Duke: 2025 Sun Bowl Champions

 

EL PASO, Texas— On the final day of the year, Duke’s storybook year got the perfect sunset. 

Louisville: 2024 Sun Bowl Champions

 

EL PASO, Texas -- — Harrison Bailey threw for three touchdowns and Caullin Lacy scored twice as Louisville hung on to beat Washington in a 35-34 nail-biter in the Sun Bowl on Tuesday.

Lacy caught a 9-yard TD pass from Bailey, the game’s MVP, in the first quarter and rushed for a score on an 8-yard end around in the fourth that gave Louisville a two-score lead that looked secure after three quarters.

But Washington rallied with scores on its final two possessions in the fourth, including a 1-yard fade from Demond Williams Jr. to Giles Jackson with nine seconds remaining.

Instead of kicking the extra point to tie it, the Huskies went for the win on a 2-point conversion try that failed when Williams’ pass was knocked down in the end zone by linebacker Antonio Watts.

“We played to the very end,” said Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm, whose team was without 22 players due to opt-outs and the transfer portal. “It was back and forth. At the end, we made one more play than they did.

“The game itself was a great battle,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said. “I thought there were so many good things in that game we should all be proud of as a football program.

“This season is one we’ll always remember. We’re proud of our guys. It’s unfortunate the way it went down at the end. But we were going in here for the win. We weren’t going in here for the tie."

Bailey, who had only played in four games this year for the Cardinals and completed just eight passes for 63 yards, got his first start in place of senior standout Tyler Shough, who opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL Draft.

Bailey made the most of it, completing 16 of 25 passes for 164 yards for Louisville (9-4). He threw touchdown passes of 28, 21 and nine yards.

“I’m proud of Harrison,” Brohm said. “He naturally has a lot of confidence, and that’s a great trait for a quarterback. He wanted to play. He believes in himself, and the team rallied around him and played hard for him.”

Bailey said the win is a big boost for the Cardinals.

“It’s huge for our football team,” he said. “It propels us into next season. I’m super proud of the guys, especially the guys on defense coming through at the end.”

Washington was led by Williams Jr., a freshman making only his second start, who accounted for five touchdowns. He was 26 of 32 passing for 374 yards and four TDs to go with one interception. He also rushed 20 times for 48 yards and a score.

His favorite target was Jackson, who set a Sun Bowl record with four receiving touchdowns on 11 catches for 161 yards.

“It’s cool to score, but we still lost,” Jackson said. “(Stats) doesn’t mean anything to me. But it was cool.”

The Cardinals, who never trailed and didn’t commit a turnover, took a 7-0 lead on the game’s second series when Tahveon Nicholson returned an interception 21 yards for a score.

Takeaways

Louisville: The Cardinals were without 22 players, 18 of whom entered the transfer portal along with four opt outs. Starters who went to the portal were defensive lineman Jared Dawson, tight end Jamari Johnson and safety Devin Neal. They joined opt outs Shough, leading receiver Ja’Corey Brooks, defensive end Ashton Gillotte and quarterback Brady Allen. Shough threw for 3,195 yards and 23 TDs this year, while Brooks had 61 catches for 1,013 yards and 9 TDs.

Washington: Unlike Louisville, Washington didn’t have any players opt out of the game. However, the Huskies, who lost 41 letterwinners from last year’s playoff team, only returned two starters this year in coach Fisch’s first season.

Facts & figures

Louisville's punter Carter Schwartz won Special Teams MVP and Jordan Guerad, who had six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, was the Most Valuable Lineman.

“We bowed up as a defense,” Guerad said.

Defensively, Washington linebacker Carson Bruener led all defenders with 11 tackles, while Louisville finished with five sacks to Washington’s zero.

Louisville finished the season on a three-game win streak and improved to 2-0 all-time at the Sun Bowl. Washington lost its final two games and is 1-4 at the Sun Bowl. Both teams are even all-time in bowl games — Washington is 21-21-1, Louisville is 13-13-1.

Tuesday’s game was the first-ever meeting between the teams.

Up next

Louisville will open Brohm’s third season on Aug. 30 at home against Eastern Kentucky as the Cardinals aim for a fifth consecutive bowl appearance.

Washington will kick off Fisch’s second season on Aug. 30 at home against Colorado State.

Notre Dame: 2023 Sun Bowl Champions

 

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Steve Angeli passed for 232 yards and three touchdowns, guiding No. 15 Notre Dame to a 40-8 victory over No. 21 Oregon State in the Sun Bowl on Friday.

Angeli went 15 for 19 and tossed TD passes of 8 yards to Jayden Thomas, 13 yards to Jordan Faison and 13 yards to Jeremiyah Love. The sophomore was making his first start for the Irish (10-3) in place of Sam Hartman, one of many players who opted out of the game.

Jadarian Price of Notre Dame rushed for 106 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown.

Notre Dame had seven players – all starters – opt out of the game. That included Hartman and standout running back Audric Estime.

Oregon State (8-5), which finished the season on a three-game losing streak, had three starters opt out and four others enter the transfer portal — including starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and backup Aidan Chiles.

Jimmy Valsin III had the lone score for Oregon State, catching a 33-yard pass from Ben Gulbranson. Offensive lineman Tyler Voltin ran in the 2-point conversion from the wildcat formation. Gulbranson 16 for 27 for 180 yards and an interception.

Pittsburgh: 2022 Sun Bowl Champions

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Rodney Hammond Jr. rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns, Pitt’s defense forced four turnovers, while Ben Sauls kicked a 47-yard game-winning field goal, as the Panthers (9-4) overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half to beat UCLA (9-4) 37-35 on Friday in the 89th Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium.

Pitt was short-handed with several starters opting out of the Sun Bowl to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Nick Patti, playing for Kedon Slovis who transferred to BYU, saw the majority of the snaps at quarterback for Pitt, throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown.

Bub Means hauled in four receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown, while the Panther’s defense came away with four takeaways, including interceptions by Bangally Kamara, Javon McIntyre, and Tylar Wiltz.

Playing in his final collegiate game at UCLA, Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 15 of his 23 passes for 270 yards and three total touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush), but threw three costly interceptions before being pulled from the game by head coach Chip Kelly in the fourth quarter.

TJ Harden paced the Bruins with 111 yards and a go-ahead touchdown on the ground late in the fourth quarter, while Kam Brown hauled in four receptions for 115 yards.

Early in the third quarter, Patti threw an interception that was returned 52 yards for a touchdown by Jaylin Davies that put UCLA up 28-14. It was all Panthers from there. Pitt responded on their next possession with a blue collar, 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run by Hammond Jr. to make it a 7-point game heading into the fourth quarter.

Following Thompson-Robinson’s third interception of the game, Hammond Jr. punched in a 7-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 28-28 in the fourth quarter.

The Bruins would then cough up the football for their fourth turnover of the game on the ensuing kickoff, leading to a 31-yard field goal by Sauls to put the Panthers up 31-28 with 10:38 to play. Sauls would add another chip shot field goal late in the fourth quarter to put Pitt up 34-28 with 4:24 to play.

Ethan Garbers, in relief of Thompson-Robinson, would then engineer a 8-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, which was capped off by an 8-yard touchdown run from Harden with just 0:30 seconds to play. With their backs against the wall, Patti got the Panthers into field goal range in six plays, leading to the game-winning field goal from Sauls.

Under head coach Pat Narduzzi, Pitt ends their 2022 campaign at 9-4, while UCLA also finishes the season 9-4 under Kelly.

Central Michigan: 2021 Sun Bowl Champions

EL PASO, Texas -- — Central Michigan came to the desert southwest to play in one bowl game and ended up in another.

The Chippewas still found a way to end their five-game bowl losing streak.

Lew Nichols III ran for 130 yards and a touchdown, leading late replacement Central Michigan to a 24-21 victory over Washington State in the Sun Bowl on Friday.

When Boise State opted out of the Arizona Bowl because of COVID-19 issues, Central Michigan switched about 300 miles east from Tucson, Arizona, to the Texas border city of El Paso.

Miami skipped the Sun Bowl for COVID-19 reasons as well. Central Michigan stayed in Arizona before bussing to El Paso the day before the game.

The Chippewas (9-4) won their fifth consecutive game this season in their first bowl victory since beating Western Kentucky in the 2012 Little Caesars Bowl.

"They played their tails off," Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain said of a defense that held the Cougars to 53 yards before halftime to help the Chippewas to a 21-0 lead. "They might have been missing some guys, but let me tell you something else, we were missing guys. And you know what? We didn't care. We just went out and played."

The Cougars (7-6) were without starting tackles Liam Ryan and Abe Lucas for coach Jake Dickert's first game on the sideline since having the interim tagged removed. Running backs Max Borghi and Deon McIntosh also opted out.

"Their edge rushers were the biggest ones that kind of gave us some issues," Dickert said. "They chose their spots. They were aggressive. They blitzed. They were high up the field and they used their speed on our two new tackles."

Washington State, which dropped to 8-9 all-time in bowls, rallied in the second half behind backup quarterback Victor Gabalis, scoring three times to make it close. Gabalis was 12 of 23 passing for 180 yards and two TDs.

After a 13-yard scoring toss to Lincoln Victor pulled the Cougars within three points with 3:13 remaining, they had another chance starting at their 14-yard line with 2:41 remaining. Central Michigan stopped Joey Hobert a yard short on a catch on fourth-and-5.

Marshall Meeder kicked three field goals for Central Michigan, including a 52-yarder for a 6-0 lead and a 43-yarder for a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

Nichols, who entered the game leading the nation in rushing and finished the season with xx yards, scored the first touchdown on a 1-yard plunge for a 13-0 lead late in the first quarter.

"We came together as a team today," Nichols said. "We pounded up front and came up with the win."

THE TAKEAWAY

Central Michigan: It was the first victory in a bowl against a Power Five opponent for the Mid-American Conference team. The Chippewas were seven-point underdogs.

Washington State: The Cougars were facing the 117th-ranked pass defense nationally with freshman quarterback Jayden de Laura averaging 250 yards per game coming in. But de Laura didn't play after halftime because of an undisclosed lower-body injury. He was under heavy pressure in the first half.

KEY PERFORMER

Gabalis wasn't even listed as the backup on the Cougars' depth chart. He had seen spot duty in a few games before giving the Cougars a chance to win late.

BOWL NUMBERS

Central Michigan was playing in the Sun Bowl for the first time, while Washington State made its third appearance, losing for the first time. Washington State beat Purdue in 2001 and Miami in 2015.

UP NEXT

Central Michigan: The Chippewas will return 10 starters on offense and eight on defense next season. They open on Sept. 3 at Oklahoma State.

Washington State: The Cougars will return eight starters on offense and eight on defense. They open the 2022 season on Sept. 3 at home against Idaho.

------

Arizona State: 2019 Sun Bowl Champions

EL PASO — In a scene imagined by few if any before it actually happened and almost assuredly never preceded by anything quite like it, Arizona State players poured a cooler of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes on the head of their coach in celebration on Tuesday.

It was not the traditional Gatorade bath that invariably comes with the biggest of wins. There will be no lighting of victory cigars. There may be some champagne toasts in the aftermath but those will primarily be to ring in the New Year and only more obliquely related to the outcome of their football game played several hours earlier.

But, still, the Sun Devils ended their 2019 season the right way and so they bathed their second-year head coach Herm Edwards in breakfast cereal and he certainly didn't mind it.

"First time I've ever got a bucket full of Frosted Flakes, that's new," Edwards said. "That helps. That's not cold. All I needed was some milk and I would have been fine."

In the play-calling debut of its new defensive coordinator Tony White, ASU forced six turnovers — more than in any game since October of 2009 against Washington State — and perhaps needed every one in its 20-14 win over Florida State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in front of 42,412 fans in the 86th playing of the game. The win concluded ASU's season at 8-5 overall, better than their initial 7-6 season under Edwards. Florida State finished its season at 6-7 overall.

Though they have aspirations for more extravagant celebrations in the future, the Sun Devils are content with where they are currently at two years into the Edwards-experiment, which was initially widely panned but now has taken on an unmistakable aura of emerging success.

"It shows the potential for our defense and how strong we're going to become," freshman safety Willie Harts said after collecting one of four ASU interceptions on the afternoon. "We're very young and still experienced and we're going to learn so much over the years."

With both teams missing key players due to early-NFL declarations and undertaking significant staffing changes including a new coordinator on both sides of the ball for the Sun Devils, there was a lot of sloppy, forgettable play on Tuesday. But also, some very memorable moments.

The Sun Devils held a halftime 9-0 lead and appeared to have the Seminoles offense in a vice grip before a five-minute stretch late in the third quarter that flipped the game upside down.

With multiple deep reserves on the field for ASU's defense due to the absence of starting redshirt freshman safety Cameron Phillips and injuries to junior cornerbacks Chase Lucas and Jack Jones, Florida State marched 91 yards in 11 plays including a fourth-and-3 conversion to score its first points at 3:47 of the third quarter and make it a suddenly close 9-7 ASU edge.

After redshirt sophomore punter Michael Turk — excellent in the game with eight punts for a 45.8 yard average with four inside the 20 — ended ASU's third straight series of the quarter with a punt on its next possession, the Seminoles immediately struck again to take a 14-9 lead. With Lucas and Jones watching from the sidelines, sophomore cornerback Timarcus Davis gave up a 91-yard touchdown strike to sophomore wide receiver Tamorrion Terry, a one-play scoring drive.

It didn't dent ASU's confidence whatsoever. On their next possession, the Sun Devils marched 59 yards on 12 plays in a drive that included a highlight-reel 27-yard scramble by freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels on third-and-10 and ended with sophomore kicker Cristian Zendejas making his fourth field goal of the day to tie a Sun Bowl record and cut his team's deficit to 14-12. But it was the Sun Devils' fourth red zone trip and they only had 12 points to show for it and still trailed.

That's when Harts sprung into action on a miscommunication between Florida State sophomore quarterback James Blackman and a receiver that placed a ball directly in the arms of the safety who started in place of Phillips. With a clear path to the end zone, Harts pushed ASU's lead to 20-14 after a successful 2-point try. The interception was Blackman's third of four on the day, with the Sun Devils needing two more turnovers later in the fourth quarter to salt the game away.

On Florida State's next drive, sophomore ASU linebacker Darien Butler made a tackle-for-loss on a fourth-and-2 get his team the ball back. Blackman then threw his fourth interception of the day to ASU senior linebacker Khaylan Kearse-Thomas on Florida State's next drive. And even with all of that, the Seminoles had one more chance in the game's final two minutes when Terry lost a fumble to ASU forced by sophomore linebacker Merlin Robertson and recovered by sophomore linebacker Tyler Johnson.

"Can't say enough about our kicker and our defense," Edwards said. "We get six turnovers we should probably win a game. That being said, these guys kept fighting back for us. They really did. I'm happy for our seniors. To end the season with a bowl victory for them is very important. We hit a slump during the season where we had lost four in a row. I reminded the players, when you get tired of losing, you're going to win again. We've won three in a row now. This is a good way to set the 2020 season off for us, with a bowl game (win). That's very important to us."

Kearse-Thomas, who early in the game was given a reprieve when a hit on Blackman was called targeting on the field but overturned on review, and Williams excelled in their final ASU outing. Kearse-Thomas had a team-high six solo tackles and nine total in addition to his interception and a quarterback hurry. Williams concluded his season without giving up a touchdown pass in coverage and was excellent throughout a game in which ASU's pass defense yielded just 155 yards excluding the 91-yard touchdown.

"I can't say enough about Khaylan and Kobe," Edwards said. "These guys are seniors. I take my hat off to them. When you get a coaching change and you put in your defense, that's hard. It's hard on seniors. It really is. They're looking at a new staff, saying, 'you're playing all these young guys, what about me?' Without these two guys we're not the defense we were this year.

"I'm glad for these guys because of what they've meant to me personally. I lean on them. They were always there, always energetic. They were the keys to the defense to be quite honest."

The Sun Devils won despite being out-gained in total offensive yards 470 to 282 because their defense held up well other than the flagging late third-quarter stretch and Blackman committing five turnovers on his own out of the six total by the Seminoles. Robertson had perhaps his best game of the season and forced both of Florida State's lost fumbles and recovered one of them on his own. Sophomore safety Aashari Crosswell and junior safety Evan Fields each had a first-half interception to contribute to the shutout pitched by ASU before intermission, the latter doing so after promising his mom he would get one for her on her birthday.

While Daniels — sacked three times on the day and under duress throughout — received the game's MVP honors for the Sun Devils despite a low-percentage 12 of 28 passing performance for just 195 yards in part because he led the team in rushing with 36 yards on 12 carries, it was the team's defensive playmaking that took center stage in the absence of senior receiver Brandon Aiyuk and junior running back Eno Benjamin.

Moreover, it was White's successful first attempt at calling plays after being promoted from cornerbacks coach to defensive coordinator, which resonated with Edwards and ASU players in the game's aftermath, particularly as it came in White's hometown in front of a large group of family and friends.

"One hundred tickets," Edwards said. "'One hundred tickets Tony White.' He has a fan base now. He grew up here. It was fun, we visited his brother's high school, worked out over there when we got here Thursday. He was excited. I'm happy for him. Gets to take over as the coordinator. I thought he did a great job. Had a shutout going in the first half."

Added Kearse-Thomas: "He got us prepared really well. I mean, we had all month to really prepare. We were very detailed in what we were doing and then he got the play call in for us and told us to go. [Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce] told us before the game, 'This could be a stat game if you want it to be.'"

Stats make players happy and especially so when it includes winning football games and having fun doing it. Under the team's previous coaching staff, that was not the case for some Sun Devils who now believe they are passing a torch to the next generation with a lot of fuel for what they see as an even brighter future.

"It's changed tremendously (under Edwards)," Kearse-Thomas said. "It's like (the movie) Coming to America. "Coming from a dictatorship ... just the freedom. Coach Herm, he allows us to be us. A couple years back we couldn't do that. It played a role in the success with ASU. I feel like him letting the kids be kids is a big step for the program."

Stanford: 2018 Sun Bowl Champions

EL PASO, Texas -- With all of the struggles it had on offense, it was a wonder that Stanford was able to hold off Pitt for a 14-13 victory in the Sun Bowl.

Pitt had an advantage in nearly every statistical category Monday. The Panthers had more yards (344-208), first downs (18-12), rushes and yards (42-208, 34-103), passing yards (136-105) and third-down conversions (5-1). And Stanford was playing without five starters -- star tailback Bryce Love, receiver Trent Irwin, tight end Kaden Smith, left tackle Walker Little and right guard Nate Herbig.

Finally, Pitt's defense was stingy. Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello saw a streak of 16 games with a TD pass end, and the Cardinal was 1 of 10 on third downs.

"Pitt's a very physical football team with two outstanding runners," Stanford head coach David Shaw said. "As indicative of our entire season, we had more guys get banged up and guys stepped up and played. Thankfully, guys didn't stay out very long. Guys were able to come back in and make plays and keep fighting. Can't say enough about the heart of some of our older guys."

Even the game-winning score was ugly -- the Panthers had stopped Costello on a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line and forced a fumble, which tailback Cameron Scarlett recovered in the end zone.

Scarlett carried 22 times for 94 yards, including another score on a 1-yard run, to earn game MVP honors while filling in for Love.

Love decided to skip it to rehab an ankle injury ahead of the NFL draft, becoming the second Stanford back to do that in the past three Sun Bowls. In 2016, Christian McCaffrey skipped the game, was drafted eighth overall by Carolina and just finished sixth in the NFL in rushing in his second season.

And just as Love kick-started his career with that opportunity, Scarlett gave himself a similar boost.

Of the game-winning score, Scarlett joked, "Just like we drew it up. I was fortunate enough to carry out the fake and look back and the ball was in my hands."

Pitt drove into position for a 55-yard field goal try on the ensuing possession, but Alex Kessman's try was no good.

The Panthers still weren't sure how to explain it all afterward.

"It doesn't add up how that score's 14-13," Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. "Offensively, defensively we outplayed them. We just didn't win on the scoreboard."

The Cardinal (9-4) finished on a four-game winning streak, much the same way they did two years ago when Stanford won the Sun Bowl for a season-ending six-game streak.

"Our defense gave up some yards, but we didn't give up a bunch of TDs," Shaw said. "We made them kick a couple of field goals, and that's the difference in the ball game.

"It's not a beauty contest. It's a football game, and I'm thankful we were able to win it."

The Panthers (7-7) lost their fourth straight bowl game and sixth in the past seven after falling to playoff championship finalist Clemson in the ACC title game. The past three losses have been in four years in under coach Pat Narduzzi.

Pitt, which had a 10-7 halftime lead and was up 13-7 early in the fourth quarter, was led by tailback Darrin Hall, who had 16 carries for 123 yards and a score.

Pitt finished the season on a three-game losing skid, in which the offense never scored more than 13 points. That carried over into Monday's game. Pitt got inside Stanford's 10-yard line twice, and each time settled for field goals. "We get inside the 10 twice and we don't score," quarterback Kenny Pickett said. "We've got to finish drives."

Stanford's offense, which had struggled all day, finally got going in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinal were 0 for 8 on third downs before Costello hit JJ Arcega-Whiteside for a 12-yard completion. A 49-yard pass to Arcega-Whiteside followed, and Scarlett recovered Costello's fumble for the go-ahead score on the next play with 11:28 left.

"They got lucky," Pitt defensive lineman Rashad Weaver said of the fumble, on which Costello was stopped for a loss before fumbling. "They caught a ball that was a fumble."

THE TAKEAWAY

Stanford: Arcega-Whiteside entered the game needing one touchdown catch to break the school season record of 14 he shared with Hall of Famer James Lofton. But the senior was limited to three catches without a TD. He can play one more year and Stanford, and even though the team said no players declared for the draft Monday, Costello said after the game, "We're losing three of the best receivers in the Pac-12, including Kaden Smith." The Cardinal won for the first time this season without forcing a turnover. Stanford had been 0-4 in such games.

Pittsburgh: The game was the final one for the 1-2 rushing punch of Qadree Ollison and Hall, the first duo in program history with at least 1,000 yards apiece in a season. Ollison, who was injured in the first half and didn't return, had 1,213 yards. Hall finished with 1,144 yards. "It's hard (to see Qadree get hurt)," Hall said. "We feed off each other throughout the game. We're upset. We wanted this one bad."

UP NEXT

Stanford: The Cardinal have been able to reload each year under head coach David Shaw, who is 82-26 overall (55-17 Pac-12). Shaw has never won less than eight games in a season, and his Cardinal have played in four Pac-12 title games (3-1). Stanford opens at home against Northwestern on Aug. 31.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers are coming off their first ACC Coastal Division title under Narduzzi, who with 28 wins is second in program history to Jackie Sherrill (39).

North Carolina State: 2017 Sun Bowl Champions

'

EL PASO, Texas -- North Carolina State's offense came up big in a Sun Bowl matchup that was supposed to be about defense.

Nyheim Hines had three of North Carolina State's Sun Bowl-record six rushing touchdowns to help the Wolfpack beat Arizona State 52-31 on Friday. Hines' three scoring runs were all from 5 yards.

"It just really goes to show how great our offensive line is," Hines said. "I'll definitely have to treat them when I get back to Raleigh."

Hines was named the game's MVP. He helped the team score on four of five first-half possessions to fuel the rout.

Hines finished with 72 yards on 16 carries for North Carolina State (9-4). The Wolfpack played in their fourth consecutive bowl game and sixth in seven years under coach David Doeren.

"Top 25 (in the College Football Playoff rankings) is the standard we want for this program," Doeren said.

Reggie Gallaspy added 79 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries for the Wolfpack, Ryan Finley completed 24 of 29 passes for 318 yards and a score, and Stephen Louis had three catches for 115 yards.

Arizona State (7-6) played its final game under fired coach Todd Graham, with former NFL coach Herm Edwards taking over the program. The Sun Devils had four turnovers.

"I don't think we've turned the ball over four times all year," Graham said. "But give them a lot of credit. They're a very good football team. We just couldn't stop them."

Manny Wilkins was 25 of 40 for 352 yards and three touchdowns for the Sun Devils. He also threw three interceptions.

N.C. State played without defensive end Bradley Chubb. Chubb, a projected top-10 pick in the NFL draft, announced before the game that he wouldn't play. It marked the second year in a row that the biggest star at the game didn't play. Last year, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey skipped it.

THE TAKE AWAY North Carolina State: The team's defensive experience showed. Even without Chubb, the Wolfpack limited ASU to 10 points through three quarters.

Arizona State: Graham called the plays Friday. It wasn't a great showing for him. The offense was unable to run the ball. ASU had 469 yards of offense, but 21 of their points came in the fourth quarter.

CHUBB SITS OUT

N.C. State's Chubb, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, announced Friday morning he wouldn't play. "I just let them know that the decision I made is not anything about them," Chubb said in a CBS interview. "It's just looking out for myself. They all understood."

AND ANOTHER ONE

Arizona State played without one of its leading tacklers, linebacker Christian Sam, who also sat out to prepare for the draft. Jay Jay Wilson had 13 tackles, but ASU missed Sam. The Sun Devils allowed 491 yards of offense. The Wolfpack ran 73 plays and had a 9:00 edge in time of possession.

RECORDS

The 42 points scored in the fourth quarter set a Sun Bowl record for points in a quarter. The 45 points in the second half tied a game record, and the 83 total points was the second most in game history.

BY THE NUMBERS

N.C. State is 17-13-1 in bowl games and won its first appearance in the Sun Bowl. Hines is the first Wolfpack rusher to have consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since 1977-78. Receiver Kelvin Harmon had four catches for 24 yards, pushing him over 1,000 yards for the season. All-purpose back Jaylen Samuels had seven catches for 46 yards, setting the team record for catches in a career.

Arizona State is 14-15-1 in bowls and 3-2-1 in the Sun Bowl. Running back Demario Richard had 50 yards to become the first ASU runner with multiple 1,000-yard seasons since 1974-75.

UP NEXT


North Carolina State: Even though they will lose nine seniors on defense, the Wolfpack is still a team to watch in the ACC. They'll return nine starters on offense, including quarterback Ryan Finley, running back Nyheim Hines and four of the five starters on the line. The Wolfpack will open next season on Sept. 1 at home against James Madison.

Arizona State: Edwards takes over the program, and he'll have two new coordinators. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennet declined to return next season, and the team hired San Diego State defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales to replace him. ASU already had promoted quarterbacks coach Billy Napier to the role of offensive coordinator, but then Napier left to become the head coach at Louisiana. The team's new offensive coordinator will be Rob Likens, who was the wide receivers coach. The Sun Devils will open the next season at home Sept. 1 against UT-San Antonio.

Stanford: 2016 Sun Bowl Champions

EL PASO, Texas -- Stanford got its usual dual-threat, standout performance from its running back Friday, but this time it wasn't Christian McCaffrey.

Bryce Love took over for the absent McCaffrey in the backfield, running for 119 yards and catching a 49-yard touchdown pass to help No. 16 Stanford beat North Carolina 25-23 in the Sun Bowl.

"I always feel like my next game will be my best one," said Love, channeling his inner Tom Brady when asked if this was his biggest game or best win. He then added, "But it's always good to win."

Stanford (10-3) held on after North Carolina (8-5) pulled within two with 25 seconds left on Mitch Trubisky's 2-yard pass to Bug Howard, sacking Trubisky on the 2-point conversion try.

"When the game was on the line and we had to make a big play, we did," Stanford coach David Shaw said. "It was an outstanding football game. Two really tough, talented football teams played all the way to the end. Thankfully, our guys made enough plays at the end to seal the victory."

McCaffrey skipped the bowl game to focus on his NFL career. Still, in the postgame press conference, Shaw made sure his contributions to the team weren't overlooked.

"You heard my comments (in the postgame ceremony) thanking Christian," he said. "When we weren't playing well, he was playing great. At the end of the year, he played so well. He played so hard until the rest of us on offense started picking it up around him. So this six-game run that we finished the season on is a large part to him."

Enter Love, who showed flashes of what he could do with a 100-yard-plus performance and a score against Notre Dame. He ran for more than 600 yards this season in a backup role, though everyone said they were excited to see what he could do. That included North Carolina, which also recruited the Wake Forest, North Carolina, product.

Stanford took a 25-17 lead on Conrad Ukropina's 27-yard field goal with 3:23 left. North Carolina was forced to punt on its next series, but used two timeouts to get the ball back.

After taking over at their own 3, the Tar Heels drove 97 yards in 10 plays and 1:11. After competing passes of 44 and 27 yards, Trubisky capped the drive with the 2-yard scoring pass to Howard.

Stanford then sacked Trubisky on the 2-point try, a rush led by Solomon Thomas forcing the quarterback to retreat before being taken down. Thomas was selected the game's MVP.

"It's an honor to go out on a win," said Solomon, a junior who also is considering entering the draft. "I'm in no rush. I just want to enjoy this victory with my teammates."

Stanford safety Dallas Lloyd intercepted two of Trubisky's passes, returning the second 19 yards for a touchdown to give Stanford a 22-17 lead early in the fourth quarter.

"If you're in the right place at the right time, good things will happen," Lloyd said.

Trubisky also is projected by some as a possible first-round pick if he declares for the NFL draft. But the junior and former Ohio Mr. Football wasn't ready to even think about that after the game.

"I'm not going to think about it for a couple of days," he said.

Trubisky finished 23 of 39 passing for 280 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

THE TAKEAWAY

Stanford: The Cardinal faced a lot of problems Friday. Starting quarterback Keller Chryst left with a knee injury in the second quarter, forcing backup Ryan Burns into the game. At that point, they were without their top two backfield weapons. They finished the game with 12 penalties for 85 yards, but still won. "We got a little sloppy," Shaw said.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels hurt themselves in the first half with two turnovers, each of which led to a field goal, then added a killer in the third quarter when Lloyd intercepted Trubisky's pass and returned it for a TD. UNC couldn't overcome those mistakes.

GETTING HIS KICKS


Ukropina kicked four field goals to tie a Sun Bowl record and was named the game's Most Valuable Special Teams Player. He also set a Stanford record for field goals in a season with 22. He set the record with his second-quarter kick, then added two more. "It feels great. I love winning with my teammates."

UP NEXT

Stanford: Going into the Sun Bowl without McCaffrey, Shaw was asked if anything would change. He said no. The same goes for the Cardinal going into next season. Their season opener is Sept. 2 at Rice.

North Carolina: The big question is whether or not Trubisky will return next year. The Tar Heels' season opener is Sept. 2 at home against California.

Washington State Cougars: 2015 Sun Bowl Champions

Washington State won its first bowl game since 2003 on Saturday as the Cougars outlasted Miami in a snowstorm in El Paso, Texas, for a 20-14 victory in the Sun Bowl.

Washington State led Miami 20-7 at the half and held on to win by six despite being shut out in the second half. The Cougars had just 158 second-half yards, but their defense held tough when they needed to the most, forcing a pair of late turnovers when Miami had the ball deep in Washington State territory to preserve the victory.

Story of the game: The weather was the story of the Sun Bowl, as a snowstorm raged for the majority of the contest. As the weather got more turbulent in the second half, both offenses struggled to string together drives.

Miami had some success getting the ball into Washington State territory, particularly in the fourth quarter, but turned three drives inside the Cougars' 30 into only seven points.

Two of those drives ended in turnovers -- one on a fumble at the 5 that might have been affected by the slick conditions and the other on what has to be considered one of the worst play calls of the year: a halfback pass for an interception.

Player of the game: Washington State quarterback Luke Falk threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns, completing 29 of 53 passes in the snowstorm. Falk also had the game-sealing scramble on the Cougars' final possession that gave them a first down and put them into the victory formation.

Play of the game: This would be the second turnover of the fourth quarter for Miami. Just to set the stage for you, the Hurricanes had just fumbled on the Washington State 5-yard line after having a touchdown run called back on a block in the back.

The Hurricanes' defense held the Cougars to a three-and-out, forcing them to punt. A nice return set up the Hurricanes' offense at the 28, down six points with 3:13 to play. On the first play from scrimmage, Miami dialed up this.

That would be one of the worst executed halfback passes ever.

The offense wasn't dynamic by any stretch, but the Hurricanes were moving the ball pretty well in the fourth quarter. So rather than trying to march down with plenty of time and great field position, you call that. In the snow.

That might not be the worst part. A halfback pass is risky as is, but with a slick ball in a raging snowstorm, all you're doing is setting your poor running back up for failure. Sure enough, the ball slips out and falls like a wounded duck into the waiting arms of a Washington State defender.

Tweet of the game: Snowstorm or not, Washington State fans were going to take their shirts off at the Sun Bowl no matter what -- and of course there was some Fireball involved.

Arizona State: 2014 Sun Bowl Champions

EL PASO, Texas For the third straight year, Duke had a chance late in its bowl game to come away with a win.

But for the third straight year, a critical interception ended the Blue Devils’ hopes of breaking a bowl drought that dates back 54 seasons. Anthony Boone’s pass intended for Jamison Crowder in the end zone was intercepted by Arizona State’s Kweishi Brown with 45 seconds remaining, and the Sun Devils held on to win the Sun Bowl 36-31.

Duke had fourth-quarter leads in the 2012 Belk Bowl against Cincinnati, the 2013 Peach Bowl against Texas A&M and the 2014 Sun Bowl against No. 15 Arizona State. All three games featured multiple swings of momentum.

“It’s the third bowl game we lost. I would rather win them all,” head coach David Cutcliffe said. “But I’m not going to regret losing bowls. I would regret not being in them. I’m not going to regret plays here and there.”

In some ways, this is the end of a three-year cycle for Duke – 10 senior starters that have contributed for years played their final game, their careers ending in the desert mountains.

This year, though, was a bit different than the past two bowl trips – Duke (9-4) had to work its way back into the game, as opposed to jumping out to a big lead that slipped away. In fact, the Blue Devils only had the lead for 18 seconds on Saturday.

That go-ahead drive that was extended twice by trick plays – a fake punt turned into a 30-yard pass from punter Will Monday to Johnell Barnes and then a Jamison Crowder 12-yard touchdown pass to Issac Blakeney on another fourth down. Crowder, who is right-handed, threw that ball left-handed – just the way Duke had practiced it all week.

“We were hoping to get the corner and the safety to bite,” Crowder said. “Once I got the football (a toss from Boone), I saw Issac stall a little bit. The corner had an eye violation, and Issac went right past him.”

That gave Duke a 31-30 lead with 5:03 left in the game. It also gave Blakeney a bit of personal redemption, after dropping a touchdown that hit him in both hands in the second quarter and then fumbling a catch at the Arizona State 7-yard line in the third.

Cutcliffe was visibly fired up by the fourth-down, Crowder-to-Blakeney connection, and he went down the sideline, telling Boone to have the offense ready for a two-minute drill and telling the defense to go win the game. Then he talked to his kickoff coverage unit – a group that has struggled at times this year.

The group was excited, but then they ran out there and had several members get knocked out of their assigned running lanes. The result was a 96-yard return by Arizona State’s Kalen Ballage, and the Sun Devils scored the decisive touchdown one play later.

“Kickoff coverage has been great for us, but at times it has been an Achilles’ heel,” Cutcliffe said.

The downfield passing game has also been a bit of an Achilles’ heel this year for the offense, and Saturday was no exception. With Boone (15-of-31, 193 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) struggling with his accuracy, the offense relied on running back Shaquille Powell and a steady diet of screens for him, and for Crowder.

For the first time all year, the Blue Devils abandoned their running back rotation, choosing to stick with Powell midway through the third drive and for the rest of the game. His physical style was the only one that would have success against Arizona State’s blitzes, Cutcliffe said.

Powell ran for 118 yards on 29 carries (4 yards per carry average) and caught 3 passes for 52 yards. His 220 all-purpose yards accounted for 55 percent of Duke’s total offensive output.

In addition to throwing his touchdown pass, Crowder also returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown to get Duke back into the game late in the second quarter. After letting Arizona State (10-3) score points on each of its first four drives, Duke was in a 20-3 hole. Then the Blue Devils scored 14 of their 17 first-half points in the final 3 minutes and 44 seconds.

Overall, the defense struggled to contain the Sun Devils’ offense, which averaged 5.7 yards per play. Arizona State opted to line up wide receiver Jaelen Strong on cornerback Bryon Fields’ side of the field all game – and Strong took advantage of the mismatch. Strong, a junior who has already declared for the NFL draft, finished with seven catches for 103 yards – four of which came on third or fourth down.

Still, Duke had a chance to win the game, down five with the ball and 4:39 left on the clock. The drive, and the hope of winning, died at the Arizona State 14-yard line, with Boone’s interception, the 6-foot Brown using his size to knock the 5-foot-9 Crowder out of the way in the corner of the end zone.

That set up the all-too-familiar postseason ending.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/12/27/5409777/late-interception-dooms-duke-in.html#.VJ96U14AAA#storylink=cpy

UCLA: 2013 Sun Bowl Champions

EL PASO — That, as the folks in the industry say, is a wrap. UCLA labored, even struggled at times, but in the end the Bruins had a glitzy Hollywood ending for the 2013 season.

Quarterback Brett Hundley dipped and dodged on the field and off, leaving defenders in his wake along with the idea that he just might hop, skip and jump into the NFL draft.

Linebacker Jordan Zumwalt appeared to be auditioning for the lead in the next Incredible Hulk movie. Zumwalt Smash?

Linebacker Myles Jack scored another touchdown, this time while playing defense.

And a 42-12 victory over Virginia Tech on Tuesday in the Hyundai Sun Bowl left the Bruins (10-3) with their first 10-win season since 2005.

The sequel, the Bruins think, could be better.

"To see what we did this year, with 10 victories playing the schedule we had, it's scary to think we can be a lot better next year," Hundley said.

The Bruins announced their 2014 intentions with four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to break open the game after leading 14-7 through three quarters.

Where this will lead is open for interpretation. The consensus among the Bruins was that they were headed in an upward direction. UCLA fans will certainly demand that.

"I think the expectations that matter are our own," UCLA Coach Jim Mora said.

Which are?

"We need to get to a Rose Bowl," Mora said. "We need to get to and win a Rose Bowl."

Others were reaching even higher.

"I don't think there is a bar for us," receiver Devin Lucien said. "We've got to continue what we started this season. The national title is our motivation."

That is certainly part of Hundley's checklist.

"When you think of a legacy, you think about Super Bowls and national championships, Rose Bowls, something where you put your stamp on the program," Hundley said.

Whether this was Hundley's final stamp remains to be seen. A redshirt sophomore, he is eligible to declare for the NFL draft, a decision he will make in the coming days or weeks.

The Bruins could start the season as a top-10 team and go from there . . . if Hundley returns.

"That speaks for itself," Lucien said.

Anyone who says otherwise needs only to look at the statistics sheet from Tuesday. Hundley accounted for 387 of UCLA's 447 yards — 161 rushing and 226 passing — against a defense that ranked in the national top 10 in nearly every category.