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AP All-Bowl Team features Kohlhausen, McCaffrey, Fournette

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Steve Megargee

AP Sports Writer

Now that all the postseason games with “bowl” in the title have been played, it’s time to reveal the Associated Press 2015 All-Bowl Team.

There were enough standout performances that we decided to cheat a little on our team. That’s why you’ll see 12 men on our defense and 14 players on our offense, including two tight ends from the same school.

OFFENSE

Quarterback

Bram Kohlhausen, TCU: After the arrest and suspension of usual starter Trevone Boykin, Kohlhausen picked up the slack and rallied No. 11 TCU from a 31-0 deficit in a 47-41, triple-overtime Alamo Bowl victory over No. 15 Oregon. Kohlhausen passed for 351 yards and accounted for four touchdowns.

Running back

Leonard Fournette, LSU: Rushed for 212 yards and scored five touchdowns in the 22nd-ranked Tigers’ 56-27 Texas Bowl triumph over Texas Tech. Fournette had four touchdown runs and also scored on a 44-yard reception.

Johnny Jefferson, Baylor: Ran for 299 yards in No. 18 Baylor’s 49-38 Russell Athletic Bowl victory over No. 10 North Carolina. He rushed for three touchdowns and also went 1 of 3 for 24 yards passing.

Wide receiver

Isaiah Ford, Virginia Tech: Caught 12 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown in Virginia Tech’s 55-52 Independence Bowl victory over Tulsa.

Jakeem Grant, Texas Tech: Had 10 catches for 125 yards and three touchdowns in the Red Raiders’ Texas Bowl loss to LSU.

Calvin Ridley, Alabama: Caught eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in No. 2 Alabama’s 38-0 Cotton Bowl blowout of No. 3 Michigan State.

Tight end

Hunter Henry and Jeremy Sprinkle, Arkansas: Both played major roles in Arkansas’ 45-23 Liberty Bowl victory over Kansas State. Sprinkle had four receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. Henry had five catches for 92 yards. Henry’s 43-yard gain on a third-and-13 play set up the game-clinching touchdown.

Line

Pat Elflein, Ohio State: Both Elflein and teammate Taylor Decker led a line that helped No. 7 Ohio State gain 496 yards in a 44-28 Fiesta Bowl win over No. 8 Notre Dame. Elflein’s interior blocking at right guard helped pave the way for Ezekiel Elliott’s 149-yard rushing performance.

Eric MacLain, Clemson: Graded out the highest of Clemson’s offensive linemen as the top-ranked Tigers rushed for 312 yards in a 37-17 Orange Bowl victory over No. 4 Oklahoma.

Storm Norton, Toledo: Anchored a line that didn’t give up a single sack in a 32-17 Boca Raton Bowl victory over No. 24 Temple, which entered the game with 33 sacks. That represented a showcase performance for a Toledo line that allowed only four sacks all year.

John Theus, Georgia: Blocked Penn State’s Carl Nassib and held the FBS sack leader without a single tackle in Georgia’s 24-17 TaxSlayer Bowl victory over Penn State.

Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss: Led a line that helped No. 16 Ole Miss gain 554 total yards in a 48-20 Sugar Bowl triumph over No. 13 Oklahoma State. He also scored on a 2-yard run.

All-purpose

Christian McCaffrey, Stanford: Set a Rose Bowl record with 368 all-purpose yards in No. 5 Stanford’s 45-16 win over No. 6 Iowa. He rushed for 172 yards on 18 carries and caught four passes for 105 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. He also scored on a 63-yard punt return.

DEFENSE

Line

Derek Barnett, Tennessee: Made eight tackles, recorded his 10th sack of the season and forced a fumble in Tennessee’s 45-6 Outback Bowl blowout of No. 12 Northwestern.

Kenny Clark, UCLA: Had a game-high 11 stops in a 37-29 Foster Farms Bowl loss to Nebraska. He had two tackles for loss and one sack.

Kyle Kelley, San Diego State: Recorded 3 ½ sacks and nine tackles in a 42-7 Hawaii Bowl rout of Cincinnati.

Aziz Shittu, Stanford: Made 10 tackles – 3 ½ for loss – and delivered 1 ½ sacks in Stanford’s Rose Bowl thrashing of Iowa.

Linebacker

Jack Cichy, Wisconsin: Missed the first half of the Holiday Bowl as punishment for a targeting penalty in Wisconsin’s regular-season finale but still had nine tackles and three sacks in the 23rd-ranked Badgers’ 23-21 victory over Southern California.

Kamalei Correa, Boise State: Recorded two sacks and forced a fumble for a Boise State defense that allowed just 33 total yards in a 55-7 Poinsettia Bowl blowout of Northern Illinois.

Devonte Fields, Louisville: Recorded eight tackles, delivered three sacks and broke up two passes in Louisville’s 27-21 Music City Bowl win over Texas A&M.

Scooby Wright, Arizona: After injuries limited him to just two regular-season games, Wright came back and had 15 tackles – 3 ½ for loss – and two sacks as the Wildcats beat New Mexico 45-37 in the New Mexico Bowl.

Cornerback

Brendon Clements, Navy: Had two interceptions and also broke up a pass in No. 21 Navy’s 44-28 Military Bowl victory over Pittsburgh.

Caleb Williams, Georgia Southern: Broke up five passes in Georgia Southern’s 58-27 GoDaddy Bowl victory over Bowling Green. Matt Johnson, one of the nation’s most prolific passers, was 15 of 34 for 246 yards against Georgia Southern.

Safety

Tevin Carter, Utah: Picked off two passes and returned one of them for a 28-yard touchdown in a 35-28 Las Vegas Bowl triumph over BYU.

Trevon Stewart, Houston: Recorded two interceptions and recovered a fumble as No. 14 Houston upset No. 9 Florida State 38-24 in the Peach Bowl.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker

Ross Martin, Duke: Was 3 of 3 on field-goal attempts with kicks of 52, 34 and 36 yards in a 44-41 Pinstripe Bowl triumph over Indiana. His 36-yarder in overtime provided the winning margin.

Punter

Tom Hackett, Utah: Averaged 49.5 yards per punt in the Las Vegas Bowl and landed four of his six punts inside BYU’s 20-yard line, with two ending up inside the 5. He also gave Utah a first down with a 21-yard run on a fake punt.

Steve Megargee

AP Sports Writer