Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Late scores lift Black Knights to bowl win
FORT WORTH, Texas — Army rushed 87 times for 440 yards against San Diego State in the first 59 minutes, 42 second of the Armed Forces Bowl, so what was one more carry for the win?
Army’s Kell Walker took a pitch and went around the right side untouched into the end zone for a two-point conversion with 18 seconds remaining, then the Black Knights returned an SDSU fumble for a touchdown on the game’s final play for a 42-35 win over the Aztecs on Saturday afternoon at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium.
“I thought they were going to set a world record for yards per play,” Army coach Jeff Monken said afterwards. “That Penny kid. What a player. I felt like we needed to win it in regulation. I didn’t want him to get the ball back again.”
The late scores overshadowed another huge game by SDSU running back Rashaad Penny, who was named MVP of the game. He had more than 100 yards and two touchdowns — breaking SDSU’s single-season rushing record — after just three carries against the Black Knights.
By game’s end, Penny had rushed 14 times for 221 yards and four touchdowns. It boosted Penny’s national rushing lead to 2,248 yards, the fifth-highest single-season total in NCAA history.
This was promoted as the nation’s leading rushing team against the nation’s leading rusher and it lived up to the billing.
Army’s 440 yards were well over its 355 yards a game average. Penny went over 200 yards for the fifth straight game, tying an FBS record.
But what a contrast in the way the teams got things done with the run.
The game was tied 21-21 at halftime. SDSU’s firsthalf scoring “drives” required 84 seconds, 133 seconds and 13 seconds. Army’s drives were measured in minutes, lasting 4:09, 6:58 and 5:55.
Penny gave SDSU the lead on just the third play of the game, taking an inside handoff from quarterback Christian Chapman on a third-and-18 call from the Aztecs 19-yard line and racing an Armed Forces Bowlrecord 81 yards for a touchdown just 84 seconds into the game.
Birmingham Bowl
No. 23 South Florida 38, Texas Tech 34: Quinton Flowers did it again at the Birmingham Bowl, launching another winning touchdown throw with a game against a Power 5 team on the line.
Flowers threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Tyre McCants with 16 seconds left to give No. 23 South Florida a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech in the Birmingham Bowl on Saturday.
Flowers led the Bulls (10-2) to a second straight dramatic victory in the bowl game at Legion Field, throwing for a pair of touchdowns in the final 4:26 after struggling in the first half.
“I was telling myself, I’ve got to hit my guys in the chest,” Flowers said. “I’ve got to put the ball in their chest and just give them a chance. I just went out there and my coach called the play that I wanted and thank God Tyre did what he was supposed to do and I did what I was supposed to do and we came out with the victory.”
The Bulls, who are 21-4 the past two seasons, won last year’s Birmingham Bowl on Flowers’ 25-yard touchdown pass in overtime against South Carolina.
The Red Raiders (6-7) had taken the lead back with Nic Shimonek’s 25-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open T.J. Vasher in the end zone with 1:31 remaining. That left Flowers with plenty of time to work, it turns out.
He ran 13 and 21 yards for first downs, the latter coming on a third-and-10 play. Then he found McCants on their second scoring connection.
The senior passed for 311 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran 14 times for 106 yards and a fifth score. Marquez Valdes-Scantling gained 133 yards on three catches.
Shimonek took Texas Tech across midfield in the final seconds but his desperation pass on the run was completed well short of the end zone.
Shimonek, who had led a fourth-quarter comeback in the regular-season finale against Texas, completed 32 of 59 passes for 416 yards. This time the Red Raiders couldn’t seal the deal.
“That’s really exactly what was going through my mind,” Shimonek said. “It was almost the same exact type scenario (as Texas).”
He threw for three touchdowns and was intercepted twice on deflected balls.
Keke Coutee had 11 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown while Justin Stockton ran for 103 yards.
The Red Raiders set up two touchdowns in the third quarter off fumble recoveries, taking a 24-17 lead. The defense helped preserve the lead with a pair of fourth down stops, including a goal line stand. Quentin Yontz stuffed Darius Tice from inside the 1 early in the fourth, but Flowers wound up getting the ball back across midfield.
He cashed in this time with a 5-yard touchdown run to tie it with 9:30 left.
“Defensively, it was stop after stop that we had to go get,” first-year South Florida coach Charlie Strong said.
“And even for our offense, they had two turnovers and then they had two big fourth-down stops and our offense just continued to play.”