Belk Bowl/Holiday Bowl

The most Belking bowl game ever.  This was supposed to be a game that favored U.C. but another coach departure, the No. 1 story of bowl season, would come into play. 

U.C. vs. Duke

Butch Jones left his head coaching job at Cincinnati after the regular season and took some of his assistants with him.  It's the third time in less than 10 years this has happened at U.C.  The fans are complaining again about coaching loyalty yet students and alums regularly don't show up for games.  How's that for loyalty?  Maybe if U.C. could fill its stadium on a regular basis they might convince a coach to stay longer than three years.  Done soap boxing.

Well, the coaching bereft Bearcats weren't ready for the punch Duke threw at them in the first quarter, rolling up a bunch of yards on the ground and grabbing a 16-0 lead.  Blame all the departed coaches you want but the players didn't forget how to tackle. 

U.C. woke up in the second quarter, remembered how to play football and wound up leading 17-16 at the half.  This also happened in the second quarter. 

Will Monday with maybe the best play of the bowl season.  79 yards, turned left and ended at the one.  But being Duke, they let the Bearcats pinned back at their one to storm down the field in a few plays to score.

Having to work early on the air again, I only made it through the third quarter with the score 27-24 favoring U.C.  Too bad I couldn't stay awake.  A wild finish with the Bearcats scoring two touchdowns in the final 44 seconds including an 83 yard touchdown and a then an pick six.

Four turnovers for Duke, none for U.C., there's your game. 

48-34 U.C.

Game notes:

-Credit to U.C. for overcoming that awful first quarter.  They could have packed it in but the make shift coaching staff didn't let it happen.  Maybe they reminded the players the knew how to play football and Duke stinks.

-Tommy Tuberville did show up in the ESPN booth, wearing something he evidently picked up before Chess King went out of business.

That jacket appears to be made of pleather and part of the Burt Reynold's Sharky Machine collection. I half expected Tuberville to leave that interview for another about halfway through.

-Bowl swag:  Teams get a shopping trip to a Belk department store. And the Fossil watch. Who wears these things? A lot of Fossil watches are given away this time of year.  Maybe someone can find a pleather blazer like Tuberville's on sale at Belk.

-This was Duke's first trip to a bowl game since 1995.  They haven't won a bowl game since 1961, so that streak continues.

This game was the Belkiest of Belk Bowls.  I had U.C. to win with high confidence points, so thanks for the comeback Bearcats.

Boy #1 took in at least a quarter of this one to keep the BowlQuest alive.  I was out cold readying myself to talk to Bootsy Collins on the radio.  (He never says much but is a nice guy. Wears a lot of cologne.  A lot.)

UCLA vs. Baylor

An all Bear match-up of mascots and the Bears beat the Bruins 49-26 in a stinker following a riveting Belk Bowl.  They really Belked it up.  This game also has kept its logo intact, mistake.  Worst logo of all Bowl Games.

I had UCLA in this one but with very low confidence points, thankfully.  Record drops to 7-4.

Three games today and then five tomorrow including Michigan State late, really late.  This stretch will test the BowlQuest mettle.