Well folks, we are officially down to one game in the 2014-15 college football season, so be sure to indulge yourself one last time because we have a LONG way to go until that first September Saturday when the 2015-16 season begins. There were lots of interesting games throughout this bowl season, per usual, and the AAC was represented in five of them resulting in a 2-3 combined record. Here are the results and a few key takeaways from each.
Miami Beach Bowl: Memphis 55, BYU 48
If not for the ugly brawl that became the headline after this one, everybody would be talking about a fantastic, back-and-forth double-overtime game and a rising star quarterback: Memphis’ sophomore signal-caller, Paxton Lynch. Lynch accounted for seven touchdowns (four passing and three rushing) and 344 total yards in the Tigers victory, leading Memphis to an AAC-best 10-3 record.
Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl: NC State 34, UCF 27
UCF came into this game ranked third in total defense and ninth in scoring defense in the nation, holding its opponents to 282.8 yards and 17.9 points per game. The Knights defense allowed NC State to score 34 points and rack up 487 yards in this one, and the offense went 31:33 of game-time between its second-quarter touchdown and its next touchdown with 11:01 left in the fourth quarter. Sophomore quarterback Justin Holman has some work to do in the efficiency department, as he completed just 56.9% of his passes with a 23 to 14 touchdown to interception mark on the season.
Military Bowl: Virginia Tech 33, Cincinnati 17
Cincinnati finished the season at 9-4 with this loss, but it again failed to prove itself against a middling “Power Five” conference opponent. The Bearcats dominated the game early in every way but the most important one: the score. Cincinnati squandered early scoring opportunities, and turnovers and penalties slowly became the story as “Beamer-Ball” prevailed. Gunner Kiel’s rib injury also resurfaced, which was a recurring theme throughout 2014 for Cincinnati. The ‘Cats will need him to stay healthy and cut-back on the hits he takes and mistakes he makes for success in 2015.
Armed Forces Bowl: Houston 35, Pittsburgh 34
Down 21 with 6:14 left, Houston mounted one of the craziest comeback victories I’ve ever seen. The Cougars scored three touchdowns within 2:42 of one another and recovered two onside kicks in the process of getting within one point of tying the game with 59 seconds left. Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, Houston’s interim head coach David Gibbs decided to go for two and the win, and was rewarded with a 35 to 34 victory as sophomore quarterback Greg Ward Jr. connected with Deontay Greenberry to complete the two-point conversion. After seeing what incoming head coach, Tom Herman, has done with dual-threat quarterbacks Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones at Ohio State, watch out for Ward Jr. in the AAC next season.
Birmingham Bowl: Florida 28, East Carolina 20
Florida’s defense won its match-up against ECU’s highly touted offense as it made one more play to win the game than the Pirates did, and it came in the form of a late Vernon Hargreaves III interception of Shane Carden in the end zone. Carden was looking for a bit more magic from his favorite target and the NCAA all-time leader in receptions, Justin Hardy, on the play to give the Pirates a chance at tying the game. ECU has a TON to replace on offense going into 2015 as it loses Carden, Hardy and Breon Allen, the Pirates’ leading rusher, to graduation.
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