Wisconsin holds off Oklahoma State in Guaranteed Rate Bowl

PHOENIX (AP) — Braelon Allen ran for 116 yards and a touchdown and Wisconsin withstood Oklahoma State’s second-half push in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl for a 24-17 victory Tuesday night.

The Badgers (7-6) dominated the first half with stifling defense, building a 17-point lead as new coach Luke Fickell stalked the sideline and interim coach Jim Leonhard called the shots.

Wisconsin got stuck in the slippery turf at Chase Field in the second half, unable to generate much of anything on offense while the Cowboys (7-6) found a rhythm when they had the ball.

Cedrick Dort ended Oklahoma State’s momentum by intercepting Garret Rangel’s pass with three minutes left, preserving the Badgers’ eighth win in their past nine bowl games.

FIRST RESPONDER BOWL

MEMPHIS 38, UTAH STATE 10

DALLAS (AP) — Seth Henigan threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns — two of them to Eddie Lewis — and Jeyvon Ducker ran for two scores to help Memphis rout Utah State in the First Responder Bowl.

Henigan’s touchdown passes were all thrown in the second quarter, when Memphis (7-6) outscored Utah State (6-7) 21-3. The Tigers outgained the Aggies in the period 179 yards to 39 and 137-16 in the air.

Ducker had a 1-yard plunge and a 48-yard sprint for scores, both in the fourth quarter. Lewis caught scoring passes of 15 and 22 yards, and Caden Prieskorn caught a 3-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds remaining in the half.

Bishop Davenport threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Brian Cobbs for the Aggies in relief of quarterback Cooper Legas, who left early in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury.

BIRMINGHAM BOWL

EAST CAROLINA 53, COASTAL CAROLINA 29

BIRMINGHAM, Ala (AP) — Holton Ahlers threw a Birmingham Bowl-record five touchdown passes and accounted for a game-record six TDs to help East Carolina beat Coastal Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium.

Ahlers, selected the game MVP, threw for 300 yards on 26-of-38 passing, rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown and caught a pass for 14 yards for the Pirates (8-5).

Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall, the three-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year who entered the transfer portal this month, wasn’t as fortunate.

Presumably, McCall’s final play in a Coastal Carolina uniform came on a 9-yard touchdown run. He was hit while tumbling into the end zone and never returned to the game. Jarrett Guest replaced him in the first half and played most of the second half. McCall’s run gave Coastal Carolina (9-4) a 14-10 lead. By halftime, though, Chanticleers were in a 24-14 hole.

CAMELLIA BOWL

BUFFALO 23, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 21

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Cole Snyder passed for 265 yards and Tajay Ahmed took over the fourth quarter with 14 carries to lead Buffalo past Georgia Southern in the Camellia Bowl.

The Bulls (7-6) chewed up the clock with runs from Ahmed on 11 consecutive plays and one pile-pushing final first down. He had 27 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown.

That last first down meant quarterback Kyle Vantrease and Georgia Southern (6-7) couldn’t get the ball back for a final chance against Vantrease’s former team, with whom he spent five years and started 26 games before transferring.

Snyder, a Rutgers transfer, completed 21 of 38 passes, including a 32-yard touchdown to game MVP Justin Marshall to outduel his predecessor. Marshall caught 11 passes for 127 yards, and Quian Williams gained 100 yards on five catches. Vantrease completed 28 of 45 passes for 352 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Beau Johnson had five catches for 118 yards.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

Copyright
© 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.