Merry Christmas! The fourth day of Bowl games is in the books, and here’s a quick recap of what you need to know from a Christmas Day double header:
Bahamas Bowl
I think we’ve already got a winner for craziest ending to any football game – NFL, CFL, NCAA, whatever – and it came at the end of an improbable comeback by Central Michigan to close out the Bahamas Bowl.
The Chippewas were down 49-14 entering the final quarter, and scored 34 unanswered points to storm back into the game – and they might have beaten Western Kentucky had it not been for a failed two-point conversion that came after a touchdown that made Boise State’s incredible Fiesta Bowl hook-and-ladder shocker seem tame by comparison.
That last touchdown, which seems destined to live in highlight reels for eternity, was 75 yards’ worth of laterals, bad tackling by WKU defenders and a serious amount of Christmas luck all rolled into the most extraordinary six points you’re likely to see. Indeed, the ESPN broadcast crew were so dazzled at times during the improbable extended play that they forgot to talk.
With a second remaining, Central Michigan had the ball on their own 25-yard line, trailing 49-42. Quarterback Cooper Rush threw deep to Jesse Kroll, who caught the ball in a crowd at the 20, and lateraled to Deon Butler, who just managed to get the ball on to Courtney Williams before being tackled.
Williams then got the ball out to Titus Davis. Davis made the reception at the 15 and outran three WKU players, managing to knock the football against the pylon – all he needed for the score – as he tumbled out of bounds.
Impossible, but somehow, not so impossible. It’s almost a shame that Central Michigan didn’t win the game. Especially after Rush had thrown seven touchdowns and 485 yards to drag his team back into the contest. Across the way, Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty threw for 486 yards and five scores. I’d say the inaugural Bahamas Bowl was a success. For the record, the Hilltoppers won 49-48.
Do yourself a favour and YouTube the ending – it’s worth your while!
Hawaii Bowl
The traditional Christmas Eve game in America – or Christmas Day in Australia – was far less exciting than it’s predecessor, with Rice dominating Fresno State in an old Western Athletic Conference match-up in the islands for an easy and anti-climatic 30-6 win.
Rice QB Driphus Jackson threw two touchdowns in the space of just 19 seconds with a Fresno State interception in between, and the Owls defense did the rest, to end their season 8-5, a pretty good mark considering they opened 0-3. Jackson was 15-24 for 318 yards and three scores.
Fresno State was stymied through the air, with QB Brian Burrell held to 10-20 for just 44 yards, and didn’t get a pass completion longer than eight yards. It was a return to form for the Rice defense, after the Owls were embarrassed 76-31 to Louisiana Tech, in which they gave up 677 total yards of offense.
The Bulldogs found themselves on the wrong end of a lopsided Hawaii Bowl result. They were beaten soundly by SMU two years ago, and scored less points this year than in that game. But perhaps Fresno should consider themselves lucky to even be playing in the post-season this year, coming in with a 6-7 record, and a received a waiver because their final loss was in the Mountain West Championship Game. It’s been a down year for the Bulldogs after losing star quarterback Derrick Carr to the Oakland Raiders, and Fresno State never quite found the same offensive production they had a season ago.
A day off for Christmas in the northern hemisphere, then we wade deep into the bigger Bowl games after that, leading up to New Year’s Day (or 2 January in Australia) and the two semi-final games.
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