This Bahamas Bowl is turning into quite the spectacle.
The first-ever Bahamas Bowl last year saw one of the wild finishes ever, with Central Michigan roaring back from a 49-14 third-quarter deficit only to see their comeback, aided by a Hail Mary + Laterals with no time left, fall short on a failed two-point conversion in Western Kentucky’s 49-48 win. Exactly one year later, and while not nearly as dramatic, Middle Tennessee State and Western Michigan put on quite the show on the day before Christmas.
In a back-and-forth offensive affair that was sealed by, oddly enough, a defensive play, WMU outscored MTSU 21-7 in the fourth quarter to stake its claim to a 45-31 win in the second annual Popeyes Bahamas Bowl. After rushing for 215 yards and four touchdowns on just 19 carries, Broncos running back Jamauri Bogan was named the game’s MVP.
Bogan’s fourth score of the day, which essentially wrapped up the win, came after a Rontavious Atkins interception with under six minutes remaining that was returned to the four-yard line. That and the second quarter, though, was about all of the defense that was played as offense ruled the day.
The two teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense -- WMU 613, MTSU 442. Of the 10 touchdowns combined the teams scored, six of them were 44 yards in length or longer; three of those were sixty-plus yards and one came from 80 yards out.
Broncos quarterback Zach Terrell passed for 297 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Corey Davis, on eight catches, hauled in 183 receiving yards. Brent Stockstill, the MTSU head coach’s son, threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort. The freshman also set an FBS record during the course of the game.
Stockstill has set the single-season NCAA freshman passing completions mark. His 21 today bests Kentucky's Jared Lorenzen mark of 321 (2000)
— Middle Tennessee FB (@MT_FB) December 24, 2015
WMU finishes the season at 8-5, the first time in the football program’s history that they’ve won eight or more games in back-to-back seasons. The win was also the program’s first in a bowl.
MTSU will finish the year 7-6.
With the Broncos’ win, the MAC is now 4-2 this postseason. Conference USA, meanwhile, suffered its first loss after two wins.
