Gator Bowl

Michigan (8-3) vs. Mississippi (9-2)What: The 46th annual Mazda Gator Bowl matches Big Ten Michigan vs. Mississippi of the Southeastern Conference. The schools are meeting for the first time.Where: Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, Fla.When: 11:30 a.m.TV: ESPNMichigan outlook: QB Elvis Grbac runs the offense and has completed 139 of 241 for 1,615 yards and 17 touchdowns. Junior TB Jon Vaughn is the leading rusher with 1,236 yards on 201 carries for 6.1 yards per carry and 112.3 yards per game. WR Desmond Howard is the top receiver with 57 receptions for 858 yards and 15.1 yards per catch.

              BOWL DATE TIME LOCATION CONFERENCE TIES PROJECTION BUZZ New Mexico D. 18 2-a Albuquerque, N.M. MWC vs. WAC BYU vs. Temple Look out for Owls' rushing tandem of Matt Brown and Bernard Pierce. Humanitarian D. 18 5:30-a Boise, Idaho MAC vs. WAC Ohio vs. Fresno State It's back-to-back bowls for the Bobcats.

Maryland has never lost a Gator Bowl. The Terps are 2-0-1 in games in Jacksonville, Fla. Jan. 1, 1948: Maryland 20, Georgia 20 - The Terrapins blew a late 20-7 lead against the Bulldogs, who had the ball on Maryland's 4-yard line as time ran out. Lu Gambino, a future Baltimore Colt, rushed for 175 yards and scored three touchdowns for Maryland, 7-2-2 under first-year coach Jim Tatum. Jan. 1, 1950: Maryland 20, Missouri 7 - Bob Shemonski ran for two touchdowns, and Ed Modzelewski ran for one as the Terps finished 9-1, their best record in 57 years.

SUGAR BOWL: No. 5 Florida 51, No. 4 Cincinnati 24 CAPITAL ONE BOWL: No. 11 Penn St. 19, No. 13 LSU 17 PG 4 GATOR BOWL: Florida State 33, No. 18 West Virginia 21 PG 4 OUTBACK BOWL: Auburn 38, Northwestern 35, OT PG 4

A couple of Poly grads will be on opposite sides of the field in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 30.Antonio Freeman, second-team All-Big East Conference as a kick returner, will conclude his career at Virginia Tech. Also a split end, Freeman holds school career and single-season records for touchdown catches.Greg Kyler, a freshman wide receiver for Tennessee, hasn't played this season and will be a red-shirt unless injuries force the Vols to use him in the Gator. Kyler is certain to be on the sideline with an eye on Freeman even if he isn't in uniform.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Maryland football team bid farewell to mediocrity last night, and said hello to the Gator Bowl. The Terps (8-3) were able to overcome problems that have hindered them all season, such as lack of offensive consistency, playmakers and leadership in a thrilling 26-24 come-from-behind win over N.C. State (7-5). All season, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen had questioned his ability to reach his team's soul, but last night he found answers, and the Terps found a new identity.

COLLEGE PARK - After a day of worry and suspense, Maryland's football team got to breathe a sigh of relief yesterday when officials from the Gator Bowl formally extended the Terps an offer to play in the Jan. 1 game in Jacksonville, Fla. Maryland (8-3, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), which quickly accepted, had hoped to secure an offer from the Gator Bowl's nine-member committee on Sunday, the day after the Terps' dramatic, 26-24 victory at N.C. State. But when that didn't happen, Terps coach Ralph Friedgen and athletic director Debbie Yow began to worry about a repeat of last season, when the Gator Bowl passed over Maryland and invited N.C. State.

COLLEGE PARK -- As quarterback Oscar Davenport strolled off the field, a crowd of about 200 North Carolina fans feverishly chanted, "Oscar! Oscar!" and snapped photos of this year's Tar Heels hero. A few steps ahead of Davenport, Chris Keldorf, the Tar Heels' starter last year when he was the All-Atlantic Coast Conference choice, walked into the locker room seemingly unnoticed.In the most-talked-about quarterback controversy in college football today, Davenport is hot. Keldorf is not."It's a great situation for us," North Carolina Mack Brown said.

COLLEGE PARK - The less Scott McBrien has to say, the more Ralph Friedgen likes his chances against West Virginia in the Gator Bowl next month. And so, with Maryland's football team resuming practices this week in preparation for the Terps' Jan. 1 game with the Mountaineers, Friedgen gave the media one last chance to speak to McBrien. Starting today, the Terps' quarterback is off limits. "I'd rather put the onus on me than put Scott in a tough situation," Friedgen said. "I'm not worried about whether Scott can handle it, I just don't want Scotty to be bombarded with questions when he's getting ready to play a game."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - With several NFL coaching positions open, Ralph Friedgen's name has come up repeatedly. Asked yesterday about the rumors, the Maryland coach repeatedly said that he was happy. He did say, however, that he wouldn't mind a raise. Friedgen has eight years remaining on a 10-year, $12 million contract he signed in 2001. "I'm happy at Maryland," Friedgen said. "I'm very happy here. I've been to the NFL. I like where I'm at. I would like some more money, though." Friedgen hasn't directly asked for a raise, but Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow has made it clear she's willing to do what it takes to keep him happy at Maryland.

TODAY'S TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTS M. bask West Virginia@Purdue ESPN 2:30 Dayton@New Mexico CBSCS 9 NBA New York@Atlanta NBA 7:30 New York@Atlanta (T) NBA 10:30 C. foot Texas Bowl: Missouri vs. Navy (T) ESPNU 10 a.m. Outback Bowl: Auburn vs. Northwestern ESPN 11 a.m. Capital One Bowl: LSU vs. Penn State 2, 7 1 Gator Bowl: Fla. State vs. West Virginia 13, 9 1 Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oregon 2, 7 5 Sugar Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Florida 45, 5 8:30 Outback Bowl: Auburn vs. Northwestern ESPN 3 a.m. Texas Bowl: Missouri vs. Navy (T)

Bowl schedule THURSDAY Armed Forces Bowl Air Force 47…Houston 20 Sun Bowl Oklahoma 31…Stanford 27 Texas Bowl Navy 35…Missouri 13 Insight Bowl Iowa State 14…Minnesota 13 Chick-fil-A Bowl// at Atlanta, Virginia Tech (9-3) vs. Tennessee (7-5), late (ESPN) TODAY Outback Bowl// at Tampa, Fla., Northwestern (8-4) vs. Auburn (7-5), 11 a.m. (ESPN) Capital One Bowl// at Orlando, Fla., Penn State (10-2)

Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz was sprawled out on the ground, trainers huddled around him, teammates, coaches and fans wondering whether he would be able to continue playing yesterday. Ganz eventually made his way to the sideline, cleared his head, got back in the game and ended up hoisting the Gator Bowl's Most Valuable Player trophy. His comeback provided an appropriate ending for Nebraska's season. After all, the Cornhuskers enjoyed one of college football's best turnarounds. Ganz shook off a horrible first half and a slight concussion, threw for two touchdowns and led Nebraska to a 26-21 win over Clemson in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., giving the storied program plenty of optimism after coach Bo Pelini's first season.

1 Bowl, Part 1: Enjoy a bloomin' onion while you watch Iowa play South Carolina in the Outback Bowl (11 a.m., ESPN). 2 Bowl, Part 2: Watch Georgia take on Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl (1 p.m., chs. 2, 7) as you ponder this question at the end of the holiday season: "What's in your wallet?" 3 Bowl, Part 3: Clemson faces Nebraska in the Gator Bowl (1 p.m., chs. 13, 9). What more is there to say? 4 Bowl, Part 4: In the Rose Bowl (5 p.m., chs. 2, 7), you can watch a couple of teams you actually might be familiar with: Penn State and USC. 5 Bowl, Part 5: Orange you glad there's yet another bowl game?

When Coach Lisa Freburger told her Chesapeake High School cheerleaders they had the chance to perform during halftime at the Gator Bowl, the mouths of the girls on the 25-member varsity squad just fell open. Performing at one of the most prestigious college football games in the country? In front of a crowd of nearly 71,000 people? "It was a pause of silence and then a 'nuh-uhhh,'" said Ashley Elliott, recalling the jaw-dropping moment a few weeks ago. She is a senior on the team and Freburger's stepdaughter.

SAN FRANCISCO -- After a season nearly derailed by injuries and punctuated by victories over a pair of top 10 teams, the Maryland Terrapins came here last week to prepare for the Emerald Bowl against Oregon State with chips on their shoulders. Tonight at AT&T Park, Maryland hopes to cash in those chips. "We had high expectations coming into the season, and we haven't met those expectations," senior offensive guard Andrew Crummey said earlier this week. "We had a lot of adversity. This is a chance to show how good we are when we're healthy."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If there were any lingering questions about the health of Maryland wide receiver Derrick Fenner, he answered them near the end of the Terps' first Gator Bowl practice yesterday at Jacksonville University. Fenner, who missed the last three weeks of the regular season after having his appendix removed, grabbed an 80-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Scott McBrien during Maryland's two-minute offense, and looked as fast as ever. His return should give the Terps an additional deep threat when they meet West Virginia on Thursday.

OUTBACK BOWL Penn State 20, No. 17 Tennessee 10 COTTON BOWL No. 10 Auburn 17, No. 22 Nebraska 14 CAPITAL ONE BOWL No. 6 Wisconsin 17, No. 12 Arkansas 14 GATOR BOWL No. 13 W. Virginia 38, Ga. Tech 35 ROSE BOWL No. 8 USC 32, No. 3 Michigan 18 FIESTA BOWL No. 9 Boise State 43, No. 7 Okla. 42, OT Coverage, PGS 2-3D

College Park -- The first thing Maryland linebacker Wesley Jefferson remembered yesterday about the Terps' November 2003 game at North Carolina State was the dramatic, come-from-behind win that sealed an invitation to the Gator Bowl. It felt good, he said, to beat the Wolfpack in the last few seconds of the game. What didn't feel so good was getting whacked in the head by a soda bottle that came flying from the stands as Jefferson and his teammates were escorted off the field. N.C. State@Maryland Saturday, noon, Ch. 13, 1300 AM, 105.7 FM Line: Maryland by 3