SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Colt McCoy threw two touchdown passes to tie a single-season record for freshmen and Texas rallied to beat Iowa 26-24 on Saturday in the Alamo Bowl.
McCoy had been cleared to play just a week earlier after suffering a severely pinched nerve in his neck in each of Texas’ last two games – both losses. He also ran 8 yards on fourth down to set up a 2-yard scoring run by Selvin Young early in the fourth quarter that proved to be the game winner.
McCoy, a redshirt freshman, finished 26-for-40 for 308 yards. His 29 touchdown passes this season tied the NCAA freshman record set by Nevada’s David Neill in 1998.
Drew Tate passed for 274 yards and two touchdowns, both to Andy Brodell, for the Hawkeyes (6-7), who lost six of their last seven games.
The Longhorns were heavy favorites in front of an Alamo Bowl record crowd of 65,875 that was mostly a sea of burnt-orange. Texas fans had an easy 70-mile drive from Austin.
But Iowa stunned them by taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and retaking it at 21-20 with 1:08 left in the third when Brodell scored his second touchdown on a 23-yard reception.
Georgia 31, No. 14 Va. Tech 24
ATLANTA – Tony Taylor set up two fourth-quarter touchdowns with interceptions and Georgia rallied from an 18-point deficit to upset No. 14 Virginia Tech 31-24 on Saturday night in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Georgia finished an up-and-down season with three straight victories over ranked teams, a first for the program. The Bulldogs (9-4) salvaged an otherwise disappointing regular season with wins over No. 5 Auburn and No. 16 Georgia Tech.
Taylor’s interceptions gave the senior linebacker seven for the season and helped Georgia rally after Virginia Tech (10-3) led 21-3 at halftime.
Georgia freshman Matthew Stafford threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Martrez Milner in the third quarter and passed to Milner again for a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter that tied the game at 21-21.
Brandon Coutu’s third field goal of the game, from 28 yards, gave Georgia a 24-21 lead. Taylor returned his second interception, on a pass deflected by cornerback Paul Oliver, 15 yards to the Hokies’ 1. Fullback Brannan Southerland scored on a fourth-down run from the 1 for a 31-21 lead.
AP-ES-12-30-06 2331EST
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