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Idaho head coach Robb Akey's gutsy call in the waning seconds paid off in a 43-42 Idaho win over Bowling Green in a thrilling edition of the Humanitarian Bowl.
Boise, ID (Sports Network) - Nathan Enderle capped a wild fourth quarter by floating a two-point conversion pass to the back of the end zone for Preston Davis, as head coach Robb Akey's gutsy call in the waning seconds paid off in a 43-42 Idaho win over Bowling Green in a thrilling edition of the Humanitarian Bowl.
Bowling Green had just gone ahead on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Sheehan to Freddie Barnes with 32 seconds left to play when Idaho embarked on the improbable game-winning drive.
Max Komar returned the kickoff 22 yards to his own 34, and Enderle threw a wobbly pass on first down that was short of its intended target. Davis, though, adjusted and came back to the throw for a diving 50-yard catch to gain the Bowling Green 16.
Enderle's next attempt fell incomplete over the middle but the junior signal- caller regrouped and threw low to a sliding Komar across the goal-line for a 16-yard score with only four seconds to go. After calling a timeout to hash things over, Akey decided to go for the win and got it as Enderle received good protection enough to complete the throw.
Enderle ended 15-of-28 for 240 yards and four touchdowns, while Davis caught four passes for 119 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Komar, a senior and the Vandals' leading receiver this season, was held in check nearly the entire game before making his only catch of the game the most important one.
DeMaundray Woolridge ran for a pair of third-quarter touchdowns and ended with 126 yards on 22 carries for the Vandals (8-5), who were playing in only their second bowl game since the program's inception in 1894.
Idaho defeated Southern Miss in this event back in 1998 and pulled off a remarkable turnaround to gain an invitation to this year's event having notched just three wins over the previous two seasons.
Barnes, a fifth-year senior, logged a remarkable 17 catches for 219 yards and three scores and wound up shattering the Football Bowl Subdivision record for the most receptions in a single season. He had 138 catches coming into Wednesday's game and needed five to break the record held by Manny Hazard, who made 142 grabs in 1989 for Houston.
Sheehan threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns with one interception for the Falcons (7-6), whose lone setback in their previous seven games came against eventual MAC champion Central Michigan.
The senior QB completed 33-of-47 throws and ended his collegiate career by completing a TD pass for a 22nd consecutive game. Only Houston's Case Keenum and Texas' Colt McCoy have longer such active streaks.
Willie Geter rushed for a pair of scores and totaled 96 yards on 14 carries while adding an additional 65 yards on five catches.
VIDEOS: Final Forty Seconds Of Humanitarian Bowl
The videos are "YouTube quality," but hey -- they're better than reading a bunch of words, right?
First, Bowling Green's Freddie Barnes hauls in a 51-yard touchdown with just 32 seconds left (seriously, HOW did he get that wide open? He had 17 catches on the night! You knew they would be looking his way).
At this point, the Falcons lead, 42-35. Happy times in Bowling Green! That did not last long, however.
It took Idaho just 28 seconds to score a touchdown, thanks in large-part to a 50-yard bomb to get the Vandals in scoring position. And then, the gutsy call to go for two.
Vandals win, 43-42. And there you have it, the wildest bowl game of 2009 (so far, anyways).
Dec 30 9:33p by Ryan Hudson - 0 comments