Jacksonville State rallies for 34-31 overtime win over Louisiana-Lafayette in New Orleans Bowl
NEW ORLEANS >> 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 27-yard 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 in the New Orleans Bowl on Saturday.
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.
Safety Jalen Clark scored touchdowns on a 46-yard fumble return and a 16-yard interception return for Louisiana-Lafayette (6-7). Fellow safety Tyree Skipper had a 43-yard interception return for a score that gave the Cajuns a 31-24 lead in the fourth quarter.
Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Chandler Fields ran for 1-yard TD — the only time the Cajuns ended an offensive possession in the end zone. Kenneth Almendares added a 33-yard field goal that tied the game at 24-all in the fourth quarter.
Myrtle Beach Bowl OHIO 41, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 21
CONWAY, S.C. >> Freshman 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.
The Bobcats (10-3) forced five turnovers, four by Georgia Southern quarterback Davis Brin. They reached 10 wins in consecutive years for the first time in program history.
And they did it without their top two rushers, Sieh Bangura and O’Shaan Allison, and their starting quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, who has committed to Indiana.
Hunt, who had played two games this season, had scoring runs of 2, 6, 40 and 9 yards along with an 18-yard TD catch off a jump pass by Parker Navarro. He finished with 115 yards rushing. Navarro passed for 120 yards and ran for 71.
Brin finished 32 of 42 for 350 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles (6-7). He was picked off three times and lost a fumble.
Celebration Bowl FLORIDA A&M 30, HOWARD 26
ATLANTA >> Jeremy Moussa threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes, including two to Kelvin Dean Jr., and Florida A&M rallied past Howard.
Florida A&M (12-1) closed the season with 11 consecutive wins. Moussa connected with Dean on scoring passes of 21 and 53 yards as the Rattlers recovered after trailing 14-0 in the first quarter and 1610 to open the fourth.
Carson Hinton’s 26-yard pick-6 gave Howard a 26-24 lead. The Rattlers answered with a 38-yard, flea-flicker touchdown pass from Moussa to Jah-Marae Sheread.
Linebacker Isaiah Major intercepted Howard quarterback Quinton Williams with 1:45 left to seal it.
Williams threw three picks. Jarrett Hunter and Kasey Hawthorne ran for touchdowns for the Bison (6-6).
Cure Bowl APPALACHIAN STATE 13, MIAMI (OHIO) 9
ORLANDO, FLA. >> Joey Aguilar threw for 197 yards and scored on an 8-yard run in the third quarter to lead Appalachian State past Miami (Ohio) in rainy conditions.
Aguilar’s scoring run capped an 11-play, 73-yard drive and gave Appalachian State a 13-3 lead after Michael Hughes kicked field goals of 29 and 22 yards in the first half.
The game was played in a steady rain, and pools of water formed around midfield over the bowl logo and in the end zones. There were 13 fumbles, with Appalachian State losing two and Miami losing three.
Appalachian State (9-5) rushed for 151 yards in the second half. Anderson Castle had 119 yards on 18 carries for the Mountaineers.
Rashad Amos had a career-best 180 yards on 33 carries and scored the only TD for the RedHawks (11-3).