Bowl game rewind: RedHawks wilt in shadow of end zone

Happy New Year, everyone! Pop a few Advil before you break down the Buckeyes’ performance last night. And don’t forget to come up with a few resolutions you’ll forget about next week. One that I intend to keep is to never do that stupid “feed me” motion that football players do after gaining six yards.

Speaking of football, bowl games are awesome, even if some big names have abandoned their teammates. Some observations from last week’s battles:

Worst strategy: What was Miami coach Chuck Martin thinking? The RedHawks trailed Mississippi State 17-16 in the final minute of the prestigious St. Petersburg Bowl, but they were driving. Miami got to the red zone, but instead of trying to find the end zone they waved the white flag. Took a couple knees, gave up yardage and put it all on the kicker.

You know how this story ends. The field goal that would’ve won the game against a mighty SEC team was blocked. It was the Bulldogs’ second blocked kick of the game. Who gets two kicks blocked in one game? Miami, of course. Everyone but Martin saw that coming.

Best bowl win: Army went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line and scored first in overtime in the Heart of Texas Bowl. The ultimate anti-Chuck Martin move. Army's running back handed the football to the official and accepted a few pats on the head. No dancing or "shhh" stuff to the North Texas crowd. The Black Knights beat North Texas, 38-31.

This and that: Best game (prior to Saturday) has to be the Orange Bowl. One missed tackle on a kickoff return sank Michigan. … Most impressive comeback goes to Virginia Tech, which erased a 24-0 deficit with 35 unanswered points against Arkansas. … Best bounce-back goes to Wake Forest, which didn't have to worry about its gameplan being leaked before it defeated Temple. … The No-Show Award goes to Boise State, which got run over by Baylor, 31-12. … Maryland's red zone offense was a train wreck against Boston College.

The Browns have a chance to end the season with two straight wins when they take on some guys wearing Steelers uniforms today. Plenty of Pittsburgh backups will start, which means Cleveland can prevail. Ah, who am I kidding? Time to start scouting the NFL draft. The Browns are in line to pick first and 10th next spring.

I interrupted the "A Christmas Story" marathon to check out the Cavaliers-Warriors. Any team that dares to spoil a Finals rematch will be as popular as George Karl at an NBA players' party. Yes, LeBron should've been assessed a 'T' for his full-body workout on the rim, but there's no way the refs were going to call that.

Trending up: Justin Jackson, Blue Jackets, Dillon Brooks. Northwestern did the Big Ten proud by beating Pitt in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Jackson led the way with 224 yards and three touchdowns. The Wildcats acted like they were in a bowl game, going 4-for-4 on fourth down conversions.

Trending down: Carmelo Anthony, Doug Martin, Ryan Bros. Melo was not mellow when he smacked a Hawks player in the face Wednesday, earning an ejection. Anthony is a big scorer, but his Nuggets and Knicks teams have advanced past the first round of the NBA playoffs just three times in his 14 years in the league.


Knucklehead of the Week

Jeremy Sprinkle was expected to start at tight end for Arkansas in the Belk Bowl. As part of the festivities leading up to the game, players were given a $450 shopping spree at a Belk store in Charlotte, N.C. Sprinkle got carried away and did a little too much "shopping." He was cited for attempting to shoplift eight items at Belk — remember, the bowl's sponsor that was giving him free stuff. Guess you never can have too many shirts and socks. Sprinkle also was cited for trying to nab two wallets. Who needs two wallets? I have the same wallet I had in college.

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