college football Friday’s games

Northern Illinois 31, Kent State 21

KENT

Joel Bouagnon ran for two touchdowns, Daniel Santacaterina and Jordan Huff each ran for scores, and Northern Illinois beat Kent State in the season finale for both teams. Santacaterina was 13 of 23 for 258 yards passing with an interception for the Huskies (5-7, 5-3), who won’t win the Mid-American Conference’s West Division for the first time in six seasons. Santacaterina scored on a 3-yard run and Huff’s 1-yard TD run in the third quarter put the Huskies up 14-7. Christian Hagan kicked a go-ahead 34-yard field goal in the third quarter. Bouagnon gained 133 yards on 29 carries and scored fourth-quarter TDs on 9- and 2-yard runs. A NIU fumble set up George Bollas’ 85-yard second-quarter TD run, which tied it at 7.

No. 6 Washington 45, No. 23 Washington State 17

PULLMAN, WASH.

Jake Browning threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns and the No. 6 Washington Huskies used a 28-point first quarter to beat No. 23 Washington State on Friday, claiming the Apple Cup for the fourth straight year and the Pac-12 North title. Washington will take its College Football Playoff hopes into the Pac-12 championship game next Friday against either Colorado or Southern California. Browning threw all three touchdown passes in the first 15 minutes, hitting Dante Pettis on plays of 18 and 61 yards and John Ross on a 6-yarder. Browning had 243 yards passing by halftime, the Huskies had 386 total yards at the break and even Washington State’s third-quarter rally didn’t make Washington sweat.

No. 14 Western Michigan 55, Toledo 35

KALAMAZOO, MICH.

Corey Davis and No. 14 Western Michigan wrapped up an undefeated regular season in style, routing Toledo to secure a berth next week in the Mid-American Conference championship game. Davis became the career FBS leader in yards receiving, and the Broncos (12-0, 8-0, No. 21 CFP) never trailed, scoring a defensive touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and eventually breaking it open in the third quarter. WMU will face Ohio in the MAC title game in Detroit next Fridat night, and it’s looking more and more like the Broncos will be playing for a spot in a major bowl. Kareem Hunt ran for 200 yards and a touchdown for Toledo, but the Rockets (9-3, 6-2) fell way behind in the second half.

Iowa 40, No. 17 Nebraska 10

IOWA CITY, IOWA

C.J. Beathard threw three touchdown passes and Iowa pummeled No. 17 Nebraska 40-10 on Friday, knocking the Cornhuskers out of Big Ten title contention and sending Wisconsin to the championship game. LeShun Daniels Jr. ran for 158 yards and two scores and George Kittle caught two TD passes for the Hawkeyes (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten). They closed the regular season with three straight wins — two of them over ranked opponents. Iowa broke open what was expected to be a tight game with a 75-yard TD run by Akrum Wadley and a 77-yard touchdown throw from Beathard to Riley McCarron in the first quarter. Kittle then put the Hawkeyes ahead 33-10 on a 6x-yard TD catch with 11:13 left.

Memphis 48, No. 18 Houston 44

MEMPHIS, TENN.

In what might be sought-after coach Tom Herman’s final game with No. 18 Houston , Riley Ferguson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds left in a wild fourth quarter to lift Memphis to a win over the Cougars. Herman, who came into the game amid speculation he could be close to taking another job, guided the Cougars (9-3, 5-3American Athletic Conference, No. 20 CFP) back from a 17-point halftime deficit. Greg Ward gave Houston a 44-41 lead with 1:29 remaining with his fourth TD toss, a 3-yard pass to Chance Allen.

Air Force 27, No. 20 Boise State 20

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, COLO.

Air Force had a late goal-line stand, Tyler Weaver returned a blocked punt 11 yards for a touchdown and the Falcons beat No. 20 Boise State, ending the Broncos’ bid for the Mountain West title. Haji Dunn Jr. recovered quarterback Brett Rypien’s fumble on fourth down with around 2 minutes remaining to help the Falcons (9-3, 5-3 Mountain West) knock off Boise State for a third straight season. They join Idaho (1982-93) and Nevada (1996-98) as the only teams to beat the Broncos in at least three straight years.

Associated Press