Emmanuel Michel, Air Force pound No. 24 James Madison on ground to win Armed Forces Bowl 31-21

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This article was published 23/12/2023 (1001 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Emmanuel Michel rushed for a career-best 203 yards and two 1-yard touchdowns and Zac Larrier passed for one TD and ran for another score, leading Air Force to a 31-21 win over No. 24 James Madison in the Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday.

Air Force (9-4) posted its fifth consecutive bowl win after losing its last four games of the season.

James Madison (11-2) lost in regulation for the first time this season while playing in the program’s first bowl game. The Dukes, who are completing their transition to the FBS level from FCS, earned the berth after there weren’t enough bowl-eligible teams to fill all the spots.

Air Force’s triple-option offense got the better of the top run defense in the FBS. The Falcons entered second in rushing at 275.8 yards per game, and finished with 351 yards.

James Madison gained 283 total yards — only 26 rushing. Jordan McCloud finished 20 for 33 for 257 yards with three TD passes and an interception for the Dukes.

LAS VEGAS BOWL

NORTHWESTERN 14, UTAH 7

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ben Bryant passed for 222 yards and found Bryce Kirtz in the corner of the end zone midway through the fourth quarter, helping Northwestern beat Utah.

Bryant went 22 for 34 with two touchdowns as Northwestern (8-5) closed out its season with a fourth straight win. The Wildcats limited Utah (8-5) to 221 yards and had two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Bryson Barnes was 8 for 13 for 55 yards with two interceptions for the Utes, who lost three of their last four games. Utah’s only score was a 6-yard touchdown run by Micah Bernard early in the fourth quarter.

BIRMINGHAM BOWL

DUKE 17, TROY 10

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Freshman Grayson Loftis threw for 183 yards and Duke’s defense came up with a final stop to beat Troy.

Jeremiah Lewis intercepted Troy’s Gunnar Watson at the 50-yard line with 1:22 remaining to secure the victory for the Blue Devils (8-5).

Troy (11-3), the Sun Belt Conference champion, fell short of finishing the season on an 11-game winning streak for the second straight year. The Trojans couldn’t find an offensive rhythm against a Blue Devils lineup altered by transfer portal departures.

Jaylen Coleman ran for Duke’s only touchdown. Todd Pelino kicked three field goals for the Blue Devils.

Both teams were playing with interim coaches after Duke’s Mike Elko departed for Texas A&M and Troy’s Jon Sumrall took the job at Tulane.

CAMELLIA BOWL

NORTHERN ILLINOIS 21, ARKANSAS STATE 19

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Rocky Lombardi passed and ran for touchdowns and Northern Illinois held on to beat Arkansas State when the Red Wolves couldn’t convert a late 2-point pass.

Antario Brown rushed for 132 yards for the Huskies (7-6), who won six of their final eight games.

Neither team scored in the second half until Jaylen Raynor’s 13-yard touchdown pass with 1:14 left to Corey Rucker. Raynor’s potential tying 2-point pass sailed out of the end zone, and Arkansas State (6-7) couldn’t convert the onside kick.

The 25-year-old Lombardi completed his seventh and final college season by going 18 of 29 for 200 yards. Grayson Barnes had 105 yards and a score on five catches.

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL

GEORGIA STATE 45, UTAH STATE 22

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Darren Grainger threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more, Freddie Brock rushed for a career-best 276 yards and a score, and Georgia State rolled past Utah State.

Georgia State (7-6), which had lost five of six entering the game, scored 31 straight points to break it open.

Utah State (6-7) fell apart after rolling up 161 yards of offense in the first quarter, tallying just 186 yards in the final three periods.

Grainger, a senior who transferred from Furman in 2021, was 19-of-22 passing and rushed for 111 yards, accounting for 368 yards of total offense to earn MVP honors.

HAWAII BOWL

COASTAL CAROLINA 24, SAN JOSE STATE 14

HONOLULU (AP) — Ethan Vasko threw three touchdown passes and Coastal Carolina beat San Jose State in the Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night for its second bowl victory.

Vasko completed 20 of 33 passes for 199 yards and ran for 50 yards on 17 carries for the Chanticleers (8-5). The Spartans (7-6) had won six in a row.

Vasko threw a 2-yard scoring pass to Matt Alaimo in the first quarter, connected with Kendall Karr on another 2-yarder in the third quarter and closed out the scoring in the fourth with an 8-yard scoring pass to Sam Pinckney, who made a leaping one-handed grab. Pinckney had eight catches for 123 yards.

Down 17-0, San Jose State scored two touchdowns in a four-minute span in the fourth quarter.

68 VENTURES BOWL

SOUTH ALABAMA 59, EASTERN MICHIGAN 10

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Freshman Gio Lopez threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and South Alabama trounced Eastern Michigan.

Playing on their home field at Hancock Whitney Stadium, the Jaguars (7-6) scored on their first three possessions, led 38-3 at halftime and outgained Eastern Michigan (6-7) 627 yards to 150. It was the first bowl victory for South Alabama, which joined the FBS in 2012.

Lopez split time with Desmond Trotter, who started in place of the injured Carter Bailey. Trotter threw a TD pass and ran for a score. Jamaal Pritchett caught eight passes for 127 yards and two TDs.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football