Boise State grabs big lead, tops Oregon in Las Vegas Bowl
LAS VEGAS — Cedrick Wilson caught 10 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown, Kekaula Kaniho returned an interception 53 yards for a score and No. 25 Boise State rolled to a big first-half lead in defeating Oregon 38-28 in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday.
Brett Rypien threw for 362 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions to help the Broncos (11-3) break a three-game losing streak against Power Five opposition while handing Oregon coach Mario Cristobal a loss in his debut.
Boise State led 14-0 after the first quarter, and Kaniho’s pick-six at 5:11 of the second gave Boise State a 24-0 lead.
Troy Dye and Tyree Robinson each scored a defensive touchdown for the Ducks (7-6) in the final 37 seconds of the second quarter — Dye on an 86-yard fumble return and Robinson on a 100-yard interception return — to trim the deficit to 24-14 by halftime. Dye recovered a fumble on a botched Statue of Liberty handoff and Robinson picked off Rypien in the end zone and took it back 100 yards — the longest interception return in school history — with seven seconds left.
Down 31-21 in the fourth quarter, Oregon had a chance to cut it to a one-possession game. But Justin Herbert was sacked near midfield and Boise State drove 86 yards in 11 plays capped by Ryan Wolpin’s second 1-yard touchdown run.
MARSHALL 31, COLORADO STATE 28: Keion Davis rushed for 141 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown, Tyre Brady a 76-yard TD reception and Tyler King ran for a 90-yard score as Marshall (8-5) outlasted Colorado State (7-6) in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. The Thundering Herd improved to 5-0 in bowl games under coach Doc Holliday and are 11-2 overall. King’s run gave Marshall a 28-14 lead in the third quarter, before Nick Stevens’ 1-yard run made it 31-28 with 6:37 left in the game. Stevens threw for 320 yards and ran for two touchdowns, but he was sacked five times as the Rams dropped their fourth straight bowl game.
TROY 50, NORTH TEXAS 30: Brandon Silvers passed for 306 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for score, and Troy (11-2) produced five turnovers in defeating North Texas (9-5) in the New Orleans Bowl. Damion Willis had 136 yards and two TDs on 11 catches for the Trojans, who dominated the second half while pulling away from a 22-20 lead. Mason Fine passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns for North Texas, but he was intercepted twice and fumbled twice. GEORGIA STATE 27, WESTERN KENTUCKY 17: Conner Manning threw for 276 yards and a touchdown to lead Georgia State (7-5) over Western Kentucky (6-7) in the Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida, giving the Panthers their first winning record and bowl win in their eight-year football history. Manning threw a 42-yard TD pass to Roger Carter, Demarcus Kirk scored on a 26-yard run and Kyler Neal finished a 16-play drive consuming nine minutes of the fourth quarter with a 1-yard TD run that put Georgia State up 27-10. Mike White threw TD passes of 54 and 4 yards to Deon Yelder for the Hilltoppers.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T
21, GRAMBLING STATE 14: Lamar Raynard scored on a 1-yard sneak with 38 seconds left and North Carolina A&T (12-0) won its second Celebration Bowl in three years, defeating Grambling State (11-2) in Atlanta. Raynard drove the Aggies 56 yards on seven plays for the winning touchdown, giving N.C. A&T its fourth Historically Black College and University national championship.
JAMES MADISON 51, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 16: Marcus Marshall broke loose for two long touchdown runs, Jimmy Moreland made three interceptions and defending FCS national champion James Madison (14-0) returned to the title game with a victory over South Dakota State (11-3), which gave up 10 turnovers in a semifinal in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The top-seeded Dukes will face No. 2 North Dakota State for the championship on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas. TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE 37, WEST FLORIDA 27: Luis Perez led Texas A&MCommerce (14-1) to its first NCAA Division II title, throwing for 323 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over West Florida (11-4). Commerce outgained the Argonauts 477 to 276 in total yards, but four Lions turnovers kept West Florida in the game.