Army defensive back Cameron Jones (20) returns a fumble by Houston quarterback Clayton Tune for a touchdown during the first half of the Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday in Fort Worth.FORT WORTH, Texas – Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. initially ran right before cutting back the other way and eluding a tackler. He sent two other defenders sliding to the ground when he switched directions again and took off toward the end zone.
That nifty 77-yard run at the end of the first quarter was one of his Armed Forces Bowl-record five rushing touchdowns as the No. 22 Black Knights overwhelmed Houston 70-14 on Saturday to reach 11 wins for the first time in program history.
“Just trying to get back to the line of scrimmage,” Hopkins said. “There was this huge convoy of guys right there when I was running in. I just felt like people were on me. I thought it was Houston, and I realized it was gray jerseys.
“It was a really good team win.”
The Black Knights (11-2) won their ninth consecutive game since an overtime loss at Oklahoma exactly three months earlier. The Sooners (12-1) went on to win the Big 12 title and are seeded fourth for the upcoming College Football Playoff.
“Great, great finish to a terrific season,” Army coach Jeff Monken said.
Houston (8-5) lost for the fourth time in five games since starting 7-1 and getting into The Associated Press Top 25 for one week in late October. The injury-plagued Cougars took their most lopsided loss in their 27 bowl games and their biggest overall since a 66-10 loss at UCLA during the 1997 regular season.
“I’m proud of the way our kids fought,” second-year coach Major Applewhite said. “I’m not proud of losing the games at the end of the season the way we lost them.”
Hopkins ran 11 times for 170 yards before coming out of the game midway through the third quarter when it was 49-7. He also completed the first 1,000-yard passing season for Army since 2007. He was 3-of-3 passing for 70 yards, including a 54-yarder that set up one of his three 1-yard scoring plunges. He also had a 2-yard run to the end zone.
Army got 507 of its 592 total yards on the ground in its highest-scoring game this season – and the most points in the program’s nine bowl appearances. The Black Knights won a bowl for the third consecutive year, including last year’s Armed Forces Bowl over San Diego State.
On the first play of the second quarter, on Houston’s first snap after Hopkins’ long touchdown run, Cameron Jones had a 23-yard fumble return for a score after James Nachtigal forced the turnover when he sacked Clayton Tune.
Tune, a freshman filling in for injured playmaker D’Eriq King, was 21-of-32 passing for 230 yards and was sacked 10 times. He was responsible for both Houston touchdowns – a 3-yard pass to Romello Brooker in the second quarter and a 6-yard run with 6 1/2 minutes left.
Wake Forest 37, Memphis 34
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to cap a big performance and the Demon Deacons’ comeback win in the Birmingham Bowl.
Wake Forest (7-6) then had to wait to celebrate until Riley Patterson’s 43-yard field-goal attempt for the Tigers (8-6) went wide right as time expired.
Both teams scored touchdowns inside the final two minutes, with Memphis taking the lead on Patrick Taylor Jr.’s 9-yard touchdown run to cap a 14-play 88-yard drive.
Newman, named MVP of the game, ran for three touchdowns and passed for a fourth to lead Wake Forest, throwing for 328 yards and rushing 23 times for 91 more yards.
He led the Demon Deacons on the winning 75-yard drive starting at the 1:15 mark, covering most of it with completions of 49 and 20 yards to Alex Bachman.
Memphis swiftly moved into position to at least tie the game. Brady White found an open Joey Magnifico on the right sideline for a 44-yard gain, with the tight end battling for extra yards down to the 17. The Tigers went backward after that, including a false-start penalty after Patterson lined up to attempt a game-tying kick.
Troy 42, Buffalo 32
MOBILE, Ala. – Sawyer Smith threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns, and Sidney Davis and B.J. Smith ran for touchdowns as Troy held on to win the Dollar General Bowl.
Troy (10-3) secured the hard-fought win on 20-yard touchdown run by Davis with 3:09 remaining, a play after Buffalo’s Tyree Jackson fumbled to give the Trojans possession. It was the third lost fumble of the game for the Bulls (10-4).
The entertaining game had several big swings in momentum, especially during a strange third quarter in which Buffalo scored seven points despite not running an offensive play.
Troy took a 21-17 lead on Smith’s 2-yard touchdown run with 9:47 left in the third quarter and then immediately recovered an onside kick. The Trojans were driving for another score before a B.J. Smith fumble bounced into the hands of Buffalo’s Tyrone Hill, who ran 93 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulls a 24-21 lead.