Nevada outpaces Tulane in Potato Bowl; No. 16 BYU routs UCF in Boca Raton Bowl

Carson Strong threw for 271 yards and five touchdowns, Devonte Lee and Toa Taua each rushed for over 100 yards, and Nevada beat Tulane 38-27 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Tuesday.

Nevada (7-2) finished 2020 the same way it started the year — by playing in the same bowl game, which the Wolfpack lost 30-21 to Ohio on Jan. 3.

This year’s Potato Bowl allowed Nevada to end with a win after losing its regular-season finale to San Jose State, which cost the Wolfpack a spot in the Mountain West title game.

Cameron Carroll rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown for Tulane (6-6), which was one of 19 schools to play 11 regular-season games amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Green Wave failed in their bid to win three consecutive bowl games for the first time in program history.

Nevada built a 19-0 lead early in the second quarter, but the Green Wave rallied, pulling within within 26-20 midway through the third quarter.

Then Nevada’s dominant ground game took over, imposing its will on a Tulane defensive line thinned by injuries and absences.

Lee rushed for 105 yards and Toa had 102 yards rushing with a touchdown to go along with 77 yards receiving.

Boca Raton Bowl - No. 16 Brigham Young 49, Central Florida 23

Zach Wilson threw for 425 yards with three touchdown passes and two rushing scores as No. 13 BYU routed UCF 49-23 in the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday night.

Wilson, considered a top NFL prospect, completed 26 of 34 in what likely was his final college game.

The Cougars (11-1) led 35-10 at halftime and finished with 655 yards of offense to UCF’s 411.

Tyler Allgeier carried 19 times for 173 yards and a score. Isaac Rex had five catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns as BYU earned its first victory in nine games it has played in the Sunshine State.

Dillon Gabriel was 21 of 45 for 217 yards and two TDs for the Knights (6-4). He had a stretch of nine straight incompletions bridging the second and third quarters.

BYU dominated the first half, outgaining UCF 434 yards to 227 despite running 11 fewer plays.

The Cougars led 14-0 less than four minutes into the game after scoring on its first two drives, each more than 70 yards and less than 1:50 in duration.

Wilson finished the first drive by running 15 yards on a quarterback draw. On BYU’s next possession, he hit Rex for a 36-yard TD pass on a reverse flea-flicker.

Wilson ran 4 yards to make it 21-0 with 25 seconds left in the first quarter. It was another long (76 yards) but quick (1:42) drive.

UCF defensive back Divaad Wilson was penalized for targeting late in the first quarter and disqualified.

After UCF scored early in the second quarter, Wilson threw two more TD passes. He connected with wide-open tight end Isaac Rex from 27 yards out, and his third scoring pass of the half was a 35-yard strike to Neil Pau’u with 3:31 remaining to make it 35-7.