Baylor Bears: 2015 Russell Athletic Bowl Champions

Baylor-North Carolina was exactly what anyone who tuned into ESPN at 5:30 ET on Monday night expected to see: Two high-powered offenses racing up and down the field with little resistance and rattling the scoreboard. The Bears and Tar Heels combined for 12 touchdowns, 1,243 yards of total offense and 87 points. In the end, Baylor pulled out a 49-38 win in one of the most entertaining bowls of this postseason.

But if this game lived up to its billing as a high-scoring, defense-optional thrill ride, it also added another data point to Art Briles’ sterling coaching résumé. The Bears repeatedly gashed North Carolina’s defense even though they were missing their leading rusher (Shock Linwood), top two quarterbacks (Seth Russell and Jarret Stidham) and Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver (Corey Coleman). Without those dangerous playmakers at his disposal, Briles effectively used the Russell Athletic Bowl as a testing lab. The Tar Heels had no answers for Baylor’s direct snaps. Four Bears completed passes, and five combined for 645 rushing yards—including 333 in the first half, the fourth most by a Football Bowl Subdivision team in 2015, according to ESPN Stats and Information. The total (645) broke the bowl record, previously set by Nebraska (524) in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl.

So dominant was Baylor’s running game that the RAB saw fit to razz the Philadelphia Eagles over social media shortly after the team fired head coach Chip Kelly. Here’s Bears running back Johnny Jefferson dashing up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The sophomore finished with 299 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries (13.0 YPC).

There’s a perception that Baylor’s offense is a plug-and-play system that can rotate players in and out without missing a step. Tuesday’s win will reinforce that perception, but for Briles, this was less a preservation of the status quo with different personnel than a tactical adaptation to accommodate a thinned group of playmakers. Baylor ran the ball 84 times, 31.5 more than its season average (52.50), and threw it 18 times, 12.9 fewer than its season average (30.9). The process changed, but the ultimate result did not: The Bears eclipsed their season scoring average by one point. In essence, Briles orchestrated another pyrotechnics show with a less-than-ideal set of materials. That said, don’t expect to see this gameplan when Baylor is fully healthy next season.

Granted, North Carolina’s defense isn’t great, but under first year coordinator Gene Chizik it improved from 99th in Football Outsiders defensive S&P + last season to 65th this season, and from 119th to 33rd in points allowed per game.

A win in a third-tier bowl game probably isn’t what Baylor had in mind when it opened 2015 ranked fourth in the Associated Press poll and ripped off eight consecutive wins. Had the Bears not lost Russell and Stidham to injury, perhaps they’d be in Miami Gardens playing for the national title instead of Big 12 counterpart Oklahoma. But the Bears’ strong showing against a North Carolina team that would have had a case for a College Football Playoff berth had it knocked off Clemson in the ACC championship game can help allay the disappointment. Baylor outgunned one of the nation’s top squads using reserves in key spots and will enter the off-season on a positive note, with renewed confidence that Briles’ system can succeed without its best players.

Marshall Thundering Herd: 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl Champions

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Chase Litton went 23 for 34 for 218 yards and one touchdown as Marshall won its 10th game this season by beating Connecticut 16-10 in the St. Petersburg Bowl on Saturday.

Nick Smith had three field goals for Marshall (10-3), including a 32-yarder with 1:44 to play that was part of a 13-play, 80-yard march that lasted 6:35. The Thundering Herd went 13-1 a year ago and 10-4 in 2013.

Bryant Shirreffs completed 10 of 17 passes for 86 yards and gained 75 yards on 19 carries for UConn (6-7), which came up short in a bid to have a winning record for the first time since 2010.

UConn stopped Marshall on fourth-and-2 at the 17 on the initial drive of the second half after the Thundering Herd opted to skip a field goal try that could have made it 16-7.

The Thundering Herd also failed to increase a 13-7 lead on their next possession when Smith missed a 43-yard field goal attempt with less than 3 minutes left in the third.

The Huskies got within 13-10 on Bobby Puyol's 52-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the third.

Marshall took a 7-0 lead 7 minutes into the game when Litton, who played in high school in Tampa, threw a 16-yard TD pass to Ryan Yurachek. Deandre Reaves' 26-yard punt return set up Marshall at the UConn 20.

Reaves also had nine receptions for 88 yards.

Connecticut tied it at 7 late in the first on an 8-yard run by Ron Johnson that completed a 13-play, 75-yard drive.

Marshall responded with a 13-play, 65-yard drive that concluded with Smith's 21-yard field goal that gave the Thundering Herd a 10-7 advantage 8 minutes before halftime.

Smith made it 13-7 with a 29-yard field goal on the final play of the first half that finished off a 15-play, 85-yard drive.

Connecticut sophomore cornerback Jamar Summers got his eighth interception of the season, including six in the last five games, early in the fourth.

Louisiana Tech: 2015 New Orleans Bowl Champions

It was quite the career capper for Louisiana Tech's seniors, as the Bulldogs rode a huge second half to a 47-28 New Orleans Bowl win over Arkansas State.

Louisiana Tech jumped out to a big 17-3 lead behind the arm of former Florida Gators quarterback Jeff Driskel and the legs of NCAA record-setting running back Kenneth Dixon. However, Arkansas State came back and tied the game up at 17 by halftime, and the Red Wolves answered the Bulldogs' first touchdown of the second half, as well.

But after that, Louisiana Tech pulled away, thanks in large part to Driskel. He threw for three touchdowns and over 450 yards in a dominating performance, as the Arkansas State secondary had no answer for the Bulldogs' passing attack.

It was a tough ending of the year for the Red Wolves, who went undefeated in Sun Belt play, including an impressive 40-27 win over Appalachian State. Quarterback Fredi Knighton rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown, but he struggled as a passer, completing just half of his passes. The defense just couldn't keep up with that kind of production.

Here are three things we learned from the game.

1. Jeff Driskel got his redemption

Driskel really struggled while at Florida under Will Muschamp, and he ended up transferring to Louisiana Tech. Driskel's decline with the Gators really began in the 2013 Sugar Bowl, when his team lost to Louisville, 33-23, despite coming in heavily favored. This New Orleans Bowl, also at the Superdome, gave him a chance at redemption.

"It's amazing how life works, I get another chance at making a memory at the Sugar Bowl," Driskel said, according to the announcers.

He certainly delivered, with three touchdowns and over 400 yards passing. It was a nice career capper, even if it was unexpected.

2. NCAA record for Kenneth Dixon

Dixon had himself a day, setting the career NCAA rushing and receiving touchdowns record with 87. He also set a New Orleans Bowl record with four touchdowns, and he did it while running out of his jersey number.

Dixon might lose the record to Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who plays Pitt in the Military Bowl, but this was Dixon's day to cherish.

3. Bad experience for the Sun Belt

The Sun Belt got a nice win from Appalachian State over Ohio, but the league had a chance to show that its champion could hang with a simply above average Conference USA team. Instead, Arkansas State, which laid an egg in the New Orleans Bowl after going through the Sun Belt slate unscathed. Bowl games really shouldn't determine how we think of conferences, but they do, and this isn't great for the Sun Belt.