BRACKET #25
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RESULTS - BRACKET 25
(seed) year school - score
(25) 1977 Penn State - 37(2024) 1980 Utah State - 14
The Nittany Lions did indeed roll on. The #25 overall seed in the tournament had no problem dismissing Bruce Snyder's Aggies. PSU led 30-0 at halftime, which meant QB Chuck Fusina (pictured), along with most of the other starters, didn't see the field in the second half.
(1000) 2003 Oregon - 42 (3 OT)
(1049) 2004 Pittsburgh - 39
We're at least 64 games into the tournament, and finally we get our first overtime. Quarterbacks Kellen Clemens and Tyler Palko put on a show, combining to throw for almost 700 yards, but it was Oregon LB Jerry Matson who had the ultimate highlight. He picked off a Palko pass in the third overtime and returned it for the game winning touchdown.
(537) 1992 Ohio State - 23
(1512) 1998 San Diego State - 13
Even a sand and wind storm couldn't keep Kirk Herbstreit and Robert Smith from roughing up the Aztecs. Dan Wilkinson single-handedly held SDSU RB Jonas Lewis in check, and that left the Aztecs very few scoring options.
(488) 1977 Louisiana Tech - 23
(1561) 1977 Memphis - 13
RB John Henry White led the Bulldogs to a victory over year-mates Memphis with 93 yards and a touchdown.
(281) 2008 Boise State - 31
(1768) 1983 Indiana State - 12
Boise State, known more for their explosive offenses over the last decade, rode their 2008 defense to a victory over 1983 Indiana State to advance to the second round. Boise's Jeron Johnson brought the lumber to the undersized Sycamores all day.
(744) 2003 Florida - 28
(1305) 2003 Virginia Tech - 27
Virginia Tech's excellent running back Kevin Jones did his best to keep the Hokies in this game, but the Gators were a step ahead the whole day. Chris Leak took advantage of the young Hokie linebackers by finding TE Ben Troupe on several key third down conversions.
(793) 1997 Oregon - 30
(1256) 2003 West Virginia - 27
Despite a remarkable performance by RB Quincy Wilson (223 yards, 3 touchdowns), including this amazing touchdown catch and run that tied the game at 27 in the fourth quarter, the '03 Mountaineers got eliminated. Oregon rotated quarterbacks Jason Maas and Akili Smith all game long, but it was Maas who guided the Ducks on their game winning field goal drive.
(232) 1987 Michigan State - 30
(1817) 2001 East Carolina - 17
What was expected to be a shootout turned out to be a lopsided affair. The Spartans excellent defense shut down an East Carolina offense that averaged over 35 points per game. RB Leonard Henry was held in check, and MSU registered five "sackarinos" on ECU QB David Garrard. RB Lorenzo White carried the load offensively, scoring two touchdowns.
(153) 1985 Alabama - 30
(1896) 1989 LSU - 16
QB Mike Shula's steady hand guided the Crimson Tide to an easy first round victory over SEC rival LSU. Birmingham freshman RB Bobby Humphrey also made a significant impact with a handful of big plays. This is a team to watch out for.
(872) 2003 Oklahoma State - 42
(1177) 1988 Duke - 30
Steve Spurrier found out that you need a little more defense than his 1988 Duke team has in order to win in this tournament. Oklahoma State CB Darrent Williams broke the game open early in the second quarter with this pick-6 off QB Anthony Dilweg. The Cowboys also got a big contribution offensively from their outstanding WR Rashaun Woods.
(665) 1980 Southern Miss - 25
(1384) 2003 Wisconsin - 18
RB Sammy Winder put up 111 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Eagles surprisingly won the battle in the trenches to send WR Lee Evans and the '03 Badgers packing.
(360) 1982 West Virginia - 23
(1689) 1995 Mississippi - 12
The powerful Mountaineer defense shut down Tommy Tuberville's offense without much trouble. RB Dou Innocent had no room to run thanks to LB Darryl Talley. WVU QB Jeff Hostetler took good care of the ball and ensured this game wouldn't need to go down to the final play like the 1982 Backyard Brawl.
(409) 2003 Texas - 38
(1640) 1995 Purdue - 19
Purdue RB Mike Alstott had this highlight reel run early in the ballgame, but after that it was all Cedric Benson and the Longhorns. Mack Brown gave Chance Mock the nod at quarterback, but freshman Vince Young got most of the snaps in the second half. Either way, they mostly handed the ball off to Cedric Benson, who accumulated 189 yards and 3 touchdowns on the day.
(616) 1977 Stanford - 28
(1433) 1981 Boston College - 21
Boston College freshman QB Doug Flutie didn't have any miracles up his sleeve today. His hail mary attempt on the final play of the game fell short, which gave Bill Walsh and Stanford a ticket to the second round.
(921) 1988 North Carolina State - 20
(1128) 2006 Clemson - 22
Clemson's dynamic running backs were the story in this upset. James Davis and C.J. Spiller proved to be too much for Ray Agnew and the Wolfpack defense to handle. Even though 1988 N.C. State is going home early, they'll always have this win over rival North Carolina to remember.
(104) 1996 Arizona State - 35
(1945) 1984 Temple - 13
The only question in this game was whether Arizona State QB Jake Plummer looked better with or without his mustache.
Round 2 Matchups-
(25) 1977 Penn State vs (1000) 2003 Oregon
(488) 1977 Louisiana Tech vs (537) 1992 Ohio State
(281) 2008 Boise State vs (744) 2003 Florida
(232) 1987 Michigan State vs (793) 1997 Oregon
(153) 1985 Alabama vs (872) 2003 Oklahoma State
(360) 1982 West Virginia vs (665) 1980 Southern Miss
(409) 2003 Texas vs (616) 1977 Stanford
(104) 1996 Arizona State vs (1128) 2006 Clemson
