ARMED FORCES BOWL

Reserve QB thwarts Air Force’s defense

Rice Coach David Bailiff reacts after being drenched with water by players following the Owls’ 33-14 victory over Air Force on Saturday at the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas.
Rice Coach David Bailiff reacts after being drenched with water by players following the Owls’ 33-14 victory over Air Force on Saturday at the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas.

— When Rice freshman quarterback Driphus Jackson was thrust into action in the Armed Forces Bowl, he drove the Owls within 2 yards of a tying touchdown before his errant pitch.

Jackson more than made up for that miscue that ended the first half.

After starter Taylor McHargue was knocked out the game because of a concussion, Jackson threw for 264 yards with two second-half touchdowns to Jordan Taylor as Rice beat Air Force 33-14 on Saturday.

“I couldn’t get down [after the fumble]. The guys had all the confidence in the world in me,” Jackson said. “Things slowed down for me in the second half.”

Rice (7-6), which had to win four in a row just to get bowl eligible, has won both of its bowl games under sixth-year coach David Bailiff. Before their 2008 Texas Bowl victory,the Owls had lost their only four bowl games since winning the 1954 Cotton Bowl.

“This football team has overcome a lot of adversity and really played well down the stretch,” Bailiff said. “We had a very motivational talk with our team just before the winning streak, and our coaching staff and players worked hard and kept improving every game.”

Air Force (6-7) scored on consecutive drives in the second quarter with backup quarterback Kale Pearson in the game, but the Falcons had a season-low 214 total yards.

Jackson’s first series ended with a bad pitch near the goal line only 2 seconds before halftime, when the Owls trailed 14-7. It was the third lost fumble by Rice in the second quarter.

“We didn’t make a lot of adjustments at halftime,” said Taylor, who had 9 catches for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a 16-yarder from McHargue in the first quarter. “The coaches just told us to execute and protect the football better than we did in the first half.”

FIGHT HUNGER BOWL

ARIZONA STATE 62, NAVY 28

SAN FRANCISCO - Taylor Kelly threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth score to lead Arizona State to its first bowl victory in seven years, a victory over Navy.

Offensive MVP Marion Grice ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns for the Sun Devils (8-5), who used their fast paced Spread offense to score touchdowns on their first nine possessions.

That helped provide a bright end to a successful first season at Arizona State for Coach Todd Graham, who helped the Sun Devils win their most games since 2007 and win a bowl for the first time since the 2005 Insight Bowl against Rutgers. The Sun Devils also beat rival Arizona in the same year they won a bowl, a feat they had accomplished just once in the past 33 seasons.

The Midshipmen (8-5) have lost five of their last six bowl games. Among the few highlights for Navy were Keenan Reynolds’ 3-yard touchdown pass to Matt Aiken in the first half and a 95-yard kickoff return for a score by Gee Gee Greene in the third quarter.

Sports, Pages 31 on 12/30/2012

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