Air Force 38, Western Michigan 24

Air Force capped one of the best turnarounds in college football, using a strong ground attack and a huge defensive touchdown to beat Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Shayne Davern ran for a career-high 101 yards and two touchdowns and Air Force beat Western Michigan on a soggy Saturday night.

The Falcons finished the season 10-3 after going 2-10 last year.

"We're night and day from where we were last year," Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. "This is just one season — we know that. It's a neat accomplishment with amazing contributions by a lot of people." That was the case Saturday.

Miami of Ohio was the last previous team to follow a 10-loss season with 10 victories, going from 1-11 in 2009 to 10-4 in 2010.

Western Michigan finished 8-5 after going 1-11 last season. The loss dropped the program's postseason record to 0-6.

Davern was selected the team's most valuable player. He ran 6 yards on a fake punt in the second quarter that kept a drive alive and helped the Falcons take a 20-10 halftime lead.

Calhoun said special teams coordinator Ben Miller practically begged him to call the fake punt.

"He's really sharp," Calhoun said. "He said, 'It's there and we need to do it.' And we did."

Air Force increased its lead to 23-10 on Will Conant's 31-yard field goal.

The Broncos pulled to 23-17 on a 35-yard touchdown pass, the second of three scoring passes from Zach Terrell to Corey Davis.

After forcing an Air Force punt on the next possession, Western Michigan's Daniel Braverman returned a punt for a touchdown and appeared to pull his team even, but the play was called back because of an illegal block in the back.

"It was a penalty," Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck said. "We didn't need the block. You're not going to beat a team like that making that many mistakes."

Instead of tying the score or taking the lead, Western Michigan moved Air Force territory when the comeback ended. Terrell was hit while scrambling by Falcon linebacker Shane Proctor and fumbled. Air Force defensive back Dexter White scooped up the loose ball and returned it 60 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.

"That was big," Air Force linebacker Jordan Pierce said. "I'm proud of our defense. That touchdown really turned the game in our favor — that's all she wrote."

Terrell said he was looking for Davis when he started to scramble.

"I didn't realize someone was behind me," Terrell said. "The ball is our program. I can't let that happen. I have to have a vice grip on the ball and can't let it get out."

No. 23 Utah 45, Colorado State 10

Utah quarterback Travis Wilson ran for three touchdowns and passed for another, leading the Utes to a rout of Colorado State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Wilson rushed for a season-high 91 yards on 11 carries and completed 17 of 26 passes for 158 yards.

Utah (9-4) scored three times in the first quarter and finished with 548 total yards, including 359 on the ground. Devontae Booker ran for 162 yards and a TD and Troy McCormick ran for 86.

Colorado State (10-3) fell behind in the first three minutes and never got its vaunted offense in gear. The Rams played a ranked team for the first time this season - they have lost their last 16 games against teams in the Top 25.

Garrett Grayson completed 21 of 35 passes for 242 yards, but he was unable to avoid Utah's rush in the second half when the Rams were forced to throw the ball.

Utah, which led the nation with 52 sacks, dropped Grayson twice in the game, one each by Jason Fanaika and Nate Orchard.

Grayson threw an interception and lost a fumble in the fourth quarter, and Utah turned both into touchdowns.

Wilson ran for a 12-yard touchdown and backup running back Bubba Poole scored on a 10-yard run.

Utah State 21, UTEP 6

Nick Vigil ran for a touchdown and also combined with his brother to make 16 tackles as Utah State shut down Texas-El Paso in the New Mexico Bowl at Albuquerque.

Utah State (10-4) won a bowl game for the third straight year.

UTEP (7-6) is 0-6 in postseason play since winning the 1967 Sun Bowl.

The Aggies have one of the top-ranked defenses in the nation. Linebackers Nick and Zach Vigil helped prevent the Miners from putting together consistent drives, with senior Zach making nine stops.

Sophomore Nick Vigil scored on a 3-yard run for a 14-3 lead early in the third quarter.

Kent Myers threw for 68 yards and rushed for 70 and a touchdown for Utah State. The freshman was the fourth quarterback used this season by the resilient Aggies, who had been hampered by injuries.

UTEP's Aaron Jones ran for 88 yards, but was held to only 3.5 yards per carry because of the strong Aggies line. He came into the game ranked 23rd nationally, rushing for an average of 112 yards.

Louisiana-Lafayette 16, Nevada 3

Terrance Broadway passed for 227 yards and a touchdown, Hunter Stover kicked three field goals and Louisiana-Lafayette defeated Nevada in the New Orleans Bowl.

Stover made a career-long 46-yard field goal in the first half and added kicks of 35 and 30 yards for the Ragin' Cajuns (9-4), who completed their fourth consecutive nine-victory season with their fourth straight New Orleans Bowl win.

Cody Fajardo passed for 124 yards and rushed for 49 more for Nevada (7-6), marking the second time he'd passed for more than 2,000 yards and rushed for more than 1,000 in a season.

But the Wolf Pack, who had 200 or more yards rushing in each of their previous five games, gained only 89 yards on the ground against ULL and failed to score a touchdown for the first time since being shut out at Notre Dame in 2009.

Broadway set an NCAA Division I bowl record by completing his first 14 passes, but it didn't amount to many points.

Bowling Green 33, South Alabama 28

Roger Lewis caught a 78-yard touchdown pass from James Knapke with 1:04 remaining to lift Bowling Green to a victory over South Alabama in the inaugural Camellia Bowl.

The Falcons (8-6) responded one play after the Jaguars (6-7) took their first lead. Lewis, Bowling Green's freshman star, got several yards beyond Roman Buchanan downfield, and Buchanan came up clutching his right hamstring.

The Jaguars, playing in their first bowl game after starting the program in 2009, moved 73 yards in just under 3 minutes to momentarily move ahead. Brandon Bridge hit Danny Woodson Jr. for a 44-yard strike. Terrance Timmons had a 3-yard touchdown run after converting two third-down plays with runs.

Bowling Green couldn't convert the 2-point try but Jude Adjei-Barima picked off Bridge's pass on South Alabama's next play. The Jaguars forced a punt with 31 seconds left, but were called for roughing the kicker to allow Bowling Green to run out the clock.

Game MVP Knapke was 25-of-39 passing for 368 yards and two long touchdowns to Lewis, who capped the first drive with a 44-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-2 play. He became the first Bowling Green freshman to reach 1,000 yards receiving and finished with four catches for 137 yards.

Gehrig Dieter had 108 yards on seven catches. Travis Greene gained only 41 yards on 20 carries but also ran for two touchdowns.

Knapke took over the starting job when Matt Johnson broke his hip in the opener, and led the Falcons to their first bowl win since 2004.

Bridge rallied from a slow start to pass for 279 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice. Woodson gained 122 yards on six catches.

Illinois State 21, New Hampshire 18

Illinois State scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter as the fifth-seeded Redbirds rallied for a 21-18 win over top-seeded New Hampshire in the FCS semifinals.

Tre Roberson scored on a 47-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to give Illinois State (13-1) the lead and Jon-Marc Anderson ran in the two-point conversion.

Roberson was 2 for 2 on third-down conversions during the drive and capped it off with the big run. The defense held after that and the Redbirds punched their ticket to the FCS Championship against No. 2 North Dakota State, the three-time defending champion and Missouri Valley Conference rival, on Jan. 10 in Frisco, Texas.

Late Friday

North Dakota State 35, Sam Houston State 3

John Crockett ran for three touchdowns and North Dakota State's defense returned to form with a win over Sam Houston State in the FCS semifinals.

The three-time defending champion Bison (14-1) will return to Frisco, Texas, in January with the hopes of becoming the first team in the division formerly known as I-AA to win four straight titles. Appalachian State has also won three in a row.