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.