60. Ed Foley, Temple
Walk-On’s Independence Bowl
Duke 56, Temple 27
To be fair, Foley was an interim head coach, and he was missing top RB Ryquell Armstead, but he wasn’t able to adapt and adjust like Duke’s David Cutcliffe did. The first half plan was terrific, but after getting up 27-14, the Owls allowed 42 unanswered points.
– 5 Thoughts on the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl
59. Dave Doeren, NC State
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Texas A&M 52, NC State 13
What happened to the defense? NC State was able to hang for a half, and then Doeren’s team was destroyed in the second getting outscored 31-0. For a team that had to throw to win, Ryan Finley throwing for 132 yards wasn’t okay. The Wolfpack strong run D was a disaster, giving up 401 yards and five scores.
58. Charlie Strong, USF
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Marshall 38, USF 20
Ugh. After starting out the season with a 7-0 record, this was a shot at home to pull up from out of the nosedive and avoid closing with a six-game losing streak. The Bulls got down 28-7 and were never really in it – the defense didn’t have any answers.
– 5 Thoughts on the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
57. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Goodyear Cotton Bowl
Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3
Nope. As it turned out, Clemson was the absolute truth, but Kelly’s offense didn’t have any answers, the defense couldn’t get off the field at the end of the first half as the close game slipped away, and the second half became just for show. It was the game that showed just how far Notre Dame really is from being national championship-good.
– 5 Thoughts on the Cotton Bowl
56. Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Appalachian State 45, Middle Tennessee 13
Appalachian State was the better team, but it was also without its head coach. This should’ve been a much, much closer game – especially against an interim head coach. Stockstill’s passing game worked, but the defense didn’t on the way a 38-6 deficit. This now makes if five bowl game losses in the last six for Stockstill.
– 5 Thoughts on the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
55. Justin Wilcox, Cal
Cheez-It Bowl
TCU 10, Cal 7 OT
This was sort of who/what Cal was. No offense, strong defense, and win ugly. The Bears were able to get through their shortcomings to stay alive late, but they couldn’t put any points on the board after the first quarter despite coming up with four picks. Wilcox’s offense gave away five interceptions and managed just 264 yards.
– 5 Thoughts on the Cheez-It Bowl
54. Blake Anderson, Arkansas State
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Nevada 16, Arkansas State 13 OT
How the hell did the Red Wolves lose this? They owned this game almost the entire way, but they needed a late field goal to forced overtime, and they still couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Anderson’s team turned it over three times, but the offense outgained the Wolf Pack 499 yards to 285. The D couldn’t come up with the one fourth quarter stop needed to put this away.
53. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Northwestern 31, Utah 20
Whittingham just doesn’t lose bowl games, so it seemed like this was a lock after a 20-3 halftime lead. It was all working, the defense was fantastic, and the team looked prepared enough to pull off another post-season game. Northwestern adjusted, outscored the Utes 28-0 in the second half, and the year ended with a rough loss.
– 5 Thoughts on the Holiday Bowl
52. Barry Odom, Missouri
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Oklahoma State 38, Missouri 33
Odom’s team was great throughout the SEC season, and it was good enough to deal with Florida, but with an offense built for a shootout, it lost the shootout. The D gave up 21 third quarter points, the O couldn’t rally back in the fourth, and Odom is still looking for a bowl win.
– 5 Thoughts on the Liberty Bowl
51. James Franklin, Penn State
VRBO Citrus Bowl
Kentucky 27, Penn State 24
He kicked the field goal. Actually, Jake Pinegar kicked the field goal, but down 27-21 late in the game, Franklin’s offense – which was rolling after getting down early – had the ball 4th and 14 on the UK 14, and went for three. What happened? The Wildcats ground down the clock to one second.
– 5 Thoughts on the Citrus Bowl
50. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Stanford 14, Pitt 13
Narduzzi’s team outplayed Stanford in almost every way but on the scoreboard. The Panthers struggled to throw, but they outgunned the Cardinal through the air. The ground game more than doubled up Stanford’s attack, the team dominated the time of possession, and didn’t turn the ball over … and lost.
49. Lance Leipold, Buffalo
Dollar General Bowl
Troy 42, Buffalo 32
Again? After collapsing in the MAC Championship to an inferior Northern Illinois team, Buffalo crashed late once again. It was in the game late against Troy, but the D allowed 21 fourth quarter points, turned the ball over four times, and closed out the season with a disappointing thud after a 9-1 start. To make matters worse, Leipold’s star QB Tyree Jackson and WR KJ Osborn are transferring.
– 5 Thoughts on the Dollar General Bowl
48. Jason Candle, Toledo
Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
FIU 35, Toledo 32
It wasn’t the total disaster for Candle and Toledo like last year’s Dollar General Bowl was against Appalachian State, but it was a third straight bowl loss for him and the Rockets. His defense couldn’t come up with a meaningful stop against FIU’s balanced attack.
– 5 Thoughts on the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
47. Billy Napier, Louisiana
AutoNation Cure Bowl
Tulane 41, Louisiana 24
Napier’s Ragin’ Cajuns never got out of the gate, but they kept pushing. Down 24-7, the offense struggled and sputtered, and was outmatched, but it stayed alive – it was a three point game – until the final four minutes.
– 5 Thoughts on the AutoNation Cure Bowl
46. Jay Norvell, Nevada
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Nevada 16, Arkansas State 13 OT
Norvell’s team got horribly outplayed, it blew it in regulation by not coming up with a big stop, and yet … it won. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to work – there just wasn’t enough consistent offense – but the Pack kept on fighting through the issues and inconsistencies to get the job done. Print the hats and t-shirts, and don’t question what happened.
45. Herm Edwards, Arizona State
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
Fresno State 31, Arizona State 20
Edwards didn’t have star receiver N’Keal Harry for an offense that desperately needed a consistent go-to threat. The Sun Devils played well, but after being tied at halftime, the O only scored three points in the second half and the defense didn’t have any answers for the Fresno State ground attack.
– 5 Thoughts on the Mitsubishi Las Vegas Bowl
44. Mike Norvell, Memphis
Birmingham Bowl
Wake Forest 37, Memphis 34
His team couldn’t hold a lead. The Tigers were terrific on the way to a 28-10 first half lead, but were outscored 27-6 the rest of the way. Even with the collapse, they still had a shot, needing just one stop in the final minute, and couldn’t get it. Now, Norvell is 0-for-3 in bowl games.
– 5 Thoughts on the Jared Birmingham Bowl
43. Gary Patterson, TCU
Cheez-It Bowl
TCU 10, Cal 7 OT
The team won. Not every dinner can be your favorite, but sometimes it just needs to get the job done. Patterson got the win despite 28 passing yards and four picks, surviving with a grinding ground game and just enough defense to get through it. A bowl win is a bowl win is a bowl win …
– 5 Thoughts on the Cheez-It Bowl
42. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
Orange Bowl
Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34
Riley’s gameplan didn’t work in the first half – and that was enough. The game got close mostly because Alabama went into a shell in the second half, but there was no prayer of stopping the Tide attack when it had to come up with a scoring drive. The O was able to make it interesting, but the hole was too big to climb out of.
– 5 Thoughts on the Orange Bowl
41. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
Baylor 45, Vanderbilt 38
Baylor had one more home run shot than Vanderbilt. Mason’s defense didn’t have a prayer – allowing 668 yards – and wasn’t able to adjust in the second half. However, the Commodore attack hit on a whole lot of big plays and kept up the pace – almost. In the firefight, Vandy was outscored 14-3 in the final ten minutes.
– 5 Thoughts on the Texas Bowl
