ODU tops EMU in Bahamas

NASSAU, BAHAMAS >> David Washington came to Old Dominion a year before the program started its transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Five years later, he led the Monarchs to a victory in their first bowl game.

Washington threw three touchdowns passes, Ray Lawry ran for 133 yards and Old Dominion beat Eastern Michigan 24-20 on Friday in the Bahamas Bowl.

Old Dominion (10-3) didn’t play football for 69 years before restarting the program in 2009. The Monarchs started at the FCS level and made the transition to the FBS in 2013, where they play in Conference USA.

“I know I haven’t been here since the program started, but I’ve been here five years,” Washington said. “So it kind of feels like my baby. We just took it to a bowl game and won the bowl game so it’s just really special.”

Eastern Michigan (7-6) lost in its first bowl appearance since 1987. The Eagles were led by Brogan Roback, who completed 26 of 46 passes for 300 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Roback threw for at least 300 yards in six of his final seven games.

“We were moving the ball,” Roback said. “We just weren’t really finishing.”

Old Dominion had a 10-0 halftime lead, but Eastern Michigan rallied to tie it at 17 late in the third quarter on Paul Fricano’s 24-yard field goal.

The Monarchs took the lead for good on Washington’s third touchdown pass, which went for 5 yards to Jonathan Duhart and put Old Dominion up 24-17.

Armed Forces Bowl

LOUISIANA TECH 48, NAVY 45 >> Jonathan Barnes kicked a game-ending 32-yard field goal and Louisiana Tech beat Navy.

The Bulldogs (9-5) drove for the winning score after Navy freshman quarterback Malcolm Perry ran 30 yards for a touchdown on his only play.

Ryan Higgins threw for 409 yards and four touchdowns, two each to Trent Taylor and Carlos Henderson. Taylor, a 5-foot-8 senior for Louisiana Tech, set an Armed Forces Bowl with his 12 catches for 233 yards. Henderson had 10 catches for 129 yards.

Navy (9-5), which was trying for its first consecutive 10-win seasons, instead ended with its third straight loss. The Midshipmen lost the American Athletic Conference title game before its first loss to Army since 2001.

Perry, whose TD with 3:46 left tied the game for the fourth time, came in after Zach Abey took a shot to the ribs on a play that led to a targeting ejection by Tech defensive tackle Jordan Bradford.