Army: 2024 Independence Bowl Champions

 

The Independence Bowl has welcomed some significant attendance numbers over the years with schools like LSU, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Oklahoma casting their lots in the 11th oldest bowl game in the country.

But thanks to heavy rains that fell throughout the Shreveport-Bossier City area on Saturday, an announced crowd of 34,283 hardy souls watched as Army dominated late invitee Louisiana Tech 27-6 in a late game televised on ESPN.

Although the Bulldogs (5-8) have now played in more I-Bowls than any team over the past 48 seasons (6), and defeated Miami in 2019 in their last visit, they were no match for the Black Knights (12-2), who rebounded from a season-ending loss to archrival Navy.

Tech wasn’t supposed to go bowling after coming up short of the necessary six wins, but got a reprieve when Marshall flaked out of coming to Shreveport after losing over two dozen players in the portal.

Tech is now 0-3 all-time versus Army.

Black Knights play keep-away with football

Time was not in Tech’s favor as the Black Knights dominated time of possession in addition to the scoring.

On one first-half drive, Army set an I-Bowl record with 21 plays on a drive that lasted more than 12 minutes. That left a short-handed Tech defense defenseless against the onslaught of the Black Knight offense that ran the ball at will.

The Bulldogs rarely saw the ball in falling behind by three scores and never recovering. In the end, the time of possession favored Army 38:56 to 19:52.

Rumbled on the Red

Playing in a stadium just a few miles from the mighty Red River, site of two Bassmaster Classics, the Bulldogs couldn’t pose a decent run-stop defense with three defensive line starters missing because of the transfer portal.

One of those was Tech’s best defender in David Blay, the No. 2 defensive line prospect in the 2024 portal who is headed to Miami.

A no-star defensive line prospect out of Levittown, Pennsylvania, in 2022, Blay posted 46 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback pressures and 6.5 sacks this season. His sack total was the third best in Conference USA this season.

Tech's defense finished the season as the No. 11-ranked total defense in the nation, allowing just 301.9 yards per game. Army entered the game averaging 298.9 yards per game and put up a lot on the Bulldogs.

Tech offense given little help in run game

Tech, which was making its 14th bowl appearance in history but first since 2020, had just a couple of backup wide receivers missing from the offense that carried the Bulldogs for most of the season. But you couldn’t tell it with the way the offense sputtered in key situations.

The Bulldogs’ only real chance at a TD came with about 11 minutes remaining when redshirt freshman quarterback Evan Bullock tossed an interception in the end zone from 3 yards out on a fourth-down play.

Now 3-2-1 in I-Bowls, Tech couldn’t get its offense untracked behind Bullock, who received no support from his run game. Tech managed just a single rushing yard in the first half while falling behind 21-3 and finished with 49 yards rushing.

Meanwhile, Army quarterback Bryson Daily set the NCAA single-season rushing TD record with three scores against the Bulldogs giving him 32 on the season.

BYU: 2024 Alamo Bowl Champions

 

BYU jumped all over Colorado in a Big 12-on-Big 12 bout in the Alamo Bowl on Saturday night. The Cougars held CU scoreless in the first half, picked off quarterback Shedeur Sanders twice, and walked away with a resounding 36-14 victory.

The win was BYU’s 11th of the season and gave coach Kalani Sitake his fifth bowl win in 7 tries.

For Colorado, it brought about a disappointing end to the collegiate careers of Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Sanders completed 16 of his 23 passes for 208 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he was picked off twice in the game and ended the evening with a towel draped over his head on the sidelines. Sanders appeared to pick up a lower-leg injury in the second half but stayed in the game until the closing minutes. Hunter broke loose for a 43-yard touchdown in the third quarter and he caught a 58-yard pass in the second quarter, but that was it for him in terms of impact plays on the evening.

BYU held Colorado without a point on its first 6 drives. The Buffs turned it over on downs to begin the game, missed a second-quarter field goal, and watched helplessly as BYU built a 20-0 halftime lead. The Cougars’ offense didn’t necessarily light up the box score, but BYU completely dominated field position.

Four of BYU’s 11 drives began on Colorado’s side of the 50. The average starting point for every drive was the BYU 45. The Cougars’ first scoring drive of the game started from their 48. The next drive gained just 8 yards in 7 plays, but it began at the CU 41 and ended with a field goal. BYU only produced 3 offensive touchdowns in the game, and none of those possessions needed to go more than 55 yards to reach paydirt.

Special teams swung decidedly in BYU’s favor. The Cougars punted only once all night, but got 44 yards from that boot. Kicker Will Ferrin made all 3 of his field goal tries. With the Cougs holding just a 10-point lead late in the second quarter, Parker Kingston returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown to ensure BYU would take all the momentum into the locker room at the half.

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff finished the game with 151 yards on 12-of-21 passing. He threw 2 picks and didn’t register a touchdown through the air. All 3 offensive touchdowns came from the rushing attack, which was led by 93 yards from LJ Martin.

The Cougars limited Colorado to 210 yards of offense. Sanders was sacked 4 times and the ground game finished with just 2 net yards on 19 carries. Remove the yardage lost to sacks and Colorado still only produced 53 rushing yards on 3.5 per carry in the game.

Hunter also made 4 tackles on defense.

Colorado (9-4) won its final game of the regular season 52-0 but was shut out of the Big 12 Championship Game because of a tiebreaker. The desire to end the season the right way certainly served as motivation for both Hunter and Sanders during bowl prep. Even though the NFL beckons, the Buffs’ 2 stars were looking to end their collegiate careers with a bit more oomph.

Instead, Colorado’s best season since 2016 ended with a bit of a dud. Now, the 2 stars will turn their attention to the 2025 NFL Draft, where they are both expected to be top-10 selections.

East Carolina: 2024 Military Bowl Champions

 

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- — Rahjai Harris broke free for an 86-yard touchdown run with 1:33 remaining, giving East Carolina a pulsating 26-21 victory over NC State in the Military Bowl in a game that descended into a wild brawl in the final minute.

Harris had 220 of ECU's 326 yards rushing, and his sensational sprint near the end of the game gave the Pirates (8-5) the lead back after they'd blown a 13-point advantage in the fourth. But after an interception by Dontavius Nash ended NC State's final drive, East Carolina's attempt to run out the clock was interrupted by large-scale fight between the two in-state rivals — who play each other again to start next season.

Three players for ECU and five for NC State were ejected.

ECU (8-5) trailed 21-20 and took over the ball at its own 14, and after two incompletions, the Pirates decided to run the ball with Harris. He had a good hole to the left for a big gain, then cut back past the final defender on his way to the end zone.

CJ Bailey threw three touchdown passes for the Wolfpack (6-7), who rallied from a 20-7 deficit in the fourth. Bailey threw a 15-yard scoring strike to Justin Joly on fourth down, then NC State forced ECU's first punt of the game and took the lead on a trick play.

Bailey handed off to Hollywood Smothers, then Smothers pitched to Keenan Jackson, who pitched the ball back to Bailey. The NC State quarterback quickly dumped the ball off to Smothers, who had plenty of blockers in front of him and went all the way to the end zone for a 33-yard TD and a 21-20 lead.

It wasn't enough as the ACC completed a desultory day. ACC teams are 1-9 in postseason bowls and playoff games this year after four more went down Saturday. North Carolina (Fenway), Boston College (Pinstripe), Miami (Pop Tarts) and NC State (Military) all lost.

Louisville, Duke and Virginia Tech still have games in the coming days for the league.

ECU quarterback Katin Houser opened the scoring with a 19-yard touchdown run. After an East Carolina field goal, Bailey got the Wolfpack on the board with an 8-yard scoring pass to Dacari Collins in the second quarter.

The Pirates led 13-7 at halftime and then drove for a touchdown to start the third quarter. After Houser's 4-yard TD run, ECU lined up to go for 2, but after a delay of game penalty had to kick the extra point.

Takeaways

NC State: The Wolfpack put up a good battle in the final quarter, but ultimately NC State's defense didn't do enough on this day.

East Carolina: The Pirates have a lot to feel good about. They won five of their final six games after coach Mike Houston was fired. His replacement, Blake Harrell, was rewarded by having his interim tag removed, and this game showed why.

Up next

NC State can feel a little better about the future after the way Bailey, a 6-foot-6 freshman, handled this game. The same is true for East Carolina with its new coach.

However, the brawl means both coaches have work to do keeping their players under control when they see each other again in the 2025 opener.

Miami (OH): 2024 Arizona Bowl Champions

 

TUCSON, Ariz. -- — Kevin Davis had a career-high 148 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just nine carries Saturday and Jordan Brunson also ran for two TDs to help Miami (Ohio) beat Colorado State 43-17 at the Arizona Bowl.

Davis scored on a 4-yard run with 12:35 left in the third quarter, Matt Salopek forced a fumble that was recovered by Silas Walters and quarterback Brett Gabbert's first rushing touchdown of the season — a 10-yard scramble that capped a 47-yard drive — made it 22-3 about 2 minutes later.

After the Rams failed to convert a fourth-and-4 from the 5, Davis took a hand off up the middle and raced untouched for a 97-yard touchdown to give the RedHawks a 26-point lead with 6:45 remaining in the third quarter. George Swarn's 98-yard TD against Western Michigan in 1984 is the longest run in RedHawks history.

Miami (9-5) is 9-7 all-time in bowl games.

Colorado State (8-5) committed four turnovers which the RedHawks converted into 19 points.

Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Stephon Bailey and Peter Montini scored on a 1-yard run for the Rams.

Dom Dzioban made field goals of 34, 26 and 24 yards and the RedHawks led 9-3 lead at halftime. Dzioban's 26 made field goals are tied with Sam Sloman (2019) — a seventh-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 NFL draft — for second most on the program's single-season list. Graham Nicholson made 27 of 28 last season and won the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top kicker.

The Rams made their first bowl appearance since 2017, when they lost 31-28 to Marshall at the New Mexico Bowl.

Iowa State: 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl Champions

 

ORLANDO, Fla. -- — It was a season of Iowa State comebacks. And fittingly, that's how it ended for the Cyclones.

Game MVP Rocco Becht scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds remaining and No. 18 Iowa State capped the best season in school history by rallying past No. 15 Miami 42-41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday.

Becht finished with 270 passing yards and three touchdowns for Iowa State (11-2), a program that entered this season — the 133rd year of Cyclone football — never having won more than nine games in a year.

“If you look at this team, it’s really who they’ve been all year,” coach Matt Campbell said.

The win marked the fourth time in 2024 that Iowa State got a winning score with less than two minutes remaining. For this one, the Cyclones rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half — with Miami quarterback Cam Ward watching after a record-setting first half — to get win No. 11. Carson Hansen rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Iowa State.

And as the MVP, Becht got the honor of choosing which flavor Pop-Tart was to be sacrificed in a giant toaster.

“There's only one,” Becht said. “Cinnamon roll.”

Ward passed for three touchdowns in his final college game, while Damien Martinez rushed for a career-high 179 yards for Miami (10-3), which dropped its sixth straight bowl game and lost three of four games to end the season — those three losses by a combined 10 points.

"Disappointed that we couldn't pull out a victory," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “These guys have always fought and always competed and this was no exception. ... It's painful. It's as painful as it gets when you don't win. But there's a lot to build on.”

Martinez and Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for scores for Miami, which was seeking its first 11-win season since 2003. Elijah Arroyo, Jojo Trader and Jacolby George had TD catches for the Hurricanes.

A 15-play, 84-yard drive by Iowa State was what delivered the winning score.

The first half was wild. Miami fumbled the ball away on the game's first snap. And the next eight drives all ended with touchdowns, neither team able to stop the other.

The teams combined for 625 yards — 358 for Miami, 267 for Iowa State — and 59 points by halftime, which Miami ended holding a 31-28 lead. The only punt was by Iowa State's Tyler Perkins midway through the second quarter; he was cheered when he entered the field during a ping-pong game of a first half, the teams trading touchdowns like nothing.

Ward was 12 of 19 passing for 190 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, before Emory Williams took over to start the second half. Fletcher's 1-yard run midway through the third quarter put Miami up 38-28, but the Hurricanes managed only three points on their final three drives.

“To end the season this way, it’s really fitting,” Campbell said. “It really tells the character of this team. Hard to find teams still in college football, but we’ve got one in Ames, Iowa.”

The takeaway

Iowa State: The Cyclones had touchdown drives of 22, 75, 65 and 75 yards on their first four possessions — 237 yards in all. They had one touchdown and 110 yards in their next five possessions, not counting one that was only a kneel-down to end the half.

Miami: The Hurricanes were 50-0 since the start of 2000 when scoring at least 38 points and gaining at least 500 yards. They're 50-2 now — the loss to Syracuse that cost Miami a College Football Playoff berth ended the streak, and the Hurricanes lost despite 41 points and 524 yards on Saturday.

Poll implications

If Miami remains in the AP Top 25, it'll make 2024 the first season since 2017 in which the Hurricanes appeared in every poll. Iowa State will end the season ranked for only the second time since 2000.

School record

Andy Borregales' field goal with 9:40 left gave Miami a 41-35 lead — giving him 11 points (five PATs, two field goals) on the day and 404 points in his career. That set a new Miami school record, one more than Michael Badgley.

Up next

Iowa State: Opens the 2025 season on Aug. 23 against Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland.

Miami: Opens the 2025 season at home against Notre Dame, sometime over Labor Day weekend. The date — anytime between Thursday, Aug. 28 and Monday, Sept. 1 — has not been finalized.

TCU: 2024 New Mexico Bowl Champions

 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- — Josh Hoover passed for four touchdowns to help TCU beat Louisiana-Lafayette 34-3 on Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl.

Hoover was 20 for 32 for 252 yards with an interception. Eric McAlister had eight catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs (9-4).

TCU’s defense also had a solid day, holding Louisiana-Lafayette (10-4) to 209 yards, including 61 on the game’s final possession.

“These guys were ready to play,” Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes said of his defense. “They had a beat on what they were doing. I think we came in with a lot of confidence. I think they have started to really gel as a defense. I think we’re really starting to figure it out defensively. And guys are playing faster and playing more confident, and so couldn’t be more excited about the direction we’re going in defensively.”

Ben Wooldridge was 7-for-20 passing for 61 yards for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He also threw an interception.

“I think they’ve got a great scheme,” Cajuns coach Michael Desormeaux said. “I think they do a great job getting extra hats to the ball. They’re safeties don’t miss a whole lot of tackles, either.”

The Horned Frogs put together a fast start. Hoover found DJ Rogers for a 3-yard TD pass, capping an 11-play, 75-yard drive on the game’s opening possession.

“We’ve gotten off to a fast start pretty much every single week (since the Utah game),” Dykes said. “And I think that has a lot to do with Josh’s preparation.”

After Lou Groza Award winner Kenneth Almendares missed a 54-yard field goal for Louisiana-Lafayette, TCU went right back to work.

McAlister’s 1-yard touchdown reception finished a 10-play, 63-yard drive and gave the Horned Frogs a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Kyle Lemmermann kicked two field goals and JP Richardson added a 20-yard touchdown reception as TCU opened a 27-0 halftime lead.

Record-setting season

Hoover finished with a TCU-record 3,949 yards passing for the season.

“There’s been a lot of really good quarterbacks who have come through here and so it means a lot to kind of have your name in that conversation,” he said. “And, obviously, it’s a testament to the guys around me. I can’t run the ball once they catch it. I can’t run and catch it, right? And our offensive line they did a great job pass protecting all year, giving me opportunities to make plays and find guys."

Takeaways

TCU: Two years removed from an appearance in the national championship game, the Horned Frogs turned in a strong performance after going 5-7 last season. They scored on their first four possessions against the Cajuns.

Louisiana-Lafayette: It was a rough afternoon for the Cajuns. Almendares made a 24-yarder in the fourth quarter to account for their only points.

Rough ending

Louisiana-Lafayette lost 31-3 in the Sun Belt championship, leaving the Cajuns without a touchdown in consecutive games.

Up next

TCU opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 at North Carolina in coach Bill Belichick’s debut with the Tar Heels.

Louisiana-Lafayette opens at home against Rice on Aug. 30.

Nebraska: 2024 Pinstripe Bowl Champions

 

NEW YORK -- — Dylan Raiola passed for 228 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska built an 18-point lead through three quarters and hung on to beat Boston College 20-15 Saturday for its first bowl victory since 2015.

After Nebraska built a 13-2 lead in the first half on scoring runs by Rahmir Johnson and Kwinten Ives, Raiola hit Emmett Johnson with a 13-yard TD pass on fourth down with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter for a 20-2 edge and the Cornhuskers (7-6) held on for the win.

Raiola completed 23 of 31 passes in front of a sizable Nebraska crowd that celebrated the team’s first bowl win since topping UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl and first winning season since 2016.

“The biggest thing is that finally they can walk off the field and say ’Hey we got it done,'” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “We’ll have a lot of momentum heading into the offseason.”

Raiola completed passes to 10 receivers, including Jahmal Banks, who finished with four receptions for 79 yards.

“He’s gotten so much better as the year’s gone on in terms of the speed, movement and those things,” Rhule said of Raiola.

Rahmir Johnson and Ives scored on short TD runs in the second period, and Nebraska’s defense set up the critical score in the third.

Emmett Johnson scored on fourth-and-3 play for a 20-2 lead. That score came after John Bullock sacked Boston College quarterback Grayson James, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Elijah Jeudy at midfield.

James finished 25 of 40 for 296 yards as Boston College (7-6) fell to 0-3 in Pinstripe Bowl games.

The Eagles got past midfield on five of their first seven drives, but committed two turnovers and failed to convert four fourth downs, including two inside the 10-yard line. Boston College finally cashed with 6:11 left in the fourth when Turbo Richard scored on a 1-yard run, but the two-point conversion failed. BC made it a one-score game on Jordan McDonald’s 2-yard run, a play after getting possession on a blocked punt.

"I thought we were productive, but we couldn’t score,” Boston College coach Bill O’Brien said. “So that’s a problem because you have to score to win.”

After a scoreless opening quarter, Rahmir Johnson easily scored on a 4-yard run on the first play of the second period. After BC turned it over on downs twice in Nebraska territory, the Cornhusker’s took a 13-0 lead on Ives’ 2-yard run that was set up by Rahmir Johnson’s 22-yard run.

The Eagles picked up their only points of the first half when Ashton McShane blocked John Hohl’s extra point and returned it for two points.

Takeaways

Nebraska: Rahmir Johnson was named MVP in his final game at Nebraska to cap an emotional season in which he lost his mother in November. Johnson finished with 10 carries for 60 yards and the Cornhuskers totaled 127 yards on the ground and 363 yards overall. “Even with news like that, I still want to play for these guys," Johnson said. “And that's just the type of person I am.”

Boston College: Without ACC sacks leader DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, the Eagles could not get Nebraska and had to burn their final two timeouts after getting within 20-15.

Up next

Nebraska opens its 2025 season against Cincinnati on Aug. 30. Boston College takes on Fordham on Aug. 30 to open its season and will welcome Alabama transfer Dylan Longeran into its quarterback mix.

UConn: 2024 Fenway Bowl Champions

The UConn Huskies set the tone to open up the 2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday as the Huskies controlled the pace of the first quarter, cruising to a 27-14 victory in Boston for the team’s first bowl win since 2010.

In just the programs’ 10th bowl game in school history, UConn took it to UNC on the very first play from scrimmage as Mel Brown rushed right for 47 yards to put the Huskies just outside of the red zone. UConn would eventually cash in a 32 yard field goal to put the first points on the board, capping off an eight play drive.

Defensively, the Huskies held the UNC offense in check only allowing 14 total yards of offense in the first quarter. UConn forced two three-and-outs in the first quarter. The Tar Heels only found success after the Huskies scored the first touchdown of the day as Joe Fagnano found Skyler Bell on a 38 yard touchdown pass and catch.

On the ensuing kickoff, UNC’s Chris Culliver took the kick 95-yards for a Tar Heels score.

However, the close 10-7 scoreboard didn’t last for long as the Huskies went right back to business on their next drive. The 11 play, 79-yard drive was given an extra boost as two defensive penalties on the same play set up shop for the Huskies on the four yard line.

Fagano capped off the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Alex Honig to push the lead to 17-7. UConn would go on to score once more before the half on a two-yard touchdown run from Cam Edwards to go up 24-7 into the break.

At the start of the second half, most of the damage had already been done in order for the Huskies to their first bowl victory in 14 seasons. The Huskies kicked a 24-yard field goal to increase their lead early in the third quarter.

UNC began showing signs of life midway through the fourth quarter after concluding a eight play, 96-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Hood to Timmy Lawson on a speed option pass with 6:46 remaining in the game. However, despite their lone second half score, the Tar Heels were unable to bring the score any closer as UConn finished the 2024 season with a 9-4 record.

USC: 2024 Las Vegas Bowl Champions

 

LAS VEGAS -- — The Southern California Trojans ended their season the way they started it.

On Sept. 1 at Allegiant Stadium in the opener, the Trojans overcame a third-quarter deficit and scored with eight seconds left to beat LSU 27-20.

On Friday night back at Allegiant, Jayden Maiava threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Ford with eight seconds left to give USC a 35-31 victory over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl.

A graduate of Liberty High School in nearby Henderson and a transfer from UNLV, Maiava helped the Trojans (7-6) overcome a 17-point third-quarter deficit.

Maiava finished 22 of 39 for 295 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Bryan Jackson ran 16 times for 66 yards and scored once.

Maiava put an ugly start behind him with an impressive final drive that included a stunning pass to Lane on third-and-13 that turned into a 33-yard gain. He and Lane connected once more and got to the 2, but a delay-of-game penalty pushed the Trojans back to the 7 with just 12 seconds remaining.

“At the end of the day we all realized what we came to do in Vegas, and that is come out with a win,” said receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, who caught seven passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns. “And I think we’re all happy with that, and it’s time to go home and enjoy a little bit of Christmas time that we missed.”

After Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed raced 19 yards for a touchdown with 1:49 remaining to regain the lead, Maiava stole the role of hero on the same field he began his collegiate career by driving Southern California 75 yards in 10 plays for the winning score.

The Aggies (8-5) opened the third quarter by scoring 17 straight points to take a 24-7 lead, but squandered the lead thanks to several untimely penalties that allowed the Trojans to mount a comeback, eventually taking a 28-24 lead with 4:30 remaining.

The Aggies finished with eight penalties for 73 yards, including four for 40 yards in the second half.

“It is huge,” Elko said. “We go up 24-7, and we have three 15-yard penalties on the next drive. I think the story of the game is the story of our season. We don’t understand how to play zone coverage, which is mind blowing to me. ... We can’t cover the forward pass well enough to be a good football team, and so that’s my fault.”

Reed completed 26 of 42 passes for 292 yards. He threw three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 46 yards on nine attempts.

Reed spread the wealth to eight targets, including Jabre Barber, who caught seven passes for 48 yards and one touchdown. Noah Thomas had five catches for 29 yards and two TDs.

Syracuse: 2024 Holiday Bowl Champions

 

SAN DIEGO -- — Kyle McCord threw for 453 yards and five touchdowns to break Deshaun Watson's Atlantic Coast Conference season passing record and lead No. 22 Syracuse to a 52-35 victory over depleted-yet-scrappy Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on Friday night.

LeQuint Allen rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns for his second straight 1,000-yard season for the Orange (10-3), who had their first 10-win season since 2018. Fran Brown joined Paul Pasqualoni (1991) as the only Orange coaches since World War II to win 10 game in their first season.

McCord, the national passing leader, came in with 4,326 yards, which was fifth on the ACC's season list, and needed 268 yards to break Watson's record of 4,593, which he set in 15 games in 2016 at Clemson. McCord broke the record by a yard on the Orange's first play of the second half on a 50-yard pass to Darrell Gill Jr., who made a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch. McCord finished with 4,779 yards.

McCord was 24 of 34. Gill had 145 yards on four catches and Jackson Meeks had five catches for 110 yards. Trebor Pena and Oronde Gadsden each had two touchdown catches.

The Cougars (8-5) lost their fourth straight game but were spirited despite losing coach Jake Dickert to Wake Forest, quarterback John Mateer to Oklahoma, both coordinators and the quarterbacks and running backs coach, as well as having more than 20 players enter the transfer portal.

Zevi Eckhaus, who threw only seven passes in the regular season as Mateer's backup, threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions. Kyle Williams had 10 catches for 172 yards to break Dez Bryant's Holiday Bowl record of 168 yards receiving in 2008.

Washington State took a 21-14 lead with two touchdowns in just more than a minute late in the first quarter. Kyle Williams caught a short pass and turned it into a 66-yard touchdown. On the ensuing Syracuse possession, Leon Neal Jr. blocked a punt and Josh Meredith returned it 12 yards for a score.

Syracuse scored three times in the second quarter for a 35-21 lead. McCord threw scoring passes of 18 and 5 yards to Oronde Gadsden II sandwiched around a 2-yard touchdown run by Allen.

Syracuse was a 17-point favorite according to .

The Takeaway

Syracuse: McCord extended his school single-season records to 4,779 yards passing, 34 touchdown passes, 391 completions and 558 attempts.

Washington State: The Cougars scored first, on Eckhaus' 4-yard keeper midway through the first quarter and kept it close until they were overwhelmed in the second half.

Up next

Syracuse opens its 2025 schedule against Tennessee at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Aug. 30.

Washington State must hire a new coach for next season, which begins Aug. 30 in Pullman against Idaho, its neighbor on the Palouse.

Arkansas: 2024 Liberty Bowl Champions

 

MEMPHIS — Liberty was accompanied by fireworks Friday night. 

Arkansas racked up the yards and lit up the scoreboard at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, defeating Texas Tech 39-26 in a Liberty Bowl game that at times resembled the shootouts when these teams were members of the Southwest Conference. 

The Razorbacks — shorthanded due to dozens of players opting out or entering the transfer portal — capped a 7-6 campaign and claimed their third bowl trophy since 2021. Arkansas improved its all-time Liberty Bowl record to 4-3, with all wins coming since the 2009 season. 

“The bottom line is that we've got a good football team…and I'm really proud of the kids,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “A lot of times people will ask you, 'Are you ready to play in a bowl game?' Hell, yeah. We're going into a bowl game. It's exciting. It's hard to get to, and they're awful hard to win. Fortunately, we were able to win tonight.” 

Playing without his three top pass catchers from the regular season, Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green completed 11 of 21 passes for 341 yards and 2 touchdowns to earn the bowl’s most valuable player award. He also rushed 15 times for 81 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown carry on the Razorbacks’ opening drive. 

“Taylen took over,” Pittman said. “We have Taylen Green, a lot of teams don't, and it gives us an opportunity to win.”

Green’s 422 all-purpose yards led a 559-yard output for Arkansas. The Razorbacks had 500-plus yards for the fourth time under first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. 

Texas Tech had 497 yards on offense. 

Arkansas scored on its first three possessions. All were aided by chunk plays.

Green’s touchdown run came one play following a 70-yard run by Rodney Hill on the Razorbacks’ second offensive snap. 

The Red Raiders answered with a 37-yard field goal by Gino Garcia to cut the deficit to 7-3, but Green found Isaac TeSlaa for gains of 18 and 56 yards to quickly move Arkansas to the Texas Tech 1. Braylen Russell ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Razorbacks a 14-3 lead. 

Texas Tech (8-5) came away empty handed in the red zone on its ensuing possession. Facing fourth-and-goal at the Arkansas 5, quarterback Will Hammond threw incomplete to Coy Eakin with Kee’yon Stewart in coverage in the end zone. 

Three plays later, Green threw a 94-yard touchdown pass to Dazmin James to put the Razorbacks ahead 21-3. James caught a third-and-9 slant at the 15. 

“If you go back, on the season I think we were worst in the country on giving up explosive plays,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “That’s something that’s got to be a big deal during winter football school, it’s got to be a big deal in the spring and we’ve got to get better at that.”

James broke a tackle at the 24, was aided by a downfield block by Krosse Johnson, then broke another tackle attempt near the Texas Tech 15.

It was the first career reception for James, who broke the program’s record for longest touchdown catch. The previous record of 92 yards from Matt Jones to Richard Smith was set in 2002 at Tennessee. 

“My first catch ever as a collegiate athlete to catch the ball and go 94 yards, it feels amazing,” James said.

James caught 3 passes for 137 yards, all before halftime. He appeared to injure his knee on a 24-yard catch early in the second quarter, but returned to make a 19-yard catch on Arkansas’ final offensive snap of the half. That catch set up Matthew Shipley’s 40-yard field goal as time expired to give the Razorbacks a 24-19 halftime lead. 

“It was tough, right there in the end, to give up that field goal going into half because they had kind of grabbed the momentum back,” McGuire said. “It felt like we had gotten some momentum going and then they grabbed it back.”

Shipley added a 36-yard field goal on the first drive of the second half to put Arkansas ahead 27-19. 

Green threw complete to CJ Brown for 31 yards on third-and-11, then 47 yards to running back Tyrell Reed for a touchdown to increase the lead to 34-19 with 7:15 to play in the third quarter. 

Like James, Reed’s touchdown catch doubled as the first reception of his career. 

“Just because you guys don't know about them doesn't mean that they're not good players,” Pittman said. “But now you know about them a little bit.” 

A 43-yard field goal by Shipley with 5:02 left in the fourth quarter increased the Razorbacks’ lead to 39-19. 

Hammond threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Eakin with 3:06 to play. The Red Raiders’ onside kick attempt went out of bounds and Arkansas ran out the clock, taking a knee inside the red zone to end the game. 

After allowing 346 yards to Texas Tech before halftime, Arkansas’ defense clamped down for most of the second half. Defensive backs Marquise Robinson and Miguel Mitchell each intercepted Hammond — Robinson’s at the Arkansas 7 after the Red Raiders entered the red zone. 

The Razorbacks also recorded their first safety since 2022 when Anton Juncaj sacked Hammond in the end zone with 14:21 remaining in the fourth quarter. The safety was set up when Devin Bale’s punt was fair caught by Jordan Brown at the Texas Tech 2. 

The Red Raiders outscored Arkansas 16-3 in the second quarter. Isaac Smith sacked Green for a safety early in the quarter and J’Koby Williams had a 54-yard touchdown run on the next drive to cut the lead to 21-12. 

Receiver Jalin Conyers added a 2-yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat formation with 1:58 remaining before the half to make the score 21-19. 

But Green led a solid 2-minute drive to put the Razorbacks in scoring position. He scrambled 3 times for 22 yards on the possession before finding James to set up the field goal. 

James and TeSlaa (3 catches for 107 yards) became the first Arkansas receiving tandem to go over 100 yards in a bowl game since Chuck Dicus and Bruce Maxwell at the Sugar Bowl to end the 1969 season. 

Hill rushed for 81 yards on 8 carries. Russell had 20 carries for 50 yards a week after removing his name from the transfer portal. 

Green rushed for 97 yards when adjusted for sacks. He was sacked twice for 16 yards lost. 

Hammond, a freshman who made his first career start, completed 20 of 34 passes for 280 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Caleb Douglas was his top receiver with 5 catches for 115 yards. 

Williams led Texas Tech with 15 carries for 123 yards. The Red Raiders’ leading rusher, Tahj Brooks, elected not to play in the game after traveling with the team to Memphis. 

Why Arkansas Won

The Razorbacks had 15 offensive plays with double-digit yardage, including 6 plays of 31 yards or more against one of college football’s worst defenses. 

Texas Tech outgained Arkansas 346-341 during the first half, but the Razorbacks made more defensive stops after halftime. 

Player of the Game: Arkansas QB Taylen Green

Green had pass plays of 18, 56, 94, 24, 19, 33, 31 and 47 yards, and run plays of 12, 13, 27 and 15 yards. 

He had 422 all-purpose yards and accounted for 4 touchdowns. It was the fourth time he rushed for a touchdown and passed for a touchdown in the same game this season — the type of dual-threat performance that made Green attractive to Arkansas coaches when the former Boise State quarterback entered the transfer portal last offseason. 

With 341 passing yards, Green broke the Arkansas program record passing yards in a bowl game, previously set when Bill Montgomery passed for 338 yards during a 27-22 loss to Ole Miss at the Sugar Bowl to end the 1969 season. 

The last Arkansas quarterback to pass for 300 yards in a bowl game was Brandon Allen, who had 315 yards during a 45-23 victory over Kansas State at the Liberty Bowl to end the 2015 season. 

3-0

Sam Pittman became the first Arkansas coach to win his first three bowl games. 

Pittman led the Razorbacks to their second Liberty Bowl victory. Arkansas defeated Kansas 55-53 in triple overtime in Memphis in 2022. 

In Pittman’s first bowl game, the Razorbacks defeated Penn State 24-10 at the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla. 

Prior to Pittman, the only Arkansas coach to win his first two bowl games was Bret Bielema, with wins of 31-7 over Texas at the 2014 Texas Bowl and the 45-23 win over Kansas State at the Liberty Bowl to end the 2015 season. Pittman was an assistant for both of those teams, but did not coach in the latter of the two bowls because he had left to be an assistant coach at Georgia by that time. 

Pittman, who concluded his fifth season as Arkansas’ coach Friday, has a 30-31 overall record. The Razorbacks posted their third season with a winning record during his tenure. 

Pittman coached Friday's game while using a cane. He was 24 days removed from hip replacement surgery. 

Texas Tech Series

Arkansas improved its all-time record against Texas Tech to 30-8. 

The teams are scheduled to play again in 2030 in Lubbock, Texas, and 2031 in Fayetteville. 

Up Next

Arkansas is scheduled to open the 2025 season with an Aug. 30 game against Alabama A&M in Fayetteville. It will be the third consecutive season the Razorbacks open with an opponent from the Football Championship Subdivision. 

Vanderbilt: 2024 Birmingham Bowl Champions

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- — Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt delivered another victory to end a surprising season.

Pavia threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more scores and Vanderbilt secured its first winning season since 2013 with a 35-27 victory over Georgia Tech on Friday in the Birmingham Bowl.

The Commodores (7-6) capped the year with another big game from Pavia, a New Mexico State transfer whose gritty play helped lead a huge turnaround from a 2-10 season.

“This is just a stepping stone of what we want to do here at Vanderbilt,” Pavia said. “We’ve got bigger dreams.”

Pavia accounted for three of his scores in a six-minute span starting late in the third quarter before Georgia Tech (7-6) rallied. A lightning delay with 7:17 left only pushed back the celebration of the Commodores' first bowl win since that 9-4 season 11 years ago.

“That was a tough fight and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy and the weather delay added a layer that we had to overcome,” Vandy coach Clark Lea said.

Pavia, the game MVP, completed 13 of 21 passes for 160 yards and gained 84 yards on 17 rushes. He had a 7-yard touchdown pass to Quincy Skinner Jr. and a 6-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. Afterward, he announced his plans to return to Vandy next season, with the caveat that Lea and staffers like Jerry Kill come back.

Georgia Tech's Haynes King tried to bring his team back from a 35-13 deficit with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jamal Haynes with 5:03 left and a 2-yarder to Bailey Stockton at the 1:30 mark. Both onside kick attempts failed.

“I thought the character of our team showed with the final seven minutes of the game, how they fought through adversity and continued to play until the end of the game," Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said.

King was 25-of-33 passing for 204 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Haynes carried 17 times for 136 yards and had five catches for 32 yards.

The Commodores went ahead 21-13 on Pavia's 3-yard touchdown pass to Eli Stowers with 56 seconds left in the third quarter in a drive filled with fireworks.

Key was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct protesting a pass interference call on the drive. It came after a non-call on what he thought was a kick catch interference that had buried the Yellow Jackets at their 2.

“There was dialogue and we have to control what we can control as a football team,” Key said.

Then, Tech was flagged for defensive holding and both teams were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after a scuffle on Vandy's sideline. The Yellow Jackets also had a roughing the kicker call on the extra point.

King then threw only his second interception of the season and CJ Taylor returned it 22 yards to the 11. Pavia was called for unsportsmanlike conduct after flipping the ball into the stands following a run but still produced a 3-yard touchdown to Eli Stowers.

“I don't know that there was a more perfect person to quarterback this team and to quarterback this program,” Lea said. "This is a chip on the shoulder program."

Takeaways

Georgia Tech: Had eight penalties for 90 yards and two turnovers that both led to touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets had already lost two key players to the transfer portal, edge rusher Romello Heights (Texas Tech) and leading receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Auburn)

Vanderbilt: Staged a big turnaround in Lea's fourth season a year after going 0-8 in Southeastern Conference games last season. Lea retooled the staff and brought in players like Pavia, and it paid off.

“We've come a long way in 12 months,” Lea said.

Up next

Vandy's prospects for next season got brighter when a federal judge cleared the way for Pavia to return for another season, pending an NCAA appeal. Georgia Tech's King also can come back.

Navy: 2024 Armed Forces Bowl Champions

 

FORT WORTH, Texas -- — Blake Horvath set a Navy record with a 95-yard touchdown run and then scored a go-ahead 6-yarder with 4:34 left as the Midshipmen overcame an early two-touchdown deficit and stopped a late 2-point conversion attempt to beat Oklahoma 21-20 in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday.

The Sooners (6-7) got a 10-yard touchdown pass from Michael Hawkins Jr. to Jake Roberts with six seconds left. They then went for the win, but Hawkins was sacked by Justin Reed on the conversion try.

“It was a great play that I was able to make,” Reed said, quickly crediting the rest of the defense. “We just made sure that we stayed composed after them just getting that touchdown.”

Just two weeks after a dominating win over Army for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, the Midshipmen (10-3) reached 10 wins for the sixth time. The last 10-win season had been in 2019, which had been their last winning season.

“Well, it’s the perfect ending,” second-year Navy head coach Brian Newberry said. “You’re down 14-0, I think it kind of symbolizes everything that these guys have been through, especially the seniors, symbolizes how things started. Things looked bleak, things weren’t going great, adversity and they kept scratching and clawing and fighting.”

Horvath's record run on a sprint down the middle of the field tied the game at 14 late in third quarter. He then put Navy ahead for the first time on his 6-yard TD run, one play after he converted a fourth-and-3 with a 16-yard pass to Eli Heidenrich.

“I thought if we go score right there, that might be the difference in the game. And it was,” Newberry said of going for it on fourth down in that 12-play, 66-yard drive that took 7 1/2 minutes.

Horvath ran 18 times for 155 yards, and completed 7 of 12 passes for 92 yards. Alex Tecza had an 11-yard TD run for the Midshipmen.

Oklahoma went up after Gavin Sawchuk’s 21-yard TD on the opening drive, when he had 37 yards after only 61 in his other eight games this season. It was 14-0 with 5:56 left in the first quarter after Hawkins rolled left, reversed field and got almost to the other side of the field before throwing to Zion Kearney for a 56-yard catch-and-run TD.

“Came out pretty strong, but second quarter I think we got a little relaxed ... we weren't together as a team,” Hawkins said. “We got back on track after that, but going into a game like this, you have to stay on track the whole game.”

Oklahoma wrapped up its first season in the Southeastern Conference with their second 6-7 record in coach Brent Venables' three seasons.

The Sooners had a much different-looking roster than the regular season. More than two dozen players went into the transfer portal, and the Sooners were also without standout linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman, who bypassed playing to begin preparation for the NFL draft.

“Obviously not the year we wanted to have, but although there’s a lot of disappointment, there’s been a ton of growth,” Sooners hometown tight end Jake Roberts said. “You learn how to fight through adversity.”

The takeaway

Oklahoma: While the Sooners played in a bowl for the 26th consecutive season, they had 23 winning seasons in a row before Venables took over as head coach. ... Hawkins was hampered by at least six dropped passes while throwing to a group whose only scholarship receivers were freshmen.

Navy: The Midshipmen are 2-0 against Oklahoma, the only other meeting a 10-0 win at Norman in 1965. They beat an SEC team for the first time since a 21-0 win over Mississippi in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day 1955.

Up next

Oklahoma opens Venables’ fourth season at home Aug. 30 against FCS team Illinois State. Venables has a 22-17 record.

Navy returns Horvath and all of its offensive skill starters next season, which begins Aug. 30 at home against VMI.