Arizona Finishes Strongly With Some Tomey Foresight

With Ortege Jenkins--who changed Arizona’s image as a grind-it-out offense in seven starts--on the bench most of the game, the Wildcats returned to form in the Insight.com Bowl.

The numbers they put up Saturday night against New Mexico weren’t flashy, but they were effective. They ran 59 times for 209 yards and Arizona (7-5) closed the season with four consecutive victories for the first time since 1974 by beating the Lobos, 20-14, at Tucson, Ariz.

“They played with five defensive backs, and that meant we had to do it with the running game,” running back Trung Canidate said.

Canidate scored once and set up two touchdowns by Kelvin Eafon, and Arizona had four interceptions.

Kelly Malveaux put the lid on the victory when he picked off a pass by New Mexico’s Graham Leigh and returned it 44 yards to the Lobo 36 with 4:34 left.

Arizona Coach Dick Tomey made a surprise decision several weeks ago to start senior quarterback Brady Batten, who had been in only three games this season. Batten, who was seven of 17 for 89 yards, directed three scoring drives and got a game ball.

It was a bitter loss for the Lobos (9-4), whose first bowl game in 36 years was also their last under Coach Dennis Franchione, who is headed for TCU.

Southern 34, S.C. State 28--Terrance Blackwell returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and Jermaine West scored on three short runs as the Jaguars won a Heritage Bowl shootout in Atlanta.

Southern (11-1) chopped away at a 28-20 deficit in the opening minute of the fourth quarter when Blackwell dashed to his touchdown before West’s one-yard plunge gave the Jaguars the lead with 7:29 remaining.

South Carolina State (9-3) had taken a 28-20 lead with two 40-yard scoring runs in less than four minutes, the first by Chad Eaddy with 3:38 left in the third and the other on a sprint around the right side by Reggie Curry 17 seconds into the final period.