Weekend Bowl Recap

The weekend featured three bowl matchups with no ranked teams. The closest game was a 23 point blowout by Northern Illinois as they defeated Fresno State, 40-17. BYU defeated UTEP 52-24 as each team entered the game at .500. The third game of the day involved another dominating performance, as Troy dismantled Ohio 48-21. No game was exciting or even close for that matter.

Northern Illinois finished its regular season losing to Miami (OH) in the MAC championship game, but finished undefeated against the Western MAC, led by their 7th ranked rushing attack. In the Humanitarian Bowl, Chad Spann had 95 rushing yards and two touchdowns, as the Huskies ran for 203 yards. Fresno State had 288 passing yards, however, they were held to 2.1 yards per carry for just 74 yards rushing.

In the New Mexico Bowl, BYU jumped out to an early 17-3 lead in the first quarter, and never looked back. QB Jake Heaps tossed 4 touchdown passes, and BYU ran for 219 yards and 3 scores for an easy win over UTEP. BYU had a disappointing season in the MWC, finishing fifth but they earned a spot in a bowl game with a 6-6 record.

In the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, Troy demolished Ohio through a consistent running and passing attack. QB Corey Robinson had 387 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. Troy ran for 220 yards on 6.7 yards per carry and went into halftime with a 38-7 lead. Troy finishes the season with a 8-5 record, after finishing 6-2 in the Sun Belt conference.

As we move through bowl season, we hope for at least more competitive matchups. The next bowl game is the Beef 'O' Brady Bowl featuring Southern Miss and Louisville, two more unranked teams. Wednesday's bowl game has the opportunity to be one of the more competitive matchups this season. #19 Utah takes on #10 Boise State in the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas. Both games will be on ESPN at 8:00. Be sure to tune in to The Point After for analysis.