College Football Bowl Game Results – December 17-23

The first week of bowl season gave us several exciting finishes and a couple of upsets. Here are the results and highlights.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl

New Mexico 23, Texas San Antonio 20

New Mexico was held to a season-low 219 rushing yards but had just enough to hold off a late rally from a Roadrunner team making its first bowl appearance. The win gave the Lobos their first bowl win since 2007 and coach Bob Davie his first-ever postseason victory (0-4 previously).

Las Vegas Bowl Presented by Geico

San Diego State 34, Houston 10

San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown, breaking Ron Dayne’s NCAA career rushing record in the process. But the bigger story in this outcome was the Aztec defense, which held Houston to 25 rushing yards and picked off Cougar quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. four times, returning one for a touchdown. Pumphrey and back Rashaad Penny are the first college backfield in history to have a 2,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard rusher in the same season.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl

Appalachian State 31, Toldeo 28

Mountaineer running back Marcus Cox rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown in the Appalachian State win, becoming just the ninth FBS player with four 1,000-yard seasons.

Autonation Cure Bowl

Arkansas State 31, Central Florida 13

Arkansas State quarterback Justice Hansen and receiver Kendall Sanders connected five times for 127 yards and three touchdowns as the Red Wolves closed the season by winning eight of their final nine games after an 0-4 start.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Southern Miss 28, Louisiana Lafayette 21

Southern Miss receiver Allenzae Staggers caught 11 passes for 230 yards (both New Orleans Bowl records) and a touchdown to lead the Golden Eagles to their first bowl win since 2011.

Miami Beach Bowl

Tulsa 55, Central Michigan 10

Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns to lead Tulsa to its first bowl win in four years. The Golden Hurricane offense set records all year and finished as the first team ever with a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers and two 1,000-yard receivers.

Boca Raton Bowl

Western Kentucky 51, Memphis 31

Hilltopper running back Anthony Wales rushed for a career-high 245 yards to go with 84 receiving yards and three scores as Western Kentucky won its third straight bowl game.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

BYU 24, Wyoming 21

Senior running back Jamaal Williams rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown to help the Cougars snap a three-game losing streak in bowl games. He leaves as BYU’s career rushing leader with 3,901 yards.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Idaho 61, Colorado State 50

After a scoreless first quarter, Idaho erupted for 41 unanswered points and then held off a late Colorado State rally to earn a victory in the Vandals’ first bowl game since 2009. Ironically, this could be their last-ever bowl game as Idaho is scheduled to drop down to the FCS level in 2018.

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl

Old Dominion 24, Eastern Michigan 20

Old Dominion won its first-ever bowl game thanks to three touchdown passes from senior quarterback David Washington. Eastern Michigan’s Brogan Roback threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, the Eagles’ first bowl appearance since 1987.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Louisiana Tech 48, No. 25 Navy 45

Louisiana Tech got a 32-yard field goal as time expired to earn the Bulldogs’ third straight bowl win and third consecutive nine-win season. Navy rolled up 459 total yards (300 rushing), but it wasn’t enough to overcome Bulldog quarterback Ryan Higgins who threw for 409 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

Dollar General Bowl

Troy 28, Ohio 23

Running back Jordan Chunn scored on three short touchdown runs thanks to a Trojan defense that forced five Ohio turnovers and got three big stops in the fourth quarter. The win caps Troy’s first ten-win season since moving up to FBS in 2001 and the Trojans could well crack the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history when the final poll is released.