On this past Saturday, the 27th of December, 2014, there were some five bowl games. All turned out (for the most part) to be close games. Let’s present a brief recap of the National University HOLIDAY Bowl with the 9-4 Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big Ten West) playing the No. 24 USC Trojans (9-4 Pac 12 South). The game was played at 8 PM ET at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.
This was a close game, but the No. 24 USC Trojans held on to win this wild Bowl game over the Nebraska Cornhuskers 45-42. Yes it was a high scoring game, with the two teams scoring a combined 41 points in the 1st half. Nebraska scored 17 points in the 1st quarter and were scoreless in the 2nd, while USC score 10 points in the 1st and 14 points in the 2nd quarter, thus the game went to half-time USC 24 Nebraska 17. In the 2nd half of the game in the 3rd quarter Nebraska scored 17 points while USC scored 21 points. In the 4th and final quarter, it was anybodies game, as Nebraska scored 8 points and USC went scoreless, as the game ended Nebraska 42 and USC 45.
Statistically the Cornhuskers should have won the game by slim margin, but lost by the same small margin. They had 28-1st downs for 525 total yards with 381 passing and 144 rushing yards with 1 turnover, and had ball possession for some 34:26 minutes of the game, almost 10 minutes more than USC. The Trojans made 22-1st downs for some 515 total yards, with 321 passing and 194 passing yards with 1 turnover, and possessed the ball for 25.34 minutes of this 60 minute game.
Offensively in the game the leader for Nebraska was QB Armstrong, Jr. who completed 32 of 51 passes for 381 yards and 3 touchdowns and no turnovers. RB Abdullah & QB Armstrong, Jr. combined for 39 carries for 129 yards, with Abdullah scoring 1 TD, and Armstrong, Jr. scoring 1 TD. Receivers Pierson & Westerkamp combined for 11 receptions for 183 yards, with Pierson scoring 1 TD and Westerkamp scoring 1 TD.
For the Trojans their offensive leaders were QB Kessler who completed 23 of his 39 passes for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns with no turnovers. RB’s Allen & Davis combined for 30 carries for 197 yards, with Allen scoring 2 touchdowns. RB’s Agholor & Jackson combined for 10 receptions for 163 yards, with Agholor scoring 1 TD and Jackson scoring 1 TD.
The game ended with the Trojans outscoring the Cornhuskers in a game that could have gone either way at the end, as it was a game of 1,040 yards of offense, but Trojans with some excellent freshman on the team, came through for USC, and now it appears they should have a very positive outlook on the Trojans future.
Now football fans who bet on college football and the bowl games at an offshore sportsbook, don’t be dismayed as there are still plenty of Bowl games left in this 2014-15 NCAA Football Bowl Season.