Football Frenzy

BEST AND WORST

Best Farewell: Mountaineers senior Pat White completed 26 of 32 passes for a career-high 332 yards and three touchdowns and directed a 69-yard, game-winning TD drive as West Virginia� beat North Carolina� 31--30 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. White became the first quarterback to win four bowls as a starter.

Worst Showing: As if a 1--5 record this bowl season weren't a big enough blow to the Big Ten's already battered postseason reputation, the conference lost the one game it could count on in recent years. Georgia� knocked off Michigan State� 24--12 in the Capital One Bowl, ending the Big Ten's four-game winning streak in the New Year's Day game. Matthew Stafford completed 20 of 31 passes for 250 yards, and in the final 18 minutes he threw for three touchdowns.

Best Performance: Senior running back Gartrell Johnson set an alltime bowl record with 375 yards from scrimmage as Colorado State� defeated Fresno State� 40--35 in the New Mexico Bowl. Johnson had 285 yards rushing (the second-highest total in all bowl history) and 90 yards receiving.

Worst Debut: The St. Petersburg Bowl hosted its inaugural game, a 41--14 romp by South Florida� over Memphis�, before an announced crowd of 25,205. The Tigers sold fewer than 2,000 tickets, and the Bulls from nearby Tampa didn't sell out their 10,000-seat allotment, making Tropicana Field look like a Rays game had broken out.

Best Revenge: After losing in a September meeting that was moved to Dallas because of Hurricane Ike, Houston� beat Air Force� 34--28 in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Best Discovery: After struggling all season with inconsistent play at quarterback, LSU� may have finally found its man. In the Tigers' 38--3 drubbing of Georgia Tech? in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, freshman Jordan Jefferson connected on his first nine passes and finished with 16 completions in 25 attempts for 142 yards and a touchdown.

FIRST AND LONG

Reviving a practice last used in 1988, Notre Dame� wore jerseys with the players' names on the backs as it spanked Hawaii� 49--21 in the Hawaii Bowl. QB Jimmy Clausen threw for 401 yards as the Irish snapped an NCAA-record nine-game bowl losing streak.

With a 38--14 win over Western Michigan� in the Texas Bowl, Rice� earned its first postseason victory since beating Alabama in the 1954 Cotton Bowl.