Bowl roundup: No. 17 BYU’s defense stymies No. 23 Colorado in Alamo Bowl

No. 17 BYU’s stout defensive effort shut down No. 23 Colorado’s explosive offense in the Cougars’ 36-14 Alamo Bowl win on Saturday night in San Antonio.

The Cougars, who had four sacks and two interceptions, held Colorado to just two rushing yards and 210 yards of total offense. The Buffaloes averaged 34.5 points and nearly 400 yards of offense per game entering the Alamo Bowl.

BYU’s Parker Kingston had a 64-yard punt return touchdown. Jake Retzlaff completed 12-of-21 passes for 151 yards and two interceptions.

LJ Martin (93 rushing yards) had two touchdowns on the ground and Sione I Moa ran one in for the Cougars (11-2). Evan Johnson and Isaiah Glasker had interceptions.

Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders completed 16-of-23 passes for 208 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter caught four passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Sav’ell Smalls added a touchdown catch.

DJ McKinney, Anquin Barnes Jr. and Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig had interceptions for Colorado (9-4).

Martin gave BYU a 7-0 lead with a 1-yard touchdown run midway through the opening quarter. A 28-yard pass to Martin on a wheel route out of the backfield was the key play on the drive.

After BYU forced a three-and out, Will Ferrin gave the Cougars a 10-0 cushion with a 51-yard field goal.

At the start of the second quarter, Sanders hit Hunter on a short crossing route he turned into a 58-yard gain. But the drive stalled when Sanders was sacked by Logan Lutui for a 23-yard loss. On the next play, Alejandro Mata missed a 48-yard field goal.

With a wall of blockers down the sideline, Kingston’s 64-yard punt return touchdown gave the Cougars a 17-0 lead late in the second quarter. BYU went into halftime up 20-0 on Ferrin’s 54-yard field goal.

On Colorado’s first second-half possession, Johnson picked off a pass that set up BYU’s nine-play scoring drive. The Cougars took a 27-0 lead on Moa’s 13-yard touchdown run.

Hunter made three Cougars defenders miss on a 43-yard touchdown reception that cut the BYU lead to 27-7 with 6:14 left in the third.

Martin’s second TD run gave BYU a 33-7 fourth-quarter lead. Colorado tacked on a late score when Sanders hit Smalls with a 2-yard pass.

Iowa State clips Miami for first 11-win season

Rocco Becht scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak on fourth down with 56 seconds left and No. 18 Iowa State edged No. 13 Miami 42-41 on Saturday in the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Orlando, Fla.

Becht also passed for 270 yards and three touchdowns as the Cyclones (11-3) overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to secure their first 11-win season in school history.

The Hurricanes (10-3), who lost for the third time in four games after starting the season with a 9-0 record, rushed for 308 yards – most in school history in a bowl game. However, they had virtually no passing attack in the second half with backup Emory Williams under center.

Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns for Miami. The first TD was the 156th of his career, breaking the Division I (FBS and FCS) record he shared with Houston’s Case Keenum (2007-11) – before sitting out the second half of his last college game.

Williams, who was intercepted on the final play of the game, finished 5-for-14 passing for 26 yards. He was 3-for-8 for 20 yards when the Hurricanes got the ball back one final time at their own 20 with 47 seconds left.

Both offenses combined to deliver an electric first half that featured 59 points and 625 total yards.

After the Hurricanes fumbled the ball away on an errant snap on the game’s first play, the teams scored touchdowns on eight consecutive possessions, starting with Becht’s 9-yard throw to tight end Gabe Burkle on third-and-goal.

Damien Martinez raced 75 yards to the end zone on Miami’s second offensive play, and Carson Hansen answered with a 30-yard rushing touchdown. Ward knotted the score again with a 4-yard pass to Jacolby George.

Becht, a Tampa area native, and Jaylin Noel connected for a 49-yard completion to the 1 and Hansen charged in the next play for a 21-14 lead with 2:23 left in the first quarter.

The onslaught continued with three more touchdowns in the next eight minutes.

86-yard run carries East Carolina past North Carolina State

East Carolina’s Rahjai Harris broke off a dazzling 86-yard touchdown in the final two minutes of a record-setting night, and the Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak to the North Carolina State Wolfpack with a 26-21 win in the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md, on Saturday.

With East Carolina trailing 21-20, Harris zipped around the left end, cut back and outran the Wolfpack secondary at 1:33 to give the Pirates (8-5) their fifth win in six games.

The Pirates’ Dontavius Nash intercepted a deflected pass by quarterback CJ Bailey as the Wolfpack (6-7) attempted a rally past midfield. A short brawl broke out between the teams with 38 seconds left.

Harris, a senior, set his career high and a Military Bowl record with 220 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Quarterback Katin Houser went 18-of-29 passing for 147 yards and two interceptions. He rushed for 84 yards on 13 attempts with two touchdowns.

Bailey completed 19 of 26 passes for 230 yards with three scores and an interception, while Hollywood Smothers rushed for 139 yards on 15 carries.

Tamarcus Cooley recorded two interceptions for the Wolfpack, who lost for the third time in four games.

On third-and-6 later ECU’s opening series after stopping NC State on a fourth-and-1 at the Pirates’ 24, Houser called his own number and rumbled in untouched from 19 yards to cap a 75-yard drive for a 7-0 lead with 4:43 remaining in the first quarter.

Smothers’ 44-yard run put NC State in position for its first points, but Kanoah Vinesett pulled a 34-yard field goal wide left at 13:34 of the second.

East Carolina kicker Noah Perez answered on the next possession by drilling a 24-yard field goal with 7:17 to go for a 10-0 advantage.

The Wolfpack finally capitalized with their best drive of the half by going 78 yards in 11 plays. Bailey ended it with a pass of 8 yards to Dacari Collins with 1:58 left, but Perez booted a 42-yarder with six seconds left for a 13-7 halftime lead.

In the third, Houser kept the Pirates a perfect 4-for-4 in scoring on their possessions by dashing in from 4 yards at 9:17 for a 20-7 lead while the defense continued to hassle Bailey.

Miami (OH) roars past Colorado State in Arizona Bowl

Miami of Ohio forced four turnovers and Kevin Davis scored on an Arizona Bowl-record 97-yard run in a 43-17 victory over Colorado State on Saturday at Tucson, Ariz.

Miami (9-5) won its first bowl since 2021 after losing the last two years in the postseason. Colorado State (8-5), making its first bowl appearance since 2017, has lost five consecutive bowl games.

Davis finished with 148 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns to earn game MVP honors.

Brett Gabbert, playing the last game of his six-year career at Miami, completed 13 of 25 passes for 184 yards.

Colorado State freshman running back Justin Marshall gained 84 yards on nine carries. Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was 23 of 45 for 321 yards and a touchdown for the Rams with two interceptions.

The teams combined for 48 points in the second half after Miami led 9-3 at halftime. The RedHawks took the opening drive of the second half 75 yards on six plays in only 2:25 to build a 16-3 lead.

Davis’ 4-yard TD run capped the drive, which included Gabbert completing a 40-yard pass to Kam Perry.

A fumble by Colorado State’s Vince Brown II, following a reception, allowed Miami to take possession at its 47 with 12:23 left in the third quarter. Gabbert scored five plays later on a 10-yard run to increase the lead to 22-3.

Colorado State was stopped on downs at the Miami 3, when Avery Morrow was tackled by Ambe’ Caldwell on a 1-yard gain.

Davis followed with his 97-yard run on the next play for a 209-3 lead with 6:45 left in the third quarter.

Colorado State cut its deficit to 29-10 when Fowler-Nicolosi completed a 56-yard touchdown pass Stephon Daily on a fourth down.

Nebraska builds big lead, holds off BC

A trio of running backs recorded touchdowns to help Nebraska hold off Boston College’s late rally for a 20-15 win in the Pinstripe Bowl on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Bronx, N.Y.

New York native Rahmir Johnson scored the Cornhuskers’ opening touchdown to highlight his 60-yard performance on 10 carries. His 11-yard run on fourth-and-1 before the two-minute timeout iced the game, lifting Nebraska (7-6) to its first winning season since 2016.

Kwinten Ives also ran for a score and Emmett Johnson (team-high 68 rushing yards on 14 carries) caught one from freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who was 23 of 31 for 228 yards, one touchdown and one interception on the day.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule noted that Rahmir Johnson, the game’s most valuable player, was playing after his mother died in November.

“He loved his mother,” Rhule said. “He lost his mother. He cares about this team. I think this is a fitting end for him. I hope he wears his pads home on the subway and goes to his apartment, takes that MVP trophy and takes it out tonight somewhere.”

Nebraska had a 20-2 lead before allowing its first touchdown with 6:11 left in regulation.

Boston College (7-6) forced two first-half turnovers and finished five of its first seven drives inside the opposing 35-yard line, but the Eagles went 0-for-4 on fourth downs until Turbo Richard’s 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.