1999-2000 PLAYOFFS
1. Florida State (11-0) *aq
2. Virginia Tech (11-0) *aq
3. Nebraska (11-1) *aq
4. Alabama (10-2) *aq
5. Tennessee (9-2)
6. Kansas State (9-2)
7. Wisconsin (9-2) *aq
8. Michigan (9-2)
9. Michigan State (9-2)
10. Florida (9-3)
11. Penn State (9-3)
12. Marshall (12-0) *aq
1999-2000 FIRST ROUND
#12 Marshall (12-0) at #5 Tennessee (9-2)
#11 Penn State (9-3) at #6 Kansas State (9-2)
#10 Florida (9-3) at #7 Wisconsin (9-2)
#9 Michigan State (9-2) at #8 Michigan (9-2)
Marshall 24 Tennessee 21 (MRSH wins 58.4%, avg. score = MRSH 27.1 TENN 24.3)
MAC champion Marshall defeated Tennessee 24-21 in a stunning upset at Neyland Stadium to move to 13-0 on the season and a berth in the playoff quarterfinals next week. The Volunteers lost their opening playoff game at home for the second year in a row, leaving head coach Phil Fulmer trying to make sense out of what he witnessed. Fulmer was adamant that his team was not overconfident coming into the game. “We watched a lot of film on them, and we knew they were very good.” Marshall didn’t seem to be intimidated at all on the big stage, having played in a similar environment back in September in a 13-10 upset win at Clemson’s “Death Valley”. Neither offense did much in the first quarter, with the only points coming on a 22 yard field goal by Tennessee kicker Alex Walls late in the quarter to put the Vols up 3-0. Marshall started to assert itself in the second quarter, going on a 10 play, 79 yard drive capped off with an 11 yard touchdown pass from Chad Pennington to James Williams to put the Thundering Herd up 7-3 early in the quarter. After a three-and-out by Tennessee, Turner broke loose on a 40 yard touchdown run extend the lead to 14-3. It was three-and-out again for Tennessee, and Marshall took a 17-3 lead on a 37 yard Billy Malashevich field goal. Late in the second quarter, Tennessee cut the lead to 17-10 on a 4 yard touchdown run by Travis Henry, capping off a 7 play, 71 yard drive. That would be the last score of the first half. On the opening drive of the second half, Marshall drove the ball down to the Tennessee 10 yard line, but the drive stalled and Malashevich booted a 27 yard field goal to extend the lead to 20-10 for the only points of the quarter. The teams then traded field goals, with Marshall leading 23-13 with 6:15 left in the game. Tennessee answered with an impressive 9 play, 73 yard drive, culminating on a 5 yard touchdown pass from Tee Martin to Travis Henry, cutting the lead to 23-20. The Volunteers got the ball back on their own 25 yard line with 1:46 left in the game, but on third and one, Martin was sacked for a 7 yard loss by Alonzo Jones, and flushed out of the pocket on fourth down for a just 2 yard gain, turning the ball over on downs with 1:08 left in the game. The Gatorade bath ensued for head coach Bob Pruett as the Thundering Herd lined up in victory formation. The Marshall defense was the big story of the day, holding the tandem of Jamal Lewis and Travis Henry to just 77 yards on 27 carries.
Kansas State 30 Penn State 22 (KSU wins 71.3%, avg. score = KSU 26.0 PSU 17.9)
In a game where Kansas State’s defense bent but didn’t break, the Wildcats came away with a 30-22 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions to move on to the playoff quarterfinals. Penn State outgained KSU 452 to 421, but time after time their drives stalled, with 15 of their 22 points coming via five Travis Forney field goals. Kansas State scored on the final play of the first quarter on a 28 yard touchdown pass from Jonathan Beasley to Shad Meir to take a 7-3 lead. Early in the second quarter, Penn State scored their only touchdown of the game on a 47 yard run by Eric McCoo to take a 10-7 lead. Kansas State led 17-13 at halftime. Much of the second half turned into a battle of field position and field goals, with Penn State taking a 19-17 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 34 yard Forney field goal. On the ensuing drive, Beasley connected with Williams on a 65 yard pass down to the 9 yard line, and Murphy ran it in on the next play for a touchdown, putting the Wildcats back up 24-19. Later in the quarter, another Penn State drive stalled deep in Wildcat territory, and Forney booted a 28 yard field goal to cut the lead to 24-22 with 4:10 left in the game. The fortunes then swung back and forth for both teams on this wild sequence of plays:
Down by 8, Penn State had one more chance, but their final drive was stopped in their own territory, and Kansas State ran out the clock for the victory.
Wisconsin 17 Florida 12 (WIS wins 53.5%, avg. score = WIS 26.2 FLA 24.7)
In a rematch of a heartbreaking overtime playoff loss at Florida last season, the Wisconsin Badgers turned the tables on the Florida Gators at Camp Randall Stadium today. The normally potent Gator offense was limited to just four field goals on the day. The Gators led in almost every statistical category except the final score, and that’s the only one that counts. Three costly interceptions from Florida quarterback Doug Johnson also played a key role in the outcome. Florida led 6-3 at halftime. Wisconsin running back Eddie Faulkner scored the only two touchdowns of the game on runs of 23 and 14 yards, the second of which put the Badgers up 17-9 late in the third quarter. Faulkner ended up with 74 yards on 9 carries, and his teammate Ron Dayne led all rushers with 138 yards on 30 attempts.
Florida cut the lead to 17-12 midway through the fourth quarter on a 35 yard Jeff Chandler field goal, but neither team scored again after that. Florida was driving with a chance to win late in the game, but Johnson threw his third interception of the game, sealing the victory for the Badgers:
Michigan 31 Michigan State 28 (MICH wins 74.3%, avg. score = MICH 28.8 MSU 21.6)
Jeff Del Verne kicked a 40 yard field goal as time expired to lift the Michigan Wolverines to a 31-28 win over instate rival Michigan State, avenging a 34-31 loss earlier this year to Nick Saban’s squad at Spartan Stadium. With the win, the Wolverines advance to the playoff quarterfinals next week. The fourth quarter had plenty of drama, with the Spartans clinging to a 21-13 lead entering the quarter. The Wolverines tied the score 21-21 on a 2 yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to DiAllo Johnson, and a 2-point conversion pass from Brady to Anthony Thomas. The Spartans stormed back on a 7 play, 69 yard drive, capped off with a 19 yard touchdown run from Shawn Foster to take a 28-21 lead with 10:30 left in the game. Here are the final three possessions of the dramatic finish, beginning with the drive of the game, a 14 play 84 yard drive by the Wolverines to tie the score at 28-28:
1999-2000 QUARTERFINALS
#8 Michigan(10-2) at #1 Florida State (11-0)
#7 Wisconsin (10-2) at #2 Virginia Tech (11-0)
#6 Kansas State (10-2) at #3 Nebraska (11-1)
#12 Marshall (13-0) at #4 Alabama (10-2)