Texas AM 33 vs Northwestern 22

2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas Winner - Texas A&M ends season with bowl win over Northwestern

Ryan Tannehill was a giddy quarterback moments after his team clinched a 33-22 win over Northwestern Saturday afternoon at the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

He'd just been told he'd won the most valuable player trophy, so he rushed to the winner's podium, gracefully vaulting a security rope to arrive at the stage, set up in the south end zone of Reliant Stadium. The senior, playing his final game as an Aggie, donned a tan Stetson and hoisted the trophy over his head to celebrate with delighted A&M supporters, who outnumbered Wildcats fans by a ratio of roughly eight to one.

This maroon New Year's Eve bowl party was a decade in coming.

A&M hadn't won a post season game since a December day in 2001, when the Aggies knocked off Texas Christian 28-9 in the now defunct GalleryFurniture.com Bowl. Coincidentally, that game also was in Houston, played in the Astrodome, down the street from Reliant.

Before Saturday's win, the Aggies had lost five straight bowl games.

"This is what you play for," said Tannehill, who will get married this month and begin preparing for the NFL draft. "Those good times on the sideline, in the locker room, with your best friends after a big, big win against a good Northwestern team."

The main thing was to give A&M — which in September was ranked as high as seventh nationally — a winning record. This was victory No. 7 for the Aggies, who will leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference next season.

Northwestern, which had to win four of its final five regular-season games to become bowl-eligible, dropped to 6-7.

Northwestern's last postseason win was in the 1949 Rose Bowl. The Wildcats have lost nine straight bowl games, including four under coach Pat Fitzgerald.

A&M seemed to be in control for much of the game, as Tannehill threw for 329 yards and a touchdown, while leaning heavily on receivers Ryan Swope, Jeff Fuller and Uzoma Nwachukwu. Meanwhile, Ben Malena made his second start at tailback. He rushed for 77 yards and two touchdowns and caught six passes. Malena was playing in relief of senior standout Cyrus Gray, who hadn't sufficiently recovered from a stress fracture in his right shoulder.

College football teams get rewarded for a successful season with a berth in a bowl game. Tune in on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 12:00 p.m. ET for the Texas Bowl at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The bowl season is on the horizon, so join Bookmaker.eu and cash in on college football wagering. Check out the new mobile platform, Triple Double, which is ultra-convenient for betting on the go. Bookmaker.eu is where the line originates and you get paid!

College football Betting Online: The former Texas Bowl has a sponsor now, and The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas starts its engines on December 31, 2011 in Houston, Texas. The party starts early for this Houston hoedown, but you can also watch it at home at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. You can also entertain yourself by watching the pregame and see the results of early morning bloody marys on these loyal fans. If you would like to join in on the mimosa morning breakfast buffet, you will need to be at Reliant Stadium in Houston early y’all.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas Betting Online: This TexFest blowout actually has an NCAA Bowl Game matching a Big Ten team taking on a Big 12 team that this occasion is based around.

There may be many Bowl Games being played in Texas for the 2011-12 NCAA Bowl Season, but something about these Houston partiers sets this one apart as an event and not just a football game. Before you Wager On Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, I’ll provide some basic information.

Texas Bowl 2010 Score: Illinois 38, Baylor 13

Menieke Car Care Bowl of Texas Payout: $1,700,000 per team

Matchup Prediction Basis: Big Ten No. 6 vs. Big 12 No. 6

Insight Bowl and Capacity: Reliant Stadium, 72,000

If you are one of the lucky fans that will actually be in Houston, Texas the week to Wager On Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, there are some definite must attend parties and events to support your team. You need to step up, party with the enemy and enjoy the local food and drink specialties at events like TexFest which has some country dude named Jack Ingram heading up the live entertainment.

TexFest (already sounds like a bash) is your official pregame fiesta on the south end of Reliant Stadium, and any bohunk with a game ticket gets in baby! This party gets it rolling early for you hard-core event lovers with the Bud Light stage lighting it up with entertainment starting at 8:00 a.m. CST. You can get your mimosas, bloody marys, Cheladas and cervezas on. Since they are calling it a brunch affair, they will even have munchies such as breakfast tacos and celery for your bloodys.

All of your NCAA Bowl Games including the BCS Championship Game betting are all available at BookMaker as the teams become final. The TexFest Gambling lines to Wager On Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas will only be up until the end of 2011, so don’t sleep through it.

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With another season winding down, why wait any longer to register with Bookmaker.eu, where you'll find College Football Online odds for games like the battle between Illinois and Baylor in the Texas Bowl. Check out our live lines and futures at Bookmaker.eu, which thanks to Triple Double betting you can do at any time.

NCAA Betting Online: The Illinois Fighting Illini (6-6) and Baylor Bears (7-5) clash on Wednesday, December 29th at 6:00pm ET at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game will be televised on ESPN and should also interest folks who like to follow College Football Online. Illinois is back in the postseason for the first time since losing the 2008 Rose Bowl to USC, and the Fighting Illini hope winning this game will represent a fresh start.

Illinois will need to slow down Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin, who ranked seventh in the country in total offense, averaging 315.5 yards per game, but the good news for the Illini is he faltered down the stretch against elite competition. Griffin threw one touchdown pass and three interceptions in three straight losses to No. 16 Oklahoma State, No. 18 Texas A&M and the ninth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners to conclude the regular season.

Head coach Ron Zook should still be concerned, however, because his team struggled against dynamic, versatile quarterbacks like Denard Robinson and Terrelle Pryor in the Big Ten. Illinois actually surrendered 67 points to Michigan in an overtime loss, and the Bears are capable of scoring plenty of points. Baylor averaged 32.6 points per game and ranked 12th nationally in total yards per game thanks to a slew of talented weapons.

Senior running back Jay Finley led the way on the ground with 1,155 yards, which ranked second on Baylor's single-season rushing list. Finley put forth a truly monster performance in a 47-42 win over Kansas State on October 23rd, gaining 250 yards on 26 carries. Finley may force Illinois to place extra defenders at the line of scrimmage, creating opportunities down the field for wideout Kendall Wright, who caught 66 passes for 825 yards, and such a talented offense should intrigue anyone who follows College Football Online.

The problem for Baylor is the defense that allowed more than 40 points six different times this season, so Illinois should enjoy plenty of success offensively as well, especially if All-American Mikel Leshoure is at his best. Leshoure may opt to leave early for the NFL after leading all Big Ten running backs with 1,513 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He ranked eight in the country with 126.1 rushing yards per game thanks to some huge games.

The best performance came in a 48-27 win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field on November 20th when Leshoure ran for a school-record 330 yards on 33 carries. Baylor may have no choice but to load up at the line of scrimmage, which would help freshman quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who finished the season on a terrible note. Scheelhasse completed 11 of 29 passes for 101 yards in games against Northwestern and Fresno State.

He did rush 43 times for 228 yards in those two contests, but Illinois needs him to make plays through the air, which means finding junior wideout A.J. Jenkins down the field. Jenkins was the team's leading receiver with 50 catches for 694 yards and seven touchdowns, including a huge game against Minnesota late in the year when he caught six passes for 137 yards. Jarred Fayson added 34 receptions and represents a solid complement.

Illinois averaged 32.1 points per game, so Zook's team might be equipped to win a shootout. Expect Griffin to give the Illini defense plenty of problems, but the best offensive player on the field is Leshoure, who will be motivated for potentially his final college game and should keep the Baylor offense off the field as much as possible. Baylor is favored by 1.5, but anyone who follows College Football Online should lean towards Illinois in a game that is unlikely to surpass the over/under of 61.5.

2010 Texas Bowl - Mikel Leshoure leads Illinois to first bowl win since 1999

Mikel Leshoure isn't sure whether he'll declare for the NFL draft or return to Illinois for his senior season.

But if Wednesday night's Texas Bowl ends up being his college send-off it will certainly be remembered as a good one.

Leshoure ran for 184 yards and a career-high three touchdowns and set five school records as Illinois earned its first bowl victory since 1999, beating Baylor 38-14.

The Illini spoiled the Bears' first bowl appearance in 16 seasons. Both teams finished at 7-6.