College Football Notebook: Quarterfinal Recap
Here’s a look back on the four quarterfinal matchups that took place between New Year’s Eve night and the late afternoon/early evening of January 2:
Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 31 Boise State 14
It was a game that went mostly as expected when we previewed this round. Penn State completely focused on Ashton Jeanty and shut the great Boise running back down. Jeanty got his 104 yards, but it took 30 carries, and the only notable play took place on a 3rd-and-20 draw where the Lions were caught off-guard. It put a lot of pressure on quarterback Maddux Madsen. While the young QB hung in there, made some nice throws and helped make this a game after the Broncos quickly fell behind 14-0, in the end, it was just too much. Madsen threw three interceptions.
Meanwhile, Penn State mostly did what it wanted on the ground. Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton led an attack that went over 200 yards. Drew Allar hit some big throws down the field, including a beautiful long touchdown pass that set the tone early. For Boise to win, they needed Allar to either make mistakes, or at least be ineffective at stretching the field. But he was good, and so were the Lions.
Cotton Bowl: Texas 39 Arizona State 31 (2 OT)
It was a game that went nothing at all like expected when we previewed this round. For the first half, it did. Texas had a comfortable lead at 17-3 and were still up 24-8 in the fourth quarter.
But the Longhorns were not running the football and were outrushed by an astonishing 214-53. Sun Devil running back Cam Skattebo got better as the game went on, and he finished with 143 yards on the ground and 99 more receiving. At the game’s biggest moments, Skattebo was doing whatever he wanted. And, had it not been for a bad missed call on a third down play where the Texas defense was clearly guilty of targeting, Arizona State likely kicks a last-second field goal and wins in regulation.
Quinn Ewers has his share of skeptics, including this space, but he saved the Longhorns. Even without the running game, he went 20/30 for 322 yards. Matthew Golden was his key target, with seven catches for 149 yards. And Ewers hit the money throw—a 4th-and-13 in the first overtime when Texas had its season on the line.
Rose Bowl: Ohio State 41 Oregon 21
What was expected to be an elite showdown, especially on the outside, turned into a complete rout—especially on the outside. Ohio State’s receivers simply dominated Oregon’s secondary. Buckeye quarterback Will Howard threw three TD passes of 40-plus yards in the first half. Jeremiah Smith had a huge day, with seven catches for 187 yards. The downfield passing game was the reason why Ohio State had a stunning 34-0 lead until the Ducks scored on the final play of the first half. The Buckeyes closed out the game on the ground, with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combining for 179 yards, and the latter ripping off a long TD run.
Games like this are never accurately captured by the box score. The numbers for quarterback Dillon Gabriel are fine—29/41, 299 yards, no interceptions. But that production came well after the outcome was decided. Even a 20-point rout doesn’t convey how thoroughly the Buckeyes dominated when the game was truly being decided.
Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 23 Georgia 10
A game delayed by the terrorist attack in New Orleans was, as expected, a defensive battle. Notre Dame made the big plays on defense and on special teams. Nursing a 6-3 lead late in the first half, the Irish got a strip-sack fumble and turned it into a gift touchdown. Then, they returned the opening kick of the second half for a score. In the blink of an eye, it was 20-3, and Georgia was chasing for the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs were very close to making it a thriller, launching a couple of late drives that could have made it a one-score game. But the Irish got the stops they needed to. The problem wasn’t Georgia’s reliance on backup quarterback Gunnar Stockton. Going 20/32 for 234 yards, despite being victimized by some bad drops, Stockton played well. But the Irish took away the Dawgs’ running attack, holding Georgia to 62 yards on the ground. That showed up in the big red zone stops that sealed the deal in the fourth quarter.
Riley Leonard really is an “all he does is win” kind of quarterback. He only threw for 90 yards. He ran for 80 yards, which is good, but not overwhelming. But he’s just sneaky good at the most important times. He slips out of tackles on the run. He completes the throws on third down. Even when Georgia had momentum during the second half, Leonard kept making enough plays to keep the Bulldogs at bay. He’s the perfect quarterback for a team that can play defense like this, and Notre Dame just got its biggest win since the Lou Holtz era.
Our semifinal matchups are now set as follows:
Thursday, January 9 (Orange Bowl): Penn State – Notre Dame (7:30 PM ET ESPN)
Friday, January 10 (Cotton Bowl): Ohio State – Texas (7:30 PM ET, ESPN)
We’ll preview those games in this space on Thursday morning. And before that, we’ll be here with an overview of the NFL playoffs, after the bracket gets finalized on Sunday night.