Bowl season is upon us and the matchups are getting more interesting.
Teams look to put the exclamation mark on good seasons, or salvage bad ones.
Here are some of the notable results from another exciting week in college football.
Florida Atlantic 50 Akron 3
Controversial head coach Lane Kiffin wrapped a bow on his first season at FAU by crushing the Akron Zips in the Boca Raton Bowl, coincidentally in the Owls’ home stadium. The victory was only the third bowl win in the school’s young history, and the 11-3 finish was the best in program history. Kiffin also signed a 10-year extension with the school, but everyone expects the high-profile coach to fly the coop the instant he gets a Power 5 job offer. Kiffin is far from shy on twitter, and he isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers:
Lane Kiffin on Twitter
iworkfortheplayers. #thefaU. Killing it today. 🤷♂️🏈🔥🤐 https://t.co/ufEHGd3KRp
South Florida 38 Texas Tech 34
New USF head coach Charlie Strong capped off an impressive debut season with a win over a Power 5 team. Strong picked up where departed coach Willie Taggart left off and notched double-digit wins. Senior quarterback Quinton “Winky” Flowers ended his career on a high note with 400 total yards of offense and 5 touchdowns. As for Texas Tech, the Red Raiders finished with a disappointing 6-7, which could place head coach and alumnus Kliff Kingsbury on the hot seat going into next year. The win was probably bittersweet for Strong, because he will have a tough task replacing the dynamic dual-threat quarterback next season.
American Football on Twitter
11,802 yards of total offense 3,672 rushing yards 8,130 passing yards 41 rushing touchdowns 71 passing touchdowns 21-4 record the last two years Thank you, Quinton Flowers @USFFootball #AmericanPow6r
Army 42 San Diego State 35
The Black Knights finished a remarkable season by defeating Navy, Air Force, and winning 10 games for the first time since 1996. The feat was especially impressive considering San Diego State was one of the best Group of 5 teams all season, winning 10 games of their own and appearing in the top 25 rankings for several weeks. Army will never again be a football powerhouse like they were in the first half of the 20th century, but 10-win seasons where they get to hoist the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy are what the future Army officers play for.
Army WP Football on Twitter
10 Wins ✅ @ArmedForcesBowl Champions ✅ #GoArmy https://t.co/Ofn88GVZB9
Appalachian State 34 Toledo 0
Since Appalachian State’s iconic victory over Michigan in 2007, the Mountaineers have since moved up to the FBS level and have been one of the most consistent programs in the Sun Belt Conference. App State capped off an impressive 9-4 season by shockingly shutting out one of the most prolific offenses in college football. The Rockets had racked up 11 wins and waves of points behind NFL prospect quarterback Logan Woodside, who carved up the Miami Hurricanes’ secondary early in the season. But Woodside and Rockets couldn’t get anything going against an inspired Mountaineer defense. Also, it’s impossible to mention App State without reliving the greatest moment in their program’s history:
Appalachian State Blocked Field Goal vs Michigan
The Block Heard Round the World
Fresno State 33 Houston 27
The Bulldogs pulled off an amazing accomplishment by becoming only the second team in FBS history to go from a double-digit losing season to a double-digit winning season in consecutive years; Fresno State went 1-11 last year and 10-4 this year. The win also snapped the Bulldogs’ six-game bowl winning streaking, notching their first bowl victory since the Humanitarian Bowl in 2007. Houston finished their first season under new head coach Major Applewhite on a disappointing note. A defense that had been stifling under head coach Tom Herman and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando (both now at Texas) became a sieve this year despite being anchored by arguably the best defensive player in college football, Sophomore defensive tackle Ed Oliver. The Bulldogs’ turnaround was the story of the night, but Oliver’s 2018 longshot Heisman campaign might’ve been kicked off:
Barstool Ho-Ho-Houston on Twitter
And that’s going to be a rushing touchdown for….Ed….Oliver?? https://t.co/zIRjNtxs6N