Nevada's overtime thriller leaves C. Florida stunned

The Golden Knights missed the final extra point which would have extended the game.
HONOLULU (AP) -- Nevada proved Central Florida wasn't the only team to have an amazing turnaround this season.
Jeff Rowe scored on a 4-yard naked bootleg in overtime to lead the Wolf Pack to a 49-48 victory over the Golden Knights in the Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night.
UCF kicker Matt Prater, who had three field goals during the game, missed the tying extra point wide right, giving the Nevada the win and sending Wolf Pack players running on the field as stunned Central Florida looked on.
Leading the Wolf Pack
B.J. Mitchell ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and Robert Hubbard had 126 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Wolf Pack (9-3), who finished with their best season since 1996 and spoiled Central Florida's bowl debut.
"We knew it was going to be a hard fight," Hubbard said. "The guys just never gave up and we survived. We had an amazing comeback. It's a Cinderella season for us as well."
UCF's Brandon Marshall caught a 16-yard pass for a touchdown that tied the game at 42 with 55 seconds left. The score capped a four-play, 48-yard drive that took just 37 seconds.
Prater booted a 46-yard field goal with 1:32 left to draw UCF to 42-35, and the Golden Knights recovered the onside kick with no time-outs left and setting up Marshall's dramatic catch that sent the game into overtime.
"I guess it hurts a little more because this is my last game," said Marshall, who earned MVP honors for his team with 11 catches for 210 yards and three touchdowns.
Nevada pulls ahead
Trailing 32-28, the Wolf Pack took the lead on Hubbard's 5-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Nevada scored again on Rowe's 7-yard scoring pass to Travis Branzell for a 42-32 lead with 3:18 remaining.
However, Central Florida refused to give up.
Earlier this season, the Golden Knights (8-5) ended what was the nation's longest Division I-A losing streak at 17 games.
After going 0-11 last year, they were trying to tie the 1940 Stanford team for the second-biggest, one-season turnaround in NCAA football history.
"It feels like a bad dream. To lose like this is unbelievable," said Jason Peters, who had 44 yards rushing for the Golden Knights.
Refused to talk
Prater, who had field goals of 47, 40 and 46 yards and converted all three of his extra point attempts in regulation, refused to answer questions in the locker room.
"They should feel bad. That's what winning and losing is all about," UCF coach George O'Leary said. "You put in so much time and when you do lose a game, it hurts."
Kevin Smith had 202 yards rushing and three touchdowns including a 19-yarder in overtime for the Golden Knights, who went 700 days without a win before defeating Marshall 23-13 in the third game of the season.
The Golden Knights took a 32-28 lead late in the third quarter on Smith's 3-yard scoring run. The touchdown capped a six-play, 74-yard drive that was kept alive by a late hit, pass interference and roughing the passer penalties against Nevada.
Marshall gets score
Earlier in the quarter, Marshall caught a short pass from Steven Moffett, juked a defender and stiff-armed his way into the end zone for a 29-yard score to pull the Golden Knights to 28-26.
After a slow start, the Wolf Pack had three straight touchdowns in the second quarter, including a pair of 1-yard scoring runs by Mitchell. His second gave Nevada its first lead of the game, 21-17, and Hubbard's 24-yard TD run put the Wolf Pack up by 11.
Nevada, making its first postseason appearance since the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl and sixth overall, had a 28-20 lead at halftime.
"We are not a big, great talented team, but we play with this big heart," said Nevada coach Chris Ault, the Western Athletic Conference coach of the year.
The Wolf Pack, who shared the Western Athletic Conference title with Boise State, had 219 yards rushing in the first half, including 102 by Mitchell and 83 by Hubbard.
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