BIG TEN A BUST ON NEW YEARS DAY
Sunday, January 2nd, 2011 -- 9:26 AM
Five Big Ten teams lose their bowl games on New Years day.Rose Bowl:
Andy Dalton finished 15-of-23 for 219 yards and one touchdown as No. 3 TCU needed a late defensive stop to emerge with a 21-19 win over No. 4 Wisconsin at the Rose Bowl. Dalton also added 28 yards and a score on nine rushes for the Horned Frogs (13-0), who once again made their case to be worthy of consideration for a BCS championship with their 27th win in their last 28 games. Bart Johnson had a 23-yard TD reception and Luke Shivers' one-yard touchdown run proved to be the difference for TCU, which posted its first undefeated campaign since going 11-0 in 1938. Scott Tolzien was 12-of-21 for 159 yards for the Badgers (11-2), who shared the Big Ten title with Ohio State and Michigan State but ended the year by having their seven-game win streak snapped. Montee Ball ran for 132 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries and John Clay added 76 yards and a score on 11 totes for Wisconsin, which finished with double-digit wins for the fourth time in six seasons.
TicketCity Bowl:
Taylor Potts threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns, leading Texas Tech to a 45-38 victory over Northwestern in the inaugural TicketCity Bowl at the Cotton Bowl. Potts also ran for a touchdown for the Red Raiders (8-5), who have won seven of their last nine bowl games. Eric Stephens ran 14 times for 126 yards and a touchdown, and Lyle Leong caught 10 passes for 118 yards and a pair of TDs in the victory. Kain Colter ran for 105 yards and two scores for the Wildcats (7-6), who are still in search of their first bowl win since 1949. Since its victory in the 1949 Rose Bowl, Northwestern has lost each of its next eight bowl appearances.
Outback Bowl:
Ahmad Black's interception return for a touchdown in the final minute sealed a back-and-forth Outback Bowl, as Urban Meyer ended his successful tenure at Florida with a 37-24 victory over Penn State. Meyer previously announced he was stepping down as Florida's head coach due to family reasons, and he fittingly bookended his six-year reign with Outback Bowl wins, this one coming against the all-time bowl wins leader in Joe Paterno. Jordan Reed and John Brantley split time under center for Florida (8-5), with Reed tossing for 61 yards and adding 68 more on the ground. Matt McGloin threw for 211 yards with a touchdown and added another score on the ground for Penn State (7-6), but the sophomore quarterback was intercepted five times.
Gator Bowl:
Chris Relf connected on 18-of-23 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns and added another on the ground as 21st- ranked Mississippi State thoroughly dismantled Michigan, 52-14, in the Gator Bowl. Relf added 39 yards rushing while Vick Ballard carried 19 times for 74 yards and three scores for the Bulldogs (9-4), who set a Gator Bowl record for points in closing out their season by winning eight of their last 10 games. Denard Robinson threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-41 efficiency and carried 11 times for 58 yards for the Wolverines (7-6), who lost their final three games of the campaign.
Capitol One Bowl:
Michigan native Mark Ingram erupted for two first-half touchdown runs as No. 15 Alabama rolled over seventh-ranked Michigan State, 49-7, in the Capital One Bowl. Greg McElroy completed an efficient 13-of-17 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown for the Crimson Tide (10-3), who redeemed themselves from a somewhat disappointing year that included a regular season finale loss to SEC rival Auburn. Kirk Cousins threw for 120 yards on 10-of-18 passes but was intercepted once for the Spartans (11-2), who finished the season in a three-way tie for the Big Ten title, but were denied a BCS Bowl bid by losing a tiebreaker with Wisconsin and Ohio State.
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