The best and worst of the bowl season
By Staff
Lindsey Vaught, Guest Columnist
First, let me congratulate all the sports junkies for surviving the longest bowl season on record. Years ago, a winning successful season was a requirement for a bowl invitation.
I miss those days. That was before an explosion of mediocre bowls that dropped the standards of playing in one to an all time low. We saw bad teams, bad match-ups, and bad plays. In case you missed a play or two…
Worst performance by a team: Tennessee in a 30-3 Peach Bowl loss to Maryland. Vol fans that traveled to Atlanta to witness this dismal effort should contact UT and demand a refund.
Best performance by a team: Auburn in a 13-9 Citrus Bowl win over Penn State. The defense and running game carried the day for Tuberville's team who won their second straight over a top 10 team.
Worst move by a coach: New Mexico's Rocky Long got his name in the record books by using a female kicker, Katie Hnida to attempt an extra point. In doing so he set women athletes back 30 years.
Best Move by a coach: Maryland's Ralph Friedgen who went for a touchdown on fourth and one against Tennessee on the opening drive. Quarterback Scott McBrien easily ran it in around left end deflating the Tennessee defense and fans.
Worst game to have to play in: The Silicon Valley Classic should have been renamed the mud bowl. Georgia Tech traveled across the country to lose a game no one watched except Fresno State fans that made the short drive to San Jose.
Worst play: Florida freshman wide out Vernell Brown took an end around and lobbed a pop fly pass that floated into the hands of Michigan's Victor Hobson.
Best Halftime show: Clint Black gave a stirring concert on a stage at the Liberty Bowl accompanied by his full band and surrounded by high school dancers and musicians. Just minutes after his show the rains came and soaked an otherwise dreadful game.
Worst Halftime show: In the Outback Bowl, television viewers who suffered thru the bumbling of Florida and Michigan thought they would see two of the best college bands around. Instead, Lee Corso and Chris Fowler gave their eighteenth take on the Miami-Ohio State game.
Best Performance by a Lame Duck Coach: Bob Kecerian, an academic adviser to the UCLA football team, was appointed head coach for the Las Vegas Bowl and the Bruins won a game many thought they would lose.
Worst Performance by a Lame Duck Coach (tie): John Smith of Louisville accepted the offer to be the next coach at Mich. State at halftime of the GMAC Bowl. His team promptly tanked in the second half.
And poor Mike Price, he hasn't coached a game at Alabama and fans on talk radio are already calling for a coaching change after his Washington State team got run out of the Rose Bowl by Oklahoma 34-14.
Best College Football Analyst: Bob Davie of ESPN was everywhere; on TV at the Alamo Bowl, on the radio at the Sugar Bowl, and the Fiesta Bowl. As Notre Dame coach he was seen as combative and a lightening rod for criticism. As an analyst he is smooth, knows the game.
Worst College Football Analyst(s): Bob Golic and Bill Curry. Somebody separate these two. Viewers should have turned the volume down and listened on the radio.
