke his ankle back in early November. He looked tentative and rusty as he took the snaps. He “ran” 8 times (for minus 8 yards as most of these were sacks) and he only completed 12 of 29 passes for 80 yards and one TD. He also threw two INTs. BUT—and it’s a big one—the Bearcats won anyway.

They won because Isaiah Pead carried the ball 28 times for 149 yards and a TD. They won because George Winn carried the ball 6 times for 78 yards including a 69-yard beauty for a TD. They won because Ralph Abernathy returned a kickoff 90 yards for a TD.

Vandy’s Chris Boyd scored on a 68-yard catch and run from Larry Smith.

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The Chick-fil-A Bowl is the other game I got wrong Saturday. A team that has suspended its star running back for violation of team rules and that loses its starting QB in the first quarter should not be able to do what Auburn did as it beat Virginia 43-24. I guess home field advantage was worth more than I thought.

That and Onterio McCalebb and Barrett Trotter. McCalebb rushed for 109 yards on 10 carries and one TD. He also caught two passes for 53 yards and one TD. Trotter (who lost the starting roll to Clint Moseley mid-season) completed 11 of 18 for 175 yards and the one TD to McCalebb.

Oh, and don’t forget the special teams. They recovered an onsides kick and blocked two punts. One of those blocks set the Tigers up on the 16 yard line and—two plays later—resulted in a TD. The other resulted in a safety.

Michael Rocco completed 26 of 41 pass attempts for 312 yards for the Cavaliers. He connected with Kris Burd on a pair of TD passes that gave Virginia a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter—just before Auburn went on a 21-0 spree to take command of the game.

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No college football for me today! No sir!

It's pros only today anyway. No college games scheduled. Which seems strange for a January 1st. No Rose Parade either.