The college football season is upon us, and with 10 of 39 bowl games complete, there has been some great games already. The best of which was the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl between Western Kentucky and Central Michigan on Christmas Eve. The Hilltoppers from Western Kentucky withstood a furious comeback from the Chippewas of Central Michigan to pull out a 49-48 victory.
Western Kentucky scored early and often in the first half, to build a seemingly insurmountable lead. Central Michigan tied the score at 7, just 5 minutes into the game. In the remaining 25 minutes of the first half, the Hilltoppers outscored the Chippewas 35-7, to take a 42-14 lead into halftime.
Quarterback Brandon Doughty threw for 5 touchdowns in the first 2 quarters alone, as Western Kentucky scored a touchdown on all 6 of their first half possessions. They added to their lead 6:05 into the 3rd quarter, on a 21-yard run by Anthony Wales. The lead was still at 35 points going into the 4th quarter.
Cooper Rush, the quarterback of Central Michigan then began the most incredible quarter in bowl history by any quarterback. After his 4th touchdown pass of the quarter brought his team to within 7 points at 49-42, with 1:09 remaining, you had to think this isn’t really happening is it?
The Chippewas stopped the next drive of Western Kentucky, forcing a punt, but they had 1 second left, from their own 25-yard line. Rush threw a bomb, which was caught far short of the end zone, but that was just the beginning of the play. In what resembled the last play of the 1982 California-Stanford game, without the band on the field, Central Michigan threw one lateral after another until Titus Davis was headed for the right corner of the goal line.
Davis dove for the pylon, and scored a touchdown that brought his team within 1 point, with a conversion still to come. Central Michigan head coach Dan Enos chose to go for the win with a 2-point conversion, rather than kick the extra point and go into overtime. On the conversion attempt, Rush threw for the right corner of the end zone, but it was broken up by Wonderful Terry. Yes, Wonderful is his real first name.
Rush threw for 493 yards and 7 touchdown passes, which ties a bowl record. Doughty finished with 486 yards and those 5 first half touchdown passes. Western Kentucky finished with 647 total yards, while Central Michigan only had 607. If you like an offensive shootout with a spectacular finish, then this was the game for you.
With 29 bowl games left, including the first ever college football playoff, football fans have a lot to look forward to in the next 3 weeks. I hope some of the games will be as entertaining as the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. Don’t you love the names of some of these bowl games?
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