BADGERS’ ONLY FUMBLE COMES AFTER VICTORY
The Wisconsin Badgers captured the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and the trophy that came along with it.
And then they broke it.
Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28
While dancing around to celebrate his team’s 42-28 victory over Wake Forest on Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C., quarterback Graham Mertz dropped the footballshaped piece of Lenox crystal, leaving it shattered on the f loor of the locker room after it fell off its base.
“We just wanted everybody to have a piece of that trophy,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst joked.
That would seem appropriate.
Mertz accounted for three touchdowns and Wisconsin turned four secondhalf interceptions, all by different players, into 21 points to turn a close game into a near-rout of the Demon Deacons. Five players scored touchdowns for the Badgers.
Mertz, a redshirt freshman, threw for 130 yards and ran for two short TDs as Wisconsin (4-3) finished a rocky season on a high note by beating Wake Forest (4-5).
“Yeah, I dropped it,” Mertz said sheepishly. “That’s on me. It happened.”
Cotton Bowl
No. 6 Oklahoma 55, No. 7 Florida 20: Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 186 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and Marcus Major rushed for 110 yards and a score on nine carries as Oklahoma (9-2) ran over Florida (8-4) in Arlington, Texas.
AP coach of year
Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell is The Associated Press college football coach of the year after leading the Chanticleers to a surprising, near-perfect season.
Chadwell received 16 first-place votes and 88 points from the AP Top 25 panel to finish ahead of Indiana’s Tom Allen, who was second with 14 first-place votes and 66 points.
Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell was third (5, 44) and Alabama’s Nick Saban was fourth (8, 42).
Chadwell is the first Sun Belt Conference coach to win the AP award.
San Jose State’s Brent Brennan finished fifth.
Chadwell directed a breakout season for No. 12
Coastal Carolina (11-1) in his third year there.
Notable
The College Football Playoff semifinal in Texas will be allowed to call itself the Rose Bowl Game, and the Tournament of Roses will pay the city $2 million to help Pasadena with its expenses and lost revenue.
• All-America defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon of Iowa and USC safety Talanoa Hufanga are declaring for the NFL Draft.