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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bowls Of Fruit, Then Real Meal

Associated Press

Today’s Citrus and Orange bowls will serve as an appetizer for Tuesday’s main course - No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 2 Florida for the national title in the Fiesta Bowl.

Six bowl games are set for Monday, beginning at 8 a.m. with the Outback Bowl (Penn State vs. Auburn) and ending about 9 p.m. with the Orange Bowl (Notre Dame vs. Florida State).

In between, it’s Tennessee vs. Ohio State in the Citrus, Clemson vs. Syracuse in the Gator, Colorado vs. Oregon in the Cotton and Northwestern vs. Southern California in the Rose. Here’s a look at Monday’s games (except the Rose and Cotton bowls, previewed separately on this page):

Citrus

The Buckeyes (11-1), led by Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George (1,826 yards), are here because they lost to Michigan in their regular-season finale. With no chance at a national title, coach John Cooper looks at a best-case scenario:

“If we finish 12-1, we’re the first team in school history to ever win 12 games,” he said. “We’ll be ranked maybe as high as No. 2, depending on what happens with Northwestern and what happens in the Fiesta Bowl.”

Tennessee (10-1) lost to Florida 62-37 Sept. 16 after blowing a 27-3 lead. The Vols are led by Peyton Manning, who had 22 TD passes for an offense that averages 38.4 points per game.

Orange

Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden puts his 12-0-1 bowl unbeaten streak on the line against the Fighting Irish (9-2), who have backups starting at quarterback and tailback.

The Irish, who lost to Northwestern and Ohio State early in the season, will be guided by quarterback Tom Krug, who replaces Ron Powlus (broken arm), and Autry Denson, who replaces leading rusher Randy Kinder (suspended).

The Seminoles (9-2) were headed toward an undefeated late-season showdown against Florida but were upset by Virginia before losing to the Gators. “We were dealing with rejection and the Florida loss,” Florida State quarterback Danny Kanell said, “but now we look at it that there’s a streak at stake here for coach Bowden and we want to play for him.”

Outback

Penn State had a letdown season after going 12-0 in ‘94, losing three Big Ten games and tying for third in the conference. Bobby Engram is the offensive spark with 63 catches for 1,084 yards.

Auburn (8-3) returns to the postseason after a four-year absence, including the past two seasons because of NCAA probation. The Tigers are led by Stephen Davis, who ran for more than 1,000 yards for the second straight season.

Gator

Clemson (8-3), unbeaten in its last six bowl games, closed this season with five wins. Tailback Raymond Priester set a school single-season record with 1,286 yards rushing, 263 against Duke.

The Orangemen (8-3) are led by freshman quarterback Donovan McNabb, who had 2,252 yards of total offense. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison had 56 catches for 1,131 yards.