Ohio tops Nevada in Potato Bowl
Nathan Rourke accounted for 241 yards of offense and ran for a touchdown to help the Ohio Bobcats beat the Nevada Wolfpack 30-21 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Boise, Idaho.
Ohio (7-6) rebounded from a 1-3 start for its fifth straight winning season under coach Frank Solich. The 75-year-old former Nebraska coach received a two-year contract extension this week.
Nevada (7-6), which dismissed defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel and two other defensive position coaches at the end of the regular season, didn’t find much of an answer for Ohio’s high-powered offense until the fourth quarter.
In other news:
Mississippi State fired Joe Moorhead after just two seasons, making the unusual decision to dismiss a coach after a bowl game. The Bulldogs went 14-12 under Moorhead, who was previously the offensive coordinator at Penn State. He was hired after the 2017 season when Dan Mullen left Mississippi State for Florida.
Athletic director John Cohen said associate head coach Tony Hughes will serve as interim head coach.
SMU offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee will reportedly take the same job at the University of Miami. Lashlee has been SMU’s OC for the last two seasons.
Lashlee led an offense that averaged 41.8 points per game in 2019, which ranked fifth in college football. He was also the quarterbacks coach, and had a hand in Shane Buechele’s exceptional first season with the Mustangs.
Ohio State defensive end Chase Young announced he will leave college to enter April’s NFL draft, where he is expected to be among the first players selected.
Young led the Buckeyes this season with a program-record 16.5 sacks and also forced six fumbles.
“After an amazing three years at Ohio State, it’s time for me to begin my next chapter,” Young said in a tweeted statement.
Several other players announced they would be entering the draft early, including: Georgia running back DAndre Swift, the team’s leading rusher for two straight seasons; Washington running back Salvon Ahmed, the Huskies’ leading rusher; Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor and Michigan center Cesar Ruiz.
Nebraska running back Maurice Washington, who faces child pornography charges in California and was disciplined for unrelated rules violations last season, has been dismissed from the team.
Washington started five games and appeared in seven in 2019. He rushed for 298 yards and one touchdown and caught 12 passes for 162 yards and two scores.