Masoli sparks Oregon, 42-31
Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli ran through and over Oklahoma State’s defense for three touchdowns and threw for another to lead No. 15-ranked Oregon to a 42-31 victory over the No. 13 Cowboys in a record-setting Holiday Bowl on Tuesday night at San Diego.
Masoli scored on option keepers of one, 41 and 17 yards in the third quarter, and threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Jaison Williams in the fourth quarter.
Oregon had 565 yards and Oklahoma State had 469.
Oregon finished 10-3, the fourth time it has had double-digit wins in Mike Bellotti’s 14 seasons as coach. Oklahoma State finished 9-4 under Mike Gundy, the winning quarterback for the Cowboys in the 1988 Holiday Bowl.
Masoli had 106 yards in 16 carries and completed 18 of 32 passes for 258 yards. Teammate Jeremiah Johnson ran 12 times for 119 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown run that eclipsed the Holiday Bowl’s previous record of 67 yards by Barry Sanders in 1988.
Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant set Holiday Bowl records with a career-high 13 catches for 167 yards, among them a 33-yard touchdown.
Zac Robinson threw for 329 yards for Oklahoma State.
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Scott lifts Maryland
Benched for 2 1/2 quarters after breaking curfew, Da’Rel Scott ran for 179 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns and Maryland (8-5) held on for a 42-35 win over Nevada (7-6) in the Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho.
Scott’s 49-yard touchdown sprint early in the fourth quarter ended a 28-28 tie and his two-yard touchdown run gave the Terrapins a 14-point lead.
He became the seventh Maryland running back to gain 1,000 yards in a season.
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Rice cruises
Chase Clement threw three touchdown passes, ran for a score and caught a touchdown pass from Jarett Dillard to lead Rice over Western Michigan, 38-14, in the Texas Bowl at Reliant Stadium in Houston.
Dillard also caught his nation-leading 20th touchdown pass as the Owls (10-3) won a bowl game for the first time since the 1954 Cotton Bowl and reached 10 victories for the first time since 1949.
Clement was 30 for 44 for 307 yards and was the game’s most valuable player. Dillard caught his 60th touchdown, adding to his NCAA record, and tied former Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams’ Conference USA record for career touchdowns.
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Etc.
Oregon State Coach Mike Riley has agreed to a one-year contract extension that will take him through the 2015 season. Riley has taken the Beavers to three consecutive bowl games, including today’s matchup against Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl. . . . Quarterback Robert Marve has been granted a release by Miami. He started 11 of 13 games for the Hurricanes but also served two suspensions in unrelated incidents, including one that kept him out of the Emerald Bowl on Saturday. . . . Auburn junior defensive lineman Sen’Derrick Marks said he will make himself available for the NFL draft. . . . The Alabama attorney general’s office is reviewing reports of alleged contact between Crimson Tide offensive tackle Andre Smith and a sports agent after the All-American was suspended for Friday’s Sugar Bowl game. Coach Nick Saban suspended Smith on Monday for violating unspecified team rules.
