S.Carolina, LSU and Nebraska With Early Bowl Wins

This is the part of the College Football Bowl season where you can start paying attention.

Though to look at a couple of these games, paying attention and attending appear to be two different teams.

We start in Jacksonville in front of a crowd of tens, where Nebraska wins the Gator Bowl title over the University of Georgia 24-19 in a truly uninspiring game that featured the Huskers scoring on a 99-yard passing TD from Tommy Armstrong Jr to a streaking Quincy Enunwa.

The Bulldogs continually sputtered in the Red Zone, dropping a couple of late 4th down passes that could have given them the opportunity to salvage a disappointing season.

Your highlights from ESPN:


We move down state to the dreary confines of Citrus Bowl stadium in Orlando, where South Carolina gets the win over Wisconsin 34-24.

The game was a back and forth affair featuring 4 turnovers by the Badgers and two by the Gamecocks. QB Jaybo Shaw of South Carolina was the hero, throwing for 3 TD's, 300+ yards and running for another score.

Perhaps the biggest highlights of the day came afterwards. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier took the opportunity to praise his team congratulate them for winning their 3rd straight bowl game and the championship of South Carolina. (Dabo Swinny pun).

And then star Defensive End Jadaveon Clowney made it official, announcing he'd be taking his services to the NFL this upcoming season.

Here's one of Jaybo's TD runs, we are still searching for the Spurrier post-game comments: (thanks ESPN)



And then our minor bowl game tour of Florida ends in Tampa where LSU held off Iowa in the Outback Steakhouse Bowl in front of a crowd that got better access than the people covering the game.

The game featured LSU tailback Jeremy Hill running for 216 yards and 2 TD's and ended only after a bizarre sequence of laterals that the Hawkeye's eventually ended up fumbling. The Tigers could only manage 82 yards passing, while the Hawkeye's were only able to run for 76 total.

We are still awaiting the arrival of full game highlights....

ICYMI: Jeremy Hill Returns to LSU Football

((ht: cbssports.com))

Okay then.

2012's leading rusher for the LSU Tigers was allowed to return to the practice field Monday afternoon after his probation was extended by a Baton Rouge judge.

Jeremy Hill pled guilty to charges in April that he punched a man at a local bar. Hill was already on probation after an illicit encounter with a juvenile while still in high school.

The judge decided Hill should spend 40 hours doing community service and renewed the probation restrictions already imposed on him. She also allowed him the ability to take part in team activities.

Shortly thereafter, the LSU team took a vote to allow Hill to return. Coach Les Miles said that Hill would be subject to internal punishment, but didn't elaborate on what that would be.

NOLA.com provides video of Miles talking about Hill's situation Monday morning:

So Much For That Whole South Carolina Thing...

((HT: ABCColumbia.com))

A lot of people were not surprised that this game in Death Valley:

1) Was a grinder and was played nowhere near the 20's and,
2) Would not be an upset if LSU actually won

So, there we are...

The LSU defense completely handcuffed Connor Shaw, kept him in the pocket, and forced the passing game to beat them instead of having the running game beat you in a confined space.

Offensively, it was simply to have Zach Mettenberger manage (as much as the HQ HATES THAT TERM) and just try not to screw things up when they needed him not to screw things up.

Freshman Jeremy Hill took up the slack on the ground with two scores and South Carolina, on the other hand, was held to 34 yards on the ground- 211 total.

Here's your wrap from FOSG Merissa Lynn in Lou-zee-anna...


"I don't know if he got hit in the head tonight or not," Spurrier said of Shaw after the game. "Some of his decision-making was a little off. Connor has played beautifully all year. He had some good plays tonight but he wasn't as sharp as he's been."

But, probably, the more telling words came from JD Clowney.

Whether or not the team pays attention to the words below will be the answer over the next few weeks as we hit the home stretch in the Ess-E-Cee:

"Some guys came out to play but some guys didn't. It may be because they were scared. We will address that in practice. We can't come out against Florida like that."

Now, will everyone listen to the young'un, or did he step out of line...???
That's the larger question...