Miami (Ohio) rolls past North Texas
Brett Gabbert completed 22 of 31 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns, Kenny Tracy scored on an 8-yard run and Graham Nicholson kicked two field goals as Miami (Ohio) beat North Texas 27-14 in the Frisco Football Classic on Thursday in Frisco, Texas.
Gabbert, the brother of former NFL QB Blaine Gabbert, threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Kenny Davis late in the second quarter and an 11-yarder to Nate Muersch early in the third for Miami (7-6), which won a bowl game for the first time since the 2010 season.
Tracy’s touchdown run came late in the first quarter. Nicholson made a 48-yard field goal on the RedHawks’ opening drive, which was one yard shy of his season-high, and a 36-yarder in the second quarter.
Austin Aune and Isaiah Johnson scored on runs of 2 yards and 1 yard for the Mean Green (6-7). Aune was 15 of 32 passing for 228 yards and two interceptions.
North Texas played without two senior starters, running back DeAndre Torrey and safety Makyle Sanders, for unstated reasons. Torrey had averaged 101.3 rushing yards per game, 41% of the 245.5-yard team average that ranked fourth in the FBS.
The Mean Green had 32 rushes for a season-low 89 yards, led by Aune’s 28 yards.
Rutgers gets Gator Bowl gig: Rutgers will replace Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl against Wake Forest, No. 17 in the CFP rankings, after an NCAA committee decided Thursday to adhere to an existing policy for making teams with 5-7 records bowl eligible.
The NCAA football oversight committee also announced that any bowl can be moved to as late as Jan. 10 if the schools involved need additional time to prepare for the game.
The Gator Bowl will keep its scheduled date and 11 a.m. EST kickoff on New Year’s Eve, meaning Rutgers will have less than a week to get ready to play one of the highest-scoring teams in the country.
Rutgers will be making its first bowl appearance since 2014, its first season as a member of the Big Ten.
Texas A&M pulled out of the Jacksonville, Florida, game Wednesday because of a lack of available players. The Aggies were having issues with COVID-19, plus they already had been depleted by injuries, opt-outs and players transferring.
NCAA rules allow teams with 5-7 records, such as Rutgers, to be bowl eligible if there are not enough six-win teams to fill all the spots. The 5-7 teams with the highest Academic Progress Rate scores have first crack at open slots. Rutgers is atop that list.
Miami delays arrival at Sun Bowl: With Miami continuing to deal with COVID-19 protocols, the Hurricanes decided to arrive in El Paso, Texas, the day before the Sun Bowl in an effort to play the game.
Washington State remains set to arrive Sunday for the Dec. 31 matchup.
Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas told ESPN on Thursday that Miami is preparing to play as scheduled.
The Hurricanes announced Tuesday that the team was in COVID protocols. Multiple players reportedly tested positive for the virus.
Army wins on last-play FG: Cole Talley kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired and Army rallied to beat Missouri 24-22 in the Armed Forces Bowl on Wednesday night in Fort Worth, Texas.
After the Tigers took a 22-21 lead on a TD with 1:11 to play, third-string QB Jabari Laws led Army (9-4) downfield to the Missouri 24-yard line, setting up Talley’s winner.
Redshirt freshman QB Brady Cook threw a 6-yard TD pass to Keke Chism with 71 seconds left to put the Tigers (6-7) ahead, but his two-point conversion pass sailed over the head of an open Dawson Downing in the end zone. Cook also ran for a 30-yard score in his first collegiate start.
Missouri played without second-team All-America RB Tyler Badie, who was held out by coach Eliah Drinkwitz in advance of the NFL draft. Starting QB Connor Bazelak was sidelined because of a leg injury. Bazelak, a sophomore, announced Thursday that he’s entering the transfer portal.