Flea-flicker wins it for Florida A&M
Willie Simmons couldn’t have been more surprised to see a fleaflicker prove to be the difference for Florida A&M.
“I’ll tell you, it never worked in practice,” said Simmons, the Rattlers coach.
Jeremy Moussa overcame a frustrating first half to throw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including a go-ahead, 38-yarder to Jah’Marae Sheread on the trick play, powering Florida A&M’s comeback past Howard, 30-26, on Saturday in the Celebration Bowl at Atlanta.
Moussa’s big fourth quarter included two scoring passes to Kelvin Dean Jr. The flea-flicker with 5:46 remaining provided the final margin of victory.
Simmons was reluctant to call the trick play until his players convinced him to make the call by saying “have faith in us.”
They executed it to perfection.
Moussa handed the ball to running back Terrell Jennings, who pitched the ball back to the quarterback for the decisive touchdown pass to Sheread.
Florida A&M (12-1) closed the season with 11 consecutive wins.
Carson Hinton’s 26-yard pick-6 gave Howard (6-6) a 26-24 lead.
LA Bowl — Ethan Garbers threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns after coming in early in the second half, TJ Harden rushed for two touchdowns and UCLA rallied for a 35-22 victory over Boise State.
J. Michael Sturdivant had four receptions for 142 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that put UCLA (8-5) up by three scores.
George Holani had both touchdowns for Boise State (8-6) and finished with 138 yards rushing on 17 carries.
New Mexico Bowl — Mikey Keene threw for a career-high 380 yards with three touchdown passes and a rushing TD, and Fresno State (9-4) routed New Mexico State, 3710, in Albuquerque for the Bulldogs’ fifth straight victory in a bowl game.
The Aggies finished 10-5, reaching double digits in wins for the first time since 1960.
New Orleans Bowl — Zion Webb completed a fourth-down pass to Perry Carter for an 18-yard, tying touchdown with 1:46 left in regulation, Garrison Rippa hit a 27yard field goal in overtime, and Jacksonville State capped off its first season in the Football Bowl Subdivision with a 34-31 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette (6-7).
Ron Wiggins rushed for 126 yards and a score for Jacksonville State (9-4), which had to overcome four turnovers — three of which were returned for touchdowns — just to force overtime.
Cure Bowl — Joey Aguilar threw for 197 yards and scored on an 8yard run in the third quarter as Appalachian State beat Miami (Ohio), 13-9, in a rain-soaked game at Orlando.
Aguilar’s scoring run capped an 11-play, 73-yard drive and gave Appalachian State (9-5) a 13-3 lead.
Miami (11-3) answered Aguilar’s score with a 23-yard TD by Rashad Amos.
Myrtle Beach Bowl — Rickey Hunt ran for four touchdowns and caught a fifth as Ohio overcame a host of transfer portal losses to win its fifth straight bowl game, beating Georgia Southern, 41-21, at Conway, S.C.
The Bobcats (10-2) forced five turnovers to win 10 games in consecutive years for the first time in program history.
Georgia Southern finished 6-7.
Sun Bowl — Oregon State running back Damien Martinez, a firstteam All-Pac-12 selection, was reinstated for the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl after the school lifted his suspension Friday, ESPN reported.
Martinez was suspended Nov. 30, a day after being arrested in Corvallis, Ore., on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants. But the Benton County district attorney chose not to file charges against the sophomore from Lewisville, Texas.
FCS — Junior Bergen returned a fourth-quarter punt for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass in the first overtime, and threw for a 2-point conversion on a trick play in the second overtime to put Montana in the FCS title game with a wild 31-29 semifinal win at home over North Dakota State (11-4).
Montana (13-1), the second seed with 10 straight wins, will face top-seeded and defending champion South Dakota State (14-0), owner of a 28-game winning streak, in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 7. The Jackrabbits won, 59-0, at home over Albany on Friday.