Miss. St. escapes on blocked FG

Mississippi State’s sideline erupted in celebration, relieved to escape with a victory to end a challenging season.

Nick Fitzgerald rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns in another strong performance by the dual-threat quarterback; however, the heavily favored Bulldogs had to block a field goal in the closing seconds to hold off Miami (Ohio) 17-16 in the St. Petersburg Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Monday.

“Great game. Not exactly how we drew it up,” coach Dan Mullen said after defensive tackle Nelson Adams got a hand on Nick Dowd’s potential game-winning kick.

Both the Bulldogs (6-7) and the RedHawks (6-7), who won six straight games to become bowl eligible, finished with losing marks.

Boston College 36, Maryland 30

In Detroit, Patrick Towles threw two touchdown passes and caught a pass for a score in the first half, helping Boston College top Maryland in the Quick Lane Bowl.

The Eagles (7-6) led by 16 at halftime, 23 points early in the third quarter and had to force Maryland to turn the ball over on downs late in the game to seal the victory.

N.C. State 41, Vanderbilt 17

In Shreveport, La., Jaylen Samuels caught three touchdown passes from Ryan Finley, Nyheim Hines returned a kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown and North Carolina State beat Vanderbilt in the Independence Bowl.

The Wolfpack (7-6) built a 28-3 lead by midway through the third quarter — largely thanks to Samuels’ touchdown catches of 9, 55 and 17 yards — and then held off a brief Vanderbilt rally.