Bowl games part of the holidays

Bowl games part of the holidays

Thanks to a light schedule on the local sports scene between Christmas and New Year's, I took some needed days off to recharge my batteries for the 2007 sports seasons.

And when people asked what did I do with my time off, I answered that I mostly slept. But I also did what most sports fans did, and that was watch the slew of college football bowl games.

I was thrilled to see the Cal Golden Bears run roughshod over Texas A&M to the tune of 45-10 in the Holiday Bowl. I've been a Cal fan since high school, and it's nice to see how coach Jeff Tedford has turned the Bears program into one of the best in the country.

I just hope that some bigger-name school doesn't lure Tedford away with the promise of huge bucks and more prestige. Maybe, with the right group of recruits, Tedford can actually get Cal into a BCS bowl.

Naturally, Cal standout back Marshawn Lynch, after being named the Pac-10 offensive player of the year, decided last week to forgo his senior season and enter this year's NFL draft. Based on how former Cal stud back J.J. Arrington has fared so far in his pro career, I hope this ends up being the right decision for Lynch.

It's worked out pretty well for Aaron Rodgers, who skipped his senior year at Cal and landed a job with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has come a long way from playing at Pleasant Valley High and Butte College, and with Packer legend Brett Favre appearing to be leaning toward retirement, maybe next season
Rodgers will finally get his chance to start after two seasons as a backup, including this year's broken foot mishap.

The other bowl game that provided tremendous entertainment value was the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day between Oklahoma and unbeaten Boise State.

The upstart Broncos had a 28-10 lead and seemed to be on their way to a win, but Oklahoma rallied to tie it on a clutch 2-point conversion pass.

Then Jared Zabransky, Boise State's quarterback, threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown with about a minute left in the game, and it seemed to be over.

The Broncos then tied it on their amazing hook-and-ladder pass and lateral that appeared to stun the Sooners.

In overtime, Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson scored on the first play, but Boise State came back to answer on another trick play, with a receiver throwing the touchdown pass. Zabransky and running back Ian Johnson then perfectly executed the Statue of Liberty play for the 2-point conversion to win it.

An instant classic.

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