PASADENA, Calif. (AP) Justin Herbert scored his third rushing touchdown of the 106th Rose Bowl on a thrilling 30-yard run with 7:41 to play Wednesday night, and No. 7 Oregon held off No. 11 Wisconsin 28-27 to win its third straight trip to the Granddaddy of Them All.
Brady Breeze returned a fumble 31 yards for an early touchdown for the Ducks (12-2). Herbert then made his go-ahead rambling run on the next snap after Breeze forced another fumble in yet another frenetic edition of this venerated bowl game.
Oregon held on to cap its Pac-12 championship season with its 12th win in 13 games. The Ducks celebrated on the famous turf amid confetti and cheers after the fourth Rose Bowl victory in school history.
Aron Cruickshank returned an early kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown for the Big Ten runner-up Badgers (10-4). They lost in their fourth consecutive trip to Pasadena over the last 10 years.
Herbert passed for just 138 yards without a touchdown in his collegiate finale. Instead, Oregon improbably relied on the legs of its 6-foot-6 quarterback to grind out the fourth Rose Bowl victory in school history.
Herbert had only 10 rushing touchdowns in the first 41 starts of his career, but he turned into a big-play machine on the ground. After he scored on runs of 4 and 5 yards in the first half, he rambled through the defense for the go-ahead score in whats sure to be the signature moment of the four-year starters career.
Herbert eventually made a key 12-yard throw to Mycah Pittman for a first down with 1:51 to play, and his 28-yard throw to Juwan Johnson with 1:03 left allowed the Ducks to run out the clock.
Jonathan Taylor rushed for 94 yards and Quintez Cephus caught seven passes for 59 yards and a score for Wisconsin, but quarterback Jack Coans offense couldnt capitalize on its whopping advantages in time of possession (38:03-21:57) and total yards (322-204).
SUGAR BOWL
NO. 5 GEORGIA 26,
NO. 8 BAYLOR 14
NEW ORLEANS (AP) George Pickens caught 12 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown as Georgia defeated Baylor in the Sugar Bowl.
Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer, coming back from a concussion in the Big 12 title game on Dec. 7, was sidelined again in the fourth quarter when the back of his head appeared to hit hard on the turf as he was taken down by two defenders along the sideline.
Jake Fromm completed 20 of 30 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns without an interception for Georgia (12-2), which lost to Texas in the Sugar Bowl last season.
Georgia was without about a dozen regulars, including three starting offensive linemen. Some players were hurt while others sat out to preserve their health for the NFL draft.
Meanwhile, top running back DAndre Swift saw only limited action because of an ailing shoulder. Zamir White carried 18 times for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Richard LeCounte intercepted two passes, the second sealing the victory in the final minutes.
Pickens, a freshman, was selected the games most outstanding player.
CITRUS BOWL
NO. 9 ALABAMA 35, NO. 17 MICHIGAN 16
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes, Jerry Jeudy became the first Alabama player to top 200 receiving yards in a bowl game and the Crimson Tide beat Michigan 35-16 in the Citrus Bowl.
