Deacons win Meineke Bowl

Wake Forest rallied past Connecticut to post a 24-10 victory.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Long the dregs of college football, little ol’ Wake Forest proved last year wasn’t a fluke.

Behind speedy receiver Kenneth Moore and a swarming defense full of big plays, the Demon Deacons rallied to beat fellow upstart Connecticut 24-10 in the Meineke Bowl on Saturday.

Often called “Weak Forest” for a long history of ineptitude, Wake Forest (9-4) secured the second-most wins in school history, behind only last year’s improbable 11-3 mark that included an Atlantic Coast Conference title and an Orange Bowl berth.

While this year wasn’t as stellar, Wake Forest finished with nine wins in its last 11 games, and reeled off 24 unanswered points after falling behind 10-0 at halftime against the Huskies, who were playing in only their second bowl game.

Moore, a senior playing in his hometown in his final game, caught 11 passes for 112 yards and was voted MVP. Riley Skinner completed 29 of 38 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and ACC rookie of the year Josh Adams rushed for 81 yards and a score.

Micah Andrews put it away with a 9-yard touchdown run with 29 seconds left for Wake Forest, which was playing in bowls in consecutive seasons for the first time and displayed an opportunistic defense.

Linebacker Stanley Arnoux highlighted a series of big plays for Wake Forest with an interception and two fourth-down stops.

Tyler Lorenzen was just 13-of-26 for 98 yards and was sacked twice, and Donald Brown rushed for 78 yards for the Huskies (9-4), whose poor second half ended their hopes of being ranked at the end of the season for the first time.

Mississippi St. 10,
Cent. Florida 3

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Sylvester Croom and Mississippi State capped a turnaround season built on defense with one of their stingiest efforts.

Anthony Dixon scored on a 1-yard run with 1:54 remaining, Derek Pegues had two interceptions and Mississippi State kept Central Florida’s Kevin Smith from breaking the single-season rushing record.

In a game featuring anemic offenses and few big plays, the Bulldogs (8-5) kept Central Florida (10-4) out of the end zone and held Smith to 119 yards. The junior finished 61 yards shy of Barry Sanders’ single-season record of 2,628 yards set for Oklahoma State in 1988.

Dixon finished with 66 yards and won the game with a 1-yard dive after Kyle Israel threw his third interception.

The Bulldogs held the Knights to 219 yards and forced four turnovers.