2013-14 College Football All-Bowl Team

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jan 9, 2014

2013-14 College Football All-Bowl Team

QB Johnny Manziel

140109165816-johnny-manziel-2013-chick-fil-a-bowl-single-image-cut.jpg — Joe Robbins/Getty Images

<italics>The 2013-14 college football bowl season is in the books, and there were plenty of standout players. </italics> <italics>SI.com honors the stars of the season with this year's All-Bowl Team.</italics> For the second straight year, Manziel delivered a dazzling bowl performance -- only this time, the Aggies, who thumped Oklahoma in the 2013 Cotton Bowl, actually needed all of his heroics. Johnny Football threw for 382 yards, ran for 73 more and had a hand in five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) to lead A&M back from a 21-point halftime deficit in a 52-48 victory over Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

RB James Conner

The Panthers' true freshman did a little of bit of everything in the Little Caesars Bowl. He ran for 229 yards and a touchdown -- breaking Tony Dorsett's school record for rushing yards in a bowl game -- and also played some defensive end as Pitt downed Bowling Green 30-27.

RB Tre Mason

The Heisman Trophy finalist, who was coming off an SEC title game-record 304 rushing yards, put on a show in the Tiger's 34-31 loss to Florida State in the BCS National Championship Game. Mason caught a 42-yard scoring pass and rushed for 195 yards, 37 of which came on what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown run with just over a minute left.

WR Sammy Watkins

In an Orange Bowl full of offensive fireworks, Watkins shone brightest. He caught 16 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns to help the Tigers beat Ohio State 40-35. How dominant was he? Watkins broke the Orange Bowl record for receiving yards in the third quarter.

WR Tyler Lockett

The speedy wideout caught three touchdown passes in the first half -- tying a Wildcats bowl record -- and finished with a school-record 10 receptions for 116 yards in a 31-14 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl win over Michigan. Lockett had at least eight catches in three of Kansas State's final four games.

TE Jace Amaro

The Red Raiders' first-team All-America tight end caught eight passes for a team-best 112 yards in a 37-23 Holiday Bowl upset of Arizona State. With his big day, the junior set the FBS single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,352.

OL Jake Matthews

The likely top-10 NFL draft pick anchored an offensive line that prevented Duke from sacking Manziel in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Matthews' play helped the Aggies roll up 541 yards of total offense in a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

OL Greg Robinson

Robinson kept Florida State's talented defense at bay for much of the national championship game. Though the Tigers ultimately came up short, he paved the way for an offense that rushed for 239 yards -- the second-highest total ever in a BCS title game.

OL Justin McCray

The 6-foot-3, 310-pound senior spearheaded a Knights' attack that gained 556 yards of total offense -- 255 on the ground -- in a 52-42 Fiesta Bowl upset of Baylor. He opened holes for quarterback Blake Bortles and running back Storm Johnson all night.

OL Trai Turner

The sophomore stalwart helped key an offense that rushed for 220 yards in a 21-14 Outback Bowl victory over Iowa. Turner also made life easier for freshman quarterback Anthony Jennings, who was making his first career start in place of the injured Zach Mettenberger.

OL Gabe Jackson

In a 44-7 Liberty Bowl win over Rice, Jackson and the Bulldogs' offensive line cleared the way for quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense to gain 533 total yards, including 239 on the ground.

DE Kony Ealy

The Tigers star closed out his college career with six tackles, two sacks and a pass breakup in a 41-31 Cotton Bowl win over Oklahoma State. Ealy almost single-handedly forced a Cowboys punt in the second quarter, sacking quarterback Clint Chelf on consecutive second- and third-down plays.

DT Timmy Jernigan

Jernigan was a menace in the BCS title game. He had nine tackles for the Seminoles' defense and kept Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall and the nation's top rushing attack from pulling away early in Florida State's championship victory.

DE Geneo Grissom

The Sugar Bowl was billed as a sendoff for Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, but it became a showcase for Grissom and the Sooners' defense. The 6-foot-4, 263-pound junior had two sacks and two fumble recoveries -- the second of which he returned for a touchdown -- in Oklahoma's 45-31 win.

LB Eric Striker

Striker teamed with Grissom to wreak havoc on the Alabama offense. Striker's speed was just too much for the Crimson Tide to handle; he had six tackles, three sacks and forced a fourth-quarter fumble that ultimately clinched the Sooners' win.

LB Denicos Allen

Fellow linebacker Kyler Elsworth's last-minute, fourth-and-one stop sealed the Rose Bowl for the Spartans, but Allen's stifling play was what fueled their 24-20 win. He stuffed Stanford's Tyler Gaffney on fourth-and-three in the third quarter and finished with seven tackles, including 1.5 for loss.

LB Jordan Zumwalt

The senior ended his Bruins' career with a flourish: 10 tackles and an interception in UCLA's 42-12 Sun Bowl rout of Virginia Tech. Zumwalt earned co-MVP honors, and coach Jim Mora told reporters later, "I thought he played the best game I have ever seen him play."

LB Jake Fischer

Facing the nation's leading rusher in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl, Fischer and the Wildcats' defense were nearly perfect. The linebacker made 14 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and had one sack while helping to hold Boston College running back Andre Williams to 75 rushing yards in Arizona's 42-19 victory.

CB Avery Patterson

140109165727-avery-patterson-nick-aliotti-single-image-cut.jpg — Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Patterson set the tone for the Alamo Bowl by returning an interception 37 yards for a touchdown less than two minutes into the game. He also added nine tackles to send longtime Ducks defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti out with a 30-7 win over Texas.

S Brian Suite

Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch entered the Poinsettia Bowl seeking one last college victory. Suite and the Aggies' defense had other plans. The Honolulu native intercepted Lynch in the third quarter and had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in Utah State's 21-14 win.

S Michael Dobson

The Pirates standout helped to keep Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton in check for much of East Carolina's 37-20 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl win. Dobson made 14 tackles, and his first-quarter interception was promptly converted into seven points by quarterback Shane Carden and the Pirates' offense.

CB Rashaad Reynolds

Reynolds outshone the Beavers' prolific offense in the Hawaii Bowl. He returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns, including a 70-yarder in the second quarter that effectively put the game out of reach. He also chipped in with 10 tackles and a pass breakup in Oregon State's 38-23 win over Boise State.

K Kyle Brindza

The Fighting Irish had trouble finishing drives in the Pinstripe Bowl against Rutgers, but Notre Dame's kicker came through when it mattered most. Brindza made a season-high five field goals in six attempts to help secure a 29-16 victory.

P Steven Clark

Though the Tigers ultimately lost the game, their punter did a remarkable job of forcing Florida State into bad field position throughout the BCS title matchup. Clark pinned five of six punts inside the 20-yard line and kept the Seminoles' offense from getting into a groove early.

R Kermit Whitfield

Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/MCT via Getty Images

With Auburn leading 24-20 in the fourth quarter of the title game, the Seminoles needed a late spark. Whitfield delivered, racing end zone to end zone for a 100-yard kick return touchdown that reinvigorated Florida State.

AP Bruce Ellington

A year after scoring the game-winning touchdown in the Outback Bowl, Ellington again proved integral to the Gamecocks' success. He caught six passes for 140 yards and two scores, and also threw a reverse touchdown pass to quarterback Connor Shaw in South Carolina's 34-24 victory over Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl.

2013-14 College Football All-Bowl Team