ORLANDO, Fla. – Old Dominion finished off one of the finest football seasons in school history with one of ODU’s biggest victories ever as the Monarchs rallied to defeat South Florida, 24-10, in the 11th annual StaffDNA Cure Bowl Wednesday night at Camping World Stadium.
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football program (11-3, 7-1 MAC) wrapped up their 2024 season at the StaffDNA Cure Bowl with a historic 30-27 victory over the Jacksonville State Gamecocks (9-5, 7-1 CUSA) at Camping World Stadium Friday afternoon (Dec. 20). Graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro's standout performance earned him game MVP accolades.
This win marks Ohio's first time in program history recording an 11-win season as well as the program's sixth-straight bowl victory, becoming the first Mid-American Conference program to win six-straight bowl games.
The win also marked head coach Brian Smith's first win at the helm of the Bobcats.
The offense saw multiple individual records set, led by graduate student wide receiver Coleman Owen (Gilbert, Ariz.), becoming the Bobcats' all-time single-season receiving yards leader (1,216). Additionally, Navarro (Tempe, Ariz.) became the second quarterback in program history to log over 1,000 rushing yards in a single season (1,062), an accomplishment an Ohio quarterback hasn't claimed since Kareem Wilson (1996, 1,072 yds). Notably, he is the second Bobcat to run for over 1,000 yards this season, joining graduate student running back Anthony Tyus III (Portage, Mich.), and he is the first quarterback in program history to record over 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season.
Navarro finished the game 19-for-28 with one touchdown on 227 yards in the air. On the ground, Navarro logged all three of the Bobcats' rushing touchdowns on 15 carries and 119 yards. Navarro's four total touchdowns tied a Cure Bowl record for touchdowns in a game. Tyus led the rushers with 123 yards on 26 touches. He also snagged Ohio's lone receiving touchdown of the game, logging three receptions on 34 yards.
In the air, Owen finished the game with 11 catches for 111 yards, while Tyus added his three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman tight end Mason Williams (Mogadore, Ohio) added one catch for 18 yards.
Defensively, the Bobcats held a Jax State squad who averaged 267.3 this season on the ground to 40 total rushing yards.
Graduate student linebacker Blake Leake (Culpeper, Va.) finished with nine total tackles, .5 sacks for three yards and one interception for 17 yards. Senior cornerback Tank Pearson (Oxford, Miss.) finished with 11 tackles, while redshirt junior defensive end Bradley Weaver (Hilliard, Ohio) finished with five tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, .5 sacks and one fumble recovery.
Navarro struck late in the first quarter, wrapping up a seven-play, 79-yard drive with a 24-yard rushing touchdown. The quarterback logged his second rushing touchdown of the day the next drive, rushing up the middle eight yards into the end zone. The Gamecocks bounced back quickly, cutting Ohio's lead to 14-7 with 1:12 remaining in the first quarter with a 75-yard receiving touchdown.
Ohio's offense ended a 6:12 drive with Navarro's third rushing touchdown of the day, extending their lead to 20-7. After the following Jacksonville State drive ended in a failed field goal attempt, the Bobcats quickly extended their lead with an 11-yard pass to Tyus, marking the first passing touchdown of the game and Tyus' second on the season.
The Gamecocks scored the only touchdown of the third quarter, putting the score at 27-14 with 9:36 remaining in the quarter. Sophomore kicker Gianni Spetic (Chardon, Ohio) opened the fourth quarter with a 48-yard field goal, extending Ohio's lead to 16 points. Jacksonville State scored two more rushing touchdowns, cutting their deficit to just three points, but Ohio maintained possession for the final drive of the game, taking victory formation to solidify their 30-27 victory.
First off, congratulations to App State for winning the Cure Bowl 13-9 in Orlando, Florida. After scoring the game’s only touchdown, we found out this was going to be a muddy mess. I feel for both teams in this postseason outing.
On a positive note, ESPN analyst Booger McFarland pointed out postgame that neither team needed a bathroom break during the downpour. Rather than run to the sideline tent or locker room, Booger jokingly pointed out that the conditions gave each player an opportunity to just ‘Let It Flow’ on the field.
Imagine being part of one of these teams and finding out you’re headed to sunny Florida for a bowl game. Disney World, Universal Studios, laying out by the pool with a side of football, it was all part of the plan. But this game turned into the muddiest bowl game in recent history and viewers were treated to players slipping around all over the field.
Not only were fans of both teams prepared for a wonderful afternoon of football in Florida, but the players were hoping to have a turnover free game. Nope, that wasn’t going to happen on Saturday afternoon, with a record being snapped in the process.
For the first time since 1988, both teams combined to tie the record for most fumbles in a game. In the announcers booth, Robert Griffin III made it a point to say he wasn’t born the last time something like this happened in a college football game.
Only 5 of the 13 fumbles were lost, but this was a sight to behold.
Postgame Slip-N-Slide Celebrations For App State
Thanks to the fantastic field conditions for this type of celebration, App State took full advantage of the flooded field. Covered in paint and ready to party, Appalachian State players immediately started their own slip-n-slide party as the clock ticked down to zero.
What a great way to close out the 2023 season for App State, winners of its last five of seven games.
I hope the coaching staff gives the players a few days off following the win in Orlando, because they should be headed straight for Disney World on Sunday.
ORLANDO – When Troy needed its defense the most, one of the best units in the country stepped up as it had done all season and stuffed UTSA four times from the 5-yard line as No. 23 Troy defeated No. 22 UTSA, 18-12, in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl on Saturday at Experia Stadium.
Troy (12-2) took the six-point lead on a Brooks Buce 27-yard field goal with just over nine minutes to play in the game, but UTSA (11-3) found itself on the Trojan 5-yard line just four plays later following a 53-yard run by Kevorian Barnes.
The Trojans held Barnes to two yards on first down, and the Troy defense forced three straight incompletions from C-USA MVP Frank Harris to turn the Roadrunners over on downs. Troy's offense milked more than four minutes off the clock on the ensuing possession, and the Trojan defense yielded just one first down before again forcing UTSA to turn the ball over on downs and end the game.
Richard Jibunor forced a pair of turnovers, and game MVP KJ Robertson returned an interception 61 yards to pace a Troy defense that forced five UTSA turnovers in the game and shut down one of the nation's most prolific offenses.
The win was Troy's 11th straight dating back to a Hail Mary loss at App State in week three, while the Trojans' 12th win of the season is a new FBS record for the program and ties the school record set by the NCAA Division II National Champion team in 1987 and the 1993 FCS squad.
The 12 points scored by the Roadrunners were their fewest since Oct. 2020, and the loss snapped UTSA's 10-game winning streak. It was Troy's first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 22 LSU in 2017.
UTSA scored the game's first 12 points on a safety, a 2-yard touchdown pass and a 42-yard field goal within the first 21 minutes. From that point on, Troy's defense held the Roadrunners scoreless and forced the five turnovers.
Kimani Vidal put the Trojans on the board with a 2-yard run in the final seconds of an opening half that saw Troy muster just 66 yards of total offense, mainly due to poor starting field position; the Trojans started four drives inside their own 8-yard line.
Robertson turned the game on a dime with his fourth career interception. Leading by five and driving late in the third quarter, UTSA faced a 3rd-and-8 from the Troy 9-yard line when Robertson picked off Harris and returned it 61 yards to the UTSA 37-yard line and an unsportsmanlike penalty moved the ball to the 22-yard line.
Five plays later, Gunnar Watson connected with RaJae' Johnson on a 12-yard strike to put the Trojans in front 13-12; Watson followed with a successful 2-point conversion pass to Clayton Ollendieck extending the Troy lead out to three with 2:34 to play in the third quarter.
The game marked the final one for All-American Carlton Martial in a Troy uniform, and he went out in style. One day after receiving a Senior Bowl invite, Martial posted a game-high 14 tackles as he set the Troy career record with 577 tackles; Martial had previously set the NCAA FBS and Sun Belt career records.
Quotable
"One thing I really wanted – win, lose or draw – was for my daughter to see me play one time," said Robertson, whose two-year-old daughter Layla Drew Hooper was in the stands. "If she remembers it or not, I loved it. It was the best feeling in the world. I really don't know how to even explain it. She was born during COVID, so I didn't want her at the games. Things happened and she wasn't able to make it to any games even after that."
"The turnovers were timely, and we were fortunate enough to get 'em. If we don't get them or those stops, we don't win," Troy head coach Jon Sumrall said. "To hold those guys to 12 points, I don't know what to say. We stayed together all year, and I could not be more proud. I just hope they keep us in the Top 25."
Notable
• Troy extended its winning streak to 11 games with the victory, Troy's longest winning streak since 1995 when that squad also won 11 straight games. Troy's winning streak is tied for the third longest in the country.
• Troy has now won 58 games since the start of the 2016 season; the 18th most wins nationally and the sixth most in the Group of Five over that time.
• Troy has now won five straight bowl games dating back to the 2010 New Orleans Bowl. The Trojans are 6-3 all-time in bowl games at the FBS level and 20-12 in the postseason (NAIA, DII, FCS, FBS).
• Troy's 12 wins are the most in program history at the FBS level and tied for the most in school history (1993, FCS; 1987 DII National Champions).
• Troy improves to 3-28 all-time against ranked opponents -- No. 17 Missouri, 2004 (24-14); No. 22 LSU, 2017 (24-21); No. 22 UTSA (18-12).
• Linebacker KJ Robertson was named the game's MVP after recording nine tackles and returning an interception 61 yards setting up Troy's go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. He is the second defensive player to earn the Cure Bowl MVP in the history of the game.
• Left tackle Austin Stidham started his 62nd career game, which is the most in Troy history passing Cameron Kaye's 61 career starts; Dell Pettus' started his team-leading 47th straight game.
• Troy improved to 5-1 this season when trailing at the half and 5-1 when scoring less than 21 points; Troy was 11-73 when trailing at the half and 5-52 when scoring less than 21 points since 2005 prior to this season.
• Troy outscored UTSA 11-0 in the second half; the Trojans entered the game ranked 12th nationally with a +6.69 scoring margin in the second half.
• RaJae' Johnson caught two passes for 41 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. He caught four of his seven touchdown passes on the season in Troy's final three games.
• Troy's 169 yards of total offense was its fewest in a bowl game in program history; previous low was 292 in the 2004 Silicon Valley Classic vs. Northern Illinois.
• Carlton Martial recorded 14 tackles in the game and finished his career with 577; Martial set the Troy school record in the game and already held the NCAA FBS and Sun Belt career records.
• Troy forced five UTSA turnovers in the game, which is the fourth time in Troy's bowl history it has forced five turnovers in a game.
• Troy entered bowl season second nationally having forced 163 tackles since the start of the 2016 season, the Trojans are now tied with UCF for the most in that period. The Trojans were third averaging 1.63 turnovers forced per game.
• Troy held UTSA scoreless in the second half; the Trojans entered the game holding opponents to 8.77 points per game in the second half (14th fewest in the country) and 3.92 points in the fourth quarter (sixth fewest).
• Troy held UTSA scoreless in the fourth quarter; the Trojans held 8-of-13 opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter this season.
• Troy held UTSA to just 12 points ... the Roadrunners lowest output since Oct. 31, 2020.
• UTSA entered the game ranked 12th nationally in scoring offense averaging 38.7 points per game; its previous low scoring output this season was 20 points at No. 20 Texas.
• Brooks Buce improved to 17-of-19 on field goal attempts this season after booting a 27-yard kick against UTSA. His 89.5 field goal percentage is the highest in a single-season in school history.
• Brooks Buce finished his Troy career 25-of-28 after going 1,751 days in between field goal attempts (senior year of high school and ULM in 2021.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- — Grayson McCall threw four touchdown passes and Coastal Carolina held off Northern Illinois 47-41 in the Cure Bowl on Friday night, with the game ending with the Huskies at the Chanticleers 4.
McCall was 22 for 30 for 315 yards, and Braydon Bennett ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns on six carries to help Coastal Carolina (11-1) win 11 games for the second consecutive year. Bennett also caught four passes for 47 yards and a TD.
"He just operates, he's a smooth operator," Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell said about McCall. "As a coach, if he misses a play, you're like, ‘What in the world is wrong with him' because he makes so many good one's."
Chadwell said while there is speculation about McCall's future, "we're confident that he loves Coastal and he's going to be here with us and finish out his career."
It was also Coastal Carolina's first bowl victory. The Chanticleers lost in their first bowl appearance last year, 37-34 in overtime to Liberty.
"Pretty cool," McCall said. "Definitely a team effort. I don't think I played by best game but but all my teammates propelled me forward."
Jay Ducker ran for 146 yards on 24 carries, and Antario Brown added 105 yards and 12 attempts for Northern Illinois (9-5). Rocky Lombardi completed 20 of 33 passes for 181 yards and two scores.
"Couldn't be more proud of their fight," NIU coach Thomas Hammock said. "This could be a launching pad for us into the 2022 season."
NIU's roster has just seven seniors, and includes 71 players who graduated from high school in 2020 or 2021. The Huskies are the first team in FBS history to win its conference championship game one season after going winless (0-6).
Lombardi also had picked up 66 yards including a touchdown on eight carries.
Northern Illinois (516) and Coastal Carolina (514) combined for 1,030 yards. Northern Illinois picked up 335 yards on the ground.
After Northern Illinois wide receiver Trayvon Rudolph was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 run at the Huskies 34, McCall threw a shovel pass from the option to Bennett for a TD on the next play. He then connected with Isaiah Likely on a two-point conversion to make it 47-41 with 6:40 left.
NIU converted 4 of 5 fourth-down plays in the game and ended the season successful of 26 of 31 attempts.
Northern Illinois got the ball back at its own 13 with 2 1/2 minutes to play. Lombardi hit Miles Joiner for a 4-yard gain on fourth down to the Coastal Carolina 4 with 2 seconds remaining, but the Huskies couldn't off another play.
Likely's second touchdown reception got Coastal Carolina within two at 41-39 with nine minutes left, but McCall's threw an incomplete pass on the two-point try.
Northern Illinois led 24-19 at the half as both teams scored on their first four possessions. NIU's fifth and final possession started with a second left following a kickoff.
McCall passed for 164 yards and a TD during the opening half, while Lombardi threw for just 23 yards but had scoring strikes of 5- and 12-yards.
GAME BALL
A special pink football was brought into the stadium by U.S. military paratroopers during a pregame ceremony. The NCAA approved the use of a football with pink laces for the opening kickoff. It was the first approval of its kind by the NCAA.
TRAINERS ROOM
Northern Illinois: Hammock said around 20-to-25 of his players were impacted by flulike symptoms over the last few days.
Coastal Carolina: Defensive lineman C.J. Brewer left with a groin injury.
Liberty's only loss of the season came on a blocked field goal against NC State back on Nov. 21. In the Cure Bowl against No. 12 Coastal Carolina, the Flames got that kick back by blocking a field goal of their own in overtime to outlast the previously-unbeaten Chanticleers 37-34. The special teams play ended what was easily the most entertaining game of college football's postseason to date.
It was also arguably the strangest. After hopping out to a 14-0 first quarter lead, Liberty spent most of the game trying to keep Coastal at arm's length. With the clock in the fourth quarter winding down, it looked like it might be able to do just that. Quarterback Malik Willis had a career-best four rushing touchdowns to go along with 137 yards on 21 carries and the Chanticleers had no answer for him. But Coastal Carolina was able to force a late fourth quarter field goal and then tie the game at 34-34 on its ensuing possession. Still, the Flames had three minutes to win the game in regulation, and the offense moved the ball down to Coastal's 3-yard line within six plays.
That's when things got strange. With Coastal Carolina out of timeouts, Liberty was content to let as much clock run as possible before scoring in order to hold the ball last. In that case, it would have been fine to play for the field goal -- which, at that spot is an extra point -- by kneeling on the ball. Instead, Willis handed the ball off to running back Joshua Mack twice. The first was a two-yard loss and the second was, inexplicably, a fumble recovered by the Chanticleers.
Liberty had two options: play for the field goal by kneeling, or try to score the touchdown and trust its defense. It did neither of those things and an uncertain Mack had the ball stripped.
Overtime ended up being just as dramatic. After kicking a field goal on its first possession, Liberty forced Coastal Carolina into a quick three-and-out to set up a field goal attempt, which was blocked to seal the win for the Flames.
Liberty finishes the year 10-1, capping off its first 10-win season as a FBS member and arguably its best season ever. Coastal Carolina drops to 11-1, and though this is a disappointing end for the Chants, it's still part of an unforgettable season as well.
