Three Tuesday college football games – one was called in the first quarter, one was an unexpected rout for Minnesota over Georgia Tech, and defense took over as TCU edged California in OT

By Arnie Leshin

The three Wednesday college football bowl games all had their own way along the gridiron.

To start with, let’s begin with the Servopro Bowl played at historic Cotton Bowl in Dallas. It didn’t last long, not everyone worked up a sweat, but with 5:08 remaining in the first quarter and Boston College holding a 7-0 edge against Boise State, the referee blew his whistle and notified both sidelines, the fans, and the public address announcer, that the game was over, canceled.

Everyone was able to see and hear what the severe weather had brought. The lightening was loud and scary, and the updated weather report let it be known that heavy rain was expected, perhaps a rainbow, too.

An email was forwarded and said it was believed to be the first bowl canceled by weather. Back in 1941, the second postseason game that year against San Jose State was canceled because of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Prior to the announcement, fans had begun returning to their seats after severe storms rolled through the area near downtown Dallas. Lightening strikes near the stadium continued intermittently for three hours after the initial delay, and more storms were expected.

Boston College scored, but it stood as a even-steven with no winner, just a short period of football mixed with nasty weather. BC finished at 7-5 and Boise State at 10-3.

Then came the middle game between Minnesota and Georgia Tech at the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.

It figured to be a close contest, but the red-hot Gophers got over the .500 mark at 7-6 and struck quickly. On their first possession, redshirt freshmen Mohamed Ibrahim ran up the middle for a 20-yard TD and the extra point made it 7-0.

It was the finale for the Ramblin Wrecks’ head coach Paul Johnson, and it didn’t go well for him as Tech wound up at 7-6. He had been there for 14 years after being in the same role with Navy for six seasons.

Minnesota upped its lead to 13-0 early in the second quarter on an 18-yard touchdown pass Tyler Johnson. The Gophers also fit in a pair of field goals, and Ibrahim’s 3-yard scamper into the end zone made it 20-3.

Meanwhile, Minnesota limed Tech to 206 yards along the ground, and Johnson’s offense through the game and throughput his career, was just that, until it went to the air in desperation. It followed that with a 20-yard TD run, but the Gophers responded with a tally on the ground from Ibrahim, and a pass into the end zone from Tanner Morgan to Johnson.

It was the fourth win in the last five games for Minnesota.

The day’s finale was a defensive clash matching TCU and California in the Cheez-It-Bowl in Phoenix, and this one went to overtime before the Horned Frogs prevailed 10-7 to wind up at 7-6 and the Golden Bears finished with the same record.

In regulation, TCU failed on a Jonathan Song 44-yard field goal try. This after California called a time out to ice the kicker, the Horned Frogs switched kickers and this one by Cole Bunson was one went wide left. TCU’s Juwuan Johnston almost intercepted Chase Forrest’s pass to open the OT, and TCU was called for sideline interference on the play.

Then the Horned Frogs went for the field goal again and Jonathan Song stayed in this time and made good on a 39-yard field goal straight through the goal posts to end a crazy night in the desert.