Freshman Year - Sugar Bowl - BuckRogersRTG's Blog

BuckRogersRTG's Blog

Freshman Year - Sugar Bowl

Posted on October 12, 2011 at 11:35 PM.

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Buck Rogers and the Florida Gators narrowly missed out on earning a birth to the BCS Championship game but did earn a trip to the All State Sugar Bowl to face off with the Cincinnati Bearcats. Buck Rogers earned some national recognition when he was named to the Freshman All-American team. Rogers' leadership was noticeable in the meeting room and on the practice field as he outperformed any other training session in the days leading up to the Sugar Bowl.

Game - #5 Florida (11-2) vs #13 Cincinnati (10-2)
Cincinnati got the ball first and put the first points on the board, taking an early 7-0 lead. Rogers and the Gators' offense was dealt a blow on their opening drive when star HB Scott Smith was injured. Smith would not return to the game. Rogers was able to pump up the Gators and get the momentum back when he had a pancake block from the wildcat formation. Rogers was able to walk in from 1 yard out for his second rushing TD of the season.

The Bearcats would respond with a quick TD drive to retake the lead at 14-7. Once again, Rogers would connect on a pass that looked to score a TD but the ball was marked down at the 1-inch line. HB Greg Bell would punch it in for the Gators to tie the game at 14-14. The Bearcats turned the ball over on their next play and Rogers completed several passes that led to Bell's second TD of the day with :23 seconds left in the first half to give the Gators a 21-14 lead at halftime.

Cincinnati came out of the locker room and tied the game up on their opening drive of the second half. Rogers led the Gators down the field using his legs and arm to set up Bell's 3rd rushing TD of the game. Both teams would have problems moving the ball in the fourth quarter and a late interception by the Gators defense would seal the win for Florida 28-21.

Greg Bell would earn player of the game in relief of the injured Scott Smith, finishing with 42 yards and 3 TDs on 19 carries. Buck Rogers managed the game well and did not give the ball away for the first time against a FBS level opponent this season. He completed 16 of 20 passes for 260 yards and added 46 yards rushing with 1 TD.

Sugar Bowl Game Highlights: