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BOWL SEASON OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2021

COMPLETING THE JOURNEY

Bowl Season Capped a Challenging 2020 Season By KEVIN McNAMARA

e made it.

season dominated by adherence to COVID testing,

The 2020 college football season will be one we will never forget. The fact

surveillance and mitigation was far from easy. But in the end the student-athletes and coaches remained

that it was played is a testament to the thousands

vigilant, the vast majority of games were contested

of student-athletes, coaches, staff and support

and the 50 teams that reached Bowl Season were

personnel who made it possible. Playing the games

properly rewarded.

was important to so many, and the hard work and small sacrifices endured by many are to be commended. Not only was the season played, but the better news is that the fractured, postponement-

“We told the players

“Whoever manages these circumstances and situations and disruptions is going to be the team that had the best chance to be successful.”

back in March that they

– NICK SABAN

whoever manages these

filled, Season of COVID came to a close at Hard

would have to adapt in terms of all the things that would happen this year,” said Saban, who won his record seventh national title. “We also told them in the beginning, circumstances and

Rock Stadium in Miami with a positive check mark

situations and disruptions is going to be the team

attached towards the health of everyone involved.

that had the best chance to be successful.”

As Nick Saban and perhaps his best-ever band

Even a team as chock-full of NFL talent as

of Alabama Crimson Tide players celebrated

Alabama needed to showcase its ability to adapt

another College Football Playoff national title, the

this season. Due to conference adjustments the

sport as a whole released a collective exhale. A

Tide played 11 Southeastern Conference opponents BOWL SEASON | February 2021

on its 13-0 championship ride. That’s the most in

Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli. “We

school history.

owed it to those student-athletes to provide them

Teams in every other conference showed the same adaptation skills. Notre Dame, for example, played a full ACC schedule for the first time. That was enough to cash an Irish ticket into the CFP semifinals.

with these experiences and feel badly for those that were not able to participate.” Of course Bowl Season is always about the games, the experiences and the moments that make college

Then came Bowl Season.

football special. While the community visits and

Several bowl games were cancelled due to

pre-game pep rallies were shelved for this year, the

COVID-related opt-outs by schools and local health restrictions. Some simply chose to end their seasons

games lived up to the hype. Take for example the very first contest, the Myrtle

out of an abundance of caution. The constant

Beach Bowl. Appalachian State gave star running

changes placed bowl officials in a constant state of

back Camerun Peoples the ball early and often

flux, but they were the same challenges that coaches

in what turned into a 56-28 rout of North Texas.

and athletic departments played all season.

Peoples rolled up an FBS bowl rushing record 317

The biggest go-with-the-flow sign of all likely came

yards and scored five touchdowns. When Peoples

when the Rose Bowl, the Grandaddy of Them All, was

needed a breather, the Mountaineers gave the ball

moved out of Pasadena to give family the opportunity

to teammate Marcus Williams Jr. and he rolled to 101

to see their sons and brothers play. AT&T Stadium in

rushing yards. App State finished with 500 rushing

Arlington, Tex., happily welcomed Alabama and Notre

yards on 39 carries (12.8 per carry) and is now a

Dame.

perfect 6-0 in bowl games in six eligible seasons since

“It was a difficult year for everyone and we all did the best we could. In the end, Bowl Season was

its move from FCS to FBS. Several programs capped off their best seasons

played with 25 games and 50 teams being provided

in years (hello, Indiana) but maybe no one more

an experience that they will remember forever,” said

impressively as Iowa State. The Cyclones (9-3) tied a

BOWL SEASON | February 2021

school record for wins after shutting out Oregon in

quarter to turn a close game into a 41-27 win. The

the second half of a 34-17 win in the Fiesta Bowl.

Aggies and Tar Heels both came to play.

Wildest game? Had to be the FBC Mortgage

“I have no doubt that years from now these young

Cure Bowl in Orlando. Coastal Carolina was looking

men — especially the seniors playing their final

to finish off a perfect season but could not close

collegiate game — will look back and be grateful

the deal. Liberty (10-1) blew a chance to win in the

for having the chance to compete in a bowl game,”

final seconds of regulation after a fumble on the

Carparelli said.

1-yard line. But in overtime, the Flames’ Elijah James blocked a 42-yard field goal to seal the win. The Cheez-It Bowl was far from a sleeper either.

There are many lessons that come with participating in a bowl game, as well for a national championship. Perhaps the best example of all came

Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders

on the stage at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. As the

completed 12-of-14 passes for a TD and ran in another

Crimson Tide smiled for photos and dodged confetti,

score as the Cowboys raced out to a 21-0 lead over

senior quarterback Mac Jones pulled Saban aside and

Miami. While that start may have sparked channel

shared some valuable perspective.

changers everywhere, the Hurricanes didn’t fold. The

“Mac actually said to me on the stage when we were

‘Canes closed to within two points by the end of the

getting the championship trophy, he said, ‘can you

third quarter before falling, 37-34.

believe this, from a scout team quarterback to winning

Can games in Bowl Season help a player’s NFL Draft

a national championship?’” Saban said. “It’s a lesson

stock? You bet. Scouts’ eyes had to be popping after

for a lot of people out there to look at how important

watching BYU quarterback Zach Wilson throw for 425

it is to emphasize your development each year.”

yards and 3 touchdowns in a 49-23 win over Central Florida in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl. One of the best games to watch — the Capital One Orange Bowl as Texas A&M dominated the fourth

Another lesson to remember? Encountering tough times is never easy, but often unavoidable. College football players everywhere met that life challenge head-on in a season no one will ever forget. BOWL SEASON | February 2021

BOWL FAMILY

When the Going got Tough, the Cotton Bowl and Rose Bowl Worked Together to Pull Off Two Traditional Games in Less Than 48 Hours By KEVIN McNAMARA

rom the moment Rick Baker received that first call, he hoped his fleet of Cotton Bowl partners wouldn’t really have to pull double duty. The longtime Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic president and CEO first received a call from College Football Playoff boss Bill Hancock in late November. Santa Clara County had just enhanced its COVID-19 guidelines and banned the San Francisco 49’ers from practicing or playing games. The same restrictions covered all sports, including college football. “At that point Bill saw the same issue being

Over the next three weeks issues with the virus in

possible in Los Angeles County and in Pasadena with

Los Angeles, and prospects for the Rose Bowl Game,

the Rose Bowl,” Baker recalled. “He had to make sure

only darkened. The annual Tournament of Roses

he had a Plan B and that’s where we came in.”

Parade in Pasadena was called off for the first time

Baker’s team in Dallas was busy tightening its

since 1944 back in July but the Rose Bowl staff held

work on the Dec. 30 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

out hope for a football game. As it became likely that

The opportunity to assist the bowl system with a

an Ohio State or Clemson might have to travel across

CFP semifinal two days later on Jan. 1 was more than

the country and a waiver allowing players' families to

appealing, however.

attend the game was denied, the decision to switch

“At the time we didn’t think it was going to happen,” Baker said, “But Bill asked if we’d be willing to help and investigate whether all the key parts of a College Football Playoff game would be available. So we went to work.”

BOWL SEASON | February 2021

to Plan B was made. “It was the Big 12 Championship game, December 19, when we found out it was a go,” Baker said. In its public announcement about the relocation, Tournament of Roses officials said California

authorities had twice rejected an appeal for a special

home right after the game because we needed the

exception to the COVID restrictions to allow a small

Anatole for Notre Dame and Alabama. They quickly

number of fans in Pasadena. The state denied both

understood and as Notre Dame’s busses arrived to

appeals, so the Rose Bowl game was set to be played

check in, those teams were rolling away to play the

outside of California for the first time since World War

Cotton Bowl. It was a rinse-and-repeat operation.”

II (1942, when it was moved to Durham, N.C.).

Questions about if the game would be called the

Baker and Rose Bowl Executive Director David

Rose Bowl were eased when a $2 million gift to the

Eads began frequent communications and the

city of Pasadena was made by the Tournament of

Rose Bowl staff basically transitioned its plans from

Roses to allow the “Rose Bowl” name to travel to

Pasadena to North Texas. AT&T Stadium was available

Texas. The money also helped alleviate some of the

for a one-day turnaround. The staffs of the two bowls

city’s financial losses.

worked with the Dallas Sports Commission and other

This year’s Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital

entities and within days

One attracted 18,373

any issues with the

fans, each of whom

stadium, COVID testing

received a rose as they

protocols, hotels and

entered AT&T Stadium.

transportation were

A Rose Bowl unlike

solved.

any other unfolded as

One dominant issue

smoothly as it could

remained, however. Like

have.

every other bowl game on the calendar, fears over a virus outbreak remained constant. Fortunately both

“To be able to host a game at that level was

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Executive Director Rick Baker and Chief Marketing Officer Michael Konradi

a testament to what the Rose Bowl folks were able to accomplish,”

Oklahoma and Florida

Baker said. “I was really

made it to Arlington for

proud of the way my

the Cotton Bowl. The game unfolded without a hitch, complete with over 17,000 fans in the stands. Marty MacInnis, the Cotton Bowl’s chief

“I was really proud of the way my Cotton Bowl crew responded and, for us, it really brought us full circle.”

operating officer, pushed for a ‘bubble-like’ setting

– RICK BAKER

President, The Cotton Bowl

for the Cotton and Rose

Cotton Bowl crew responded and, for us, it really brought us full circle.” Way back in 1936 Texas oilman and avid sportsman J. Curtis Sanford took a train to Pasadena to watch SMU

Bowl teams. All four teams were housed at the Hilton

play Stanford in the Rose Bowl. He left wondering

Anatole Hotel where they ate all meals and hosted

why Dallas couldn’t enjoy a similar New Year’s Day

no visitors, including on New Year’s Eve. The cross-

game. Only a year later the Cotton Bowl Classic was

over between the exiting Cotton Bowl teams and the

born at the Texas State Fair Grounds as TCU and star

arrival of Alabama and Notre Dame was a bit nerve-

quarterback Sammy Baugh beat Marquette, 16-6.

wracking, but ultimately successful. “I have to give credit to Scott Stricklin (Florida)

“This year was a pay-it-forward type of thing for us,” Baker said. “We all hated to see the Rose Bowl not

and Joe Castiglione (Oklahoma), they were two great

being able to play in Pasadena but the staffs of both

athletic directors to work with,” Baker said. “We

bowls had to be nimble and learn to pivot. I’m proud

kicked off at night but asked them if they could travel

to say everyone rose to the occasion.” BOWL SEASON | February 2021

2 02 0 -2 1

Note s

Fields of Gold (an d Scarlet and Gray) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl

hdowns, Ohio State’s Justin Fields threw six touc l ifina Sem CFP a in n the second-most throw the lead to d, recor l Bow and an Allstate Sugar son… Buckeyes to 639 yards of offense vs. Clem game bowl any in t -mos The six TDs tie for third for threw s Field )… twice (5th time; record is 7, Bowl s year’ this in st h-mo 385 yards — the fourt tied also OSU by se offen of Season… the 639 yards l (also Oregon vs. FSU ifina Sem CFP a in yards total for the second-most ed for 254 yards — surprisingly in the 2015 Rose Bowl)… Ohio State rush ifinal… OSU’s Trey Sermon’s 193 only the sixth-highest total in a CFP Sem s Bowl Season. rushing yards rank second in this year’

Justin

FIELDS

The Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One The #1 seed is now 5-2 in the CFP semifinal DeVonta (and has gone on to go 2-3 in the title SMITH game)… No. 1 teams are now 9-4 all-time in the Rose Bowl; the last win by a top-ranked team was Miami’s 37-14 win over Nebraska in the ’02 game (the only other No. 1 team in the game until 2021 was USC in ’06, when the Trojans fell to Texas… With the roof closed at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, it officially was the first Rose Bowl in history played indoors out of the 107 in the books… With the victory, Alabama became the ninth No. 1 team to win a Rose Bowl (the fifth different school), joining Ohio State (1955, 1969), USC (1963, 1968, 1973, 2004), Michigan (1998) and Miami-Fla. (2002)… It marked the 17th time a team in the Rose Bowl had both a 100-yard rusher and receiver. Alabama’s Najee Harris (15-125, 0 TD) rushing and DeVonta Smith (7-130, 3 TD).

BOWL SEASON | February 2021

BOWL SEASON 2020-21 Notes

BALL STATE NABS FIRST BOWL WIN In their eighth bowl game appearance Ball State broke through for their first Bowl Season victory. Capping one of their most successful seasons ever the Cardinals scored 27 first-quarter points to seal a 34-13 win over AP No. 19 San Jose State in the Offerpad Arizona Bowl. The win extended their season win streak to seven games to wrap up arguably the greatest football season in Ball State history.

BO OM ER SO ON ER

ds in the Goodyear Oklahoma’s 684 total yar Florida ranks sixth for allCotton Bowl Classic vs. n in a bowl game, just 14 time offensive productio the top-five. It marked yards short of landing in ever gained in a bowl the most yards OU had the history of the Cotton game and the most in 2 yards-per-play (on 65 Bowl … OU averaged 10.5 st ever in a bowl game offensive plays), the mo i vs. Duke in the 2012 (was 10.45 by Cincinnat ran for 435 yards on 40 Belk Bowl) … Oklahoma 8 yards-per-carry. The 10.8 carries, averaging 10.88 g hin rus for y bowl histor ranks third, all-time, in ord is 11.79 by Texas rec ; ries car 30 (minimum 2018 Gator Bowl) … The A&M vs. NC State in the s o a record for a Sooner 55 points scored were als -20 win). team in a bowl game (55

BOWL SEASON | February 2021

NO ORDINARY PEOPLES App State running back Camerun Peoples set an all-time Bowl Season record, rushing for 319 yards on Dec. 21 in the Mountaineers’ 5628 win over North Texas in the inaugural Myrtle Beach Bowl… Peoples accomplished the feat on 23 carries, scoring 5 touchdowns along the way… Peoples broke the rushing mark of 307 yards set by Georgia Tech’s PJ Daniels in the 2004 Humanitarian Bowl… the 5 TDs makes Peoples just the seventh player to rack up that many rushing scores in a bowl game.

THREE-FOR-THREE

The first three ga mes of Bowl Season each featu red one player responsib le for five touchdowns, rush ing and/or passing… Nevada QB Carson Strong threw 5 TDs Dec. 22 in the Fa mous Idaho Pota to Bo wl, BYU QB Zach Wilson tossed for 3 scores an d ran for 2 more in the Ro ofclaim.com Boca Ra to n Bowl, and App State RB Camerun Peoples ra n for 5 TDs on Dec. 21 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl (more on Peoples’ performance on the right). Carson

STRONG

HOW ‘BOUT THEM COWBOYS? Oklahoma State’s win over Miami in the Cheez-It moves the Cowboys’ all-time bowl record to 20-11. Their .645 bowl winning percentage is now third all-time amongst schools with at least 20 bowl appearances. They had been fifth on that list prior to the win. RANK SCHOOL

Spencer

SANDERS

Utah

0.739

Ole Miss

0.658

Oklahoma State

0.645

USC

0.642

Syracuse

0.635

Alabama

0.632

Penn State

0.620

Florida State

0.617

Georgia

0.605

10. Auburn

BOWL SEASON | February 2021

WINS LOSSES TIES GAMES PCT.

24 19 2 45 0.568

BOWL SEASON 2020-21 Notes

STREAKS STALLED

Louisiana Tech’s loss in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl ended their six-game bowl win streak. Only 10 of 130 FBS teams have won six or more consecutive bowl games entering Bowl Season this year. LA Tech and App State 2020 held the only active win streaks of six or more with App State extending its streak to seven-straight wins in the Myrtle Beach Bowl… Memphis’ win over Florida Atlantic in the Montgomery Bowl snapped a fivegame bowl losing streak. Their last Bowl Season victory was a 55-48 win over BYU in the 2014 Miami Beach Bowl.

BOWL SEASON | February 2021

SANTA & BOWLS The Camellia Bowl marked the first

Day since the

THE BOWL CHALLENGE CUP FINAL STANDINGS

2003 Hawaii Bowl

bowl game played on Christmas

Big 12: 5-0 (1.000)

when Hawaii held off Houston 54-48…

2. MAC: 2-0 (1.000)

it marked the 32nd bowl game played

3. Sunbelt: 4-1 (.800)

on Christmas Day — and first ever to be played east of the Mississippi.

4. SEC: 7-2 (.778) (.667) 5. Mountain West: 2-1 : 2-1 (.667) 6. FBS Independents 7. Big Ten: 3-2 (.600) 1-5 (.167) 8. American Athletic: 9. Pac 12: 0-2 (.000) 10. ACC: 0-6 (.000)

(.000) 11. Conference USA: 0-6

BOWL SEASON | February 2021

BOWL SEASON 2020-21 Notes

2020-21 BOWL SEASON TOP PERFORMERS PASSING 1 Mac

2 Zach

3 Trevor

Justin

JONES

WILSON

LAWRENCE

DANIELS Georgia

Ohio State

464 yards

425 yards

400 yards

392 yards

385 yards

Alabama

BYU

Clemson

FIELDS

RUSHING 1 Camerun

Trey

Rhamondre

Bijan

Tyler

PEOPLES

SERMON

STEVENSON

ROBINSON

ALLGEIER

317 yards

193 yards

186 yards

183 yards

173 yards

App State

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Texas

BYU

RECEIVING 1 DeVonta

SMITH

Jaivon

Cornell

George

Chris

Alabama

HEILIGH

Coastal Carolina

POWELL

PICKENS Georgia

Ohio State

215 yards

178 yards

139 yards

135 yards

132 yards

Clemson

OLAVE

BOWL SEASON | February 2021

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