2006 Chick - fil - A Bowl The 2006 Chick - fil - A Bowl was a postseason college football match between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Virginia Tech Hokies at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta , Georgia . The University of Georgia represented the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) and Virginia Tech represented the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) in the competition . The game was the final competition of the 2006 football season for each team and resulted in a 31 – 24 Georgia victory , even though spread bettors favored Virginia Tech to win by three points . In exchange for the right to pick the first ACC team after the Bowl Championship Series selections , bowl representatives paid US $ 3 . 25 million to the ACC , while the SEC , whose fifth team was selected , received $ 2 . 4 million . The combined $ 5 . 65 million payout was the seventh - largest among all college football bowl games , and the fourth - largest non - BCS bowl game payout . In a game that was expected to be a defensive struggle , Virginia Tech took a 21 – 3 lead in the first half . After halftime , Georgia answered Tech ' s first - half success , thanks in part to four second - half turnovers by Tech quarterback Sean Glennon . Virginia Tech ' s No . 1 ranked defense struggled in the second half , allowing 153 yards ( of 200 total ) in the final 30 minutes . As time ran out , Georgia held a one - touchdown lead , 31 – 24 , having beaten back a last - second Tech rally . 75 , 406 people attended the game , making it the 10th consecutive Peach Bowl sellout , the largest crowd to ever attend an event at the Georgia Dome , and the third - largest bowl game in terms of attendance for the 2006 – 2007 season . Each school sold out its allotment of 18 , 500 tickets quickly . 31 , 922 people attended the Chick - fil - A " fan fest " before the game , setting a new attendance record . Virginia Tech ' s loss brought it to a final 2006 record of 10 – 3 , while Georgia ' s final - game win earned it a record of 9 – 4 . Selection process . Beginning with the 2006 game , the Chick - fil - A Bowl had purchased the right to select the highest - ranked Atlantic Coast Conference team after representatives from the Bowl Championship Series made their selection . According to the official selection rules still used today , the team chosen to represent the ACC must be within one conference victory of the remaining , highest - ranked conference team or be ranked more than five spaces ahead of the ACC team with the best Conference record available in the final BCS Standings . In choosing the SEC opponent , the Chick - fil - A Bowl selection committee had the right to select the first SEC school after the Bowl Championship Series , Cotton Bowl Classic , Capital One Bowl , and Outback Bowl made their selections . Just as in the ACC , the selection committee could not select an SEC team with two more losses than the highest available team . The bowl earned the right to select these teams via its multi - million - dollar payout system , which guarantees a certain amount of money to the participating conferences . Prior to 2006 , the Chick - fil - A Bowl ( then known as the Peach Bowl ) matched the No . 5 team in the SEC versus the No . 3 team in the ACC . After the bowl increased its payout to $ 2 . 8 million per squad , it then was given the second pick from the ACC , with the Gator Bowl dropping to third . Leeman Bennett , the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers , served as chairman of the selection committee , which had the task of picking the best teams from those made available by the selection criteria set by the two conferences . The committee would have approximately one month to select the two teams that would attract the most people to the game and generate the largest possible television audience . This fact helped eliminate ACC runner - up Georgia Tech from the selection process , as the Yellow Jackets had already played Georgia earlier in the season , thus making a potential Georgia - Georgia Tech showdown less attractive . In addition , that matchup , while attractive to football fans in the Atlanta area ( the site of the Chick - fil - A Bowl and home to Georgia Tech ) , would have less appeal to television viewers outside the Georgia area . Supervising the selection committee was the Chick - fil - A Bowl Executive Committee , which consisted of representatives from various Atlanta businesses and the Chick - fil - A corporation . Pregame buildup . On the morning of December 3 , 2006 , Chick - fil - A Bowl representatives selected Virginia Tech to represent the ACC in the 2006 Chick - fil - A Bowl . A few hours later , Georgia was selected as the second half of the matchup . Two days after the selections were announced , the game was declared sold out , the 10th consecutive sellout in the combined history of the Peach and Chick - fil - A Bowls . Georgia and Virginia Tech each were assigned initial allocations of 18 , 500 tickets for distribution , and following the quick sales of those ticket blocs , each asked for and received additional tickets to distribute . The game was the third time Virginia Tech and the University of Georgia faced each other on the football field . The two previous games — one in 1931 and the other in 1932 — resulted in one loss and one win for each team . Various casinos and betting organizations favored Virginia Tech by 2 . 5 – 3 points when setting their point spread . Media coverage . Media discussion of the game in the weeks leading up to kickoff centered on the Hokies ' No . 1 - nationally ranked defense and Georgia ' s 5th - ranked SEC defense . Most pundits predicted a low - scoring game , and a few predicted an " all - out defensive war " . A week before departing for Atlanta , Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer revealed that Ike Whitaker , Virginia Tech ' s backup quarterback , would not be attending the game for undisclosed reasons . It was later revealed that Whitaker had been admitted to an alcohol treatment center in Salem , Virginia . For Georgia , discussion centered around the play - calling duties of assistant coach Mike Bobo . Bobo had been named the temporary offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs after then - assistant coordinator Neil Calloway had been named the new head coach at the University of Alabama - Birmingham . Calloway would remain with the Bulldogs as the offensive line coach during the Chick - fil - A Bowl , but Bobo would take over his role as offensive coordinator for the game . It was only the second time that Bobo performed as a play - caller for the Bulldogs , the previous game having come in Georgia ' s regular - season closer , a 15 – 12 win against Georgia Tech . Offensive matchups . With the fifth - ranked defense in the SEC going up against the number - one ranked scoring defense in the nation , attention centered around the likelihood of a low - scoring defensive struggle . Of particular interest were the two teams ' quarterbacks and how they would likely fare against such a tough defense . Georgia struggled on offense for much of the season , resulting in a battle for the starting quarterback position between senior Joe Tereshinski and freshman Matthew Stafford . Though Stafford was eventually given the starting role , he struggled in his first year , completing 126 of 235 passes ( 53 . 6 % ) for 1 , 620 yards , with six touchdowns and 12 interceptions heading into the Chick - fil - A Bowl . On the opposite side of the field , Virginia Tech would be starting redshirt sophomore Sean Glennon . Named the starting quarterback at the beginning of the 2006 season , Glennon replaced Marcus Vick , who had been expelled from Virginia Tech at the end of the previous year . While not as statistically successful as Marcus Vick , Glennon still managed to lead the Hokies to their third consecutive 10 - win season , and had the edge over Stafford in terms of experience . On the ground , it appeared that Virginia Tech had the edge in experience , forcing Georgia ' s defense to concentrate on stopping Tech ' s run game . Virginia Tech running back Branden Ore suffered an ankle injury in the Hokies ' regular - season game against Wake Forest , but still took the field in the Chick - fil - A Bowl . The same could not be said for Georgia , whose original starting running back , Thomas Brown , suffered a season - ending knee injury in October . Filling his role were two inexperienced players : Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware . Making up for this inexperience , the two players were coached by Tony Ball , a former Virginia Tech wide receivers coach with insights into the Tech defense . With Ore still not fully recovered from his injury and two inexperienced players on the Georgia side , it appeared that the teams ' passing offenses would have to take up the slack . Virginia Tech ' s Eddie Royal , with 452 receiving yards , led both teams in receiving yardage coming into the game . Georgia ' s receiving corps was led by wide receiver Mohammed Massaquoi and tight end Martrez Milner . Massaquoi caught 28 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns coming into the game , while Milner had 27 receptions for 376 yards and two touchdowns . Defensive matchups . Each offense would face tough defense in the air and on the ground . The Virginia Tech defense , led by junior linebackers Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi , was expected to present a challenge for the Georgia offense . " You try to find some kind of mismatch , but it ' s very difficult to do " , Georgia head coach Mark Richt said before kickoff . " That ' s why they ' re the best ( defense ) in the country . Their interior defensive linemen are very , very strong and physical , and , really , everybody else is built for speed . Their edge rushers are tremendous , and their linebackers are outstanding and physical . Their defensive backs can all run and hit . It ' s going to be a real challenge . " Of particular concern for quarterback Matt Stafford were Virginia Tech ' s cornerback s , whom he would have to go through in order to complete passes to his receivers . " They play kind of a different scheme than a lot of teams so it would be tough if you only had one week to try to prepare for these guys " , Stafford said in an interview prior to the game . " They trust their corners a lot , but they ' ve got good ones and can . They lock up a lot of time single receiver side because they ' ve got a good corner down there that plays on the boundary . " Georgia ' s defense , ranked fifth in the SEC , was no less a concern for Virginia Tech ' s offense . " Defense is one of the major aspects of the SEC " , said Georgia center Nick Jones before the game . " You face great defenses week in and week out , and we face a great one week in and week out in practice against our defense . We ' ve been up against great defenses and great personnel , so it ' s nothing new for us . " Heading into the game , Georgia was ranked ninth in total defense , giving up only 264 yards per game , and 22nd in scoring defense , allowing an average of just 17 . 1 points a game . Game summary . The 2006 Chick - fil - A bowl kicked off on December 30 , 2006 at 8 : 00 p . m . The game was nationally televised on ESPN , with over 5 million households tuning into the game at home , enough to earn ESPN a television rating of 4 . 8 for the broadcast . 75 , 406 people attended the game in person , making it the 10th consecutive Chick - fil - A Bowl sell - out , the first since the word " Peach " was dropped from the title , the largest crowd ever to attend an event at the Georgia Dome , and the third - largest bowl game in terms of attendance for the 2006 – 2007 season . 31 , 922 people attended the Chick - fil - A " fan fest " prior to the game , setting a new attendance record . Due to the proximity of Atlanta to the University of Georgia ' s main campus in Athens , Georgia , gave Georgia a home - field advantage . but the Virginia Tech fans , known for traveling well to their bowl appearances , quickly bought out their school ' s allotment of tickets and ensured a divided crowd . First quarter . Defense dominated in the first quarter of the game . Virginia Tech received the opening kickoff , but failed to capitalize on its opening drive thanks to a personal foul penalty that forced the Hokies to punt . On its first possession , Georgia moved into scoring position courtesy of a 26 - yard run by Kregg Lumpkin . Failing to advance the ball further , Georgia sent in kicker Brandon Coutu who kicked a 39 - yard field goal to give Georgia the early lead , 3 – 0 . The two teams proceeded to trade possessions , with no side able to gain an advantage over the other ' s defense . Tech received the kickoff from Georgia , but was again hampered by penalties after earning a first down . After the Virginia Tech punt , Georgia went three - and - out , punting to the Hokies , who also went three - and - out . After taking possession on his own 16 - yard line , Georgia quarterback and true freshman Matthew Stafford caused the first turning point of the game as he threw an interception to Brenden Hill of Virginia Tech . Starting deep in Georgia territory , Virginia Tech was further aided by a personal foul on Georgia , which set up a first - and - goal situation for Virginia Tech on the Georgia 6 - yard line . A two - yard run by Virginia Tech tailback Branden Ore brought the ball closer to the goal line and ended the first quarter of play . At the end of the first quarter , Georgia led Virginia Tech 3 – 0 . Second quarter . The second quarter began with Virginia Tech inside the Georgia 10 - yard line . After two unsuccessful plays , Virginia Tech was finally able to reach the end zone on a Branden Ore one - yard rush in a fourth - and - one situation . The touchdown and extra point gave Virginia Tech a 7 – 3 lead with 13 : 23 left in the half . Georgia began its first possession with a 25 - yard kickoff return , but failed to earn a first down in the face of a tough Hokie defensive effort . Georgia punter Gordon Ely - Kelso kicked a 56 - yard punt following the Virginia Tech defensive stop . A breakdown in special teams coverage by Georgia allowed Virginia Tech kick returner Eddie Royal to break free , returning the kick 56 yards back to the original line of scrimmage . As a result of the excellent field position provided by the return , Virginia Tech was able to drive the remaining 30 yards to the end zone . Branden Ore earned his second touchdown of the game , making the score 14 – 3 with 6 : 13 remaining on the clock . After a short return , Georgia QB Stafford went to work on the Georgia 24 - yard line . Two incomplete passes and one sack later , Georgia was again punting . Virginia Tech again was in excellent field position , starting on their own 47 - yard line . Instead of rushing the ball , as had been the trend for the Tech offense up to that point , Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer called for a trick play . At the snap , quarterback Sean Glennon lateraled the football to wide receiver Eddie Royal . Rather than running the ball , Royal threw the ball downfield , catching the Georgia defense off guard . Tight end Sam Wheeler , the target of the throw , had been left uncovered by a defense expecting a run . The pass was completed , and Wheeler ran unimpeded 53 yards for a touchdown . The play took 19 seconds to execute , and gave Virginia Tech a 21 – 3 lead with 4 : 00 remaining in the half . Georgia was again unable to earn a first down in the ensuing possession , and attempted three straight rushing plays that earned a total of six yards . After a Georgia punt , Virginia Tech ran two rushing plays before attempting the same Royal pass that had gone for a touchdown earlier . Georgia , having anticipated the play , sacked Royal for a loss of two yards , ending the first half . At halftime , Virginia Tech led Georgia 21 – 3 . Third quarter . Because Virginia Tech had received the opening kickoff , Georgia received the ball to open the second half . Stafford was able to connect with wide receiver Mario Raley for a 24 - yard gain , taking Georgia to the 50 - yard line , but Virginia Tech ' s defense stiffened and Georgia was forced to punt . Pinned at their ten - yard line by the Georgia punt , Virginia Tech went three - and - out and was itself forced to punt . A 19 - yard punt return by Mikey Henderson put Georgia into good field position . Stafford capitalized on the opportunity , completing a 26 - yard pass to put Georgia into field - goal range . After three unsuccessful plays , kicker Brandon Coutu connected on a 51 - yard field goal to cut the Virginia Tech lead to 21 – 6 . On the kickoff following the field goal , Georgia head coach Mark Richt ordered an unorthodox onside kick . Surprised by the unexpected play , the Virginia Tech coverage team was unable to recover the ball , which was leapt upon by the kicker , Brian Mimbs . With a new chance at offense and a sense of optimism triggered by the successful onside kick , Georgia drove down the field . Aided by 20 yards in penalties against Virginia Tech , the drive resulted in a six - yard touchdown pass to Martrez Milner . The touchdown and extra point boosted Georgia ' s morale and cut the score to 21 – 13 , Virginia Tech leading by eight . The third quarter came to a close as Virginia Tech struggled to answer the two Georgia scores . Tech quarterback Sean Glennon connected on a 29 - yard pass to Eddie Royal , driving the Hokies to the Bulldog 47 - yard line as the clock hit zero . At the end of the third quarter , Virginia Tech still led Georgia , 21 – 13 . Fourth quarter . The fourth quarter began with Virginia Tech searching for a way to answer Georgia ' s previous two scores and quash the momentum Georgia had picked up . On the third play of the quarter , however , Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon threw an interception to Georgia ' s Tony Taylor . Beginning on their own 35 - yard line , Georgia capitalized on the mistake quickly , courtesy of a 15 - yard personal foul penalty and a 41 - yard completion from Stafford to Milner . Georgia , hoping to tie the time , attempted and completed a two - point conversion . The resulting scores tied the game at 21 – 21 with 12 : 39 remaining in the game . Virginia Tech ' s hopes to answer were smashed on the first play after Georgia ' s kickoff as Glennon fumbled the snap , losing the ball to Georgia ' s Quentin Moses . Georgia failed to pick up a first down following the turnover , but the fumble did turn into three points for the Bulldogs , as kicker Brandon Coutou connected on his third field goal of the day , giving Georgia its first lead since the first quarter , 24 – 21 . After the Georgia kickoff , Glennon was again intercepted by Tony Taylor , who earned his second interception on the day and created Glennon ' s third turnover . Taylor returned the ball 16 yards to the Tech one - yard line , setting up an easy touchdown for the Bulldogs . With 6 : 54 remaining , Georgia took a 31 – 21 lead over Virginia Tech . On the ensuing Tech possession , Tech ' s quarterback continued to play poorly . On the third play following the kickoff , Glennon was intercepted for the fourth time in the game . The downfield interception set up Georgia at their own 11 - yard line . Georgia rushed the ball three times , forcing Virginia Tech to use two timeouts in order to stop the clock . The punt by Georgia ' s Ely - Kelso was poorly done , and traveled only 15 yards before going out of bounds . As a result of the excellent field position , Virginia Tech seemed in position for an easy score . However , after a quick Tech first down , the Georgia defense stiffened and Tech was forced to settle for a field goal . The 28 - yard kick by Brandon Pace cut Georgia ' s lead to 31 – 24 , but only 3 : 42 remained on the clock . Due to the short time remaining , Virginia Tech was forced to attempt an onside kick in order to have another chance at offense . The kick was recovered by Georgia , however , and the Bulldogs proceeded to rush the ball in three consecutive plays , forcing the Hokies to use their last timeout in order to conserve time for one final drive . Georgia ' s punt rolled into the end zone for a touchback , and with 1 : 28 remaining in the game , Virginia Tech began the final drive on its own 20 - yard line . Any tension was soon defused by the Georgia defense , which forced three incompletions and a sack . Glennon ' s attempt at a Hail Mary pass fell short , giving Georgia the win with a final score of 31 – 24 . Final statistics . The 18 - point comeback was the largest for Georgia under coach Mark Richt up to that point . In recognition of their performances during the game , Georgia linebacker Tony Taylor and quarterback Matthew Stafford were named the defensive and offensive MVPs of the game , respectively . Taylor ' s two interceptions tied the Georgia bowl record for interceptions , first set by Scott Woerner and Ronnie Harris . The four Virginia Tech turnovers resulted in 18 Georgia points . Georgia ' s sole turnover resulted in seven points for Virginia Tech . Georgia statistical recap . Over a third of Georgia ' s 71 rushing yards came on a single 26 - yard run in the first quarter by halfback Kregg Lumpkin . After the run , Lumpkin would amass only 13 additional yards in the remaining three quarters of play . Over half of Georgia ' s total offensive yards ( 200 total yards ) came through the air from Stafford , who finished with 129 passing yards , one interception , and one touchdown . Approximately a third ( 41 yards ) of Stafford ' s passing yards came on a single completion in the fourth quarter . Another long pass play netted Stafford 24 yards . Together , the two plays accounted for half of Stafford ' s total passing yards . Seven other completions netted only 64 yards , an average of just over 9 yards a play . Georgia ' s kicking game had a far more active day than its offense . Punter Gordon Ely - Kelso booted seven punts and kicker Brandon Coutu nailed three field goals . The field goals , kicked from 39 , 51 , and 28 yards away and two extra points made Coutu Georgia ' s leading scorer in the game , earning 11 points . Ely - Kelso netted 264 yards in punts , an average of 37 . 7 yards per kick . Though not long , the punts were high enough in the air to allow Georgia ' s special teams to get downfield and prevent long punt returns . Only two of Ely - Kelso ' s punts were returned by Tech kick returner Eddie Royal , and one return was for negative yardage . Georgia ' s defense managed a strong performance statistically and in real terms . The most obvious examples of this were the three interceptions and one forced fumble that proved to be the turning point in the game . Two of the interceptions were caught by linebacker Tony Taylor , who also had nine tackles , two for a loss of yards . The tackles tied him with Paul Oliver , who also had nine . The third interception came from Kelin Johnson , while the fumble was forced by Charles Johnson . Johnson had an active day as well . In addition to the forced fumble , he recorded four tackles , two sacks , and a pass break - up . The defensive play of Taylor , Oliver , and Johnson greatly affected the course of the game and is apparent in Georgia ' s time of possession and average starting position in each of the quarters . During the first and second quarters , Georgia had average starting positions on their own 19 and 26 - yard lines , respectively . Their first - quarter time of possession was just 5 : 41 , and their second - quarter possession time was 6 : 34 . During the third and fourth quarters , when all four Virginia Tech turnovers took place , Georgia ' s time of possession jumped to 10 : 41 and 7 : 47 , respectively . In the third quarter , their average starting possession gained ten yards to the Georgia 36 , and during the final quarter , their average starting position was the Virginia Tech 36 - yard line . This fact allowed Georgia to capitalize on the Virginia Tech turnovers , turning them into points on the scoreboard . Virginia Tech statistical recap . Sean Glennon ' s four turnovers tied a career high for interceptions and brought his season interception mark to 11 . He completed 13 of his 26 passes for 94 yards and a completion percentage of 50 % . The passing total of 94 yards was the second - lowest total in the entire season , coming behind only a November 4 game in Miami where Glennon passed for just 86 yards in the face of a tough defense . In a statistic unusual for the 2006 season , Glennon was not the only Tech player to complete a pass . Wide receiver Eddie Royal ' s 53 - yard TD pass made him just the third Virginia Tech player to complete a pass during the 2006 season . The play on which Royal made his throw , a lateral WR pass , had been attempted once previously in the season during a 38 – 27 loss to Georgia Tech . On the ground , the Hokies had even less success than they did in the air . Branden Ore , Tech ' s starting tailback , earned 42 yards in 20 short rushes during the game . With a long run of eight yards , Ore was kept in check by Georgia ' s defense . The only other Hokie to achieve positive yardage on the ground was backup tailback Kenny Lewis , who only managed five yards . Glennon was sacked three times , once fumbling the ball . These sacks wiped out the 11 rushing yards he managed to gain during his scrambles for yardage . In the second quarter , Virginia Tech was aided by excellent field position , enabling them to score three offensive touchdowns . Tech ' s average starting field position in that quarter was the Georgia 48 - yard line , allowing for easy scores even for a struggling offense . As with Georgia , Virginia Tech ' s kicking and special teams proved to have more success than either aspect of the offense . Virginia Tech kicker Brandon Pace scored a single 28 - yard field goal late in the fourth quarter , and punter Nic Schmitt blasted four punts for a total of 195 yards , averaging 48 . 8 yards a punt . Pace ' s field goal helped to trigger a late - game rally by Virginia Tech , which had been stunned by a Georgia onside kick and several interceptions thrown by Glennon . Schmitt ' s long punts , meanwhile , denied Georgia good field position in the first half of the game . Only in the second half , when Glennon ' s interceptions allowed Georgia to start on the Tech side of the field , was the Georgia offense able to reach the end zone . In the first and second quarters , Georgia ' s average starting position was their own 19 - yard line and own 26 - yard line , respectively . That starting field position proved a boon for the Virginia Tech defense , which only allowed 200 total yards in the game . Tech linebacker Vince Hall led the Hokies and all defensive players with 13 tackles in the game . Tech recorded one interception during the game , courtesy of Brenden Hill , who also made three tackles . Georgia ' s offensive line , despite starting only six scholarship offensive linemen , allowed just two sacks to the Virginia Tech defense . Chris Ellis and Noland Burchette each earned a single sack , accounting for a loss of 15 total yards . Postgame effects . The win over # 14 Virginia Tech enabled the Bulldogs to break into the Top 25 rankings in the final college football poll of the season . Georgia was ranked # 23 in the country thanks to its win over the Hokies , who dropped to # 19 nationally following the loss . The loss snapped a six - game winning streak by Virginia Tech and ended the Hokies ' bid at becoming just the fourth team in school history to win 11 games in a season . The 2006 Georgia Bulldogs , consequently , became the first team in school history to defeat three consecutive ranked teams . No . 5 Auburn , No . 16 Georgia Tech , and No . 14 Virginia Tech all fell to Georgia in November or December . The game and the tens of thousands of fans it attracted injected an estimated $ 35 million into the Atlanta area economy , mostly as a result of food , hotel , and other expenses incurred by visiting fans . 2007 season . In August 2007 , Frank Beamer closed team practices to outside observers for the first time in 20 years . He cited concerns about unknown individuals watching Virginia Tech practice in Atlanta before the Hokies ' loss to Georgia , potentially leading to the defeat . During the 2007 season , Virginia Tech quarterback Sean Glennon was replaced as the Hokies ' starter by freshman Tyrod Taylor , causing many pundits to point to the four interceptions Glennon threw in the Chick - fil - A Bowl as an example of his failure as a quarterback . Brian Mimbs , the former walk - on who kicked and recovered the onside kick that began Georgia ' s rally was named the Bulldogs ' starting punter for the 2007 season , partially due to his performance in the Chick - fil - A Bowl . At the end of the 2007 college football season , both Georgia and Virginia Tech were named to Bowl Championship Series bowl games , indicating an increase over their 2006 performances . Georgia earned a bid to the 2008 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans , Louisiana against the Hawaii Warriors , who they defeated , 41 – 10 . Virginia Tech , having won the 2007 ACC Championship Game , earned an automatic bid to the 2008 Orange Bowl in Miami , Florida , losing 24 – 21 to the Kansas Jayhawks .