Florida Atlantic: 2017 Boca Raton Bowl Champions

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Lane Kiffin's first bowl game at Florida Atlantic was the perfect microcosm of his first season with the Owls.

Slow start. Super finish.

And the future could be even better.

Devin Singletary ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns, Jason Driskel accounted for four scores and FAU rolled past Akron 50-3 in the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday night -- finishing the season on a 10-game winning streak, and with Kiffin having agreed to terms on an extension that, in theory, would keep him at FAU for another 10 years.

That seems unlikely, of course. Then again, so did a program with nine wins in the last three years combined rolling through 2017 this way.

"Just an unbelievable day," Kiffin said. "Can't imagine it being better, 50-3. This is a special story. These are unique stories. They don't happen. You don't come to FAU after winning nine games in three years combined and win 11 games -- and not even play close games. ... These guys just dominate everybody they play."

The Owls were 1/3 in late September. They never lost again, the 10 wins coming by an average of 24.8 points and capped by a win in FAU's first bowl appearance since 2008.

"A long time coming," said FAU linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who announced he is returning for his senior season -- amid some NFL speculation.

Singletary finished with 32 touchdowns this season for the Owls (11-3), who matched the school record for wins in a season -- set during the team's run to the Division I-AA semifinals in 2003.

Driskel threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, plus ran for two more scores for FAU.

The Owls had a massive turnaround in Kiffin's first year and may have an even brighter future. Earlier Tuesday, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that FAU and Kiffin have agreed to extend his contract six more years through 2027.

The days of being called out with an overhead projector as he was by Al Davis in Oakland, or fired on a tarmac like he was at USC, or facing weekly questions about his job security like he was at Alabama, are over.

He's at FAU for as long as he wants to be. The new deal isn't signed, but the sides will get there.

"It was a neat day," Kiffin said. "It's the university saying, `We're excited about what's going on, we believe in what you're doing, we don't mind that you make jokes on Twitter like other people do.' It was just neat to see."

Kato Nelson threw for 80 yards for Akron (7-7).

"We just got whipped," Akron coach Terry Bowden said. "They didn't punt until the very end. ... They just were better than us tonight, it was clear to see."

And Kiffin held nothing back.

FAU got three touchdowns on fourth-down tries, unsuccessfully tried an onside kick in the first quarter, went for a 2-point conversion in the third quarter to make it 36-3 and even tried a halfback pass in the fourth quarter with a 47-point lead. The Owls didn't punt on their first nine possessions, getting seven touchdowns and two missed field goals out of those.

Even on the last play of the game, FAU threw a pass -- a 10-yard gain, one that gave the Owls a 582-146 edge in total yards. The Owls left no doubt: Only two bowl games since 2000 had a bigger margin of victory than FAU's 47-point romp in this one.

"Lane was just playing football," Bowden said. "I have no problem with it."

BIG PICTURE

Akron: The Zips finished the season 7-0 in games where they led at halftime and 0-7 when they trailed at the break. ... Akron is now 1-2 in bowl games since moving up to the FBS level, winning the 2015 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and falling in the 2005 Motor City Bowl. ... Bowden made sure to laud his seniors in the locker room postgame. "We have made incredible strides," he said.


FAU: The only players with more rushing touchdowns than Singletary in the last 50 years of major college football were Barry Sanders (37 in 1988) and Montee Ball (33 in 2011). He has 43 TDs in his first two seasons, and had only two in his first three games this year -- before getting 30 more in the final 11 games.

THE DADS

Kiffin and Bowden are, of course, the sons of football coaching legends. Monte Kiffin and Bobby Bowden were both at the game and took part in the pregame coin toss.

UP NEXT

Akron: Nebraska's first game under Scott Frost will be at home against the Zips on Sept. 1.

FAU: The Owls take their 10-game winning streak into 2018, which starts Sept. 1 at Oklahoma.

North Carolina A&T: 2017 Celebration Bowl Champions

The 2017 Celebration Bowl must have felt like deja vu all over again for North Carolina A&T quarterback Lamar Raynard and running back Marquell Cartwright. Four years ago, when Cartwright and Raynard were at High Point Andrews, this same situation played out.

Raynard, who threw a 38-yard touchdown pass with 1:02 remaining for his high school’s North Carolina High School Athletic Association 2-AA title game, ran the ball in from 1 yard out to give the Aggies a 21-14 win over Grambling State on Saturday.

While Cartwright, who was awarded MVP honors in that state title game, won the Celebration Bowl’s Offensive Player of the Game award thanks to one rushing touchdown, one passing touchdown and 110 yards on the ground.

“We started together playing together in ninth grade,” Raynard said. “We decided to come to college together because we thought that we could do really great together. I just want to tip my hat to this guy, because they really tried to take the game away from my boy, and he came back and fought even harder. People who doubted him they said after Tariq left, we weren’t going to have a running game. … This guy right here, that’s my brother. We stay right down the street from each other. It’s a lot I could say. I’m going to keep it short, but I love him.”

It’s official. North Carolina A&T is no longer up-and-coming. The Aggies are a certified college football name brand. And they’re not taking a back seat to anybody. Anymore. Ever.

They came into Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium looking for respect as they prepared to battle the perennial historically black college football powerhouse Grambling. Now N.C. A&T will be heading back to Greensboro, North Carolina, as the Celebration Bowl champion for the second time in three years.

Raynard, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Offensive Player of the Year, was responsible for two more touchdowns in the Celebration Bowl, bringing his season total to 31 with multiple touchdowns in 10 of 12 games this season.

In winning the third annual Celebration Bowl and historically black college and university (HBCU) national championship, the Aggies also became the first MEAC football team to finish its season undefeated at 12-0. N.C. A&T did it twice before, but that was before the creation of the MEAC.

While Raynard scored the points that would ultimately put the team over the hump in a game they led from start to finish, it was Cartwright who carried N.C. A&T for much of the game. His receiving touchdown opened up the scoring and his touchdown on the ground were the only two scores the team had until 38 seconds remained in the game and Raynard found the end zone.

Grambling coach Broderick Fobbs must not have known how wise and insightful his answer was when he explained that the Tigers and N.C. A&T are essentially mirrors of each other’s program.

“I really didn’t [have any doubts.] I didn’t get very nervous today,” N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway said. “I knew we was playing an outstanding football team, but I also knew we had an outstanding football team. We could’ve separated a little bit, if we had been a little bit better in the kicking game.”

Anything the Aggies did, Grambling State did almost the same thing and vice versa. The Tigers bench erupted when N.C. A&T’s Raynard threw an interception to Grambling’s De’Andre Hogues as the Aggies began to sniff Grambling’s red zone.

That euphoria lasted maybe a minute at most, as Tigers running back Martez Carter coughed up the ball following an eight-yard reception and N.C. A&T went right back into business from the Grambling 25. Five plays later and with 4:58 left in the half, fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium finally saw their first score of the game.

Three minutes and 15 seconds later, Fobbs’ team finally got itself on the board thanks to Kincade finding Jordan Jones for a two-yard touchdown pass to tie it up just before the half.

The Aggies worked themselves down the field with 2 seconds to spare for a field goal attempt, but the Grambling front blocked the kick. Similarly, the Tigers made their way into the Aggies red zone on their first drive of the second half, but a poorly placed Kincade pass was intercepted by Franklin McCain III in spectacular, one-hand, one-toe inbounds fashion.

The one thing both teams stressed was that the team who made the fewest mistakes was going to win the game. While Grambling finished with three turnovers, N.C. A&T ended the game with two, and a pair of missed field goals.

What this game truly came down to was who was going to make the most of the opportunities afforded to them, and without question that was the Aggies. One doesn’t have to love the Aggies. They don’t even care if y’all like them.

However, after this Celebration Bowl victory, y’all will respect them.

N.C. A&T had more success running between the tackles Saturday, averaging 2.3 yards before contact per rush. The Aggies’ Cartwright had more yards between the tackles (57) than Grambling had as a team.

Designed rushes inside tackles

GRAMBLING … N.C. A&T

Rushes 13 … 25

Yards 44 … 87

YBC per rush 0.9 … 2.3

Touchdowns 0 … 2

Grambling committed three turnovers Saturday, allowing 14 points off those turnovers. The Tigers entered the game having committed 10 turnovers all season, tied for third-fewest in the FCS.
Turnover comparison

GRAMBLING N.C. A&T

Turnovers 3 … 2

Opp Pts off TOs 14 … 0

N.C. A&T averages 10.6 points a game off turnovers

Texas A&M: 2014 Liberty Bowl Champions

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin permanently dismissed student assistant coach Michael Richardson from the Aggies' program Tuesday as a result of Richardson's actions in Monday's AutoZone Liberty Bowl, in which he struck two West Virginia players.

Sumlin issued a statement Tuesday afternoon detailing his decision and apologizing to the West Virginia players and coach Dana Holgorsen.

"Upon returning to College Station last night, I had the opportunity to gather information and watch clips of one of our student assistant coaches initiating physical contact on two separate occasions with a West Virginia player," Sumlin said. "I am extremely disappointed and embarrassed, as his behavior reflected poorly on our program.

"On behalf of the Texas A&M football program, I want to apologize to Daryl Worley and to Andrew Buie as well as to Coach Holgorsen and the West Virginia family for the inexcusable actions of the student assistant. I removed him from the sideline at halftime of yesterday's game after being informed of the incidents and, after further review, have permanently dismissed him from our football program."

Cameras showed Richardson striking West Virginia players who ventured out of bounds during Monday's first half on two separate occasions. He used his elbow to strike Worley, a cornerback, in the back of the head and shoved Buie, a running back, in another incident.

Richardson took to Twitter earlier Tuesday to express remorse for his behavior.

On Monday night, Worley tweeted that he would "see [Richardson] again in life," but on Tuesday had softened his stance and spoke of both him and Richardson needing to take the high road.

A class of 2012 signee out of DeSoto (Texas) High, Richardson played linebacker as a true freshman for Texas A&M before suffering a career-ending neck injury in a Nov. 17, 2012, win over Sam Houston State. He had surgery shortly thereafter and has served as a student assistant coach for the Aggies since his playing days concluded.

Sumlin also apologized to Texas A&M fans in his statement for Richardson's actions.

"I also want to apologize to the Aggie faithful, as they deserve a program to be proud of, not only in our play, but in the integrity and respect we show on and off the field," Sumlin said. "This student assistant coach's actions are not representative of our program."

The Storm are back...

Star Melbourne fullback Billy Slater steered the Storm to a 16-14 come-from-behind win over Newcastle on Sunday in their NRL clash at AAMI Park.

The victory was Melbourne's third straight and the Knights' fourth successive loss, leaving them outside the top eight.

Newcastle were well positioned for an upset - their first since 2004 on Melbourne's home turf - with a 14-10 lead at halftime thanks to a brace of tries by winger Joey Leilua.

But Ryan Hoffman and Slater combined with 11 minutes left on the clock to tie up the match before Storm skipper Cameron Smith converted to give his team the lead for the first time in the match.

NSW State of Origin star Hoffman was able to get a ball out the back of a tackle and fullback Slater stepped around his Queensland teammate Darius Boyd to score between the posts.

The Storm lacked their usual finishing polish, with gun Queensland halfback Cooper Cronk rested from the game.

His replacement Brett Finch was unable to make the same an impact with an ineffective kicking game.

The Knights, in contrast, started strongly with Leilua spinning out of a Slater tackle to cross in the fifth minute.

Slater was hampered by a knee to his thigh two minutes earlier, although he was able to run out the injury and return to his devastating best.

Newcastle halfback Tyrone Roberts converted and then added a penalty for an 8-0 lead.

The home side were able to get on the scoreboard after repeat sets took their toll on the Knights.

Smith found five-eighth Gareth Widdop, who sent the ball on to centre Maurice Blair to touch down.

But the lead was out to 10 points when Knights five-eighth Jarrod Mullen put a banana kick through which bounced straight into Leilua's arms for him to stroll across the line.

Sisa Waqa made amends late in the half when he scored at the end of a well-worked set move, with the Knights' defence caught short.

The second 40 minutes was an arm-wrestle with Slater's try the only points of the half, the Knights leaving Melbourne empty-handed again.

Craig Gower, who hadn't played in the NRL since 2007, made a successful return after cutting short his Super League contract to join the Knights this week.