Fri, Dec 05, 2008
Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson plows past Indiana defenders Leslie Majors (28) and Nick Polk (8) for a touchdown in the Insight Bowl.
Paul Connors / Associated Press

Football

College football bowls

Oregon scores 56 in win; Cal beats Air Force

The Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.01.2008
EL PASO — Jonathan Stewart set a Sun Bowl record with a career-high 253 yards rushing, and Justin Roper threw four touchdown passes in his first start as Oregon beat South Florida 56-21 on Monday.
The Ducks (9-4) scored 28 straight points in the third quarter to snap a four-game postseason losing streak. Oregon made it look easy against the Bulls (9-4) in a matchup of teams that were ranked No. 2 during the season.
The Ducks won for the first time since losing quarterback Dennis Dixon to a knee injury in November, snapping a three-game losing streak even though they set a Sun Bowl record with 138 penalty yards.
Armed Forces Bowl
● California 42, Air Force 36: In Fort Worth, Texas, DeSean Jackson and Robert Jordan returned from their first-quarter benchings and caught touchdown passes to help California rally from a three-touchdown deficit.
California (7-6), ranked No. 2 in the nation in October before losing six of seven games, managed to finish with its sixth straight winning season.
Jackson, Jordan and leading tackler Thomas DeCoud were held out of the starting lineup and didn't play the first quarter because of unspecified violations of team rules that occurred before the team got to Fort Worth for the bowl.
Helped by a botched kickoff, Air Force (9-4) led 21-0 after scoring twice in a 2-minute span early in the second quarter.
Jordan finished with six catches for 148 yards, and Jackson caught five passes for 81 yards. Cal's Justin Forsett had 140 yards and two TDs on 23 carries.
Insight Bowl
● Oklahoma State 49, Indiana 33: In Tempe, the Cowboys' Zac Robinson passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more.
Robinson, a sophomore, completed 24 of 34 passes for 302 yards. He also threw an interception.
Dantrell Savage ran for 100 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys (7-6), who matched their season-high point total.
The loss capped an emotional year for the Hoosiers (7-6), whose coach, Terry Hoeppner, died of complications a brain tumor in June. Kellen Lewis passed for 204 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 83 yards and another touchdown for Indiana in its first postseason appearance since 1993.
Music City Bowl
● Kentucky 35, Florida State 28: In Nashville, Tenn., Andre Woodson threw four TD passes against a depleted Florida State defense and Kentucky won its second straight Music City Bowl.
Kentucky had not ended back-to-back seasons with bowl wins since 1951-52 under Bear Bryant, but the Wildcats pulled off the feat in Nashville one year after surprising Clemson.
Florida State was playing three dozen players short due to injuries and suspensions stemming from an academic cheating scandal.
Woodson capitalized on the missing depth and finished the season with 40 touchdown passes, breaking Tim Couch's school record of 37 set in 1998. It was the 19th consecutive game with at least 200 passing yards and a scoring pass for Woodson, a senior who figures to be among the first quarterbacks taken in the NFL draft.
Humanitarian Bowl
● Fresno State 40, Georgia Tech 28: In Boise, Idaho, Clifton Smith rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns, Tom Brandstater threw for a score and ran for another and the Bulldogs beat another BCS conference team in a bowl game.
Fresno State's offense was nearly unstoppable against a Yellow Jackets (7-6) defense that was among the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After punting on their opening possession, the Bulldogs (9-4) scored 27 straight points, taking a 34-14 lead midway through the third quarter.
Fresno State has won four of its last five bowl appearances, all four wins coming against teams from the six conferences with automatic bids to the Bowl Championship Series.
Georgia Tech's John Tenuta became the fourth interim coach to lose this postseason, joining DeWayne Walker (UCLA), Gary Darnell (Texas A&M) and Chris Thurmond (Houston).
Chick-fil-A Bowl
● Auburn 23, Clemson 20, OT: In Atlanta, freshman reserve quarterback Kodi Burns threw for a touchdown and scored on a 7-yard run in overtime to lead Auburn.
After Mark Buchholz kicked a 25-yard field goal on Clemson's opening possession of overtime, Burns scored on a spinning run on a third-and-three play.
Auburn's starting quarterback, Brandon Cox, ran for a first down on a fourth-and-1 play from the 16 to keep Auburn's overtime possession alive.
Cullen Harper was only 12-for-29 passing for 91 yards as Clemson was held to 11 first downs and 276 yards in regulation.
Burns played behind Cox as Auburn played its first game in the spread offense installed by new offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who was hired after the regular season.