COLLEGE FOOTBALL - 2006 SEASON
02/09/06 - Western Kentucky (12) @ (48) Georgia - In the teams' 1st ever meeting, Georgia scored the 1st 31 points including a 67 yard punt return TD. Highly recruited QB Matthew Stafford (3-4-40-1) made his debut in the 4th quarter (9, 2 Discs, LFS - Neal/Rowe/Baker, PAL)
02/09/06 - North Texas (7) @ (56) Texas - Texas handed QB Colt McCoy (12-19-177-2) his 1st start and he was solid as the Longhorns took a 28-0 half-time lead. Texas opened the scoring with a 60 yard TD pass on it's 3rd offensive play (9, 2 Discs, FOX - Meyers/Reasons/Knox, PAL)
02/09/06 - Utah (10) @ (31) UCLA - UCLA QB Ben Olson (25-33-318-3) started his 1st game as a Bruin and responded by hitting his 1st 7 passes. UCLA racked up 418 yards of total offense (9, 2 Discs, FOX - Tompkins/Papadakis/Watson, PAL)
09/09/06 - Texas Tech (38) @ (35) UTEP - In a wild night game in El Paso, UTEP almost shocked the Red Raiders with a game-plan full of big plays. The Miners scored on 39 and 41 yard TD passes and took Texas Tech into overtime. But Tech proved too strong in the extra period as they kicked a 49 yard FG for the win. Tech QB Graham Harrell (40-52-380-2) and UTEP QB Jordan Pamer (34-51-334-3) both had big games (10, Full game, 2 Discs, CSTV - Blackburn/Jones, NTSC)
16/09/06 - Oklahoma (33) @ (34) Oregon - Oregon controversially beat Oklahoma thanks to 2 blown calls by the referee's in the final minute of the game. Oregon scored 14 points in the final 1:12 thanks to a TD run and a TD pass from QB Dennis Dixon (26-41-341-2). The final TD was set-up by a recovered on-side kick and a pass intereference call that were both clearly wrong. Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson (34-211-1) had a huge game in defeat (10, 1 Disc, ABC - Fouts/Brant/Arute, PAL)
16/09/06 - Arkansas (21) @ (19) Vanderbilt - Freshman QB Mitch Mustain (13-20-224-3) was the difference as the Commodores tried to hold the rushing game in check. But it was Vandy's special teams that cost them the win as they failed on a PAT and a 2 point play (9, 2 Discs, LFS - Neal/Rowe/Baker, PAL)
16/09/06 - LSU (3) @ (7) Auburn - In a great defensive battle, it was the Tigers of Auburn that managed to score the only TD to win the game. LSU had a chance to win in the last minutes but a 4th down pass interference call at the 5 yard line was over-turned and then a final drive was stopped inside the 10 on the final play (9, 2 Discs, CBS - Bolerjack/Beuerlein, PAL)
16/09/06 - Florida (21) @ (20) Tennessee - Florida QB Chris Leak (15-25-199-3) led his team to victory with a 21 yard TD pass deep into the 4th quarter. Tennessee were inspired by star defensive lineman Justin Harrell who was playing with a torn bicep muscle. Tennessee were held to minus 11 yards rushing (9, 2 Discs, CBS - Lundquist/Danielson/Wolfson, PAL)
16/09/06 - Texas Tech (3) @ (12) TCU - #20 TCU extended their 13 game win streak with a dominating defensive performance against the free-scoring Red Raiders. The Horned Frogs gained a measure of revenge for their 70-35 loss to Texas Tech in 2004 by holding the Red Raiders without a TD for only the 2nd time under coach Mike Leach. There were no TD's scored in the game with all of the TCU points coming from 4 FG's by Chris Manfredi and Tech's points coming from a FG by Alex Trlica. TCU were led by QB Jeff Ballard (13-23-101-0), RB Aaron Brown (18-72-0) and a Defense led by DL Tommy Blake (2 tackles, 1 sack). Texas Tech were led by QB Graham Harrell (23-47-204-0), RB Shannon Woods (10-52-0) and WR Robert Johnson (7-67-0) (9, 1 Disc, OLN - Bender/Parker, PAL)
23/09/06 - Alabama (23) @ (24) Arkansas - Alabama kicker Leigh Tiffin missed 4 kicks, including potential game-winners in the 4th quarter and overtime, before missing a crucial PAT in overtime. Arkansas QB Mitch Mustain (7-22-97-1) completed an otherwise forgettable day with the winning TD pass in overtime. Alabama QB John Parker Wilson (16-20-241-3) had a big game (9, 2 Discs, CBS - Lundquist/Danielson/Wolfson, PAL)
23/09/06 - Arizona State (21) @ (49) California - #21 Cal steam-rollered #22 Arizona State, racing out to a 42-14 half-time lead. Cal QB Nate Longshore (18-26-264-4) and RB Marshawn Lynch (17-124) did the damage, the Cal defense forced 5 turnovers and the special teams had an 80 yard punt return (9, 2 Discs, FOX - Tompkins/Papadakis/Watson, PAL)
30/09/06 - Alabama (13) @ (28) Florida - Florida honoured their 100 year anniversary by wearing 1966 throwback uniforms. Florida fought back from a 10-7 half-time deficit on the arm and legs of QB Chris Leak (14-20-174-2) and a great defensive effort that forced 3 interceptions, returning one 70 yards for the clinching TD (9, 2 Discs, CBS - Lundquist/Danielson/Wolfson, PAL)
30/09/06 - Kansas (32) @ (39) Nebraska - In a game of big plays, Kansas fought back from a 24-7 deficit to force overtime. Nebraska held on to win the game, as Kansas QB Adam Barrman (27-54-405-2) missed a 4th down throw into the end-zone. Nebraska QB Zac Taylor (15-33-395-4) had a huge day as 3 of his TD passes went for 75, 75 and 78 yards (9, 2 Discs, FOX - Meyers/Lapham/Knox, PAL)
30/09/06 - Texas Tech (31) @ (27) Texas A&M - Texas Tech silenced Kyle Field as QB Graham Harrell (32-45-392-4) threw a 37 yard TD pass to Robert Johnson with 26 seconds left (8, missing 1st quarter, 1 Disc, ABC - Thorne/Ware, PAL)
07/10/06 - Arkansas (27) @ (10) Auburn - Arkansas upset the #2 ranked Tigers as they amassed 279 yards rushing and held the Auburn offense to 213 total yards (8, JIP 14:08 1st quarter, 2 Discs, CBS - Bolerjack/Beuerlein, PAL)
07/10/06 - Missouri (38) @ (21) Texas Tech - #23 ranked Missouri used a strong defensive performance to upset the high-scoring Red Raiders on Homecoming in Lubbock. The Tigers Defense forced 5 turnovers, converting 4 of them into 28 points, and scored on 2 interceptions returned for TD's on 2 consecutive passes. The Tigers Offense chipped in with 3 TD's, led by QB Chase Daniel (15-22-173-1 + 13-37-0) and RB Tony Temple (19-76-2). Texas Tech were led by QB's Graham Harrell (39-55-342-3 + 2 INT's) and Chris Todd (5-6-36-0), RB Shannon Woods (12-95-0 + 11-71-0) and WR's Joel Filani (11-114-1) and Danny Amendola (8-79-1) (9, 1 Disc, TBS - Thulin/Davis/Sager, PAL)
07/10/06 - Washington (20) @ (24) USC - USC extended their 28 game home win streak with a solid game from QB John David Booty (23-40-243-1). The cause was helped by the Huskies botching a last play attempt from the USC 15 yard line. With 2 seconds on teh clock they failed to get a play off before time expired (8, missing 4 minutes of game time including 2 FG's in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, 2 Discs, FOX - Tompkins/Papadakis/Watson, PAL)
07/10/06 - Nevada (34) @ (41) Hawaii - Hawaii QB Colt Brennan (36-47-419-4) had a big game but the defense saved his bacon after he fumbled inside his own 5 yard line in the final moments. The defense held on 4 downs and Hawaii hung on for the win (9, 1 Disc, KREN - Gustin/Vargas, PAL)
14/10/06 - Vanderbilt (24) @ (22) Georgia - Vandy upset #16 Georgia with a 33 yard FG with 2 seconds left. Vandy QB Chris Nickson (15-29-190-2) cooly guided the team to the winning kick, giving the Commodores their 1st win over the Bulldogs snce 1994 (9, 2 Discs, LFS - Neal/Rowe/Baker, PAL)
14/10/06 - Baylor (31) @ (63) Texas - Texas QB Colt McCoy (21-32-275-6) set a school record with 6 TD passes, to 4 different receivers. In a game of big plays, Baylor scored on an opening play 67 yard TD pass an also a QB Shawn Bell caught a TD pass. Texas answered with 50 and 62 yard TD passes (9, 1 Disc, TBS - Thulin/Davis/Sager, PAL)
21/10/06 - Michigan State (41) @ (38) Northwestern - Michigan State completed the greatest comeback in NCAA history with a 28 yard FG with 13 seconds left. The Spartans trailed 38-3 in the 3rd quarter before QB Drew Stanton (27-37-294-2) ignited the team. Northwestern QB CJ. Bacher (15-29-245-3) and RB Tyrell Sutton (21-172-0) had huge games but wilted under the late game pressure (9, 1 Disc, ESPN+ - Larrivee/Stouffer, PAL)
21/10/06 - Washington (24) @ (31) California - Washington rallied under back-up QB Carl Bonnell (17-31-284-2) and forced overtime with a last play 40 yard "Hail Mary" TD pass. But the RB tandem of Marshawn Lynch (21-150-2) and Justin Forsett (11-33-1) was too much for the Huskies as the Bears sealed the win (9, 2 Discs, FOX - Tompkins/Papadakis/Watson, PAL)
28/10/06 - USC (31) @ (33) Oregon State - Oregon State upset the #2 ranked Trojans, jumping out to a 30-10 lead. But USC fought back on the arm of QB John David Booty (24-39-406-3) to 31-33 with 7 seconds left. The game-tieing 2 point pass play was knocked down though and the Beavers held on (9, 2 Discs, FOX - Tompkins/Papadakis/Watson, PAL)
28/10/06 - Texas (35) @ (31) Texas Tech - #5 ranked Texas fought back from an early 21-0 deficit to beat Texas Tech with the go-ahead TD in the 4th quarter. Texas were led by QB Colt McCoy (21-31-256-4) and RB Jamaal Charles (12-85-0). Texas Tech were led by QB Graham Harrell (42-62-519-3) and WR Jarrett Hicks (9-156-1) (9, Low Audio, 1 Disc, TBS - Thulin/Davis/Sager, PAL)
04/11/06 - Baylor (21) @ (55) Texas Tech - The passing attack of Texas Tech, led by QB Graham Harrell (35-52-483-4), outplayed the Bears, led by QB Blake Szymanski (16-30-197-1) who was making his 1st career start. Texas Tech RB Shannon Woods (10-125-3) paced the running game and the defense recorded 5 sacks (9, 2 Discs, FOX - Land/Reasons/Jones, PAL)
09/11/06 - Louisville (25) @ (28) Rutgers - In a battle of the unbeatens for the Big East title, #15 Rutgers defeated #3 Louisville after fighting back from a 25-7 deficit. The game was won on a 2nd-attempt FG with 13 seconds left but only after the 1st missed attempt was negated by an off-side penalty. Louisville QB Brian Brohm (13-27-163-1) had a quiet game while Rutgers RB Ray Rice (22-131-2) had a big game (10, 2 Discs, ESPN - Fowler/Herbstreit/Andrews, NTSC)
11/11/06 - Wake Forest (30) @ (0) Florida State - In a stunning victory, #18 ranked Wake Forest shut-out Florida State in Tallahassee for the first time in coach Bobby Bowden's 31 year tenure as Head Coach. It was the first victory for Wake Forest against Florida State since 1959. The Demon Deacons led 20-0 at the half, rolling up 211 yards to just 77 yards for the Seminoles. The 2nd half was no better and Wake Forest capped their night with a 48 yard interception return for a TD. Wake Forest were led by QB Riley Skinner (13-19-138-1). Florida State were led by QB's Drew Weatherford (4-15-52-0) and Xavier Lee (5-13-61-0), who both had a rough time (10, 1 Disc, ESPN - Musberger/Davie/Salters, PAL)
18/11/06 - Michigan (39) @ (42) Ohio State - In a battle of #1 v #2, with the winner going to the BCS title game, it was the Buckeyes who had all the answers. Led by QB Troy Smith (29-41-316-4), the Buckeyes never looked in trouble. Michigan RB Mike Hart (23-142-3) also had a big game in a losing effort (2 versions : 9, includes College Gameday, 3 Discs, ABC, PAL / 10, No Gameday Live, 2 Discs, ABC - Musberger/Davie/Herbstreit, NTSC)
25/11/06 - Notre Dame (24) @ (44) USC - #3 USC dominated #6 Notre Dame with a punishing defense and a big play offense. USC QB John David Booty (17-28-265-3) and WR Dwayne Jarrett (7-132-3) had big games. Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn (22-45-274-3) had a good game but was kept in check by the defense (8, 2 Discs, ABC - Musberger/Davie/Herbstreit, PAL)
25/11/06 - BYU (33) @ (31) Utah - #21 BYU beat Utah for the 1st time in 5 years with an 11 yard TD pass on the last play of the game. BYU QB John Beck (28-43-375-4) took the snap with 3 seconds left and scrambled around for 11 seconds before finding TE John Harline (7-118-3) all alone in the end-zone (9, 1 Disc, CSTV - Bates/Christensen/Fowler, PAL)
01/12/06 - CUSA Championship - Southern Mississippi (20) v (34) Houston - In Houston QB Kevin Kolb's last game, he delivered the championship with a comeback win. Kolb (19-31-258-2) and MVP WR Vincent Marshall (224 all purpose yards) did the damage in the 2nd half to deny Southern Miss a 5th CUSA title (9, ESPN re-broadcast missing 10 minutes of game time in the 1st quarter, no scoring missed, 2 Discs, ESPN 2 - Pasch/Gilmore/Matich/Ryan, PAL)
02/12/06 - USC (9) @ (13) UCLA - #2 ranked USC needed to beat their cross-town rivals to reach the National Championship game for the 3rd successive time but were ambushed by a swarming UCLA defense. UCLA QB Pat Cowan (12-21-114-0 + 10-55-1) guided the offense but it was the defense that won the game, forcing USC QB John David Booty (23-39-274-0) into an interception with 1:10 left, with USC at the UCLA 20 yard line. The UCLA win was their 1st against USC since 1998 (9, 2 Discs, ABC - Musberger/Davie, PAL)
02/12/06 - ACC Championship - Wake Forest (9) v (6) Georgia Tech - Wake won their 1st ACC title in 36 years with a stifling defense and a steady offense that made just enough big plays to win the game. Neither team could score a TD. Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson (8-117) had a good game but couldn't get in the end-zone. Wake redshirt Freshman QB Riley Skinner (14-25-201-0) made the big play in the 4th quarter, throwing a 45 yard pass to WR Willie Idlette, that set up the game winning FG late in the 4th quarter (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - Nessler/Griese/Maguire/Bernstein, PAL)
02/12/06 - SEC Championship - Arkansas (28) @ (38) Florida - #4 Florida won their 7th SEC title with an outstanding defensive effort and a big play offense against #8 Arkansas. Florida scored on a 67 yard TD catch by MVP WR Percy Harvin and also on a 5 yard TD pass from WR Andre Caldwell. Arkansas scored on TD passes from RB Darren McFadden (21-73-0 + 1-3-1 passing) and WR Cedric Washington as well as a 40 yard interception return. Florida QB Chris Leak (16-30-189-1) closed out the game with a solid performance and the Gator win propelled them to the BCS title game as USC were defeated by UCLA (9, 2 Discs, CBS - Lundquist/Danielson/Wolfson, PAL)
21/12/06 - Las Vegas Bowl - BYU (38) v (8) Oregon - BYU QB John Beck (27-46-362-2) ended his career with a quality performance as BYU dominated the Oregon Ducks, scoring the 1st 38 points and amassing 550 yards of total offense. The Oregon QB's Brady Leaf and Dennis Dixon combined for 166 yards passing (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - Musberger/Davie/James/Salter, PAL)
23/12/06 - New Mexico Bowl - New Mexico (12) v (20) San Jose State - In the inaugural New Mexico Bowl, San Jose State ended their bowl drought with a big win. The Spartans were playing in their 1st bowl since 1990 and raced out to a 20-3 lead at the half before holding off a late Lobos fight-back to take the win. The Spartans were led by QB Adam Tafralis (11-18-209-3 including a 76 yard TD pass), RB Younis Davis (8-23-0) and WR James Jones (6-106-2) who earned the game MVP award. New Mexico were led by QB's Donovan Porterie (7-17-61-0) and Chris Nelson (17-26-188-1) + RB Rodney Ferguson (22-102-0) (8, 2 Discs, ESPN - Wischusen/Gilmore/Matich/Dales, NTSC)
24/12/06 - Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii (41) v (24) Arizona State - Hawaii QB Colt Brennan (33-42-559-5) exploded in the 2nd half to deny out-going ASU coach Dirk Koetter a win in his final game. Hawaii were held to 3 points in the 1st half but scored 24 unanswered points to take the lead for good. Brennan set an NCAA record for most TD passes in a season (58) and WR Jason Rivers (14-308-2) set a school record for receiving yardage in a bowl game (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - Jones/Norrie/Cox, PAL)
27/12/06 - Emerald Bowl - Florida State (44) v (27) UCLA - Florida State coach Bobby Bowden needed a win to avoid his first losing season in 30 years and got it behind a strong day from senior RB Lorenzo Booker. He rushed for 91 yards and had 117 yards receiving as the Noles exploded for 21 points in the 4th quarter (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - Fouts/Brant/Arute, PAL)
28/12/06 - Independence Bowl - Oklahoma State (34) v (31) Alabama - The Cowboys blew a 14 point 4th quarter lead to the Tide but salvaged the win with a gutsy last minute drive to the winning 27 yard FG with 9 seconds left. The Oklahoma State heroes were QB Bobby Reid (15-29-212-1) and WR Dantrell Savage (19-112-1). Alabama were led by interim coach Joe Kines, who replaced David Shula before the game. Alabama QB John Parker Wilson (18-33-168-1) had a good game in a losing effort (10, 2 Discs, ESPN - Thorne/Ware/Harris, PAL)
28/12/06 - Holiday Bowl - California (45) v (10) Texas A&M - Cal RB Marshawn Lynch (20-111-2) had a big game in his final game as a Bear as Cal scored 31 unanswered 2nd half points to blow away the Aggies (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - Fowler/Herbstreit/Andrews, PAL)
29/12/06 - Insight Bowl - Texas Tech (44) v (41) Minnesota - Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell (36-55-445-2) inspired the Red Raiders to fight back from a 38-7 deficit in the 2nd half to tie the game on a 52 yard FG as time expired, and force overtime. The comeback was complete when RB Shannon Woods bulled in from 3 yards out. The 31 point comeback was an NCAA record (2 versions ; 9, 1 Disc, NFL Network - Horton/Vermeil/Flanagan, PAL / 10, 2 Discs, NFL Network - Horton/Vermeil/Flanagan, PAL)
29/12/06 - Sun Bowl - Oregon State (39) v (38) Missouri - Oregon State, led by QB Matt Moore (31-54-356 -4), went for broke and scored the winning 2 point play with 22 seconds left to beat the Tigers. Tigers RB Tony Temple (20-194-2) had a huge game as did QB Chase Daniel (16-29-330-2) (9, Missing last 8:43 of 2nd Quarter, 2 Discs, CBS - Bolerjack/Beuerlein, PAL)
30/12/06 - Alamo Bowl - Texas (26) v (24) Iowa - Texas QB Colt McCoy (26-40-308-2) brought the Longhorns back from an early 14-3 deficit to beat the Hawkeyes, led by QB Drew Tate (15-25-274-2) (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - McDonough/Spielman/Stone, PAL)
30/12/06 - Chick-Fil-A Bowl - Georgia (31) v (24) Virginia Tech - Georgia, behind Freshman QB Matthew Stafford (9-21-129-1), fought back from a 21-3 half-time deficit to beat the #14 ranked Tech (9, 2 Discs, ESPN - Franklin/Cunningham/Punch, PAL)
01/01/07 - Fiesta Bowl - Boise State (43) v (42) Oklahoma - In one of the wildest finishes ever, the #9 ranked underdog Broncos used trickery to beat the #7 ranked Sooners in overtime. Boise State ran out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead but the Sooners fought back to lead 35-28 with 7 secs left. The Broncos then used a 50 yard hook-and-lateral play to score the tieing TD and force overtime. Then they used a Statue-of-Liberty play to win on a 2 point conversion run by RB Ian Johnson. The stars for Boise State were QB Jared Zabransky (19-29-262-3) and RB Ian Johnson (23-101-1) and the stars for Oklahoma were QB Paul Thompson (19-32-233-2) and RB Adrian Peterson (20-77-2), in his last college game (10, 2 Discs, FOX - Brennaman/Davis/Alvarez, PAL)
01/01/07 - Gator Bowl - West Virginia (38) v (35) Georgia Tech - West Virginia QB Pat White (9-15-131-2 + 22-145-1) had a big game and led the Mountaineers to 21 3rd quarter points to beat the Yellowjackets. Tech were playing with a back-up QB but still had WR Calvin Johnson (9-186-2) who was playing his final college game. West Virginia star RB Steve Slaton left the game early on with an injury (9, 2 Discs, CBS - Brando/Tillman/Barhart, PAL)
01/01/07 - Rose Bowl - USC (32) v (18 Michigan - #8 USC upset #3 Michigan behind the play of QB John David Booty (391 yards + 4 TD's) and WR Dwayne Jarrett (11-205-2). USC blew open a 3-3 tied game at the half with 16 points in the 3rd quarter. Michigan QB Chad Henne (26-41-309-2) had a big game in defeat (9, 2 Discs, ABC - Musberger/Davie/Herbstreit, PAL)
03/01/07 - Sugar Bowl - LSU (41) v (14) Notre Dame - The LSU game-plan seemed to be to run the ball, control the clock and keep star Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn off the field. LSU ran the ball for 245 yards and 3 TD's, and kept Notre Dame scoreless in the 2nd half. LSU QB Jamarcuss Russell (21-34-332-2) had a big game while Irish QB Brady Quinn (15-35-148-2) had a terrible game (8, 2 Discs, FOX - Albert/Bradshaw/Long, PAL)
08/01/07 - BCS Title Game - Florida (41) v (14) Ohio State - The much anticipated showdown between #1 Ohio State and #2 Florida started strong with a 93 yard kick-off return for a TD by Ohio State WR Ted Ginn Jr but Florida responded by building a 34-14 lead that sealed the win. Florida QB Chris Leak (25-36-213-1) in his final game, turned in an MVP performance while Ohio State's Heisman Trophy winning QB Troy Smith (4-14-35-0) had a terrible game (9, 3 Discs, FOX - Brennaman/Davis/Alvarez, PAL)
13/01/07 - IntaJuice Classic - North All Stars (28) v (17) South All Stars - In the inaugural post-season match-up of college football seniors, North QB Luke Getsy (Akron) threw for 90 yards and a TD and ran for a score to beat a South squad that amassed 332 yards of Offense. The North were coached by Dick Tomey (San Jose State) and the South were coached by Mike Leach (Texas Tech) (10, 1 Disc, ESPN 2 - Collins/DiNardo/McShay/Ryan, PAL)