It was deemed as a heavyweight matchup between two of the nation's top college running backs when Michigan State senior Javon Ringer and Georgia redshirt sophomore sensation Knowshon Moreno squared off in the Capital One Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 1. But the bout got off to a sluggish start.

Both dynamic runners were bottled up by the defenses in the first half. Not until late in the second half did either deliver their first real blow.

Dayton native Ringer came into the game as the nation's fourth-leading rusher and with a list of other accolades this season. He struck first. Ringer punched the ball in the endzone on a 1-yard run midway through the fourth quarter for the score. That made the game 17-12 Georgia after a failed two-point conversion attempt.

Ringer finished the game with 47 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. He had an additional 30 yards receiving. Not a typical performance for the Chaminade Julienne High School graduate who averaged 132 yards per game coming in. Ringer never seemed to get into a rhythm against a stout Bulldog run defense.

Moreno didn't fare much better against the Spartans defense. He rushed for 62 yards on 23 carries, but did have 63 yards receiving, including a beautiful 21-yard touchdown reception that delivered the final blow.

Moreno's touchdown grab clinched a 24-12 Georgia victory.

Although the battle of the backs didn't live up to the hype, take nothing away from the two. Ringer and Moreno were both 2008 Doak Walker Award finalists; the award recognizes the nation's premier running back. The award was won by Shonn Greene.

While Moreno contemplates turning pro, Ringer will turn his focus toward the Senior Bowl on Jan. 24 in Mobile, Ala., where he will look to improve his NFL draft stock.

The nation's second-leading rusher, Iowa running back Shonn Greene, announced after Thursday's 31-10 Outback Bowl rout of South Carolina that he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

Greene, the game's most valuable player, carried the ball 29 times for 121 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Mum's the word on whether Ohio State junior Chris "Beanie" Wells will enter the draft. A decision is likely to come just after the Buckeyes' tilt with the Texas Longhorns in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday.