The great thing about bowl season is it lets fans check in on programs they may not have watched much during the regular season. With 86 teams participating across 43 exhibitions, and little else to do but veg out on football, this seems like a good time for a little peer review. On Thursday, Miami fans weighed the cost of Mario Cristobal’s buyout, Brent Venables reminded us that he hates offense — even if it’s his own — and some starting-caliber QBs gave us a sneak peek for next season.
Rutgers gets its first-ever win against the U
Former Big East foes Miami and Rutgers met in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium for a sloppy affair. The Hurricanes were without quarterbacks Tyler Van Dyke (portal), and Emory Williams, who temporarily replaced Van Dyke during the Canes’ annual swoon until a season-ending injury.
Enter sophomore Jacurri Brown of Valdosta, Georgia. His first start of the season looked like it, and even after gaining a little momentum, the coaching staff buried the U offense in a heap of conservative calls. After falling down by 14 early, Miami scored 17 unanswered, got a stop, and had the ball early in the second half with a chance to build on a lead.
The ’Canes proceeded to go three and out, and the Scarlet Knights predictably smothered a wide receiver screen on third-and-6. The Knights blocked the ensuing punt and recovered it for six to retake control, 21-17. Greg Schiano never looked back, and Rutgers — who never beat Miami while in the Big East — rumbled to its first win against the Hurricanes in 12 tries.
On the other sideline, UM head coach Mario Cristobal is 12-13 in the first two seasons of his 10-year, $80 million deal.
Brent Venables, ready to ruin another quarterback
Freshman QB Jackson Arnold got the nod for Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl with Dillon Gabriel back in the portal. It’s not that Arnold played particularly bad, or that Oklahoma had trouble moving the ball. The Sooners totaled 562 yards of offense — and six giveaways, as evidenced by this Arizona turnover cactus brimming with skewered footballs.
Nothing says welcome to a Brent Venables offense like your highly touted QB accounting for four turnovers in his first start. During a game of runs, it was Arizona and QB Noah Fifita who got hot last, scoring 25 straight — with the help of a pick-six — to flip a 13-24 deficit into a 38-24 win.
The Wildcat quarterback has been disgusting since taking over the starting job, going 7-2 with wins over Utah, UCLA, Oregon State, and now No. 12 Oklahoma.
Speaking of young flamethrowers to watch out for …
Behold: Starting-ish quarterbacks in bowl games
If you’re scouting ahead for next year, Boston College’s Thomas Castellanos and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson (no, not that one) are names to remember. The duo moonlights as escape artists, giving opposing defenses nightmares and shin splints.
Castellanos led the Golden Eagles to their first postseason win since 2016, with a 23-14 W over No. 24 SMU in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl. The BC sophomore officially eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing on the season, running for 156 and two scores, including this pretty finish.
If he can be a little more protective of the ball in the passing game, BC will be more than just fun to watch next year.
Over at the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, K-State true freshman Johnson showed why former starting QB Will Howard entered the transfer portal. The coveted recruit threw for 178, ran for 71, added three totals TDs, and didn’t turn it over in his first career start, a 28-19 victory over NC State.
And now, the true meaning of Bowl Season
May I present our new lord and savior: The edible Pop-Tart mascot. He’s here, giant toaster in tow, to sacrifice himself at the altar of breakfast novelties.
The real winners of bowl season, as always, are the commercial sponsors.
Original source here
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