In what was the last the college football world sees of Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, he is going out a winner. Allen returned from a shoulder injury to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise on Friday afternoon and he threw three touchdowns to help Wyoming (8-5) to a 37-14 victory over Central Michigan (8-5). After the game, he declared his intention to enter the NFL Draft.
Considered by many to be among the top quarterback prospects on the big board for the 2018 NFL Draft, Allen’s final line will not be one that impresses many at first glance with 11-of-19 for 154 yards. But three touchdowns were thrown in the first quarter helped Wyoming jump out to a great start and allowed the Cowboys to keep control of the game for the remaining 45 minutes, and the game film may be a tad more kind to Allen when those who make the NFL decisions down the line get their chance to weigh in.
Central Michigan did themselves no favors with a school record eight turnovers in the game leading to 23 points, including a fumble returned 58 yards for a touchdown by Carl Granderson early in the fourth quarter. CMU quarterback Shane Morris was picked off four times by four different Wyoming players, and the Chippewas accounted for just four net rushing yards in the game.
Wyoming upheld an early theme to the bowl season by winning by a comfortable margin. The Potato Bowl, played on the home field of Mountain West Conference champion Boise State, moved the MWC to 2-1 this bowl season. Boise State topped Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl, 38-28, but Colorado State lost to Marshall in the New Mexico Bowl last weekend. The MWC will see San Diego State in action on Saturday against Army in the Armed Forces Bowl, and Fresno State will take on Houston in the Hawaii Bowl on Sunday night.
It was an up-and-down day for the MAC, with Central Michigan losing just hours after Ohio dominated UAB in the Bahamas Bowl. The MAC is now 1-2, with Akron getting blown out by FAU in the Boca Raton Bowl. The MAC has two more cracks at a bowl win with Toledo facing Appalachian State in the Dollar General Bowl on Saturday and Northern Illinois facing Duke in the Quick Lane Bowl on Tuesday.
The win marked Wyoming’s first bowl win since 2009, and the first bowl victory for Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl since moving up from FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in 2014. After losing his first bowl game with Wyoming last season, Bohl is now .500 in postseason games as a FBS head coach.
Wyoming will open the 2018 season on the road on Aug. 25 at New Mexico State before hosting Washington State the following week. Central Michigan’s 2018 season kicks off on Sept. 1, 2018 at Kentucky.
Arizona state hired Herm Edwards with the hope of being able to keep the assistant coaching staff together. That mission failed quickly with the loss of both coordinators in the span of just days, so Edwards has had to look beyond Arizona State to fill out his staff. Multiple reports say the Sun Devils will name Danny Gonzales as the next defensive coordinator for the program. Sun Devil Source was the first to report the news, which should become official at some point after San Diego State’s bowl game on Saturday against Army.
Gonzales would join Arizona State after a seven-year run as a member of the San Diego State coaching staff, and one year after being named the defensive coordinator for the Aztecs. San Diego State owns the nation’s 11th-ranked defense, allowing 303.9 points per game. Arizona State needs a boost on defense. The Sun Devils rank 109th in total defense this season after allowing 447.0 yards per game.
Gonzales will replace Phil Bennett, who is stepping down from his position after the bowl season for what has been described as personal reasons. It has been rumored Bennett may land on another coaching staff, but that remains to be seen.
The addition of Gonzales will fill both vacancies at the coordinator position for Edwards’ first coaching staff. Wide receivers coach Rob Likens was promoted from the staff to fill the offensive coordinator position after Billy Napier left to accept a head coaching position from Louisiana-Lafayette.
Arizona State also announced the additions of former NFL linebacker Antonio Pierce as linebackers coach and former UMass assistant AD Joe Connolly as the head coach of sports performance.
Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen said he would not play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl unless he was feeling 100 percent. After 30 minutes of football in Boise, it appears Allen’s shoulder is doing just fine. Allen has thrown three touchdowns to help push Wyoming to a 27-7 lead at halftime over Central Michigan. Wyoming has also scored 10 points off two Central Michigan turnovers in the first half.
Allen may be heading off to the NFL Draft after this game, and his performance in the first half should ease a few concerns about his shoulder injury that cost him a couple of games at the end of the regular season. Though he has not been taking to the air for big plays, Allen has been pretty accurate with his passing. Allen was examined in the medical tent at one point in the second quarter, but any concern about a foot or ankle injury was calmed when Allen returned to the field without missing any playing time.
Central Michigan got on the scoreboard in the first quarter when Shane Morris completed a 40-yard pass to Jonathan Ward for a touchdown. The call was initially ruled dead at the two-yard line, but an official instant replay review determined Ward did not step out of bounds and awarded the touchdown following the review.
Wyoming is looking for the first bowl win for the program since the New Mexico Bowl in 2009. If the Cowboys hold on, this will be Bohl’s first postseason win with Wyoming and his first since leading North Dakota State to a third-straight FCS national championship game victory in 2013. Central Michigan’s last bowl win was in the 2012 Little Caesars Bowl.
The sports world lost a pioneer in the business earlier today when we learned of the passing of Dick Enberg. A man who played such a key role in growing the sports media landscape and paved the way for it to be the way things are today spent many years working for NBC, CBS, and ESPN and his impact at each continues to shape the way in which we both present and consume sports coverage across each network and beyond.
Perhaps it is a fitting tribute that Enberg’s alma mater, Central Michigan, is in action today in a bowl game. In honor of the sports media legend, Central Michigan’s football team is wearing makeshift stickers with Enberg’s signature “Oh my!” call in his honor.
Enberg graduated from Central Michigan in 1957. He later earned a master’s and doctorate degree from Indiana.
Florida head coach Dan Mullen had a pretty solid debut with his first recruiting class for the Gators this week. On Friday, things got a little better. Wide receiver Trevon Grimes has transferred to Florida from Ohio State. Mullen announced the new addition to the program with a message on Twitter.
Grimes took a leave of absence from the Ohio State program in mid-October. At the time, it was reported Grimes was leaving the Buckeyes due to an unspecified family health issue. Now, Grimes will be closer to home and be able to restart his college football career with the Gators. It had been speculated Grimes would eventually transfer to a program in the state of Florida, with Miami being considered another potential landing spot for the former standout receiver recruit from St. Thomas Aquinas.
“I just felt like [Florida] fit for me. It’s close to home. Of course, being in my situation that I’m in right now, I have to be close to home,” Grimes said, according to The Sun-Sentinel.
“I’ve talked to [Florida co-offensive coordinator Billy Gonzales] about the receiver situation, about how many receivers they have,” Grimes said. “I feel like I fit in to that offense and that program very well.”
All that remains to be determined now is just how soon he will officially be eligible to play. Grimes has filed for a hardship waiver with the hope of being granted eligibility for the 2018 season. Otherwise, Grimes will have to sit out the 2018 season and return in 2019.
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