Michigan State: 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl Champions

Michigan State 17, TCU 16: Dan Conroy's kick sends Spartan seniors off with bowl win

freep.com

By Joe Rexrode

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. – The Michigan State Spartans walked away from Sun Devil Stadium early today with a winning record, a quarterback competition and a group of seniors feeling much better about a trying final season.

Heading that list was senior kicker Dan Conroy, who had missed nine field goals in a regular season full of narrow defeats. Conroy nailed his only try in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, a 47-yard attempt with 1:01 left to give MSU a 17-16 win over the TCU Horned Frogs in front of 44,617 fans.

“He’s a clutch player and he came through in the clutch for us,” said Le’Veon Bell of Conroy, whose junior season ended with a 33-30 triple-overtime Outback Bowl win over Georgia in which he kicked the winning 28-yard field goal.

“With so many close games,” Conroy said, “losing like we did so many games in this season, to have one go our way this way was definitely exciting.”

So that’s two straight bowl wins for Mark Dantonio after losing his first four at MSU. And that’s a happy finish for an MSU team (7-6) that was ineffective on offense and dominant on defense for most of the evening, just as it was for most of the season.

“Continue to say it all along, we have great chemistry on our football team, great leadership at the ground level, which to me is the players' level,” Dantonio said. “We pushed through the tough times.”

They did it behind Bell’s 32 rushes for 145 yards in what may be his final game at MSU. Taking into account his 29-yard completion on a trick play, Bell accounted for all but 53 yards of MSU’s offensive output.

They got second-half domination and an end-of-game closeout from a Will Gholston-led defense. And punter Mike Sadler was MSU’s other standout specialist.

He averaged 43.7 yards on a career-high 11 punts, and his 55-yard bomb in the fourth quarter was dropped by TCU’s Skye Dawson and recovered at the TCU 4-yard line by MSU’s RJ Williamson.

Bell took it in two plays later for a 14-13 MSU lead. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, harassed all night by the blitzing Spartans, moved the Horned Frogs (7-6) 28 yards for a 53-yard field goal from Jaden Oberkrom with 2:42 left.

That made it 16-14 and forced MSU’s coaching staff into a tough decision: junior Andrew Maxwell or redshirt freshman Connor Cook?

Maxwell started as usual but struggled as much as he has all season. Cook replaced him in the third quarter and led a 90-yard touchdown drive – the Spartans’ longest of the season – capped by his 15-yard scoring strike to Aaron Burbridge.

Maxwell (6 of 15, 28 yards) returned two series later and manned the next three, including the 4-yard touchdown drive after the fumbled punt recovery.

But with 2:42 left and MSU starting at its 25, MSU quarterbacks coach Dave Warner, offensive coordinator Dan Roushar and Dantonio all agreed that Cook was the way to go.

He had played with poise and had made some plays with his feet.

“What's going through my mind?” Dantonio said of the decision. “I'm not quite sure. I had a feeling on that situation. We had to go with a guy that had moved us a little bit. Maybe more importantly, we felt like he could scramble a little better than Andrew. We needed to get in field goal position. So that's the way we went. We came out on top.”

Cook (4 of 11, 47 yards) threw to Bell for 12 yards. He hit Dion Sims with a strike for 14.

Bell and a holding penalty on TCU did the rest of the work in setting it up for Conroy -- and setting MSU up for an offseason of questions about its quarterback position.

Warner and Roushar both said it will be an open competition, with redshirt freshman Tyler O’Connor and incoming freshman Damion Terry also in the mix.

Connor said he thought he helped himself, though he didn’t want to dwell on that in the wake of a big win.

Maxwell agreed that it will be open and called it “understandable” that Cook replaced him.

“This doesn’t have to turn into being about me,” Maxwell said. “This night belongs to us. This night belongs to the Michigan State Spartans.

“I think everyone is so excited and so thrilled with how we won the game, there’s really no room to worry about how I’m feeling or who was playing quarterback. The bottom line is we won the game.”

Texas: 2012 Alamo Bowl Champions

Alamo Bowl: Texas beats Oregon State, 31-27, after fourth-quarter comeback

BY BOB CLARK

The Register-Guard

Published: Saturday, Dec 29, 2012 07:21PM

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Texas beat Oregon State, 31-27, after two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter of the Alamo Bowl tonight from David Ash.

Texas’ defense caused Oregon State’s offensive line trouble all game, finishing with 10 sacks and harrying QB Cody Vaz at every turn.

The scoring started with Trevor Romaine’s 29-yard field goal with 9:12 remaining in the first quarter, the result of a 5-play, 25-yard drive.

Texas tied the game, 3-3, with Nick Jordan’s 40-yard field goal with 6:46 remaining in the first quarter.

The game’s first touchdown came off Storm Woods’ 12-yard rush with 1:33 left in the first quarter to put Oregon State ahead, 10-3.

The Longhorns would answer just inside the second quarter when Marquise Goodwin, a former U.S. champion in the long jump and an Olympian in August, rushed 64 yards for a touchdown, the fourth play of a 75-yard drive with 14:40 remaining.

Romaine’s 37-yard field goal with 9:20 to go in the second quarter put OSU back ahead, 13-10. It came after a drive lasting 5 minutes, 20 seconds, the longest scoring drive for either team of the game.

With 3:46 remaining in the first half, Terron Ward capped a 47-yard drive with a nine-yard rush TD to give OSU a 20-10 lead.

The first score of the third quarter was Texas quarterback David Ash’s 11-yard touchdown run with 5:17 left in the third quarter, a run that included leaping over two defenders at the goal line.

Storm Woods’ second rush touchdown of the game nearly ended the third quarter, with a two-yard rushing score with just nine seconds remaining for a 27-17 lead. The run capped a five-play, 42-yard drive.

After Ash threw a 15-yard touchdown to Johnathan Gray to get the lead cut to 27-24, he connected with Goodwin for a 36-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone with just 2:24 left in the game. It marked the Longhorns’ first lead of the game.

Arizona State: 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Champions

Arizona State topples Navy in sea of points in Fight Hunger Bowl

Sun Devils quarterback Taylor Kelly passes for four touchdowns and runs for another score in a 62-28 wipeout of the Midshipmen.

Associated Press
4:40 PM PST, December 29, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO -- Taylor Kelly threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth score to lead Arizona State to its first bowl win in seven years, a 62-28 victory over Navy in the Fight Hunger Bowl on Saturday.

Offensive MVP Marion Grice ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns for the Sun Devils (8-5), who used their fast-paced spread offense to score touchdowns on their first nine possessions.

That helped provided a bright end to a successful first season at Arizona State for coach Todd Graham, who helped the Sun Devils win their most games since 2007 and win a bowl for the first time since the 2005 Insight Bowl against Rutgers. The Sun Devils also capped their season by beating rival Arizona and winning a bowl, a feat they had accomplished just once in the past 33 seasons.

The Midshipmen (8-5) have lost five of their last six bowl games. Among the few highlights for Navy were Keenan Reynolds' 3-yard TD pass to Matt Aiken in the first half and a 95-yard kickoff return for a score by Gee Gee Greene in the third quarter.

Rashad Ross, who grew up in nearby Vallejo, started and ended the first-half outburst with touchdown receptions. His 16-yard catch from Kelly capped a 75-yard game-opening drive and he got behind the Navy defense for a 52-yard score in the final minute of the half to make it 34-7. Ross then caught a 50-yard TD pass on Arizona State's first drive of the second half to make it 41-7.

Grice, playing with a heavy heart after his brother was murdered last week in Houston, scored on a 10-yard run in the first quarter and a 39-yarder in the third. He had 19 touchdowns this season, with 11 coming on the ground.

Much of the talk leading up to the game was how Arizona State would handle Navy's unique triple-option offense. It turned out that the Midshipmen had much more trouble with the Sun Devils' spread, giving up 648 yards.

Arizona State had seven touchdown drives of at least 60 yards in the first three quarters and had just three third-down plays in that span as Kelly easily picked apart the defense. The longest drive took just 2:43 and one of the quickest came at the end of the half when the Sun Devils went 80 yards in two plays covering 19 seconds after Nick Sloan missed a 33-yard field goal for Navy.

Kelly finished 17 for 19 for 268 yards, ending the season completing a school-record 67.1 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 81 yards, scoring on a 1-yard run that made it 21-0.

The Midshipmen had a few opportunities to keep the game close on offense in the first half but Greene was unable to hold onto a pass in the end zone on fourth-and-7 from the 31 in the first quarter and Reynolds lost 3 yards on a third-and-1 keeper from the 8 before Sloan's missed field goal.

Sen. John McCain, a former Navy fighter pilot who represents Arizona in Congress, handled the pregame toss. Instead of using a coin, the game sponsored by Kraft uses an Oreo, with one side being a chocolate cookie and the other vanilla.

Before that, Pat Tillman Sr. presented Sun Devils defensive tackle Will Sutton the Pac-12 defensive player of the year award named after his son, the former ASU star who died as an Army ranger in Afghanistan.

Syracuse: 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Champions

Syracuse routs West Virginia in Pinstripe Bowl

The Orange's Prince-Tyson Gulley rushes for 217 yards and scores three times in a 38-14 victory over the Mountaineers.

Associated Press
4:10 PM PST, December 29, 2012

NEW YORK -- Prince-Tyson Gulley ran for 217 yards and had three touchdowns, Syracuse scored twice on safeties and the Orange bid a snow-covered farewell to the Big East with a 38-14 victory over West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday.

Syracuse (8-5) will enter the Atlantic Coast Conference on a roll after finishing this season with six wins in its last seven games, capped by its second postseason victory at Yankee Stadium in the last three years.

In a bowl game played in a baseball stadium with weather better suited for a playoff game in Green Bay, the team that plays in a dome ended up being better equipped to handle the elements.

The Orange leaned on their running game to plow through former Big East rival West Virginia (7-6) and the snow. Jerome Smith added 158 yards rushing.

Geno Smith connected with Stedman Bailey for two touchdown passes, but the Mountaineers' quarterback also was sacked in the end zone in the first half and called for intentional grounding in the end zone in the second half as he tried to avoid another sack.

Smith, who was an early Heisman Trophy front-runner as the Mountaineers got off to a 5-0 start this season, was 18 for 26 for 197 yards in the final game of his record-breaking career. The NFL awaits.

Same goes for Ryan Nassib, though Syracuse didn't ask much of its talented senior quarterback. He threw two touchdown passes and an interception. His most impressive feat on this day was surviving being driven into the frozen turf by Terence Garvin on a sack in the first half. Nassib missed only one play.

Snow fell just about all game, giving most of the field a white dusting. Fans were bundled and players not in the game tried to do the same. It took a while for those potent offenses — both ranked in the top 25 nationally in yards per game — to heat up, which seemed appropriate considering the conditions.

A goal-line stand by West Virginia in the second quarter kept Syracuse out of the end zone, but set up the Orange for a scoring run.

Left at their own 1, the Mountaineers tried to pass out of their end zone, but Smith was smothered by blitzing linebackers Cameron Lynch and Siriki Diabate for a safety to make it 5-0 — a baseball score, of course.

The Orange followed that up with a 33-yard touchdown run by Gulley to make it 12-0 with 6:07 left in the second.

The Mountaineers responded with their first sustained drive and Bailey took a quick pass, darted and broke tackles, and scooted 32 yards to the end zone to make it 12-7.

The Orange extended the lead to 12 points with a touchdown drive to start the second half when the Orange caught a break — and touchdown pass. Nassib's throw was tipped around the goal line, but floated safely into the waiting arms of intended receiver Beckett Wales for an 11-yard score.

West Virginia appeared to answer with a touchdown of its own, when Andrew Buie broke free for a TD run on fourth-and-2. Not so fast. A holding call on the Mountaineers wiped out the play and sent coach Dana Holgorsen on to the field screaming at the officials.

It didn't help. Instead of a touchdown, a punt.

Moments later another close call, this time on a fumble by Smith which was reviewed to determine if it was an incomplete pass, went Syracuse's way, and again the Orange capitalized.

On the next play, Gulley broke through the line bounced to the outside and went 67 yards for a touchdown to make it 26-7 with 6:52 left in the third.

West Virginia wouldn't let Syracuse pull away. Smith found Bailey deep down the sideline beating one-on-one coverage for a 29-yard score 1:11 later.

Right back came the Orange, nine plays, 70 yards, with Gulley taking a swing pass from Nassib 10 yards for his third touchdown of the day.

A minute and half later, Brandon Sharpe was taking down Smith in the end zone, when the quarterback made a futile attempt to dump the pass off. The officials dropped the flag and the second safety of the day made it 35-14 with 1:08 left in the third.

The 60th meeting between these teams, but first in a bowl, ended up being a romp in the snow for Syracuse.

Rice: 2012 Armed Forces Bowl Champions

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Freshman quarterback Driphus Jackson threw for 264 yards in relief of Rice's hurt starter, including two touchdown passes to Jordan Taylor, and the Owls beat Air Force 33-14 in the Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday.

Jackson's first series after taking over for Taylor McHargue ended with a bad pitch for a fumble near the goal line only 2 seconds before halftime, when the Owls (7-6) trailed 14-7.

But Jackson made up for it after halftime, when Rice scored 26 unanswered points. Taylor caught nine passes for 153 yards, with a 16-yard TD from McHargue in the first quarter.

McHargue never returned because of an apparent head injury after a helmet-to-helmet collision with about 5 minutes left in the first half.

Air Force (6-7), which scored on consecutive drives in the second quarter with backup quarterback Kale Pearson in the game, was held to a season-low 214 total yards.

On Rice's opening drive of the second half, Jackson had consecutive completions of 25 and 22 yards before a 2-yard keeper and then a 22-yard TD to Taylor.

The Owls went ahead to stay when Jackson had six consecutive completions for 75 yards to set up Charles Ross' 2-yard TD run on the second play of the fourth quarter for a 21-14 lead.

Jackson, who started one game during the season when McHargue was dealing with a shoulder problem, completed 15 of 21 passes and ran 13 times for 32 yards.

Rice has won both of its bowl appearances under sixth-year coach David Bailiff. Before that, the Owls had lost the only four bowl games they had played since winning the 1954 Cotton Bowl.

McHargue was hurt at the end of a 5-yard keeper, when he put his head down and ran into defensive back Steffon Batts. The ball dropped between the quarterback's legs and was recovered by Air Force. After staying down for several minutes, McHargue was noticeably wobbly while being helped to the sideline.

The Falcons then went 35 yards in nine plays for a 14-7 lead with 2:36 left in the half. Mike DeWitt converted fourth-and-1 from the 26 with a 2-yard run and Cobb scored after three consecutive carries from the 6.

Jackson then came in for the Owls and had keepers of 5 and 14 yards before a 23-yard pass to Taylor. After another 10-yard pass for first-and-goal from the 2, Jackson had a bad pitch behind his running back that was recovered by defensive back Chris Miller.

McHargue hit 6 of 8 passes for 31 yards, including the TD to Taylor. The junior quarterback returned to the sideline after halftime wearing a warmup suit and a cap.

Since the Falcons' last game, senior quarterback Connor Dietz has graduated from the academy and been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force.

Dietz was banged up late in the season and was mostly ineffective in his last game, running six times for 11 yards and completing only 1 of 3 passes.

Pearson wasn't must better, 2-of-8 passing for 44 yards with six carries for 11 yards. But he was on the field for both of Air Force's scoring drives and had a 9-yard TD run

The Falcons have made a school-record six consecutive bowl appearances under coach Troy Calhoun, but are 2-4 in those games. That includes a 1-3 mark in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Linebacker Austin Niklas had 14 tackles and Alex Means 12 for Air Force, which lost four of its last five games to finish this season.

Chris Boswell made field goals of 24 and 25 yards in the fourth quarter, before Jackson hit Taylor for a final 34-yard TD with 1:38 left.

Boswell, who made six field goals of at least 50 yards during the regular season, had apparently made a 52-yarder early in the second quarter before officials blew the whistle for an Air Force timeout. Boswell got another try, but pushed it wide right with about 9 minutes left in the first half.

That's when Pearson took over for Air Force, leading them 66 yards in 10 plays. He had a 15-yard pass and ended the drive with a wide sweeping run to get into the front corner of the end zone to tie the game at 7.

Texas Tech: 2012 Meineke Car Car Bowl of Texas Champions

Texas Tech rallies to beat Minnesota 34-31

HOUSTON (AP) -- D.J. Johnson returned an interception 39 yards and Ryan Bustin made a 28-yard field goal as time expired to give Texas Tech a 34-31 comeback victory over Minnesota on Friday night in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Seth Doege found Eric Ward on a short pass, and he outran a defender for a 35-yard scoring play to pull the Red Raiders even at 31 with just more than a minute remaining.

Michael Carter intercepted two of Doege's passes in the fourth quarter before the tying score, but Minnesota couldn't convert either of the turnovers into points.

The Red Raiders (8-5) got their third straight bowl win to wrap up a month that began with coach Tommy Tuberville's abrupt departure for the job at Cincinnati. Texas Tech has hired Kliff Kingsbury to replace him, but interim coach Chris Thomsen led the team against Minnesota (6-7). Kingsbury was at the game, watching from a suite.

Doege threw for 271 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in front of a crowd that included 1977 Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell and former Tech coach Spike Dykes.

Philip Nelson threw for 138 yards and two scores for the Gophers, who were in a bowl game for the first time since 2009.

The Red Raiders returned to a bowl after having their 18-season bowl streak snapped last year.

A 1-yard touchdown pass from Nelson to Drew Goodger gave Minnesota a 31-24 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Texas Tech led 24-17 at halftime, but couldn't do anything offensively in the second half until the last couple of minutes. It was an ugly game for the Red Raiders, who had 13 penalties for 135 yards and lost the tight end Jace Amaro when he was ejected for throwing a punch.

Jakeem Grant ran for what was initially ruled a touchdown for Tech late in the third quarter. Amaro threw a punch at Derrick Wells in the end zone on the play and was ejected.

After the penalty, the play was reviewed and overturned. Doege threw an incomplete pass before Tech made a 32-yard field goal. But the Red Raiders had a false start penalty on the play and had to kick again and this time the Gophers blocked it.

Nelson threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Devin Crawford-Tufts, who was left uncovered in the end zone, to tie it at 24 early in the third quarter.

Donnell Kirkwood scored on a 3-yard run to leave Minnesota up 17-14 early in the second quarter.

Texas Tech had a first-and-goal at the Minnesota 2 after a pass-interference call on the Gophers. But Texas Tech had to settle for a field goal after a rush for a 3-yard loss and two penalties.

Minnesota's next drive started out well before turning ugly. The Gophers had made two first downs before Gray was sacked for a loss of seven yards. Kirkwood ran for 17 yards on the next play, but Minnesota received two 15-yard penalties on the play, one for a personal foul on lineman Zac Epping, to make it second-and-42. Epping received a second personal foul penalty on the next play to bring up third-and-49.

Christian Eldred shanked the punt, giving Texas Tech the ball at the Minnesota 42.

The Red Raiders capitalized on their great field position when Doege spun away from a defender in the backfield and leaped over another Gopher near the goal line on a 4-yard touchdown run. Tech converted a fourth-and-6 play on that drive, and led 24-17 at halftime.

Minnesota's Rodrick Williams Jr. scored on a 2-yard run to give the Gophers a 10-7 lead in the first quarter.

Doege lost his helmet on a 5-yard scramble on Tech's next drive and had to go out for one play. He was replaced by Michael Brewer, who found Derreck Edwards for a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Red Raiders a 14-10 lead.

Minnesota's Troy Stoudermire returned the opening kickoff 26 yards to break the NCAA record for career kickoff return yards. He finished the game with 111 yards to push his total to 3,615.

The Gophers ended that drive with a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0.

Texas Tech's Grant returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to put Texas Tech up 7-3.

Virginia Tech: 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl Champions

Russell Athletic Bowl: Virginia Tech outlasts Rutgers, 13-10, for overtime win and winning season

By Mark Giannotto, Friday, December 28, 7:00 PM

ORLANDO — Ever since Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer’s worst regular season in 20 years ended, rumors have been rampant that he will initiate wholesale changes to much-maligned offensive coaching staff. For much of Friday night, it appeared they could go out in embarrassing fashion.
But in a game dominated by defense, the Hokies awoke from the dead just in time, defeating Rutgers, 13-10, in overtime to win the Russell Athletic Bowl and avoid their first losing season since 1992.
In a fitting conclusion to the lowest scoring game in this bowl’s history, the winning points came when the Hokies were forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal by place kicker Cody Journell during their first overtime possession. His counterpart, Rutgers redshirt freshman Nick Borgese missed wide right on a 42-yard field goal to end the contest. It was Journell’s third game-winning field goal of the season.
Virginia Tech’s defense was its lone saving grace considering its offense finished with a season-low 196 yards. The Hokies kept Rutgers’s offense out of the end zone the entire game, the Scarlet Knights’ lone touchdown coming off a bad snap by Thomas on the second play of the night.
Rutgers ended the night with just 197 yards.
At the end of the third quarter, though, the Hokies appeared completely lost, with more yards in penalties (85) than on offense (80). But somehow they only trailed 10-0
Virginia Tech’s offense finally awoke when Thomas completed consecutive passes of 32 and 25 yards to begin the fourth quarter, the Hokies’ longest plays of the game to that point. Play-caller Mike O’Cain then opted for three straight handoffs to running back Martin Scales, who gained only five yards on the plays. The Hokies were forced to settle for a 25-yard field goal from Journell, a kick that ensured they would not be shut out for the first time since 1995.
The game then turned on Rutgers’s ensuing possession. After the Hokies dropped three would-be interceptions earlier, and had another by cornerback Kyle Fuller overturned by a questionable pass interference penalty, Scarlet Knights quarterback Gary Nova overthrew his intended receiver and the pass fell directly into the arms of Virginia Tech cornerback Antone Exum.
Thomas soon responded by throwing his best pass of the night to that point, finding wide receiver Corey Fuller for a 21-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone that, with the extra point, tied the score at 10 with 10 minutes, 56 seconds remaining in regulation.
Virginia Tech’s defense gave the offense five more chances to score the go-ahead points in the final nine minutes of regulation, including a fumble recovery by defensive end Tyrel Wilson in Rutgers’s territory But all the Hokies could muster was three punts, a 51-yard field goal attempt by Journell that landed in the end zone, Thomas’s second interception and a turnover on downs.
Exum was later named the game’s most valuable player
In what could be his final game in a Virginia Tech uniform, Thomas finished 15 of 39 for 192 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The redshirt junior is considering declaring for the NFL draft, but looked shaky most of the night behind an offensive line that allowed four sacks.
Luckily for the Hokies, Nova was even worse. He completed just 17 of his 40 passes for 130 yards. The two teams combined for 21 punts.
Virginia Tech couldn’t have asked for a worse start, as disaster struck on the second play of the game. A poor snap by Hokies center Caleb Farris eluded Thomas and rolled to the end zone. Thomas recovered it and appeared to have a knee down in the end zone before the ball was jarred loose and recovered by Rutgers linerbacker Khaseem Greene.
But following a conference on the field, the Big 12 officiating crew ruled it a Scarlet Knights touchdown and Virginia Tech found itself in a 7-0 hole 17 seconds into the contest.
That, though, only proved to be the first of several lowlights for the Hokies’ offense. They ended the first quarter with 12 yards on 21 plays and were held scoreless in the first half for the first time this season, entering halftime with minus-11 rushing yards and as many punts (six) as first downs. The Hokies averaged just 1.9 yards per play.
Rutgers’s lone field goal was in part because of a personal foul penalty by Virginia Tech wide receiver Kevin Asante, a mistake that left Beamer infuriated on the sideline.

Ohio: 2012 Independence Bowl Champions

Ohio routs Louisiana-Monroe in Independence Bowl

CBSSports.com wire reports

Dec. 28, 2012

SHREVEPORT, La. -- The final pass of Tyler Tettleton's dizzying early-game onslaught was beautiful -- a 68-yard touchdown heave to Chase Cochran over two defenders.

Ohio coach Frank Solich couldn't have designed a better beginning to a football game. And the end result -- a dominant 45-14 victory over Louisiana-Monroe in the Independence Bowl on Friday -- wasn't too bad either.

"It was probably as complete of ballgame as we've played in some time," Solich said. "I think our guys played with great intensity and a great deal of heart. We showed we can play a great game against a really good team like Louisiana-Monroe."

He finished 14 of 22 passing for 331 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.Tettleton's early heroics staked the Bobcats (9-4) to an early 14-0 lead and Louisiana-Monroe was never really able to gain its footing. During the two early touchdown drives, Tettleton completed all five of his passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

"We knew we were going up against a great front seven, so our game plan was to take some shots down field and let our playmakers make plays," Tettleton said.

They certainly did. Cochran caught three passes for 162 yards while Tyler Futrell had five receptions for 133 yards. With Tettleton softening the Louisiana-Monroe defense early, running back Beau Blankenship provided the power offense to seal the game, rushing for 104 yards and an Independence Bowl record four touchdowns.

Tettleton was especially sharp in the first half, completing 9 of 14 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns as Ohio built a 24-7 lead.

Louisiana-Monroe (8-5) struggled in its first bowl game after 19 seasons in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Kolton Browning completed 21 of 39 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three first-half interceptions.

Ohio broke several Independence Bowl records, including the 31-point margin of victory and 556 total yards.

Ohio lost four of five games to end the regular season -- including the last three -- but looked crisp in a complete performance against the Warhawks.

Tettleton's 2012 season had been a slight disappointment considering the huge numbers he put up the year before as a sophomore, but his performance against Louisiana-Monroe was a reminder of how good he can be. He averaged more than 23 yards per completion.

Blankenship finished with a school record 1,604 yards rushing yards this season and topped the 100-yard mark for the 10th time. All four of his touchdown runs came from 2 yards out or less.

Louisiana-Monroe came into Friday's game with the better storyline and basically a home-field advantage. The Warhawks were playing in their first bowl game after joining college football's highest level in 1994 and secured a bid in Shreveport, which is only about 100 miles from their campus.

But that emotional lift didn't help ULM's defense, which was torched by Tettleton's deep ball accuracy early and Blankenship's hard running late.

Tettleton needed just three passes to lead Ohio to its first touchdown. He hit Futrell on a 26-yard gain and Cochran on a 51-yard strike before finding Donte Foster for the 3-yard score.

A few minutes later, Tettleton hit Cochran perfectly in stride for the 68-yarder that gave the Bobcats a 14-0 lead.

Louisiana-Monroe briefly showed some life early in the second quarter when Browning's 14-yard touchdown pass to Tavarese Maye cut the margin to 14-7.

But Ohio came right back, using Matt Weller's 38-yard field goal and Blankenship's 2-yard touchdown run to push ahead 24-7 with 4:50 left in the second quarter. Blankenship's touchdown run was set up by Browning's third interception of the first half.

Louisiana-Monroe had a chance to cut into the deficit just before halftime, but coach Todd Berry's gamble to go for a touchdown instead of a short field goal backfired when Browning's final pass of the half sailed harmlessly out the back of the end zone.

Berry's gamble wasn't a surprise -- the Warhawks had gained a reputation for unorthodox play-calling during their record-setting season. But nothing seemed to work against the Bobcats, and the large ULM fan contingent had mostly disappeared from the stands by the end of the third quarter.

It was a disappointing ending for the Warhawks, who started the season with a stunning overtime victory over Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., and still finished with the best season in school history since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

"This will get us back to work," Berry said. "I would have liked it to have been a little cleaner. But I also recognize the opportunities for this football team next year. This will add fuel to the fire. We will have a great offseason because of what happened today and that's what we're going to use. This group will rally."

Baylor: 2012 Holiday Bowl Champions

Baylor starts fast, finishes UCLA Bruins quickly in Holiday Bowl, 49-26

ART STRICKLIN

Special Contributor

Published: 27 December 2012 09:05 PM

SAN DIEGO —  Before Thursday’s Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl matchup with Baylor, UCLA players said they had seen plenty of spread offenses in the Pac-12 and weren’t concerned with the Bears’ version.

But after a 49-26 beatdown, UCLA (9-5) surely realized that Baylor’s spread offense is something else altogether.

Baylor (8-5) scored 35 points in the first half. The booming halftime fireworks probably reminded the UCLA players and their fans of the offense they had just witnessed from the Big 12 bullies.

The impressive win before 55,507 chilled fans at Qualcomm Stadium lifted the Bears’ all-time bowl record to 10-9. It was by far their largest margin of victory in a bowl, breaking the previous mark of 13 points set in the 1948 Dixie Bowl and tied in the 1961 Gotham Bowl.

The Bears recorded their first back-to-back bowl victories since the 1985-86 Liberty and Bluebonnet bowls, coming on the heels of Baylor’s first-ever run of three straight bowl appearances.

After an exchange of punts to start the game, it didn’t take Baylor’s nationally top-ranked offense long to get on track. Starting at their own 47 after a 17-yard Brian Norwood kickoff return, the Bears covered the remaining 53 yards in just six plays and 1:43, with junior Glasco Martin scoring on a 4-yard run.

UCLA, still without first down, was forced to punt again, and Baylor came right back with a seven-play, 84-yard scoring drive, with a senior quarterback Nick Florence finding sophomore wide receiver Antwan Goodley in the back of the end zone for a another quick score and 14-0 lead late in the first quarter

The Bruins finally got its initial first down, but after being stopped on fourth-and-18, Baylor got the ball back and went right to work. The scoring drive only took 1:36, covering 76 yards in five plays, with Florence finding junior wide receiver Tevin Reese wide open for a 55-yard scoring strike and a 21-0 lead.

From there, the rout was really on. Martin got loose down the right side for a 26-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter and a 28-7 lead.

Stellar sophomore running back Lache Seastrunk, who made pregame comments about his goal of winning the 2013 Heisman Trophy, capped the Bears’ brilliant first half with a 43 scoring run up a huge hole in the middle of the field. He appeared to be trapped around the 20-yard line but made a quick move to the left and had a UCLA defender grasping at air.

Late in the third quarter, Seastrunk went over 1,000 yards for the season, remarkable for a back who played sparingly in the first seven games of the year but had more than 800 yards in the last six games.

The Bruins’ only first-half points came on a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brett Hundley to Joseph Fauria two plays after a Baylor fumble, plus a lastsecond 30-yard field goal which drew boos from the large UCLA crowd. That made it 35-10 at the half.

McCaw on parade duty: Athletic director Ian McCaw has had to fill a lot of roles in helping resurrect the once dismal Baylor athletic program. But he managed to find a new one Thursday.

McCaw was pressed into duty during the Holiday Day Parade to help guide the school’s 55-foot inflatable bear. Dressed in a dark green jumpsuit, McCaw and other Baylor employees took over for BU students who were supposed to have handled the chore. The students were delayed on their 21-hour bus trip from Waco.

Delivering sacks: Baylor entered Thursday’s game with 13 sacks for the entire season. The Bears padded their total by four in just over a quarter against UCLA, which entered the game with 46 sacks allowed, third most in the nation.

Cincinnati: 2012 Belk Bowl Champions

UC Bearcats win Belk Bowl against Duke, 48-34 Written by Kevin Goheen Enquirer contributor Dec 27

cincinnati.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The University of Cincinnati rallied from a 16-0 deficit in the first quarter with 27 consecutive points but needed an 83-yard touchdown pass from Brendon Kay to tight end Travis Kelce with 44 seconds left to beat Duke, 48-34, Thursday night in the Belk Bowl.

Nick Temple returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown with 14 seconds left after linebacker Maalik Bomar hit Duke quarterback Sean Renfree as he was attempting a pass.

UC got the ball back for its winning touchdown drive on a fumble recovery by senior defensive lineman John Williams at their 6-yard line when it appeared Duke was on the verge of the go-ahead score. UC forced four Duke turnovers without losing a turnover itself.

UC finishes the season 10-3, its second consecutive 10-win campaign.

Kay completed 17 of 25 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Renfree was 37-of-49 for 358 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Backup quarterback Brandon Connette, who also played running back and tight end, threw a touchdown and rushed for a score for Duke.

Running back George Winn rushed for 130 yards and one touchdown for UC, while Kelce had five receptions for 123 yards and his touchdown. Wide receiver Anthony McClung had three catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

UC played the game under interim head coach Steve Stripling, who replaced former coach Butch Jones when Jones left to take the job at Tennessee. New head coach Tommy Tuberville watched the game from a club suite at Bank of America Stadium.
Duke was appearing in its first bowl game since the 1994 season. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 6-0 lead on the opening drive of the game, going 79 yards in eight plays before capping the possession with a 5-yard touchdown run by Connette, who took a direct snap out of the wildcat formation. UC’s Adam Dempsey blocked the extra point.
The Blue Devils extended the lead to 9-0 on a 33-yard field goal by freshman Ross Martin on their second drive.
Duke had six plays of 10 or more yards and gained 123 yards on 19 plays on its opening two possessions. UC’s offense went three-and-out on its first two drives, totaling just 10 yards on six plays. Duke got its second touchdown on a blocked punt by Tony Foster that went 26 yards back into the end zone, where Foster fell on the ball, giving the Blue Devils a 16-0 lead with 4:45 left in the first quarter.
UC got its initial first down of the game when Kay ran for 20 yards around the left end. The Bearcats eventually got on the board with a 45-yard field goal by Tony Miliano with 1:43 left in the first quarter.
UC grabbed a 17-16 lead at halftime on two touchdown passes from Kay in the final four minutes of the half. He connected with McClung on a 25-yard pass with 4:02 left. The drive started at UC’s 46-yard line when the defense held on downs.
Kay and Ralph David Abernathy IV hooked up for a 41-yard touchdown pass with 42 seconds left in the half to cap a 98-yard drive.

UC scored 10 points in the third quarter, getting a 27-yard field goal from Miliano and 46-yard touchdown by Winn.

Duke answered with 15 straight points to take a 31-27 lead.

San Jose State: 2012 Military Bowl Champions

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- San Jose State quarterback David Fales set a Military Bowl record with 395 yards passing and the Spartans earned their first 11-win season since 1940 with a 29-20 victory over Bowling Green on Thursday at RFK Stadium.

Freshman Austin Lopez kicked a go-ahead field goal with 4:43 remaining. Senior defensive end Travis Johnson sealed the victory by capping his brilliant San Jose State career with a sack that forced a fumble recovered by teammate Keith Smith.

That turnover gave the Spartans the ball with 4:22 left and SJSU punched in a 1-yard touchdown by De'Leon Eskridge with 2:34 left.

Travis Raciti knocked down a fourth-down pass by Bowling Green's Matt Schilz on the Falcons' final

Fales finished the game 33 of 43 and finished the season with a school-record shattering 4,193 yards.

Fales gave the Spartans a 19-13 lead with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Jones in the third quarter.

San Jose State was trailing 13-10 after Bowling Green returned a Fales fumble to the 8-yard line and scored a play later.

But the Spartans got a big spark from their special teams, with clutch performer Bene Benwikere blocking a punt the Falcons' Brian Schmiedebusch. The ball sailed toward the end zone where SJSU tried to recover for a touchdown. It instead went for a safety that made it 13-12 and helped turn the game in the Spartans' favor.

The 11 wins for San Jose State are the most in its history as a major college program, which dates back to 1950. The Spartans improved to 6-3 all-time in bowls and close the season with a seven-game winning streak.

Central Michigan: 2012 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Champions

Central Michigan 24, Western Kentucky 21: Chippewas take Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

 Ryan Radcliff was 19-for-29 for 253 yards and three touchdowns as Central Michigan defeated Western Kentucky, 24-21, in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl tonight at Ford  Field. 

It looked as if the Chippewas retook the lead when, on fourth-and-goal from the 1, Zurlon Tipton scored on a pitch play. But after replay, Tipton's knee was down,  leaving CMU less than a yard short. 

But CMU (7-6) forced a three-and-out and blocked Hendrix Brakefield's punt, which eventually stopped at the WKU 27-yard line. 

Three plays later, Radcliff floated a pass to the back-right corner of the end zone for Wilson, who hauled it in for an 11-yard  touchdown with 5:11 remaining. 

WKU drove to the CMU 19-yard line with \less than two minutes to play, but went for it on fourth-and-2. However, Kawaun Jakes' pass for Jack Doyle was incomplete, turning it over on downs.

Andrew Flory caught two of Radcliff's touchdowns and had three catches for 105 yards. Wilson had 10 grabs for 101 yards. Tipton had 23 carries for 101 yards. 

Kawaun Jakes was 14-for-24 for 199 yards and a touchdown. Antonio Andrews  had 27 rushes for 119 yards. 

The Hilltoppers (7-6) took the lead in the third quarter after 16-play, 80-yard drive that took 9 minutes, 23 seconds ended with Kadeem Jones' 1-yard TD run. 

On the game's opening possession, Radcliff hit Flory for a 69-yard touchdown pass. But not even two minutes later, WKU tied the game on Jakes' 6-yard run. Later in the first, Radcliff found Flory again, this time for a 29-yard scoring pass. 

In the second quarter, David Harman tied a Pizza Bowl record with a 50-yard field 

goal. But the Hilltoppers answered with a six-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 

Jakes throwing in to the back of the end zone where Doyle made a leaping, one-

hand catch for 6 yards. CMU led, 17-14, at halftime.

SMU: 2012 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Champions

Look out, NFL! Estonia's Margus Hunt helps SMU crush Fresno State in Hawaii Bowl

Wire Reports

Published: 24 December 2012 07:27 PM

Click here for the box score

HONOLULU (AP) — Margus Hunt knew he had eight hours to fill on the flight over the Pacific Ocean, so he asked the SMU staff to put together film of Fresno State for him to study. He hit the Bulldogs like a tidal wave Monday night in the Hawaii Bowl.

The 6-foot-8 defensive end raced around right tackle to blindside Derek Carr and force a fumble. Hunt smashed into running back Robbie Rouse on a delayed handoff and forced another fumble. On a three-man rush, he sacked Carr in the end zone for a safety.

It was an inspiring performance by the senior from Estonia, and it set the tone for the Mustangs' 43-10 win.

"That was a lot of fun," Hunt said. "We knew from the get-go it was going to be a Monday night football game, the only game in the nation. We wanted to show our skills and make some plays. To me personally ... this is where it all started. It's good to end on this note."

The Mustangs (7-6) also returned two interceptions for touchdowns, giving them eight for the season to tie the NCAA record set last year by Southern Miss. Hayden Greenbauer picked off Carr and returned it 83 yards with 1:14 left, the final blow to a miserable night for the Bulldogs (9-4).

SMU had seven sacks, more than double the most Fresno State had given up in a game all year.

Garrett Gilbert was effective with his arm and his legs, running for a 17-yard touchdown for the first score of the game and throwing a perfect strike to Darius Johnson for a 21-yard score to answer the Bulldogs' only touchdown. He rushed for 98 yards on 18 carries and threw for 212 yards.

But this game was decided by the Mustangs' defense, with Hunt leading the way. He was voted the game's MVP.

"We tried some slide protections to 92 (Hunt). You know, they beat us," Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter said. "We tried going empty to spread things out and get it out quick, we tried to max protect. Everything we tried didn't work."

Fresno State, the Mountain West Conference champion, has lost its last four bowl games.

SMU, which went 25 years without a bowl after its NCAA death penalty, now has played in a school-record four straight bowls, winning the last three. Hunt was a mystery when that run started in 2009, a gold medalist in the shot put and discus in Beijing at the 2006 Junior World Championships who came to SMU for track and field and turned to football when it was his only hope of scholarship money.

SMU coach June Jones has a knack for taking a chance on athletes from other sports, and he liked what he saw, from the 82-inch wing span to the 4.7 speed in the 40.

"It's not hard for me to see a world-class athlete who can run like that, has strength like that, has an arm length like that," Jones said. "The first scrimmage we had ... the only thing I didn't know was if he was going to be tough enough. The first play we ran a trap and hit him real hard, and he wanted to fight. I said, 'OK, we may have a player here.'

"His best football is ahead of him," Jones said. "I was really excited, on a national stage, for him to have that kind of a game."

The Bulldogs turned in a dud.

Fresno State, which had averaged just over 47 points in its last five games, was shut out in the first half for the first time in two years. Carr was too busy running for his life to get the Bulldogs into any kind of offensive rhythm. And when the Bulldogs finally scored with 10:21 left in the third quarter, Gilbert led the Mustangs on a 75-yard drive that he finished with a pinpoint pass to Johnson in the corner for a touchdown.

"That drive there put the game away in essence," Gilbert said. "For us to respond like that and put six points on that board was big."

It allowed Jones to walk out of Aloha Stadium with yet another win.

He was the coach at Hawaii for eight years, leaving after its unbeaten regular season in 2007. Jones now has won 10 straight games in Aloha Stadium, dating to a December 2006 loss to Oregon State.

"I just want to say 'Aloha' to the seniors," Jones said during the trophy presentation. "We said we were going to do it and we did it."

Without hardly breaking a sweat.

The 10 points matched the fewest Fresno State has scored this year, dating to its 20-10 loss to Boise State. Carr was 33-of-54 passing for 362 yards, but most of that came late in the game when the Bulldogs were trying to catch up.

He was overwhelmed by the Mustangs' defensive front, particularly Hunt, who had two sacks, two forced fumbles and three tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

"When you go three-and-out, it feels like there's no rhythm at all," Carr said.

After a dull, scoreless opening quarter, Gilbert shook off one tackle and scored on a 17-yard run. The defense took over from there.

Hunt blew past right tackle Alex Fifita and blindsided Carr, dropping him flat as the ball came loose and was scooped up by Aaron Davis, who returned it 23 yards to the Fresno State 16 until he fumbled it out of bounds. SMU had to settle for a field goal. On the next series, Carr scrambled backward and couldn't escape an 18-yard sack to the 6, and then Hunt sacked him in the end zone for a safety.

Hunt wasn't finished. On second-and-7 from the 33, Carr gave it to Robbie Rouse on a delayed handoff, right about the time Hunt showed up to disrupt the play and cause another fumble that Taylor Reed recovered. That drive went backward, and Chase Hover connected from 48 yards.

Jones' only concern was having to settle for field goals, fearing that might come back to haunt the Mustangs given Fresno State's explosive offensive. Not to worry. The SMU defense dominated to the very last score.

Boise State: 2012 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas Champions

Late field goal lifts Boise State to a third straight win in the MAACO Bowl

Published: December 23, 2012 Updated 2 hours ago

Darin Oswald — doswald@idahostatesman.com

By CHADD CRIPE — ccripe@idahostatesman.com

LAS VEGAS — The Boise State football team hoisted senior kicker Michael Frisina into the air and formed a mosh pit around him Saturday afternoon at Sam Boyd Stadium.

“Frisina! Frisina! Frisina!” they chanted.

For a few moments, and for a change, the kicker was the most beloved person in blue and orange.

Frisina made a 27-yard field goal with 1 minute, 16 seconds left to give the No. 20 Broncos a 28-26 victory over the Washington Huskies in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas.

“That had a little to do with the curse, you can call it, that we had,” Boise State sophomore wide receiver Matt Miller said of the celebration. “For him to step up and make a kick, I think it shows we don’t have a kicker problem anymore.”

Washington tried to answer, but Boise State sophomore safety Jeremy Ioane sealed the Broncos’ victory with an interception with 14 seconds left.

The Broncos, whose lone losses in 2010 and 2011 occurred when their previous kickers missed potential game-winning field goals, finished the season 11-2. They have won at least 11 games in five straight seasons, will finish in the Top 20 for the fifth straight season and have won bowl games in four straight years for the first time in school history.

The Broncos built an 18-3 lead over the Huskies (7-6) in the first half, led 18-17 at halftime and trailed for the first time, 26-25, late in the fourth quarter.

The script was flipped from the rest of the season with the Broncos’ much-maligned offense delivering clutch plays in bunches — they converted nine third or fourth downs — and their usually dominant defense staggered by the Huskies’ brute-force attack.

“We knew Washington was as good an opponent as we could face, and they were,” Boise State junior quarterback Joe Southwick said. “They showed it on the field today. … We knew it would take all four quarters. We were able to, in the fourth quarter, take care of business.”

Southwick capped his first season as a starter with his most impressive outing. He was 26-of-38 for 264 yards and two touchdowns, often shuffling in the pocket or scrambling to the outside to find his receivers. He also rushed 11 times for 39 yards — using his athletic ability to keep scoring drives alive — and operated much of the game without a huddle.

In the last four games of the season, he tossed nine touchdown passes and no interceptions while completing 69.9 percent of his passes.

“He really did a nice job in the game today,” Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. “He managed their offense, especially in their up-tempo stuff. He threw the ball efficiently and accurately and then when he pulled the ball down and scrambled, he was effective. He hurt us with his legs today.”

Washington sophomore tailback Bishop Sankey, the game MVP, kept the Huskies within reach in the first half and finished with 205 rushing yards, 279 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. He got help in the second half from a third-down passing attack that featured sophomore wide receiver Kasen Williams (six catches, 95 yards) and sophomore tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (six, 61, TD).

“(Sankey) was doing a good job of finding holes in our defense,” said Boise State senior linebacker J.C. Percy, who made a career-high 17 tackles. “He was able to run hard, break tackles and use his elusive moves and get away from us.”

One of the Huskies’ three stars touched the ball on 11 of 13 offensive plays as they marched from their own 4-yard line to the Boise State 20 in the fourth quarter. On third-and-8, cornerback Jamar Taylor broke up a pass and forced a Travis Coons field-goal attempt.

Coons, who missed from 41 yards on the previous possession, hit a 38-yarder for the 26-25 lead with 4:09 remaining.

The Broncos’ offensive players sought out Southwick.

“Hey, you’re our leader,” they told him, according to senior wide receiver Chris Potter. “Take us down there and we’re going to win this game.”

2/4

True freshman wide receiver and kickoff returner Shane Williams-Rhodes, whose highlight-reel quickness got him on the field this season, provided a spark. Williams-Rhodes fielded the kickoff at his own 11-yard line, started to the left — where his blockers were — and then broke into the open field along the right sideline.

He nearly escaped for a touchdown but stepped out of bounds at the Washington 42-yard line — a careerbest 47-yard return.

“He’s such a little jitterbug,” Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. “He’s got great instincts. The play was designed to go to the other side and he could feel them rotate too fast and he hit it back across the field.”

Southwick barely converted a fourth-and-1 sneak and completed three passes to push the ball to the Huskies’ 12. The Broncos took one shot at the end zone but were content to place the ball on Frisina’s preferred hash mark, the right, and force the Huskies to use two timeouts.

Petersen figured he’d found Frisina’s sweet spot. He was 13-of-13 on field goals of 30 yards or less — and this was a 27-yarder.

“He’s been like clockwork,” Petersen said.

Frisina made a solid strike — “I knew I made it right when I hit it,” he said — and the ball sailed about a yard inside the right upright.

On the sideline, many Broncos watched from one knee.

“I thought, ‘Third time’s a charm,’ ” Percy said. “I knew Friz was going to make it.”

Chadd Cripe: 377-6398, Twitter: @IDS_BroncoBeat

Louisiana-Lafayette: 2012 New Orleans Bowl Champions

Louisiana-Lafayette wins New Orleans Bowl | College football

Quarterback Terrance Broadway passed for 316 yards and ran for 108, leading Louisiana-Lafayette to a 43-34 victory over East Carolina in the New Orleans Bowl.

By Seattle Times news services

NEW ORLEANS — Whether Terrance Broadway was throwing, running or throwing on the run, he gave East Carolina fits and justified Louisiana-Lafayette coach Mark Hudspeth's decision to let his sophomore quarterback finish the season as his starter.

Broadway passed for 316 yards and ran for 108, helping Louisiana-Lafayette repeat as winner of the New Orleans Bowl. The Ragin' Cajuns beat East Carolina 43-34 Saturday.

The performance capped a season that opened with Broadway backing up senior Blaine Gautier, who broke a bone in his throwing hand in late September.

"Terrance comes in and just has a phenomenal season," said Hudspeth, describing the difficult decision not to give Gautier — the most valuable player in last year's 32-30 New Orleans Bowl victory over San Diego State — his job back when he was healthy again late in the season. "We really had hit our stride, and the best thing about Blaine is he understood."

Broadway had to sit out last season after transferring from Houston.

Alonzo Harris rushed for 120 yards, including touchdowns of 6 and 68 yards, for the Ragin' Cajuns (9-4).

Shane Carden passed for 278 yards and two TDs for East Carolina (8-5).

Central Florida: 2012 Beef O Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg Champions

OrlandoSentinel.com

Blake Bortles leads UCF to 38-17 win over Ball State in bowl

Knights earned 10-win season

By Paul Tenorio, Orlando Sentinel

11:37 PM EST, December 21, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — The blitz came from the right side, squarely in UCF quarterback Blake Bortles' vision as the clock wound down in the first half.
The redshirt sophomore didn't duck away or flinch, but stepped forward into the path of the oncoming defender.
"It was a corner," he would say later with a chuckle, "I'm bigger than he is."
The arching pass dropped perfectly into the hands of freshman receiver Breshad Perriman, a 45-yard gain that would set up a touchdown before halftime. It was one of many highlight moments for Bortles, who was only just beginning a career night on a national stage.
Bortles led the Knights to a 38-17 win over Ball State in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Friday night at Tropicana Field. The game drew an announced crowd of 21,759 fans.
Bortles completed 22 of 32 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 79 yards and one score on nine carries during the win, turning in his strongest performance of the season.
The Oviedo grad finished with 3,058 passing yards this season, the first UCF quarterback to surpass the 3,000 yard mark since 2002 and the fifth-best single-season mark in program history. His 25 passing touchdowns this season tied Daunte Culpepper for fifth all-time.
"I can't believe he's not going to be a pro prospect if he continues to develop the way he has," Ball State coach Pete Lembo said.
It was a significant win for UCF, giving the Knights 10 wins during the season and sending out their 20 seniors with 34 wins in four years, the most ever by any class in program history. The result also provided some momentum as UCF heads into a shaky offseason as a Big East member, a move that is supposed to serve as the next step for a growing program.
Asked often this year to use his legs as a weapon, Bortles rushed for a big gain early in the game that served as a preview for how dangerous a runner he can be. The 6-4, 221-pound quarterback later nearly outran a cornerback on a scramble, and then took a carry from the 6-yard line and bowled over two Ball State defenders for a touchdown with a second-effort push in the second quarter.
He also threw a pair of touchdown tosses to Latavius Murray, the second of which was a patient swing pass after he worked through all his progressions with the final seconds ticking off the clock in the first half.
"I think he basically took some bad plays and made some good plays out of them," UCF coach George O'Leary said. "He had a good night, and when your quarterback does well, offense moves the ball. That's how it works."
While Bortles stood out and earned Beef `O' Brady's Bowl most valuable player honors, Murray closed his career with another big bowl game performance. Murray, the 2010 Liberty Bowl most valuable player, caught the opening touchdown of the game over the middle and rushed for a score on the Knights' second possession to give UCF a 13-7 lead.
The redshirt senior finished with 73 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He also had six catches for 32 yards and two touchdowns. His 44 career touchdowns are second all-time in program history.
With those two playing well in the backfield, UCF took control of the game just before halftime.
With a 21-7 lead, the Knights took possession after a missed field goal at their own 20-yard line with 55 seconds remaining before the break.
Bortles would hit Jeff Godfrey for a 12-yard gain, and, after a false start penalty, connected with Murray for 10 to give UCF the ball at the 37-yard line. Then, he dropped back and found Perriman down the right sideline for the big 45-yard gain that put UCF on the Ball State 18-yard line.
It was the fifth reception on the night for the true freshman, a career-high, and Perriman would also finish with a career-high 90 yards receiving.
Four plays later, with just 11 seconds left on the clock, Bortles took a snap and waited in the pocket, working his eyes across the field until he found Murray for a five-yard swing pass touchdown to give UCF a 28-7 lead.
The second half was just the finishing touches for Bortles.
"Our main goal was to get a 10-win season and send these seniors out on a good note," Bortles said. "But it also gives us a big boost going into the offseason."
UCF goes into that break with the uncertainty of a Big East in rebuilding mode, but it does so with the confidence that it has a quarterback for whatever future lies ahead.
ptenorio@tribune.com

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