College football roundup: Bowling Green lets big lead slip away, loses to Buffalo in double overtime
Associated Press
Drew Willy threw two late touchdown passes to tie it and James Starks ran 25 yards for the winning score in double overtime to give visiting Buffalo a 40-34 win over Bowling Green on Friday night.
Starks and Willy led the Bulls (7-4, 5-2 Mid-American) back from a 27-7 fourth-quarter deficit, with Starks scoring on a 12-yard run early in the period.
Willy threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brett Hamlin with 2:29 to play and then a
5-yard TD pass to Naam Roosevelt with 37 seconds on the clock to send it into overtime.
Willy and Hamlin hooked up again on Buffalo’s first overtime possession for a 26-yard score. Bowling Green’s Tyler Sheehan tossed a 23-yard TD to Corey Partridge on the Falcons’ next drive, but couldn’t score on their ensuing drive, setting up Starks’ winning score.
Willy was 29 for 41 for 297 yards and one interception and Roosevelt caught 10 passes for 188 yards.
Sheehan ran for two touchdowns and was 24 for 32 for 240 yards and one interception, while Freddie Barnes caught 10 passes for 107 yards for the Falcons (5-6, 3-4).
Junior defensive back P.J. Mahone, an Elyria High graduate and the Falcons’ leading tackler on the season, had 10 tackles in the game, six of which were solos, and one pass breakup.
Fresno State 24, San Jose State 10
Chastin West’s 49-yard punt return for a touchdown gave struggling Fresno State the spark it needed, leading the host Bulldogs to victory in what might have been a
bowl-elimination game.
Anthony Harding added two fourth-quarter touchdown runs and 99 yards rushing for the Bulldogs (7-4, 4-3 WAC), who beat San Jose State (6-6, 4-4) for the 14th time in the past 15 meetings.
Both teams came into the game with the six wins necessary to qualify for a bowl game but were hoping to bolster their credentials with a strong performance on national television and in front of several bowl representatives.
With the WAC possibly having six bowl eligible teams and only three automatic berths, this game was crucial to the postseason hopes for both teams.
The Bulldogs had been unable to move the ball at all before West’s return of a short punt by Philip Zavala tied the game at 10 late in the third quarter. Fresno State had been limited to three first downs and 54 yards to that point.
After forcing a punt by San Jose State (6-6, 4-4) on the next drive, Fresno State went to its ground game, running the ball on all 11 plays of a 69-yard drive. Harding’s 8-yard run gave the Bulldogs a 17-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. Harding added a 21-yard touchdown run with 5:02 left that made it 24-10 and put the game away.
Toledo 42, Miami (Ohio) 14
Morgan Williams ran for 330 yards and three touchdowns, including an 86-yarder, to lead host Toledo.
Williams had an 8-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Quarterback Aaron Oppelt followed with a 1-yard rushing TD at the start of the second and then Williams broke free for his long run with 8:03 left in the half to put Toledo (3-8, 2-5 Mid-American) up 21-0.
Williams’ third touchdown, a 14-yard run in the fourth, made it 35-14, sealing the win.
Miami quarterback Dan Raudabaugh and receiver Chris Givens hooked up for two touchdowns, including a 30-yard pass in the third. Givens caught nine passes for 85 yards and Raudabaugh was 29 for 46 for 196 yards and two interceptions for the RedHawks (2-9, 1-6).
Nick Moore caught nine passes for 92 yards for the Rockets.
| |
|
Filed by Associated Press November 22nd, 2008 in Sports. Popularity: 3% |
 Email this story
 Print this story
Read comments and discuss this story
Report an innappropriate comment
|
In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement
and discussion guidelines.
You must be registered and logged in to post a comment. If you aren't already registered, click here. If you are registered, click here to log in.
Write a Comment