There were three bowl games that received the early game slot. They were staggered in the their kick offs by thirty minutes. The first game to kick off was the Outback Bowl, which featured #18 Wisconsin from the Big Ten versus #19 Auburn from the SEC. The second game to kick off was the Cotton Bowl, which featured #5 Baylor from the Big XII versus #8 Michigan State from the Big Ten. Then the third game to kick off was the Citrus Bowl, which featured #16 Missouri from the SEC versus #25 Minnesota from the Big Ten.
In this review, we will take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of each team during the bowl and what we believe was the tipping point for the game that caused one team to win and one team to lose.
The Outback Bowl
Wisconsin and Auburn played a fantastic bowl game. It was truly a fun game to watch. Both teams put it on the line and put on a show for the fans. In the end, Wisconsin edged out Auburn in OT with a 34-31 victory. The game went back and forth all day with score changes numerous times.
Wisconsin Strength:
The running game of the Wisconsin Badgers
Melvin Gordon was not feeling well early in the week as he was dealing with the flue. However, he wanted to prove that he could run against the SEC. He started the game off strong. In addition to Gordon, Corey Clement came in numerous times to give Gordon a break and when he came in he produced.
Melvin Gordon was a work horse. They gave him the ball 34 times and on those 34 carries he mustered 251 yards and scored 3 TDs.
Corey Clement came in to give Gordon much needed rest. He carried the ball 15 times for 105 yards.
Wisconsin Weakness:
Joel Stave struggled
The Auburn team was able to put the pressure on him and that pressure caused him to lose his poise and his effectiveness. However, to his credit, he made a few key plays on the last drive to set up the game-tying field goal. He also made a great pass to ensure a shorter field goal in overtime which was the game winner.
For the game, he was 14 of 27 for 121 yards with 1 TD and 3 costly INTs.
Auburn Strength:
A well balanced game that featured the passing of Nick Marshall and the running of Cameron Artis-Payne
Marshall was poised and played a great game, especially when the Auburn defense gave their offense a short field. Artis-Payne may have started slow but the Tigers wore down the Badgers defense and he gained yards.
Nick Marshall finished the game with 217 yards on 15 of 22 passing. He also had 2 TDs and 0 INTs.
Artis-Payne carried the ball for 126 yards on 26 carries.
The Auburn Tigers finished the game with 435 yards and were balanced to the tune of 219 yards running and 216 yards passing.
Auburn Weakness:
Their run defense
They gave up 400 yards and did so with the game plan of stopping the run and making Stave beat them. They were right in the fact that Stave could not and would not beat them but they came no where close to stopping the run.
The Tipping Point:
There were many plays that could be pointed to the tipping point. However, there was one series that may have changed the game. It was a two play series at the end of the 3rd quarter. On third down, Clement caught a pass and looked liked he was stopped but he fought hard for 5 yards to make it 4th and 1 from their own 48. Alverez rolled the dice and went for it and gave the ball to Gordon. Gordon not only got the first down but a touchdown.
The Cotton Bowl
Wow! What a game and what an unbelievable finish. Michigan Spartans were down by 20 late, yet they regained their composure and took it to Baylor and out scored them 21-0 in the 4th quarter to take the win 42-41.
Michigan State Strength:
Spartans Composure
Connor Cook and Jeremy Langford definitely stood out from a statistical standpoint and we will focus on those but the ultimate strength for the Michigan State Spartans was their “no-giving-up” attitude.
Cook was 24 of 42 for 324 yards. He also threw for 2 TDs. He did have 2 INTs but in the end, his play led them to victory.
Langford was a beast in the game. He ran the ball 27 times for 162 yards. The rest of the Michigan State staff ran the ball 19 times for 76 yards.
Michigan State Weakness:
Pass Defense
Bryce Petty has put up many yards on many teams, but the Spartans gave up over 600 yards. The defense bent and broke but their offense and special teams bailed them out.
Baylor Strength:
Bryce Petty
Bryce Petty played a fantastic game. The numbers that Baylor and him put up in the air was extremely impressive. the Baylor Bears and himself seemed to want to prove that the Big XII “co-champions” were for real.
Petty’s numbers could have been mistaken for video game numbers. He was 36 of 51 for 550 yards. He had 3 TDs and 1 INT. However, without a running game, erratic special teams and a defense that broke down in the 4th quarter; his performance; no matter how great, simply was not enough.
Baylor Weakness:
Baylor Rushing Attack
The running game by far was their weakness and it was the downfall for them in this game. They attempted to carry the ball 22 times. In those 22 carries, they finished with a NEGATIVE 20 yards.
Linwood who had 1,226 yards during the regular season was held to a woeful 26 yards on a 11 carries.
However, in addition to the running game; Baylor has to once again look at their defense. They gave up over 550 yards and 42 points. Proving once again that the BIG XII needs defensive help.
The Tipping Point:
With a minute left in the game, Baylor was up by 6 and attempting a field goal to make it a 2 possession game and to seal the victory. However, the field goal was blocked and returned into Baylor’s territory that set up Michigan State’s game winning drive.
The Citrus Bowl
The Citrus Bowl was the only game of the three that did not go down to the final buzzer. However, the first three quarters were very competitive until Missouri took over and defeated Minnesota by a score of 33-17.
Missouri Strength:
Mizzou Running Scheme
The running game of the Missouri Tigers gave them the victory. It was an impressive showing and there were two individuals that propelled the attack. The Tigers finished the game with 337 yards on 45 carries.Those players were Marcus Murphy and Russell Hansbrough.
Marcus Murphy only carried the ball 12 times but he made the most of every carry. He racked up an amazing 157 yards. He had a 69 yard long run to help with those yards.
Hansbrough had 114 yards on 15 carries. Most of them did come on one carry. He had a game long run of 78 yards.
Missouri Weakness:
Passing Attack
Due to many factors, we will place the weakness on the passing game. Maty Muck started off with a rough start. He threw two interceptions on the first two possessions. However, he settled down and did not make any more errors and then relied on the running game to get them through.
Minnesota Strength:
WR Maxx Williams
Maxx Williams played a great game and might have had the best play of the bowl game with a double hurdle on one play. For the game, he had 7 receptions for 98 yards and his play had Missouri focusing on him which helped David Cobb get tough yards and allowed Mitch Leider to find other receivers.
Minnesota Weakness:
Stopping the Run
The Minnesota Gophers weakness is the opposite of the strength of the Tigers. The Gophers gave up 337 yards on 45 carries.
The Tipping Point:
The fake punt helped spark a fire for the Tigers.
The three games definitely gave fans a lot of wonderful football to watch and if you only had one tv available to you, the remote control was in overdrive.