FOOTBALL

WINNERS’ CIRCLE: For ESPN Regional TV, the 2012-13 bowl season started in Albuquerque, N.M., with an offensive shootout between Arizona and Nevada. Bowl season ended with the Bo Wallace Show, as the QB threw three TD passes to lead Ole Miss past Pittsburgh 38-17 in the BBVA Compass Bowl, the company’s seventh managed bowl game. MORE

Gildan New Mexico Bowl

2012 Matchup: ARIZONA 49, NEVADA 48 
 
Matt Scott watched helplessly as Nevada kicked a field goal to pad its lead. The Arizona QB had already thrown two INTs, and now needed two quick scores and some luck to somehow win the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. But in the final 46 seconds, Scott threw two short TDs as Arizona rallied past Nevada in a shootout. Recap | Gildan NMB Topics Site

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg

2012 Matchup: UCF 38, Ball State 17

UCF started early, and never took their feet off the gas. When UCF scored on a 50-second drive with five seconds remaining in the first half, putting the Knights up 28-10, this one was already in the books. QB Blake Bortles had a field day, throwing for 271 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus added another 79 yards on the ground. BSU couldn't get it going throwing or running the ball, amassing a total of 68 rushing yards, a far cry from the 214 the Cardinals averaged on the ground this season.  Recap | Beef 'O' Brady's St. Pete Bowl Topics Site

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas

2012 Matchup: Boise State 28, Washington 26
 
Little Michael Frisina came up big for Boise State, kicking a 27-yard field goal with 1:16 left to give the No. 20 Broncos a 28-26 victory over Washington. Frisina, who stands 5-foot-5, made the winning kick after Washington had taken the lead for the first time on Travis Coons' 38-yard field goal. Boise State (11-2) sealed the win when Jeremy Ioane intercepted Joe Southwick's pass as the Huskies (7-6) neared midfield. Recap | MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Topics Site

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

2012 Matchup: SMU 43, Fresno State 10

SMU coach June Jones walked out of Aloha Stadium with another win, thanks largely to a disruptive performance by defensive end Margus Hunt. The 6-foot-8 senior from Estonia forced two fumbles that led to field goals and sacked Derek Carr for a safety as SMU (7-6) built a 22-0 halftime lead and never looked back. The Mustangs also returned two interceptions for touchdowns, giving them eight for the season to tie the NCAA record set last year by Southern Miss. Recap | Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Topics Site

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas

2012 Matchup: Texas Tech 34, Minnesota 31

This Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas wasn't a pretty one. A fun first half gave way to a lackluster second half until the final minutes, when Texas Tech's offense shook awake and rallied for a 34-31 victory over Minnesota with a Ryan Bustin field goal in the final seconds. Tempers boiled for much of the game, which is pretty rare in a contest between two teams with absolutely no history and few if any links among players on the rosters. Recap | Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas Topics Site

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl 

2012 Matchup: Air Force 33, Rice 14

Freshman QB Driphus Jackson threw for 264 yards in relief of Rice's hurt starter, including two TDs to Jordan Taylor, and the Owls beat Air Force 33-14 in the Armed Forces Bowl. Jackson's first series after taking over for Taylor McHargue ended with a bad pitch for a fumble near the goal line only 2 seconds before halftime, when the Owls (7-6) trailed 14-7. But Jackson made up for it after halftime, when Rice scored 26 straight points. Taylor caught nine passes for 153 yards, with a 16-yard TD from McHargue in the first quarter. Recap | Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Topics Site

BBVA Compass Bowl

2012 Matchup: Ole Miss 38, Pittsburgh 17 

Bo Wallace three touchdown passes and Ole Miss beat Pittsburgh 38-17 in the BBVA Compass Bowl to complete an impressive turnaround. Ole Miss (7-6) took a five-win improvement over its 2-10 finish in 2011. Wallace, chosen the game's MVP, completed 22-of-32 passes for 151 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Pitt (6-7), meanwhile, struggled on offense as leading rusher Ray Graham was held out with a hamstring injury he suffered in bowl practice. Game Recap | BBVA Compass Bowl Topics Site