INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Ethan Garbers threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns after replacing the injured Collin Schlee early in the second half, TJ Harden rushed for two touchdowns, and UCLA rallied for a 35-22 victory over Boise State in the LA Bowl on Saturday night.
Playing at SoFi Stadium — 12 miles from the UCLA campus — the Bruins trailed 16-7 at halftime and scored on their first three drives in the second half to take control.
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 of Boise State’s touchdowns and finished with 138 yards rushing on 17 carries. CJ Tiller was 12 of 21 for 117 yards for the Mountain West champion Broncos (8-6) in his first collegiate start.
Schlee was hurt when he took a hit on a 44-yard run up the right sideline. Garbers completed his first eight passes, including a 5-yard TD to Kyle Ford three plays after entering the game.
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
TEXAS TECH 34, CALIFORNIA 14
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Behren Morton completed 27 of 43 passes for 256 yards and three first-half touchdowns, leading Texas Tech over California in the Independence Bowl.
Tahj Brooks ran for 98 yards and a score as the Red Raiders (7-6) shook off a terrible start. They shut out the Golden Bears (6-7) for the final three quarters to win the 47th edition of college football’s 11th-oldest bowl game.
Texas Tech led 24-14 at halftime and Brooks, the nation’s fourth-leading rusher, scored the only touchdown of the second half on a 7-yard run in the third quarter.
It was the third straight bowl win for the Red Raiders, who fumbled the opening kickoff and fell behind 7-0 just 15 seconds into the game.
Cal freshman Fernando Mendoza fired an early touchdown pass but threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.
NEW ORLEANS BOWL
JACKSONVILLE STATE 34, LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 31, OT
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — 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 by beating Louisiana-Lafayette.
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. (AP) — 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 (AP) — 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 16-10 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. (AP) — Joey Aguilar threw for 211 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).
NEW MEXICO BOWL
FRESNO STATE 37, NEW MEXICO STATE 10
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Mikey Keene threw for a career-high 380 yards with three touchdown passes and a rushing TD, and Fresno State routed New Mexico State.
Malik Sherrod rushed for 90 yards on 20 carries and had eight receptions for 81 yards for Fresno State (9-4), which had closed the regular season on a three-game skid. The Bulldogs won their fifth straight bowl game.
Keene, a transfer from UCF, completed his first 15 passes, finishing 31 of 39 with an interception.
Fresno State finished with 491 yards of offense and held New Mexico State to 200. Diego Pavia threw for just 58 yards while rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown for the Aggies (10-5). The Bulldogs sacked Pavia four times and intercepted him once.
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