Michael Pratt connected with Alex Bauman on a 6-yard scoring pass with nine seconds left and Valentino Ambrosio followed with the decisive extra point as No. 16 Tulane scored 16 points in the final 4:07 to notch a dramatic 46-45 victory over No. 10 Southern California to win the Cotton Bowl on Monday at Arlington, Texas.
Tulane (12-2) completed the biggest year-to-year turnaround in FBS history after going 2-10 last season. Tyjae Spears racked up 205 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries.
After Spears’ fourth score, Tulane defensive lineman Patrick Jenkins stuffed a USC rush attempt in the end zone for a safety to trim the deficit to six points and set up Pratt to orchestrate a 12-play, 66-yard game-winning drive.
Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams did all he could for USC (11-3), completing 37 of 52 passes for 462 yards and five touchdowns. With the Trojans missing star wideout Jordan Addison (ankle), Williams’ favorite target on the day was Brenden Rice, who hauled in six passes for a career-high 174 yards and two scores.
No. 11 Penn State 35, No. 8 Utah 21
Sean Clifford passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns, Nicholas Singleton rushed for 120 yards and two scores and the Nittany Lions dominated the second half while defeating the Utes in the Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif.
Penn State (11-2) became the first team in Rose Bowl history to have multiple touchdown plays from scrimmage of more than 80 yards in the same game. Singleton rushed 87 yards for a TD in the third quarter, and Clifford teamed up with KeAndre Lambert-Smith on an 88-yard scoring pass in the fourth.
Quarterback Cameron Rising departed for the Utes (10-4) due to a left knee injury in the third quarter and didn’t return. He completed 8 of 21 passes for 95 yards, one touchdown and one interception and rushed for 47 yards on 10 attempts. Bryson Barnes replaced Rising and completed 10 of 19 passes for 112 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
No. 17 LSU 63, Purdue 7
Noah Cain ran for two touchdowns, Garrett Nussmeier came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes and the Tigers routed the Boilermakers in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Jayden Daniels passed for 139 yards and a touchdown in addition to catching a touchdown pass from wideout Malik Nabers, who had nine catches for 163 yards and a touchdown. John Emery Jr. and Derrick Davis Jr. each had a touchdown run and Mason Taylor and Brian Thomas Jr. each added a touchdown catch for the Tigers (10-4).
Both teams played without several key players who opted out and Purdue (8-6) was especially hampered by the absence of quarterback Aidan O’Connell. Austin Burton started at quarterback and completed 12 of 24 passes for 74 yards with an interception before being replaced by Michael Alaimo, whose 16-yard touchdown pass to TJ Sheffield in the fourth quarter produced the Boilermakers’ points.
No. 24 Mississippi State 19, Illinois 10
Massimo Biscardi booted a 27-yard field goal with four seconds left and the Bulldogs honored late head coach Mike Leach with a win over the Fighting Illini at the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa.
It was the Bulldogs’ first game since Leach died on Dec. 12 at age 61. Mississippi State (9-4) added a touchdown on the final play of the game when Illinois (8-5) fumbled a lateral and Marcus Banks returned it 60 yards.
Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers completed 29 of 44 passes for 261 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Illini quarterback Tommy DeVito produced 253 yards on 23-of-34 passing and rushed for a score.
–Field Level Media
