Whilst the first round of the new 12-team College Football Playoff was comprised of mostly one-sided affairs, the quarter finals provided much more excitement, including an epic collapse by the top seed and an all-time classic as the ‘plucky underdog’ refused to lie down.

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FIESTA BOWL
Boise State 14 @ Penn State 31

After easily overcoming SMU in the first round, fans who may have viewed the Mountain West champions Boise State in a similar light might have felt justified after Penn State jumped out to a 14-0 lead in what looked set to be another Playoff rout after the first quarter.

The Penn State defense put all their focus on shutting down the nation’s leading rusher, and Heisman runner-up, Ashton Jeanty but, while it worked initially as the Nittany Lions took charge of the line of scrimmage and plugged all available gaps, Boise State’s talisman still managed to accrue an impressive 104-yards on the ground against a unit that had only allowed one runner to break three figures all season.

With the running game slowed down, Boise QB Maddux Madsen had to work hard to gain traction through the air. His hard-earned 304 yards were impressive against a stout defense, but three interceptions stifled a Broncos comeback that saw them come within seven points in the fourth quarter.

Whilst Boise State struggled to establish the run in the first half, Penn State RB duo Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton found the going a lot easier, finishing the game with 134 and 87 yards respectively. Following a late push by the Broncos, it fell to Singleton to seal the win for Penn State with a 58-yard scoring run.

Penn State head coach James Franklin was pleased with his team’s consistency in all three phases, telling ESPN that ‘we played a complete game. Our offense, defense and special teams, we played complementary football, did some special things.”

PEACH BOWL
Texas 39 @ Arizona State 31 (2OT)

Like Boise State, many viewed Big 12 champions Arizona State as undeserving of a first-round bye. However, the Sun Devils silenced their critics with a dramatic comeback in what would become an all-time classic Playoff game that needed two periods of overtime to determine a winner.

Cam Skattebo did it all for the Sun Devils and became the first player from the losing team to be awarded the game’s offensive MVP accolade in 26 years. Skattebo finished the game with 99 yards receiving, 143 yards and two TDs on the ground and a 42-yard passing touchdown — all while requiring fluids and vomiting profusely between plays. Ultimately, however, it wasn’t enough to see Arizona State progress to the Cotton Bowl.

Texas looked in control through the majority of regulation, with Quinn Ewers finding DeAndre Moore Jr for a 23-yard score, which was quickly followed by another on a 75-yard punt return by Silas Bolden. However, Longhorns fans found themselves biting their nails as Arizona State pulled level after scoring two touchdowns and converting both two-point conversions within the final seven minutes.

Texas could have won the game in regulation, but Bert Auburn’s 38-yard field goal attempt bounced off the upright as time expired, sending the game to overtime. Both teams scored touchdowns on their respective possessions of the first period before Ewers found Matthew Golden — who finished the game with 149 yards receiving — for a touchdown on the first play of the second phase. The Sun Devils were unable to respond in kind as Andrew Mukuba picked off Sam Leavitt’s pass, allowing Texas to hold on for the win and avoid what would have been the biggest upset of the weekend.

ROSE BOWL
Ohio State 41 @ Oregon 21

The Buckeyes came into this game with a chip on their shoulders the size of Ohio having lost to Big 10 new boys Oregon by a single point back in October. Neutrals hoping for an all-time classic Rose Bowl clash, however, will therefore have been disappointed as the game was all but over after a resurgent Ohio State asserted their dominance with 34 unanswered points before half-time, allowing head coach Ryan Day to bury the narrative that he chokes in big games by effectively choking the life out of Dan Lanning’s Ducks.

Oregon’s offense, which has been a dynamic and efficient point-scoring machine all season, could not get going at all. A late fourth quarter 27-yard Traeshon Holden touchdown grab from a pinpoint Dillon Gabriel pass was scant consolation as the Ducks still found themselves with a 20-point deficit.

Jeremiah Smith was the star of the show for the Buckeyes, with the Oregon secondary finding it near impossible to cover him. Smith finished with an incredible 187 yards receiving whilst pulling in two touchdown catches. QB Will Howard was also impressive throughout, with 319 yards and three touchdowns to his credit, but the Buckeyes were also dominant on the ground, with RB tandem TreVeyon Henderson (94 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries) and Quinshon Judkins (85 yards) helping the victors amass well over 500 yards of total offense.

Following the game, Lanning acknowledged the Duck’s deficiencies, stating “we really didn’t have the ability to stop them, and we didn’t have the ability to get something going for us on offense. We haven’t faced a lot of moments like this all year. (Ohio State) is an unbelievable team.”

Ohio State were unbelievable and looked every bit the best team in college football. They will look to drive that point home when they face Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

SUGAR BOWL
Georgia 10 @ Notre Dame 23

The Sugar Bowl, postponed for 24 hours following the New Year’s Eve terror attack in New Orleans that claimed the lives of 15 people, had a lot to live up to after the week’s earlier games, and both Georgia sophomore QB Gunner Stockton — making his first college start after replacing an injured Carson Beck in the SEC championship game — and Notre Dame counterpart Riley Leonard struggled to move the ball against strong defensive showings in the first half.

Georgia’s biggest play of the half was a pass down the sideline to Arian Smith for 66 yards, but the Bulldogs were brought back 15 yards for a sideline interference penalty as an inactive player collided with an official as he tried to keep up with the play. The period then ended in dramatic fashion as Stockton’s arm was hit by R.J. Oben and with the loose ball being pounced on by Junior Tuihalamaka, allowing Leonard, who only totalled 68 yards through the air for the half, to hit Beaux Collins on the next play for a 13-yard touchdown that gave the Irish a 13-3 lead heading into the interval.

The second half kicked off with a bang as Jayden Harrison went the distance on the return increasing the lead to 20-3. Georgia fought back and, after a big drop by Dylan Bell, Stockton hit walk-on Cash Jones for a 32-yard score to pull the Bulldogs back into the game. A pass interference call in front of the endzone gave the Bulldogs an opportunity to make further inroads into Notre Dame’s advantage, but Stockton’s fourth down pass sailed over Lawson Luckie’s head, giving the ball back to the Irish.

Marcus Freeman then demonstrated his creativity to keep possession, substituting the entire special teams unit for the offense on fourth down and causing a confused Georgia defense, who had just rushed onto the field, to jump offside with a delayed snap count.

Soon after, Leonard demonstrated his physicality and determination, running towards the sideline and leaping head first over the defender for another crucial first down. “Whatever it takes to win,” Leonard — who led his team with 65 rushing yards — said afterwards.

Georgia found themselves with the near-impossible task of overcoming a 13-point deficit with two minutes left and no timeouts in their pocket. Donovan Hinish iced the game with a fourth down sack of Stockton, earning Notre Dame their 13th win of the season, the most in programme history, as they head to Miami to face Penn State in the Orange Bowl.

(Bracket image courtesy NCAA)