Which Group of Five conference found the most success this bowl season?
The Mountain West or the American Athletic Conference?
The debate about which conference stands as the best in the Group of Five wages every season. This fall, the race for a Cotton Bowl bid came down to Boise State and AAC rivals Memphis and Cincinnati, with the Tigers ultimately earning the right to face Penn State in Texas.
But bowl games can be one of the best indicators of the true strength of a team. Despite the often long gap between conference championship games and the beginning of bowl season, teams are preparing for an unfamiliar opponent on a stage that may be the biggest they’ve seen all season. And for many bowl-bound G5 teams, they’re preparing to face an opponent from a Power Five conference.
Interestingly enough, the Mountain West and AAC almost mirrored one another this bowl season. Both conferences went 4-3, and both suffered deflating defeats and unexpected victories.
Both conference champions lost. Memphis couldn’t contain Penn State’s rushing attack in a 53-39 loss in the Cotton Bowl. Against Washington in the Las Vegas Bowl, Boise State never got its offense rolling in a 38-7 loss.
For the AAC, SMU’s 52-28 loss to Florida Atlantic in the Boca Raton Bowl had to come as a surprise, as did North Carolina’s 55-13 manhandling of Temple, which is the only team that beat Memphis in the regular season.
The AAC had a couple of statement wins, too. Conference runner-up Cincinnati walked all over Boston College in a 38-6 win in the Birmingham Bowl and Navy improved to 11-2 on the season with a 20-17 win over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.
Losses by Boise State and Utah State left the Mountain West in a hole as soon as bowl season began, but Air Force picked up the slack with its 11th win of the season and San Diego State’s offense saved its best performance of the year for last.
Around the Group of Five, Conference USA went 3-5, highlighted by Florida Atlantic’s upset of SMU and Louisiana Tech’s 14-0 win over Miami in the Independence Bowl. Sun Belt teams finished bowl season 3-2, with conference champion Appalachian State leading the way with a 31-17 win over UAB.
Here’s a look at how the Mountain West fared this bowl season.
FRISCO BOWL
Kent State 51, Utah State 41
Playing in the final game of his Utah State career, quarterback Jordan Love set the Aggies’ program record for offense in a career (9,003 yards) and put on an efficient display with his arm, completing 30-of-39 passes for 317 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. His touchdown pass to Siaosi Mariner cut Kent State’s lead to 44-41 with 3:06 left in regulation, but Jamal Parker returned the ensuing squib kick 44 yards, giving the Golden Flashes a short field for the game-clinching scoring drive. It was capped by quarterback Dustin Crum’s third score of the day.
The star: Crum could not be stopped. His final touchdown was a 4-yard run on fourth-and-1 and gave the Golden Flashes their 10-point lead with 1:56 to play. Crum went 21-of-26 for 289 yards and two touchdowns through the air and added a career-high 147 yards and another score on the ground. The junior finished the season with 26 total touchdowns (20 passing) and ranked No. 42 in the country with 3,329 yards of offense.
The stat: As a team, Kent State averaged 13.5 yards per catch. The Golden Flashes had four receivers average more than 10 yards per reception, including leading receiver Isaiah McKoy (6 catches, 103 yards), who hauled in a 78-yard touchdown pass on Kent State’s first drive of the game. Giving up that many chunk plays doesn’t bode well for a defense that gave up 440.5 yards a game, which ranked No. 103 in the country, and has to replace one of its leaders in linebacker David Woodward, who declared for the NFL Draft on Dec. 18.
LAS VEGAS BOWL
Washington 38, Boise State 7
Despite missing NFL-bound tight end Hunter Bryant and left tackle Trey Adams, Washington carried a 17-0 lead into halftime, and the Huskies’ defense never allowed Boise State to find its offensive footing. Even though he hadn’t played since Nov. 2 at San Jose State, true freshman Hank Bachmeier started at quarterback for the Broncos, who trailed 24-0 by the time Jaylon Henderson came in to lead the team’s only scoring drive.
The star: Washington quarterback Jacob Eason had an efficient outing, showed off his arm strength and wasted no time declaring for the NFL Draft after the game, but there wasn’t really a player who dominated the game statistically. There were, however, a couple of Boise State defenders who ended their careers with herculean efforts. Senior safety Kekoa Nawahine finished with a game-high 14 tackles, while senior defensive end Chase Hatada posted six tackles (four for loss) and two sacks.
The stat: Boise State freshman George Holani extended the Broncos’ streak of seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher to 11 straight, but the team never really got anything going on the ground. Boise State’s offensive line got little to no push against the Huskies’ defensive front and the Broncos finished with just 78 rushing yards. They’ll be reshuffling that line next season. Center Garrett Larson and guards John Molchon and Eric Quevedo ended their college careers at the Las Vegas Bowl and redshirt junior left tackle Ezra Cleveland declared for the NFL Draft on Christmas Eve.
NEW MEXICO BOWL
San Diego State 48, Central Michigan 11
In an offensive explosion nobody saw coming, the Aztecs posted 510 yards of offense — their most since putting up 648 in a 2017 win over San Jose State. San Diego State quarterback Ryan Agnew threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to wide receiver Jesse Matthews, and the Aztecs won a bowl game for the first time since 2016.
The star: Sophomore running back Jordan Byrd, the team’s fourth-leading rusher, hadn’t seen double-digit carries in a game since Sept. 21 in a loss to Utah State. But forced into action by a multitude of injuries, he ended the season with a career-high 139 rushing yards and his lone touchdown run gave the Aztecs a 27-3 lead with 9:51 left in the third quarter.
The stat: San Diego State went into the game ranked No. 2 in the nation in rushing defense (75.38 yards per game) and No. 6 in total defense (287.8 ypg). Central Michigan managed just 277 yards of offense, but the Aztecs also went into the bowl game ranked No. 2 in the country in turnover margin (1.46 per game), and that’s where San Diego State really won the game. The Aztecs forced five turnovers (three interceptions, two fumbles) and the offense turned them into 21 points.
HAWAII BOWL
Hawaii 38, BYU 34
Coming off a lopsided loss to Boise State in the Mountain West championship game, Hawaii capped its season with a dramatic win. Quarterback Cole McDonald’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Nick Mardner gave the Rainbow Warriors their four-point lead with 1:17 to play, and safety Khoury Bethley’s interception with less than a minute to play completed Hawaii’s first 10-win season since 2010.
The star: McDonald ended his redshirt junior season with 493 passing yards and five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing). There may not be a more embattled starting quarterback in the country, and many believed the short leash Hawai coach Nick Rolovich kept his quarterback on might keep him in school for another year, but McDonald declared for the NFL Draft on Wednesday. He finished the season with 4,135 yards and 33 touchdowns through the air and his career with 8,032 yards and 70 touchdowns.
The stat: Hawaii wide receivers JoJo Ward (65 catches, 1,134 yards, 11 TDs) and Jared Smart (87 for 1,129 yards, 5 TDs) went over 1,000 receiving yards during the bowl game, which made the Warriors just the sixth team in FBS history to have three 1,000-yard receivers in the same season. Leading receiver Cedric Byrd II finished the season with 98 grabs for 1,097 yards and 10 touchdowns. Byrd, Ward and Jason-Matthew Sharsh (87-913, 5 TDs) are all seniors, though, which leaves Smart as the only member of Hawaii’s top four receivers expected to be back next season.
CHEEZ-IT BOWL
Air Force 31, Washington State 21
Air Force came up with two goal-line stands and withstood Washington State’s pass-heavy attack well enough to stretch its winning streak to eight games and end the season with an 11-2 record. The Falcons’ last loss was Oct. 5 at Navy, and Air Force finished the regular season ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25. Washington State’s first drive of the game ended on fourth-and-goal from Air Force’s 2-yard line. Air Force opened the fourth quarter with another fourth-down stop from its own 5.
The star: Junior tailback Kadin Remsberg’s 178 rushing yards are the most in program history by an Air Force running back in a bowl game. His 3-yard touchdown run gave the Falcons a 10-point cushion with 3:50 to play. Fullback Tavin Birdow added 108 rushing yards and Air Force finished the game with 371 on the ground.
The stat: Air Force quarterback Donald Hammond II capped two long scoring drives with rushing touchdowns. He engineered a 20-play march for the Falcons’ first touchdown, and a 13-play drive in the third quarter, which ended with a 7-yard touchdown run and gave Air Force a 24-14 lead. Hammond continues to show mastery of the Falcons’ option attack. The junior has an almost innate understanding of when to let his running backs carry the load and when to call his own number, and next fall he may end up in the running for Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.
ARIZONA BOWL
Wyoming 38, Georgia State 17
After weeks of uncertainty and the drama surrounding a transfer, Wyoming went with true freshman Levi Williams at quarterback and all he did was lead the team to a season-high 524 yards of offense. Williams finished the game 11-of-26 for 234 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, and he added 53 yards and another score on the ground. Sophomore Tyler Vander Waal, who started the final four games of the regular season, announced Wednesday that he’s transferring to Idaho State. So it looks like it will be Williams competing for snaps next season with redshirt freshman Sean Chambers, who started the first eight games this fall before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Nevada.
The star: Sophomore running back Xazavian Valladay posted 204 yards and a touchdown on the ground and added three catches for 91 yards and another score. It was his sixth 100-yard game of the season and second 200-yard contest, and Valladay moved into first place in the Mountain West with 1,265 rushing yards. He may be another candidate for 2020 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year.
The stat: Senior linebacker Logan Wilson finished the game with seven tackles and his Wyoming career with 421. The Wyoming native is likely headed for the NFL after three straight seasons with more than 100 tackles. He leaves big shoes to fill next season, and safety Alijah Halliburton’s absence will be felt as well. He finished the bowl game with a team-high 11 tackles and set up a late touchdown with an interception, and he finished the season with a team-high 123 tackles.
FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL
Ohio 30, Nevada 21
Nevada went into the game missing three defensive starters, who were suspended for a fight in the regular-season finale against rival UNLV, yet somehow the Wolf Pack managed to make it a game. Despite losing leading rusher O’Shaan Allison to an injury in the first quarter, Ohio jumped out to a 20-6 lead before hanging on for the win. Nevada scored the game’s final 12 points.
The star: Junior wide receiver Elijah Cooks posted career highs in receptions (14) and receiving yards (197), which is also a new Nevada bowl record. Cooks led Nevada this season with 76 receptions. His 926 receiving yards rank No. 8 in the Mountain West, and he’s tied for fourth in the conference with eight receiving touchdowns.
The stat: Redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Strong posted his first career 400-yard passing game. He finished with 31 completions and 402 passing yards — both of which are Nevada bowl records. With Strong, Cooks and leading rusher Toa Taua expected back next season, the Wolf Pack have a strong nucleus to build their offense around.
This story was originally published January 12, 2020 at 3:10 PM.
