The Ohio Bobcats withstood a late-game rally by Nevada to win an exciting Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. (Want to refresh your memory about my game preview? Here you go).
Late in the third quarter, Ohio led 30-9. A Nevada touchdown, followed by a blocked PAT, narrowed the gap to 30-15. Three plays later, Nevada defensive end Dom Peterson came away with a strip sack, and Nevada scored again on the ensuing possession. This time, they tried a two-point conversion and failed. The Wolfpack fumbled on their next drive, and 30-21 was the final score.
Nevada
Nevada has had a trying season, and should be proud of their effort. With a 7-5 record, several defensive coaches were dismissed, meaning the team was playing with new ones. They also had three defensive starters suspended by the Mountain West Conference after a brawl with UNLV in their regular-season finale. A fourth player was suspended for the first half.
On offense, freshman quarterback Carson Strong played very well. Strong completed 31 of 49 pass attempts for 402 yards and a touchdown. Workhorse Elijah Cooks accounted for nearly 200 of those yards on fourteen catches, as well as the score. However, the ground game was nearly non-existent. While lead back Toa Taua averaged eight yards per carry, he got the ball just six times. Devonta Lee carried nine times, for nine yards.
Ohio
Ohio had far more success in the run game, even though leading rusher O’Shaan Allison was injured in the first quarter and didn’t return. Demontre Tuggle stepped up with 10 carries for 97 yards, and quarterback Nathan Rourke added another 10 rushes for 87 yards. Overall, the Bobcats ran for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Rourke also had 144 passing yards, spread to seven different receivers, and two lost fumbles. A native of Oakville, Ontario (a suburb of Toronto), Rourke is expected to be a high draft pick in this year’s Canadian Football League draft- although, as ESPN reports, he hasn’t ruled out the NFL.
And yet, the most important thing I learned from the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl occurred after the game. When you win the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, your players don’t dump Gatorade on you. They dump french fries.
