Saturday, December 20, 2014
BGSU edges S. Alabama on late 78-yard TD
Late touchdown lifts Bowling Green past South Alabama in Camellia Bowl
The sound of stunned silence was even noticeable during the television broadcast.
The nearly sold out crowd at the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., most of whom were there to watch South Alabama play in its first-ever bowl game, had just seen the Jaguars take the lead late in the fourth quarter against Bowling Green only to give it right back on a 78-yard bomb that ultimately sealed the game.
Bowling Green, which led almost the entire game, escaped with a 33-28 win in the most exciting bowl game on the inaugural day of the 2014-15 bowl season.
With 1:20 remaining, South Alabama running back Terrance Timmons scampered three yards to give the Jaguars a 28-27 lead, its first lead of the game.
But the moment lasted all of two plays as Bowling Green quarterback James Knapke found receiver Roger Lewis on a 78-yard bomb down the middle of the field. Lewis broke one tackle before heading into the end zone.
South Alabama threw an interception and then ran into Bowling Green’s punter on the ensuing possession to end the game.
Knapke’s heroics weren’t exactly unforeseen.
Every time South Alabama tried to creep back into the game, Bowling Green seemingly had an answer. However, the expediency with which Bowling Green answered South Alabama’s lead-taking score was flabbergasting, especially since South Alabama had held the Bowling Green offense mostly in check in the fourth quarter.
Both of these teams limped into the bowl game with losing streaks. The Jaguars had lost four of their last five and Bowling Green had lost three straight. But the Falcons jumped on the Jaguars early and kept them at arm’s length most of the game.
Bowling Green finishes the season with eight wins, its third season of at least eight wins in the past four years, while South Alabama falls to 6-7.
Knapke, who threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns, was named the bowl’s MVP.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Late touchdown lifts Bowling Green past South Alabama in Camellia Bowl
South Alabama coach Joey Jones gets kicked in the face by his own player (Video)
As the Camellia Bowl between South Alabama and Bowling Green got close in the fourth quarter, things also turned unexpectedly bloody.
South Alabama coach Joey Jones was trying to stop tight end Ryan Onkaa, who was falling out of bounds. However, Onkaa did a partial somersault and kicked his coach in the face not once, but twice.
Jones emerged bleeding with what announcers speculated was a bloody nose. He was seen multiple times with a towel trying to clean the blood from his face.
But he never took a moment away from the sidelines and continued to coach even through medical attention.
That play alone — and the trading of touchdowns in a hectic fourth quarter — made the Camellia Bowl the best game of the opening day of bowls.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - South Alabama coach Joey Jones gets kicked in the face by his own player (Video)
Huskies cough up big lead, hold off Sooners
Colorado State's current staff given termination papers
Dave Baldwin’s chances of being hired as Colorado State’s next coach went out the window Saturday when the former offensive coordinator turned interim head coach told media he and the rest of the CSU staff had been handed termination papers.
“That’s the profession,” Baldwin said. “… You deal with it. Life is never fair, and you deal with it. We’re going to deal with it.”
Baldwin was one of several names in the mix for the Rams head coaching vacancy that was opened when Jim McElwain left for Florida. The termination papers don’t mean Baldwin or any other members of Colorado State’s staff can’t or won’t be hired to stay at Colorado State.
According to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, Colorado State could announce a hire as early as Monday. Several major assistants have been interviewed, including offensive coordinators Scott Frost of Oregon and Mike Bobo of Georgia and defensive coordinators Vance Bedford of Texas and Pat Narduzzi of Michigan State.
Baldwin did himself no favors Saturday by being outcoached in a 45-10 loss to Utah in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. Still, his work as offensive coordinator made the Rams one of the most offensively prolific teams in the country this season and helped them to a 10-win campaign.
As for the players, they’re trying to stay away from the coaching rumor mill and are just anxious to learn whom they’re playing for next.
“That’s nothing for us to worry about,” receiver Rashard Higgins told the Coloradoan. “We’ll see whoever comes in. I’m pretty sure he’ll do a great job, because he’s got guys like me on the team.”
For more Colorado State news, visit GoldandGreenNews.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Colorado State's current staff given termination papers
Davern helps Air Force to Potato Bowl win
Air Force takes Potato Bowl over Western Mich.
Air Force notches 10-win season with 38-24 Idaho Potato Bowl win
Quietly, Air Force capped one of the best seasons in program history following a 38-24 win against Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The win was the team’s first bowl win since 2010 and the first 10-win season for the Falcons since they won 12 in 1998.
Air Force took the lead in this game early in the second quarter and never relinquished it. The Falcons option offense gained chunks of yardage led by Shayne Davern, who had 12 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
The Air Force defense kept Western Michigan’s high-powered attack mostly in check. Running back Jarvion Franklin, who came into the game with nearly 1,500 yards, was bottled up and held to just 26 yards on 12 carries, his second-lowest output of the year, and did not reach the end zone for the first time this season.
While the Western Michigan ground game was quiet, quarterback Zach Terrell did have some success in the air with star receiver Corey Davis, who eight catches for 176 yards and three touchdowns, including a 51-yard score late in the game.
Terrell, finished with 297 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Even in defeat, Western Michigan still won eight games, its best season since winning nine in 2008, and the majority of the Broncos best players will be back next season.
For more Western Michigan news, visit BroncoBlitz.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Air Force notches 10-win season with 38-24 Idaho Potato Bowl win
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen wears 'Christmas Vacation' themed sweater (Photo)
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen took a little time away from his Capital One Orange Bowl preparation to have a staff Christmas party.
A party, at which, he wore the greatest National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation-themed sweater ever.
Merry Christmas from the staff party. http://ift.tt/1HhAUQ6
— Dan Mullen™ (@CoachDanMullen) December 21, 2014
Some of you might remember a segment on College GameDay earlier in the season where coaches read mean tweets about themselves. One of those tweets said, “Cousin Eddie (from Christmas Vacation) is a fictional version of Dan Mullen.”
Of course, Mullen responded with, “Merry Christmas, (expletive) full.”
And, as you already noticed, the line on Mullen’s sweater.
I really hope Mullen got this sweater just to troll the person on Twitter. That would just add to the lore.
Well played, Dan Mullen. Well played.
For more Mississippi State news, visit BulldogBlitz.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen wears 'Christmas Vacation' themed sweater (Photo)
CSU-Pueblo drops Minnesota St. for D-II title
Texas Southern stuns No. 25 Spartans in OT
Utah's offense comes alive in 45-10 thrashing of Colorado State
For one game, Utah showed flashes of the team coach Kyle Whittingham hopes he has in the future.
The Utes defeated Colorado State 45-10 in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, a surprising score considering the Utes offense had been pretty cold for most of the season.
But it scored a Las Vegas Bowl record 24 points in the first quarter and the defense, which has been steady all season, never gave Colorado State a chance to find rhythm and get back into the contest.
The 45 points were the most the Utes had scored in a game since scoring 59 against Fresno State on Sept. 6. They also scored 56 in the season opener against FCS opponent Idaho State.
Most of Utah offensive struggles stemmed from incinsistent quarterback play, but Travis Wilson was steady, especially while running the read option, something he hadn’t done a lot of because of past head injuries. But he accounted for 91 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns — more rushing touchdowns that he had the rest of the season combined — in his best rushing game of the season.
Overall, the Utah running game accounted for 359 of the Utes 548 total yards. That total yardage was the second-most Colorado State had allowed this season, second to Boise State’s 676 yards earlier in the year.
Offensively, the Rams were stymied. They amassed a season-low 278 total yards, including a season-low 12 rushing yards. The Utah defense, which had some bad statistics simply because it didn’t get much offensive support, gave CSU quarterback Garrett Grayson little time to throw and forced him into two turnovers, which the Utes ultimately turned into points.
Receiver Rashard Higgins, an All-American, did manage 109 yards, but he was held out of the end zone for only the third time this season.
The Rams only touchdown came off a trick play that saw receiver Charles Lovett throw a pass back to Grayson, who ran 39 yards for the score.
This wasn’t exactly the best audition for Colorado State interim head coach Dave Baldwin, who is in the running to replace Jim McElwain, who left to coach Florida. Colorado State didn’t play like it was mourning the loss of their head coach, but rather like a team that was outmatched and outcoached.
Still, the Rams finish the season with 10 wins, the most wins by Colorado State since 2002. Similarly, Utah finishes the year with nine wins, the most for the Utes since winning 10 in 2010.
For more Utah news, visit Utezone.com.
For more Colorado State news, visit GoldandGreenNews.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Utah's offense comes alive in 45-10 thrashing of Colorado State
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Utah St. leans on D, claims New Mexico Bowl
Utah State beats UTEP 21-6 in New Mexico Bowl
If you missed Utah State's 21-6 win over UTEP in the New Mexico, we hate to break it to you, but you didn't miss much.
UTEP was overmatched, both on defense and on offense, and when Utah State went up 7-3 on a 48-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kent Myers, the Aggie lead was insurmountable.
Myers, Utah's fourth quarterback this season, wasn't incredibly effective as a passer, finishing 5-12 for 68 yards with 70 on the ground. But he didn't need to be, thanks to the strength of Utah State's defense. And because of that defense, Utah State now has its second 10-win season in program history, a remarkable feat given the quarterback stat listed above.
The Miners struggled both rushing the football and attempting to pass it. Running back Aaron Jones compiled 25 carries, but they went for 88 yards, less than four yards a carry, as he struggled to find space on the edges against Utah State's defense. Quarterback Jameill Showers had barely more than 100 yards until a final garbage-time drive and his end-game total of 126 included a scramble-and-chuck it 53-yard completion to Ian Hamilton in the first quarter.
The craziest play of the game didn't even count. Utah State's do-it-all receiver JoJo Natson let a punt bounce over his head and he sprinted back to retrieve it. He then turned upfield and found a couple of blocks and was only prevented from the end zone by a last-ditch tackle by UTEP punter Jay Mattox at the UTEP 5. However, there was a block in the back – and yes, it did help to spring Natson – and Utah State ended up way back in its own territory.
The game was 7-3 at halftime and Utah State made it 14-3 early in the third quarter on a Nick Vigil TD run. After UTEP pulled within 14-6 with three minutes to go, Utah State didn't simply run out the clock as Joe Hill tacked on a touchdown with 1:33 to go.
Utah State's first 10-win season came in 2012, when the Aggies went 11-2 and won the Potato Bowl. The year introduced USU QB Chuckie Keeton to college football fans and Keeton was expected to lead the Aggies in 2014 after suffering a knee injury in 2013. However, Keeton reinjured his left knee early in the season and the Aggies decided to sit him out for the rest of the year, starting the crazy conveyer belt of quarterbacks.
And it continued, albeit briefly, on Saturday. Myers took a vicious hit and fumbled in the second quarter and went to the locker room for a moment. In his absence, Utah State got the ball back and was forced to utilize WR Ronald Butler at QB, and in his first play from scrimmage, he ripped off a 61-yard run. As Butler got Utah State inside UTEP's 20-yard-line, Myers returned to the game and played the rest of the way.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Utah State beats UTEP 21-6 in New Mexico Bowl
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Louisiana-Lafayette beats Nevada 16-3 to win fourth straight New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana-Lafayette’s offense got out to fast start and put up 10 points on its first two possessions. That was all ULL’s defense would need in a 16-3 win over Nevada.
The Ragin’ Cajuns held a Wolf Pack offense that averaged 413 yards and 31 points per game to just 214 yards and three points en route to a fourth straight New Orleans Bowl victory Saturday at the Superdome.
In his final game with the program, ULL senior quarterback Terrance Broadway completed 26-of-31 passes for 227 yards and a score while running backs Elijah McGuire and Alonzo Harris combined for 169 yards rushing on 29 carries.
Broadway completed his first 14 passes of the game and helped the Cajuns jump out to a 10-0 lead. ULL’s first drive was an effective mix of run and pass that culminated in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Broadway to C.J. Bates.
After forcing a Nevada three-and-out on the Wolf Pack’s first possession, ULL added on to its lead with a 46-yard field goal from Hunter Stover, the first of his three field goals on the day.
Nevada and senior quarterback Cody Fajardo (14/29, 124 yards passing; 49 yards rushing) looked to close the deficit in the second quarter, but a promising drive came to an end when freshman wide receiver Wyatt Demps fumbled deep in ULL territory.
Nevada’s next drive was another missed opportunity. A terrible ULL punt gave the Wolf Pack possession at the ULL 27-yard line. Four plays later, the Wolf Pack had a first-and-goal from the one-yard line, but a false start penalty pushed them back. Lafayette’s defense stiffened and the Wolf Pack settled for a 21-yard Brent Zuzo field goal, making it 10-3.
The second half was more of the same – a defensive struggle – and neither team scored in the third quarter.
ULL ate up the clock with its running game and Stover added field goals of 30 and 35 yards in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Cajuns’ defense forced the Wolf Pack to turn it over on downs twice to seal the win.
The win clinched a fourth straight 9-4 season for Lafayette, all under the direction of head coach Mark Hudspeth. Upon accepting the job in 2011, Hudspeth took over a program that had just four winning seasons since 1990. Now he has four in a row.
The loss dropped Nevada to 7-6 on the season. The Wolf Pack have not won a bowl game since 2010 and the program has lost seven of its last eight postseason games.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Louisiana-Lafayette beats Nevada 16-3 to win fourth straight New Orleans Bowl