UGA earns Liberty bid; Tech to Independence

By Doug Roberson

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

How does Memphis or Shreveport, La., sound, local college football fans?

Georgia (6-6) will face 25th-ranked Central Florida (10-3) in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31 in Memphis, a game featuring two highly rated freshmen quarterbacks. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. and ESPN will televise the game.

Georgia Tech (6-6) will play Air Force (8-4) in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 27 in Shreveport, a pairing offering two option teams. Kickoff is 5 p.m., with ESPN2 broadcasting the affair.

And South Carolina (9-4) will face Florida State (9-4) in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on Dec. 31 at the Georgia Dome. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. and the game, one of three non-BCS bowls featuring two ranked teams, will be televised by ESPN.

Elsewhere, Auburn (13-0) and Oregon (12-0) will meet in the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz. The game, which features fast-paced teams with powerful option offenses, kicks off at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN. It marks the fifth consecutive season that an SEC team has played for the national championship, with the conference winning the past four titles.

In other BCS games:

Rose Bowl: Wisconsin (11-1), Big Ten co-champion, will play undefeated TCU (12-0). The Badgers have topped 70 points and 80 points this season.

Orange Bowl: Stanford (11-1), led by quarterback Andrew Luck, will take on Virginia Tech (11-2), the ACC champion featuring quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Sugar Bowl: Arkansas (10-2), with its high-powered offense led by quarterback Ryan Mallett, will play Ohio State (11-1), which features one of the nation’s best defense.

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma (11-2), Big 12 champion, will take on Connecticut (8-4), the Big East champion, and making its BCS game debut. The Sooners have lost their previous five BCS games.

Georgia has made two previous trips to the Liberty Bowl. The Bulldogs lost to North Carolina State 14-7 in 1967 and defeated Arkansas 20-17 in 1987. The Knights, champions of Conference USA, are led by former Georgia Tech coach George O’Leary. The bowl will mark the second time Georgia and Central Florida have met, with the Bulldogs winning the 1999 meeting 24-23. Georgia is 26-16-3 in bowls. The Bulldogs will play in their 46th bowl, the sixth-highest total of any team.

“When you go 6-6 and you’re in a bowl game, you’re thinking you might get an opponent you feel real comfortable with; but I’ll tell you what, when you play a champion, period, championship teams know how to win,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

The Bulldogs are led by freshman quarterback Aaron Murray, who has passed for 2,851 yards and 24 touchdowns this season. Central Florida quarterback Jeff Godfrey has passed for 2,042 yards and 13 touchdowns; he also has rushed for 546 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Georgia Tech is 3-0 against Air Force, with the last meeting in 1979. However, Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson is familiar with the Falcons. His teams went 5-1 against Air Force when he was the Navy coach. The Falcons run an option offense that averages 317.9 rushing yards per game. The Jackets’ spread option averages an FBS-best 327 rushing yards per game.

“There might not be any TV breaks,” Johnson said. “It might be a fast game.”

Johnson said it was too early to know if quarterback Joshua Nesbitt, who broke his arm in the loss to Virginia Tech on Nov. 4, will be able to play.

The Yellow Jackets have a five-game losing streak in bowls, but are 22-18 overall and will play in their 14th consecutive bowl. They have not appeared in the Independence Bowl. The school is offering tickets for $14 to the first 5,000 purchasers. The special price lasts until Dec. 12. Tech has an allotment of 10,000 tickets.

“We are excited to have chance to come play in the game,” Johnson said. “I’ve heard nothing but good things about playing in the Independence Bowl. We finished with a tough loss and look forward to having a chance to play another game.”

The Chick-fil-A Bowl will feature the losers of the ACC and SEC championship games. The No. 19 Gamecocks were defeated by Auburn 56-17 at the Georgia Dome on Saturday. The No. 23 Seminoles lost to Virginia Tech 44-33 in Charlotte on Saturday.

Florida State is 15-3 against South Carolina, but the teams haven’t played since 1991. This is the first time the Chick-fil-A Bowl has been able to pair the conference runner-ups.

“Neither one of us played our best in our championship game and we are both desperately trying to finish the year with a victory,” Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said.