Eye Catchers
JOHNNY MANZIEL
Freshman QB, Texas A&M
The Heisman winner brought his special year to a fitting end: a Cotton Bowl--record 516 yards of total offense (including an FBS bowl record 229 rushing by a QB) in a 41--13 rout of Oklahoma.
DE'ANTHONY THOMAS
Soph. RB, Oregon
In last year's Rose Bowl, Thomas had 155 yards and two TDs on two rushes. In a 35--17 Fiesta Bowl win over Kansas State, he took the opening kickoff 94 yards, gained 195 total yards and scored twice.
ALEX OKAFOR
Senior DE, Texas
Oregon State led 27--17 after three quarters, but the Longhorns, led by Okafor (eight tackles and an Alamo Bowl--record 4½ sacks), allowed minus-four yards in the fourth to prevail 31--27.
KERWYNN WILLIAMS
Senior RB, Utah St.
The Aggies beat Toledo 41--15 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl behind Williams's three TDs and bowl-season best 235 yards, which computes to a staggering 13.1 yards per carry.
KYLE VAN NOY
Junior OLB, BYU
The Cougars scored three touchdowns in their 23--6 Poinsettia Bowl win over San Diego State—Van Noy had two of them. With his end zone fumble recovery and pick six he had eight tackles and 1½ sacks.
JADEVEON CLOWNEY
Soph. DE, South Carolina
Clowney's demolition of running back Vincent Smith overshadowed SC's last-second 33--28 Outback Bowl defeat of Michigan. Anyone who hasn't seen the hit should go to YouTube right now.
LONNIE PRYOR
Senior FB, Florida State
He finished the regular season with only 242 yards, but in a 31--10 win Pryor torched Northern Illinois for 134 on five carries in the Orange Bowl—including TD runs of 60 and 37.
QUENTIN WILLIAMS
Senior DE, Northwestern
The 6' 4" 255-pounder returned a pick 29 yards for a TD on the third play of the Gator Bowl, setting the tone for a 34--20 victory over Mississippi State—the Wildcats' first bowl win since 1949.
TEDDY BRIDGEWATER
Soph. QB, Louisville
His stats weren't gaudy (266 yards, two TDs), but Bridgewater's Sugar Bowl was a gem. He filleted Florida's top-ranked pass efficiency defense in one of the biggest upsets (No. 22 over No. 4) in BCS history.
DEANDRE HOPKINS
Junior WR, Clemson
The 191 receiving yards and two touchdowns he racked up against LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl included a 26-yard grab on fourth-and-16 to set up the decisive field goal in a 25--24 victory.
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JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (MANZIEL)
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DOUG PENSINGER/GETTY IMAGES (THOMAS)
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ROBERT BACKMAN/CAL SPORT MEDIA (OKAFOR)
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STEVE CONNER/ICON SMI (K. WILLIAMS)
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KEVIN REECE/ICON SMI (VAN NOY)
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JIM DEDMON/ICON SMI (CLOWNEY)
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JC RIDLEY/CAL SPORT MEDIA (PRYOR)
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STEPHEN MORTON/AP (Q. WILLIAMS)
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CRYSTAL LOGIUDICE/USA TODAY SPORTS (BRIDGEWATER)
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CURTIS COMPTON/MCT/ZUMAPRESS.COM (HOPKINS)