Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    FlurrySports
    • Home
    • Betting
      • Super Bowl Odds
      • NFL Picks
    • Fantasy Football
      • Fantasy Football Articles
      • Fantasy Football Rankings
      • DFS
    • NFL
      • NFL Stats
    • UFC
    • NBA
    • NCAA
      • College Football
      • College Basketball
    • More
      • NASCAR
      • WWE
      • Golf
      • MLB
      • NHL
      • Soccer
      • Combat Sports
      • Esports
      • Olympics
      • Fantasy Basketball
    • Shop
    • Contact Us
    FlurrySports
    You are at:Home»NCAA»College Football»Bowl Mania Tracker: FIU, BYU Take Down MAC Foes

    Bowl Mania Tracker: FIU, BYU Take Down MAC Foes

    Henry JohnBy Henry JohnDecember 22, 2018No Comments6 Mins Read College Football
    Western Michigan-BYU
    Credit: Saturday Down South
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Reddit WhatsApp

    The two bowl games in action Friday couldn’t have taken place much further apart. The Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl was played in the middle of a warm Caribbean winter while the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, in its 21st year, is the longest running cold weather bowl game in college football. Despite the climate and elevation differences, both bowl games had Mid-American Conference teams fall short. Conference USA’s FIU Golden Panthers (9-4) edged the Toledo Rockets (7-6) 35-32 in the Bahamas Bowl while the FBS Independent BYU Cougars (7-6) dominated the Western Michigan Broncos (7-6) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl en route to a 49-18 victory.

     

    Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl Recap

    Image result for bahamas bowl logo

    Things certainly didn’t start according to plan for FIU. After a fumble on the opening kickoff led to a quick Toledo touchdown, the Golden Panthers ultimately found themselves trailing 10-0 after the first quarter. A pair of second quarter touchdowns, one rushing by Anthony Jones and one receiving by Sterling Palmer enabled FIU to pull in front 14-10 at the half. FIU retained that advantage into the final quarter after Jones answered a Rockets touchdown with one of his own late in the third. The Golden Panthers turned up the defense in the fourth quarter and secured their first double digit lead of the day. The final 35-32 margin was made closer by a last-second Rockets TD.

    Jones dominated the box score for the Golden Panthers with his 3 rushing touchdowns and 92 yards. The performance was remarkable given that Jones was one of two FIU players who fell victim to a drive-by shooting in September. After nearly losing an eye and having to be fed by tube in the days that followed, Jones worked his way back onto the field and finished with 338 yards rushing and 6 scores in his shortened senior season. FIU needed its backs to step up in the bowl game as they were playing without starting quarterback James Morgan due to injury. Christian Alexander played exceptionally well in his place however, throwing for 209 yards, 1 score, and no interceptions. He also amassed 83 yards rushing. Palmer was the team’s leading receiver on the day with 64 yards.

    Despite falling short in the bowl game, this Toledo Rockets offense finished second on the all-time program list of highest scoring offenses with 525 total points on the year. QB Eli Peters had a big game in defeat, throwing for 264 yards and 3 scores while also leading the Toledo rushing attack with 43 yards. Diontae Johnson went for 98 yards receiving and a touchdown while Jon’Vea Johnson found the end zone on 2 of his 3 receptions in the game.

     

    Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Recap

    Image result for famous idaho potato bowl logo

    Western Michigan was able to handle BYU’s first quarter punch with a second quarter response that saw the Broncos go up 10-7 at the half. That was the last time WMU would have even a sniff of the lead. The Cougars dropped a whopping 28 points in the third quarter to take command and added two more touchdowns in the fourth on their way to the 49-18 triumph. BYU piled up 490 yards of total offense for the game despite losing the time of possession battle by over 10 minutes.

    Freshman Cougars quarterback Zach Wilson pulled off the improbable with a perfect passing day. Wilson finished 18 for 18 throwing for 317 yards and 4 touchdowns. His flawless completion percentage made him just the second quarterback to post a 100% completion percentage in a College Football bowl game. The other was Riley Skinner who went 11 for 11 for Wake Forest in the 2008 EagleBank Bowl.

    Dylan Collie was Wilson’s favorite target of the afternoon, hauling in 6 receptions for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. Aleva Hifo finished with 85 yards receiving and a score while Neil Pau’u (57) and Matt Bushman (52) also eclipsed the 50-yard mark for receiving. BYU also got plenty from Riley Burt on the ground as he carried for 110 yards and a score. Brayden El-Bakri and Dayan Ghanwoloku also scored rushing TDs. After a disappointing 2017 campaign, BYU capped off a much improved 2018 season with the Potato Bowl win.

    Western Michigan struggled to sustain many drives, perhaps feeling the absence of starting quarterback Jon Wassink. Kaleb Eleby was frustrated into just 175 yards passing and a pick. He did manage to score a rushing touchdown. The running back tandem of Jamauri Bogan and LeVante Bellamy combined for 118 yards rushing. Bogan found the end zone for the other Broncos touchdown.

     

    Updated Bowl Season Conference Tracker

    ACC: 0-0

    Participants: 11 (11 still to play)

    Wins:

    Losses:

    Mountain West: 2-1

    Participants: 6 (3 still to play)

    Wins: Fresno St., Utah St.

    Losses: San Diego St.

    American: 1-1

    Participants: 7 (5 still to play)

    Wins: Tulane

    Losses: South Florida

    Pac-12: 0-1

    Participants: 7 (6 still to play)

    Wins:

    Losses: Arizona St.

    Big Ten: 0-0

    Participants: 9 (9 still to play)

    Wins:

    Losses:

    SEC: 0-0

    Participants: 11 (11 still to play)

    Wins:

    Losses:

    Big 12: 0-0

    Participants: 7 (7 still to play)

    Wins:

    Losses:

    Sun Belt: 2-1

    Participants: 5 (2 still to play)

    Wins: Appalachian St., Georgia Southern

    Losses: Louisiana

    Conference USA: 3-2

    Participants: 6 (1 still to play)

    Wins: FIU, Marshall, UAB

    Losses: Middle Tennessee, North Texas

    Independents: 1-0

    Participants: 3 (2 still to play)

    Wins: BYU

    Losses:

    MAC: 1-4

    Participants: 6 (1 still to play)

    Wins: Ohio

    Losses: Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan

    Next Games Up: Birmingham Bowl

    Memphis vs. Wake Forest

    Saturday, December 22

    Noon E.T. on ESPN

     

    Armed Forces Bowl

    Houston vs. Army

    Saturday, December 22

    3:30 p.m. E.T. on ESPN

     

    Dollar General Bowl

    Buffalo vs. Troy

    Saturday, December 22

    7 p.m. E.T. on ESPN

     

    Hawaii Bowl

    Louisiana Tech vs. Hawaii

    Saturday, December 22

    10:30 p.m. E.T. on ESPN

     

    Related Articles

    Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings

    Ohio Bobcats Dominate Frisco Bowl

    5 Early Week 16 NFL Bets to Place Now

    NFL Power Rankings: Week 16

    Bahamas Bowl BYU Cougars College Football Famous Idaho Potato Bowl FIU Golden Panthers Toledo Rockets Western Michigan Broncos
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleNFL Week 16: Best RB DraftKings Plays
    Next Article NFL Week 16: Best WR DraftKings Plays
    Henry John
    • X (Twitter)

    Henry’s passion for sports dates all the way back to childhood and has ultimately led to a full-fledged career as an analyst and content creator. After getting his start penning fantasy football articles, he forrayed into the betting side of the business in early 2019. His love for sports and statistics proved to be an ideal match with the dedicated research and strategy that handicapping requires. Henry currently specializes in betting analysis and picks for college football, college basketball and NASCAR. He counts the NFL, the WNBA, and NBA player props as additional leagues/markets of interest. Henry graduated from SUNY Buffalo in 2021 with a Communication Studies degree and a Psychology minor. A native of the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York, he and his pup, Harold, have since relocated to Laramie, Wyoming. Thanks to his professional goals within the sports betting industry, there has been a whole lot of steam on the odds for a move to Las Vegas in 2023! Most of Henry’s free time is spent on outdoor adventures, playing chess, snowboarding, or reading a good book. He is also a competitive powerlifter and aspires to qualify for the USAPL Nationals meet within the next 2-3 years.

    Related Posts

    May 21, 2025

    Early 2026 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings

    April 24, 2025

    Omarion Hampton NFL Draft Landing Spots and Projection

    April 23, 2025

    AI Makes NFL Mock Draft Predictions For the First Round 2025

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Recently Published

    Early 2026 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings

    May 21, 2025

    NFL UDFAs Who Are Dynasty Fantasy Football Sleepers

    May 2, 2025

    Chris Eubank Jr vs. Conor Benn Purses, Salaries: How Much Money Will They Make at Tottenham?

    April 29, 2025

    Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings 2025

    April 29, 2025
    Advertisements
    RSS FlurrySports Podcast
    • NFL Olympic Flag Football Draft (Ep. 219) May 27, 2025
    • Every 2000s Quarterback (Ep. 218) May 20, 2025
    • Doveland, Wisconsin (Ep. 217) May 13, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Advertise/Sponsor Opportunities
    You must be 21+ years old to wager. Bet within your means. If you have a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER |

    Copyright © 2017-2024 FlurrySports | Sitemap

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please support us by disabling your Ad Blocker.