Bowling Green stung by Idaho at the finish

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — As his offense trotted back on the field, that fleeting voice of consciousness popped into Robb Akey’s head.

Was this the right move for Idaho? Why not play for overtime, instead of risking everything on a 2-point conversion with 4 seconds left?

“It jumps into the back of your head. Unfortunately it just does,” Akey said. “I could hear the ’dumb’ comment and some of those other things.”

No one is going to question the Vandals’ coach now. Not after the gold and black celebration on the famed blue turf of Idaho’s rival, capping a finish that’ll be hard to match by any other bowl game this postseason.

Max Komar cradled a sliding 16-yard touchdown catch with 4 seconds left and Nathan Enderle found Preston Davis alone in the back of the end zone for the 2-point conversion, lifting the Vandals to a dramatic 43-42 victory over Bowling Green in Wednesday’s Humanitarian Bowl.

The score capped a wild final four minutes where Bowling Green scored twice to take then lead, then watched Idaho go 66 yards in 28 seconds to pull off the win — and by the same score rival Boise State beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl three years ago.

The Falcons took a 42-35 lead with 32 seconds left on a 51-yard pass from Tyler Sheehan to Freddie Barnes, who slipped behind the Idaho secondary for his 17th catch of the game and No. 155 in his record-setting season.

But Idaho answered with a 50-yard heave from Enderle to Davis that got the ball to the Bowling Green 16. After an incompletion with 8 seconds left, Enderle found Komar — the Vandals’ leading receiver who dropped a number of passes — sliding across the goal line to snag the low throw.

It was Komar’s only catch of the game.

“Nate [Enderle] had faith in me. If I was him, I would’ve stopped throwing to me, making him look bad with the ball bouncing off my chest,” Komar said. “But I’m glad he stuck with me.”

Akey decided before the Vandals even took possession that if they scored he’d go for two. Just to make sure, he called timeout after the touchdown to confirm with his offensive coaches the play called would work.