A season that began with such great promise for Notre Dame ended with its sixth-straight bowl loss.
The Irish were undone by the razzle-dazzle of North Carolina State, losing 28-6 in the Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Florida, one of six bowls played on Wednesday.
The 17th-ranked Wolfpack completed the best season in school history behind the play of Philip Rivers and an offense that made Notre Dame look bad for the second straight game.
PHOTO: AP
Rivers completed 13 consecutive passes as N.C. State (11-3) scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, one on a fumblerooski and another set up by a flea-flicker.
The No. 11 Irish (10-3) lost quarterback Carlyle Holiday to a shoulder injury on their second possession and lost their temper with three personal fouls.
Coming off a 5-6 season, Notre Dame won its first eight games under new coach Ty Willingham and started thinking about a record ninth national championship. Instead, the Irish lost three of their last five games -- and the last two were embarrassing.
PHOTO: AP
Notre Dame gave up a school-record 610 yards in a 44-13 loss to Southern California and a defense determined to show that game was a fluke instead looked hapless Wednesday.
Rivers was 23-of-37 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Jerricho Cotchery caught 10 passes for 127 yards. The Wolfpack went 96 and 76 yards on consecutive drives and there was nothing the Irish could do about it. Notre Dame, which allowed 145 points in its first 11 games, gave up 72 points in its last two.
The Wolfpack had never won more than 10 games in a season in their 111-year history, and saw this game -- and this opponent -- as a chance to start putting its program on the map.
On Wednesday night, in Bowl Championship Series games, Oklahoma played Washington State in the Rose Bowl, and Florida State faced Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
Southern California plays Iowa in the Orange Bowl on Thursday, and Miami meets Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship on Friday.
Outback Bowl
No. 12 Michigan 38, No. 22 Florida 30. At Tampa, Florida, Chris Perry became the first player in Michigan's storied history to score four touchdowns in a bowl. The junior tailback also accounted for 193 yards -- 85 rushing and 108 receiving.
His last two touchdowns lifted the Wolverines (10-3) from a two-point deficit to a 35-23 lead in the third quarter, then Michigan held on.
Playing in possibly his last game for Florida (8-5), junior Rex Grossman threw for 323 yards and two scores. With the Gators trailing 38-30 but moving downfield with a minute left, coach Ron Zook called for a trick play from the Michigan 27.
Freshman cornerback-turned-receiver Vernell Brown took the ball on a reverse and, under heavy pressure, lobbed a poor that was intercepted by Victor Hobson to seal the victory.
Cotton Bowl
No. 9 Texas 35, LSU 20. At Dallas, the Texas Longhorns rallied from an early 10-point deficit behind Roy Williams. He turned a short slant into a 51-yard touchdown, went 75 yards after a leaping grab to set up another score and snaked 39 yards for a TD on an end around.
The Longhorns (11-2) trailed 17-7 three minutes into the second quarter, with the defense producing their lone score.
Capital One Bowl
No. 19 Auburn 13, No. 10 Penn St. 9. At Orlando, Florida, Ronnie Brown scored on a 17-yard touchdown run with 2:19 left and outplayed Heisman Trophy finalist Larry Johnson as No. 19 Auburn beat 10th-ranked Penn State.
Brown ran 37 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns and the Tigers (9-4) shut down Penn State's offensive stars for their first bowl win since 1998.
Johnson, who rushed for 2,015 regular-season yards, was limited to 72 yards on 20 carries.
Penn State's four losses came by a total of 20 points, as coach Joe Paterno failed to pad his NCAA record 20 bowl wins after a two-year postseason absence.
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