Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
No. 12 BYU bows to Hopkins, UAB
QB sharp in Independence victory
SHREVEPORT, La. — Dylan Hopkins broke the Independence Bowl record for completion percentage, connecting on 19 of 23 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns in Alabama-Birmingham’s 31-28 victory over No. 12 Brigham Young on Saturday.
With the Blazers (9-4) facing fourth-and-7 with six minutes left, coach Bill Clark passed on a field-goal attempt, and Hopkins threw a go-ahead 14-yard TD pass to wide receiver Trea Shropshire, the lone player from Louisiana on either roster.
The Cougars (10-3) appeared to be in position to at least tie it, but wide receiver Samson Nacua fumbled after making a catch inside the UAB 25 with 3:36 to go.
DeWayne McBride ran for 183 yards and a TD on 28 carries for the Blazers.
BYU and running back Tyler Allgeier fought back from a 14-point deficit, tying it twice and eventually taking a fourth-quarter lead. Allgeier ran for 192 yards and three TDs.
Hopkins’ TD pass to tight end Gerrit Prince and McBride’s 64-yard scoring run gave UAB an early two-score lead.
Quarterback Baylor Romney — starting in place of injured Jaren Hall — brought the Cougars back with a strong start to the second quarter. Allgeier had a 1-yard scoring run, and Nacua had a 2-yarder to tie it.
The Blazers regained the lead with Hopkins’ 23-yard TD pass to Prince before halftime.
Allgeier ripped off a 62-yard TD run to tie it again 1:17 into the third quarter. His 1-yard run put BYU up 28-24 on the fourth quarter’s second play.
The Cougars missed an opportunity for their highest postseason ranking in 26 years. BYU finished last season at No. 11 and was No. 5 in 1996.
LA Bowl
■ Utah State 24, Oregon State 13: At Inglewood, Calif., third-string QB Cooper Legas threw for two TDs, and Calvin Tyler Jr. ran for 120 yards and a TD for the Aggies (11-3). Wide receiver Jesiah Irish scored the lone TD for the Beavers (7-6) on a 20-yard run on a jet sweep 58 seconds into the first quarter.
Legas, a sophomore, came in when starter Logan Bonner sustained a first-quarter knee injury. Andrew Peasley, Bonner’s backup throughout the season, was ruled out prior to kickoff because of a shoulder injury. Legas’ first collegiate pass was a 62-yard TD strike to wide receiver Deven Thompkins that tied the score at 7.
Thompkins had six catches for 115 yards, setting a Utah State single-season record with 102 receptions. Legas, who threw for 171 yards and had a 34-yard catch, hit wide receiver Brandon Bowling with a 5-yard TD strike that put the Aggies up 24-13.
New Mexico Bowl
■ Fresno State 31, Texas-El Paso 24: At Albuquerque, N.M., Jordan Mims ran for 165 yards and two TDs and had five catches for 71 yards and a TD for the Bulldogs (10-3), who won the bowl game for the first time in three tries. Jake Haener threw for 286 yards and a TD for Fresno State. Gavin Hardison threw for 252 yards and a TD for the Miners (7-6), who got within 26-24 early in the fourth quarter on Trent Thompson’s 51-yard TD catch.
Boca Raton Bowl
■ Western Kentucky 59, Appalachian State 38: At Boca Raton, Fla., Bailey Zappe threw for 422 yards and six TDs for the Hilltoppers (9-5), who dealt the Mountaineers (10-4) their first loss in seven bowl games. Zappe threw for 5,977 yards and 62 TDs this season, both FCS records. WKU wide receiver Jerreth Sterns had 13 catches for 184 yards and three TDs, and teammate Noah Whittington ran for 150 yards and a TD on seven carries.
Lending Tree Bowl
■ Liberty 56, Eastern Michigan 20: At Mobile, Ala., Malik Willis threw for 231 yards and three TDs and ran for 58 yards and two TDs for the Flames (85), who moved to 3-0 in bowls. The Eagles (7-6) got within 13-10 on Samson Evans’ 2-yard TD run in the second quarter but surrendered three straight TDs to close the half and 43 straight points at one stretch.
Celebration Bowl
■ South Carolina State 31, Jackson State 10: At Atlanta, Cory Fields threw for four TDs, three to wide receiver Shaquan Davis, for the Bulldogs (7-5), who held the Tigers (11-2) to 194 yards of offense. JSU freshman QB Shedeur Sanders, son of coach Deion Sanders, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.