Baylor ends CFP hopes for Cowboys
Dezmon Jackson came up inches short on a desperate, fourth-down dive in the final seconds for No. 5 Oklahoma State, knocking the fifth-ranked Cowboys out of contention for a spot in the four-team playoff.
“Just heartbreak,” Cowboys guard Josh Sills said.
Baylor safety Jairon McVea knocked Jackson out of bounds without letting him reach the pylon with 24 seconds remaining in the Big 12 championship game Saturday, preserving a 21-16 victory for ninth-ranked Baylor.
The Bears’ win came a year after they went 2-7 in coach Dave Aranda’s debut last season.
“This moment is something they can never take away,” Bears linebacker Terrel Bernard said.
Aranda recalled Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy telling him “that winning is hard” before an earlier meeting between the teams. The title game was a sure example of that.
Blake Shapen, starting again for injured Gerry Bohanon (right hamstring) threw three TDs while completing his first 17 passes as Baylor (11-2) took a 21-3 lead in the first half.
But the Cowboys (11-2) rallied back, then went 89 yards on 17 plays on that final drive before their Big 12 and national championship hopes wound up just shy.
After having first-and-goal from 2 following a pass interference penalty, Jackson gained a yard and was held for no gain before an incomplete pass by Spencer Sanders. On fourth down from the 1, Jackson tried to sweep wide left, but with McVea in pursuit, he barely missed while trying to reach the pylon in the front corner of the end zone.
“When I saw the running back with the ball, I thought I’ve got to run this guy down,” McVea said, who wasn’t even sure where the ball was when the tackle was made. “The ref signaled not a touchdown, so when I saw that I was pretty happy.”
“They made a good play. It’s not 27 s fault,” Gundy said, referring to Jackson.
Sanders threw four interceptions, one by McVea, and the Cowboys were without leading rusher Jaylen Warren because of his lingering ankle and shoulder issues.
There would need to be some chaos, in form of an upset or two in other conference title games later in the day, for thirdtime Big 12 champion Baylor to have a chance to be in the final four for the first time when the CFP rankings come out Sunday.
“I told the team in the locker room how proud I was that they’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do since January,” Gundy said.
Huskies win MAC title: Quarterback
Rocky Lombardi ran for three touchdowns and Jay Ducker ran for 146 yards on 29 carries to power Northern Illinois to a 41-23 victory over Kent State in the Mid-American Conference title game on Saturday.
It is the Huskies’ (9-4) sixth MAC title in the last 11 years and first since 2018 when it beat Buffalo. Kent State (7-6) was shooting for its first conference championship since winning it in 1972.
“This is historic,” said Huskies coach Thomas Hammock whose team was predicted to finish in last place this year after going 0-6 in 2020. “I don’t think any team has gone winless the year before and won a championship.
“When everybody said we would finish last, all I told our team was we are the best team in the MAC until proven otherwise. Obviously, they didn’t prove us otherwise.”
Momentum appeared to be shifting to the Golden Flashes at the start of the second half. Andrew Glass kicked a 41-yard field goal on the opening drive for their first points of the game and the Kent State defense forced Northern Illinois to punt for the first time.
But on the next drive Dustin Crum, the MAC’s most valuable player this season, was intercepted by C.J. Brown who returned it 26 yards for a touchdown as the Huskies went ahead 24-3.
“I saw it tipped and I went up and had to make a play,” said Brown who was named the defensive player of the game. “I felt like that was a game-changing play when we needed it.”
The Golden Flashes cut the deficit to 24-10 with 27 seconds left in the third quarter when Crum hit Nykeim Johnson on a 17-yard scoring strike.
The Huskies ended Kent State’s comeback hopes when Lombardi scored on a 3-yard keeper with 10:54 left making it 31-10. He added a 2-yard TD run nearly four minutes later.
Utah State rolls to Mountain West title:
Brandon Bowling caught two touchdown passes from Logan Bonner during the decisive third quarter, and Utah State won its first Mountain West title with a 46-13 rout of No. 19 San Diego State.
Bonner passed for 318 yards and four TDs, while fellow Arkansas State transfer Bowling had eight catches for a careerhigh 154 yards. The Aggies (10-3) punctuated their turnaround under first-year head coach by blowing out the shorthanded Aztecs (11-2) for their first win over an AP Top 25 opponent since 2015.