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| Central Florida defeated Ball State to win the 2012 Beef O' Brady's Bowl |
I was unable to get to a computer before Saturday's games, but on paper I had Boise State over Washington, and Louisiana Lafayette over East Carolina. I'm now 5-1 on bowl picks. Here are the recaps for those bowl games, and then the preview for tonight's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. The MAACO Las Vegas Bowl Wrap-up will be in my next post. Merry Christmas to everyone!
Beef O' Brady's Bowl: Central Florida 38, Ball State 17
Central Florida jumped all over Ball State in the first half of this game and Ball State never recovered. Central Florida scored the first 13 points of the game, on two Latavius Murray touchdowns; A seven-yard touchdown reception, and a two-yard touchdown run. Central Florida had the extra point blocked, but it wasn't a costly mistake. Ball State went down the field on their next drive and made it a 13-7 game. With 5:50 left in the first half, Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles scrambled into the end zone for a six-yard touchdown run. Bortles then completed a pass for a successful two-point conversion.
Latavius Murray wasn't done making an impact in this game yet, as he caught another score with just five seconds left in the first half, which sent UCF into the locker room with a 28-7 lead, putting this one virtually out of reach. Ball State was able to put 10 up in the second half, but they still couldn't stop Central Florida as UCF widened their lead and won this game 38-17. Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles completed 22 passes, and went over the 3,000 yard mark for the season in this game. Bortles became the school's first 3,000 yard passer since 2002. His three touchdown passes in this game ties the Beef O' Brady's Bowl record. Central Florida finished with 10 wins in their last season before joining the Big East Conference. Ball State fell to 9-4, and had a six game winning streak snapped.
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| Louisiana Lafayette held on to win the R+L Carries Bowl against East Carolina |
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana Lafayette 43, East Carolina 34:
Louisiana Lafayette started this game out strong, but this game became a rather interesting one as it came down to the wire. Louisiana Lafayette quarterback Terrance Broadway accounted for the one first quarter touchdown in this game as he scored on a 12-yard rushing touchdown. ULL started out the second quarter quickly, as Harry Peoples had a 10-yard touchdown lead to put the Ragin' Cajuns up 14-0. About a minute later East Carolina running back Reggie Bullock put the Pirates on the board, scoring on a five-yard rushing touchdown. The Cajuns quickly recovered from that, putting up two scores on rushing touchdowns by Alonzo Harris; One a six-yard score, the other a 68-yard score.
Eastern Carolina didn't panic in this game, and they put up 14 points on two Shane Carden touchdown passes, to go into the locker room trailing by 10 after a ULL 50-yard field goal by Brett Baer. The third quarter was all East Carolina as they rallied to tie the game after a 45-yard field goal from Warren Harvey, and another rushing touchdown by Reggie Bullock, this one from 13-yards out. ULL scored a touchdown late in the quarter after Terrance Broadway connected with Javone Lawson for 14-yard touchdown strike. The extra point was blocked, and the Cajuns held a 37-31 lead going into the final quarter. East Carolina added a field goal to bring them within three, but Louisiana Lafayette put up two field goals and were able to hang on to defeat the Pirates 43-34. This game was very exciting, and it really came down to the end.
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| Look for Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr to rip apart SMU in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl |
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Preview: Fresno State vs SMU
How They Got Here:
Fresno State: Fresno State had a good season this year, going 9-3, and 7-1 in the Mountain West, earning a share of the conference title. The Bulldogs have a very explosive offense behind Derek Carr, who has thrown for 3,742 yards on the season, to go with his 36 touchdown passes.Fresno State was 12th in scoring this year, averaging 40.3 points per game this season. Fresno State picked up key wins against San Diego State, Nevada, and Air Force this season.
SMU: The Mustangs of SMU went 6-6 this season, and recorded a 5-3 record in Conference USA to make them bowl eligible this season. SMU has a decent passing offense behind junior quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who threw for 2,720 yards this season and 14 touchdowns. This team had an up and down season, and picked up some key wins against Houston and Tulsa.
Prediction: SMU can't fall behind in this game and I look for Fresno State to exploit this team's weaknesses fairly easily. The Bulldogs passing game and balanced rushing attack will be too much for the Mustangs to handle, Fresno State wins this match-up 37-24.
Credits:
