Bowl roundup
Bowl roundup
Wednesday’s games
PEACH BOWL
No. 6 TCU 42, No. 9 Mississippi 3
ATLANTA
Determined to show it should have been included in the four-team playoff, TCU rode three touchdown passes from Trevone Boykin and a dominant defense. Josh Doctson had two touchdown catches and Aaron Green ran for a score and added a touchdown reception for the Horned Frogs (12-1). Gary Patterson knew just what to say when asked if TCU’s rout of Mississippi was a statement the Horned Frogs should have been in the four-team playoff. “I don’t think I have to say anything,” Patterson said. Ole Miss (9-4) lost four of its last six games. Bo Wallace threw three interceptions, including one caught in the Rebels’ end zone by defensive end James McFarland for a touchdown. Late in the third quarter, when the lead was 42-0, TCU fans targeted the No. 1 seed in the playoff when they chanted “We want Bama!” The Rebels avoided the shutout when Gary Wunderlich kicked a 27-yard field goal with 7:18 remaining. TCU was ranked No. 3 by the selection committee before crushing Iowa State 55-3 to end the season as Big 12 co-champions. The Horned Frogs were devastated to fall to No. 6 in the final ranking. “We showed Atlanta, the crowd and everyone that we deserve to be in the playoffs competing for the national championship,” said receiver Kolby Listenbee, who threw a touchdown pass and had a scoring catch.
FIESTA BOWL
No. 21 Boise State 38, No. 12 Arizona 30
GLENDALE, ARIZ.
Jay Ajayi ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns and Boise State made a late defensive stand. “They hit us, we stiffened up and came up a winner,” Boise State linebacker Tanner Vallejo said. Boise State (12-2) raced to a 21-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes behind a string of big plays before allowing Arizona to claw its way back. The Wildcats (10-4) marched quickly down the field in the closing seconds, but Kamalei Correa sacked Anu Solomon at the 10 on the final play. Grant Hedrick threw for 309 yards and a touchdown, helping the Broncos cap a successful first season under coach Bryan Harsin with their third Fiesta Bowl victory. “People think Boise State isn’t a powerhouse program,” said Broncos receiver Chaz Anderson, who had a 57-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. “It feels good to be back to where we were in the past.”
ORANGE BOWL
No. 10 Georgia Tech 49, No. 8 Mississippi 34
MIAMI GARDENS, FLA.
Justin Thomas ran for three touchdowns and threw for another, and Georgia Tech rushed for 452 yards to beat Mississippi State. Thomas ran for 121 yards and threw for 125. Synjyn Days rushed for 171 yards and three scores, including a 69-yarder that defused Mississippi State’s comeback bid. Georgia Tech (11-3) earned its first Orange Bowl victory in 63 years. The Yellow Jackets improved to 2-8 in bowl games in the past 10 seasons. Mississippi State (10-3) lost three of its final four games after being ranked No. 1 for five consecutive weeks. After Mississippi State scored on a Hail Mary pass, the Yellow Jackets bounced back with touchdowns on their first four possessions of the second half.
Associated Press