Florida, LSU among SEC teams upset in postseason
No. 2 Alabama over No. 1 Notre Dame, 42-14, BCS Championship, Jan. 7
Alabama rolled over Notre Dame to capture its third national title in four years. The Crimson Tide jumped out to a quick start and never looked back, taking a 28-0 lead into halftime. The Tide put 35 points on the board before Notre Dame scored its first point of the night. Both junior running back Eddie Lacy and freshman T.J. Yeldon gained more than 100 yards on the ground, as the Tide rushed for 265 yards and added another 264 through the air. Redshirt junior quarterback A.J. McCarron hit 20 of his 28 pass attempts, throwing four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Alabama defense stifled the Irish offensively, limiting Notre Dame to just 302 yards, with redshirt freshman quarterback Everette Golson completing 21 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown with one interception. The victory gave Alabama coach Nick Saban his fourth national title and extended the SEC’s streak of national championships to seven in a row.
No. 22 Louisville over No. 4 Florida, 33-23, BCS Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2
The opening play of the Sugar Bowl set the tone for Louisville’s upset win over the Gators. Sophomore cornerback Terell Floyd picked off Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel on the first play from scrimmage and returned the interception for a touchdown. The Cardinals never trailed over the course of the game, taking a 24-10 lead into the half. Florida’s defense, ranked fifth in the country in points allowed, was unable to slow down Louisville’s passing attack. Sophomore quarterback Teddy Bridgewater finished the night with 266 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Louisville extended multiple drives by converting nine of 14 third downs. With the loss, the Gators ended their streak of four consecutive bowl victories.
No. 6 Georgia over No. 23 Nebraska, 45-31, Capital One Bowl, Jan. 1
After a last-minute loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, Georgia managed to pull out a back-and-forth shootout in the Capital One Bowl. Junior quarterback Aaron Murray and the Bulldogs had a big day offensively, rolling up 589 total yards against the Cornhuskers. Despite throwing two interceptions, Murray passed for 428 yards and five touchdowns, leading Georgia to a 45-31 victory. Freshman running back Todd Gurley had another big day on the ground, rushing for 124 yards on 23 carries. For Nebraska, junior quarterback Tyler Martinez threw for 204 and two touchdowns with two interceptions while Rex Burkhead led the Cornhuskers’ rushing attack with 140 yards. Georgia’s defense struggled to shut out the Cornhuskers in the last 15 minutes of play to seal the victory. This year’s team is the third in Georgia history to win 12 or more games.
No. 14 Clemson over No. 9 LSU, 25-24, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31
LSU got off to a strong start in Atlanta when defensive end Barkevious Mingo forced a fumble on the second play from scrimmage, and two plays later, the Tigers scored on a 17-yard Jeremy Hill run. LSU never trailed in the game until the final play, when Clemson kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired. The Tigers finished the game with only 219 yards and netted fewer than 100 rushing yards. They converted only three of 13 third-down situations and held the ball for just 23:39. Although LSU’s defense held up for most of the night, the Tigers faltered down the stretch, surrendering 12 points in the final quarter. Clemson ran 100 plays over the course of the game and gained 445 total yards. Prior to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, LSU had not lost to an ACC team since 1955, when the Tigers fell to Maryland.
No. 10 Texas A&M over No. 12 Oklahoma, 41-13, Cotton Bowl, Jan. 4
Freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel showed the country why he was the Heisman Trophy winner as the Aggies walloped Oklahoma. Featuring a rematch between old foes, the game was close heading into the half, with A&M holding a 14-13 lead. But the Aggies took control in the second half, reeling off 27 unanswered points to finish 11-2 in their inaugural season in the SEC. Led by Manziel, Texas A&M gained more than 630 yards of offense. The Heisman winner finished the night with 287 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception. “Johnny Football” also rushed 17 times for 229 yards. Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones put up big numbers of his own in his last game as a Sooner. Jones completed 73 percent of his passes for 278 yards and a touchdown. The Aggies’ defense picked him off once and held the Sooners scoreless in the second half.
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