1999 David Hodge

It was impossible to deceive the Cougars' David Hodge. No matter where his opponents tried to run or throw, he always wound up at the football. In three Classic appearances, the Houston linebacker made 35 tackles. He began with 12 stops against Maryland in the 1977 Classic. Then, against Notre Dame in the 1979 game, Hodge made 15 tackles, recovered a fumble and snagged one interception. A year later, in the Cougars' dramatic last-second upset of Nebraska, he added to his career total with a solid eight-tackle performance versus the Huskers. With his efforts in '79 and '80, Hodge became only the second player ever to win back-to-back MVP honors at the Cotton Bowl.