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The Sports Ledger
January 2022
Arkansas wins 2022 Outback Bowl
By Brandon K. Pierce The Sports Ledger For some college football programs, playing in a New Year’s Day Bowl game is just another day on the gridiron. However, after missing the opportunity for the past 22 years, the University of Arkansas showed why this year’s team belonged in the 2022 Outback Bowl with an impressive 24-10 victory over Penn State on Saturday, January 1. The win marked the Razorbacks’ first New Year’s Day bowl game victory since the 2000 Cotton Bowl, which resulted in a 27-6 win over Texas. It was alsoArkansas’ first bowl game since a 45- 23 win over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2, 2016. Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson called it a “surreal” experience following the game. “I'm just embracing it all,” said Jefferson who was named the 2022 Outback Bowl MVP. “The guys, I mean, my teammates who just put in the work, fall camp, spring ball, believing in the coaching staff, believing in each other, the bond we share. We're just embracing it all. We can reflect back on it and tell our kids or other family members we did this, accomplished this during this season.” Jefferson completed December 17, 2021 Bahamas Bowl The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Toledo 31-24. Nicholas Vattiato had 270 yards passing and two touchdowns. Cure Bowl Quarterback Grayson McCall passed for 315 yards and four touchdowns to lead Coastal Carolina to a 47-41 win over Northern Illinois. Teammate Braydon Bennett rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns. December 18, 2021 Boca Raton Bowl Baily Zappe passed for 422 yards and six touchdowns to leadWestern Kentucky to a 59-38 win over Appalachian State. Chase Brice had 317 yards passing and four touchdowns in the loss. Celebration Bowl The South Carolina State Bulldogs rolled to a 31-10 victory over Jackson State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta. Corey Fields had 166 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in the win. New Mexico Bowl The Fresno State Bulldogs picked up a 31-24 victory over UTEP to improve to 10-3. Jake Haener passed for 286 yards and a touchdown, while teammate Jordan Mims rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
He is the first Arkansas quarterback to rush for over 100 yards in a game since former quarterback Matt Jones did so in 2004 against Ole Miss (126 yards). However, it was not a perfect game for Jefferson. He was intercepted for the first time since October 9 at Ole Miss, and just the fourth time all season, ending a streak of 171 consecutive passes without an interception, the second- longest streak in program history. Penn State’s defense also recorded fives sacks in the game, including three by Smith Vilbert. The win also marked the first time since 2014 that Arkansas has won a game when throwing for under 100 yards (90). As a team, the Razorback’s rolled up a season-high 361 rushing yards, which is the most that Penn State has allowed all season. The 361 rushing yards is the second highest output in Outback Bowl history, trailing Wisconsin’s 400 yards in 2015. Arkansas also rushed for 21 first downs, which is an Outback Bowl record. Raheim Sanders ran for 79 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns for the second straight game, bringing his total to five on the season. He is the first Arkansas freshman to score five rushing touchdowns in a year since Kody Walker in 2011. Dominique Johnson Independence Bowl UAB rolled up 412 total yards to earn a 31-28 victory over No. 12 BYU. Dylan Hopkins passed for three touchdowns and an interception. UAB's Dewayne McBride rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Allgeier led BYU with 192 yards and three touchdowns. LendingTree Bowl Malik Willis passed for 231 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 58 yards and two scores, to help lead Liberty to a 56-20 victory over Eastern Michigan in Mobile. Ben Bryant passed for 200 yards in the loss for the Eagles. LA Bowl Utah State improved to 11-3 overall with a 24-13 win over Oregon State. Cooper Legas led Utah State with 171 yards passing, two touchdowns, and one interception. New Orleans Bowl Louisiana scored 20 fourth quarter points to defeat Marshall 36-21. Levi Lewis passed for 270 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 74 yards to lead Louisiana (13-1) to the win. December 20, 2021 Myrtle Beach Bowl Tulsa rolled to a 30-17 victory over Old Dominion. Davis Brin passed for 285 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Tulsa Teammate Shamari Brooks rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, Alabama Ledger
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Arkansas Quarterback KJ Jefferson attempts a pass during the 2022 Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL.
“To be Outback Bowl Champions with nine wins, I'm really, really proud of our team with what we've accomplished,” said Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman. ”We play in a heck of
belongs, and we're starting to prove that.” Overall, Pittman said the Outback Bowl was a tremendous experience for his program. “The University of
competed,” he said.
touchdown of the game. “Got to give Arkansas credit, got to give them credit. Obviously, we didn't play well enough to win,” said Penn State Coach James Franklin. “We'll get back after
Sean Clifford led Penn State with 195 yards passing and 47 yards rushing. As a team the Nittany Lions only rushed for 125 total yards in the Outback Bowl. KeAndrea Lambert-
14-of-19 passes for 90 yards and ran the football 20 times for a career-high 110 yards and a touchdown. College Football Bowl Game Results was second on the team rushing for 85 yards on 11 carries. a league. I said it a long time ago, we're in the SEC West, right where Arkansas Arkansas is just so happy to have been a part of the 2022 Outback Bowl. Very proud of our players, the way they Smith had 74 yards receiving and he caught Penn State’s only break, get back for the start of next semester and get to work.”
Cheez-It Bowl The Clemson Tigers finished the year at 10-3 after a 20-13 win over Iowa State at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL Alamo Bowl Oklahoma finished the season at 11-2 following a 47-32 victory over Oregon. Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams passed for 242 yards and three touchdowns. Oregon's Anthony Brown also had three scores and 306 passing yards. December 30, 2021 Duke's Mayo Bowl Sam Howell passed for 205 yards and a touchdown to lead South Carolina past in-state rival North Carolina 38-21 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. Music City Bowl A controversial call in overtime helped Purdue hold off Tennessee for a 48-45 victory in Nashville. Aidan O'Connell led Purdue with 534 yards passing, and five touchdowns. He threw three interceptions. Hendon Hooker passed for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns for the Volunteers. Peach Bowl Payton Thorne passed for 354 yards and three touchdowns to help lead Michigan State to a 31-21 victory over Pittsburgh. Las Vegas Bowl Despite a scoreless second half, the Wisconsin Badgers held on for a 20-13 victory over Arizona State. December 31, 2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Wake Forest was originally set to face Texas A&M, but COVID forced the Aggies to cancel. Rutgers took their place, but could not keep up with Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons rolled to a 38-10 Gator Bowl victory.
Sun Bowl Central Michigan defeated Washington State 24-21. Arizona Bowl Canceled due to COVID Cotton Bowl Top Ranked Alabama dominated No. 4 Cincinnati 27-6 to advance to the 2022 National Championship. Brian Robinson, Jr. paced the Crimson Tide with 198 rushing yards. Bryce Young passed for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Orange Bowl No. 3 Georgia whipped Michigan 34-11 at Hard Rock Stadium to set up a rematch against Alabama in the 2022 National Title Game. UGA quarterback Stetson Bennett led the Bulldogs with 310 yards and three touchdowns. January 1, 2022 Citrus Bowl The Kentucky Wildcats picked up a New Year's Day 20-17 victory over Iowa at Camping World Stadium. Fiesta Bowl No. 9 Oklahoma State outscored No. 5 Notre Dame 23-7 in the second half to pick up a 37-35 win. Spencer Sanders led OSU with 354 yards passing and three touchdowns. He also had 125 yards rushing. Jack Coan led the Fighting Irish with 509 passing yards and five touchdowns. Rose Bowl Ohio State picked up a 48-45 victory over Utah. CJ Stroud had 573 yards, 6 touchdowns and one interception. Allstate Sugar Bowl Ole Miss fell to Baylor 21-7 in the Sugar Bowl. January 4, 2022 Texas Bowl Kansas State whipped LSU 42-20 in Houston, TX.
December 25, 2021 Camellia Bowl Georgia State (8-5) picked up a 51-20 Christmas Day Bowl victory over Ball State. Darren Grainger passed for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Michigan rolled to a 52-24 win over Nevada. Kaleb Eleby had 162 yards passing and two touchdowns. Sean Tyler ran for 146 yards. Jaxson Kincaide had 105 yards and two touchdowns. Military Bowl Canceled due to COVID December 27, 2021 Quick Lane Bowl Western December 28, 2021 Birmingham Bowl The Auburn Tigers fell to Houston 17-13. First Responder Bowl Haaziq Daniels passed for 252 yards and two scores to lead Air Force to a 31-28 victory over Louisville. Liberty Bowl Texas Tech held Miss State to only 7 points for a 34-7 victory in the 2021 Liberty Bowl. Donovan Smith led Texas Tech with 252 yards passing and a touchdown, and he rushed for 30 yards and a score. Holiday Bowl Canceled due to COVID Guaranteed Rate Minnesota finished the year at 9-4 with a 18-6 victory over West Virginia. Ky Thomas rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown. December 29, 2021 Fenway Bowl Canceled due to COVID Pinstripe Bowl Taulia Tagovailoa had 265 passing yards and two scores to lead Maryland past Virgina Tech, 54-10.
December 21, 2021 Idaho Potato Bowl The 2021 Idaho Potato Bowl had more than 1,000 yards of total offense, including 656 yards by Kent State. However, that was not enough to defeat Wyoming as the Cowboys rolled to 52-38 victory. Levi Williams led Wyoming with 200 yards rushing and four touchdowns and 127 yards passing with one score. Kent State's Dustin Crum had 265 yards passing and four touchdowns. Frisco Bowl San Diego State defeated UTSA 38-24. Lucas Johnson led the way with 333 yards passing and three touchdowns. December 22, 2021 Armed Forces Bowl Despite 433 total yards, including 238 yards passing from Brady Cook, the Missouri Tigers fell to Army 24-22. Army had 306 yards in the win. December 23, 2021 Frisco Classic Miami (Ohio) beat North Texas 27-14. Brett Gabbert had 230 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. Gasparilla Bowl UCF outscored instate rival Florida 20-7 in the second to half to rally for a 29-17 victory over the Gators. Isaiah Bowser led UCF with 155 yards and two touchdowns on 35 rushing attempts. Teammate Ryan O'Keefe also reach double digits with 110 yards rushing on four attempts. Knights quarterback Mikey Keene passed for 144 yards and one touchdown in the win. Emory Jones led Florida with 171 yards passing. December 24, 2021 Hawai'i Bowl Canceled due to COVID
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