College Football | Johnson carries Colorado State

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Colorado State's Gartrell Johnson III was reluctant to talk about his career-high 285 yards rushing, so teammate Tommie Hill took over for him.

Sort of.

"I'm not going to give him credit because he got run down twice," Hill said, joking, after Colorado State rallied for a 40-35 victory over Fresno State on Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl.

Johnson added 90 yards receiving for 375 total yards and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns. All day long, he left defenders reaching for the dreadlocks tumbling from his helmet.

Johnson set a Football Bowl Subdivision record for the most combined yards rushing and receiving in a postseason game.

"It just feels great," Johnson said. "It's good for everyone."

Johnson sealed the victory on a 77-yard touchdown burst with 1:46 remaining, igniting a celebration by fans who made the seven-hour drive from Fort Collins, Colo. He was honored as the most valuable offensive player as Colorado State (7-6) won a bowl for the first time since 2001.

"He is a very physical back," Rams coach Steve Fairchild said. "He made some big plays in the passing game, too, which really bailed us out. You can't say enough. His numbers speak for him."

The Rams took their first lead at 33-28 when Billy Farris threw a 69-yard TD to Rashaun Greer with seven minutes left. Fresno State cornerback Sharrod Davis took a big chance but whiffed on his attempt to bat the ball. Greer made the catch at the 30 and went untouched into the end zone.

"Give credit to Colorado State. They made big plays and kept the pressure on," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said.

The loss capped a rough season for the injury-depleted Bulldogs (7-6), who talked in fall workouts about a possible Bowl Championship Series run. They led 28-20 with 10 minutes left.

The loss also spoiled big rushing efforts by Fresno State's Anthony Harding and Lonyae Miller, who each scored twice. Harding finished with 120 yards rushing, and Miller added 113.

"We didn't execute when we needed to and they did," Harding said. "That was the difference in the game."

Fresno State trailed 40-35 with 55 seconds to go when Tom Brandstater threw a 7-yard TD pass to Ryan Skidmore. But Colorado State's Kyle Bell had no trouble fielding the ensuing onside kick.

Fans came out of the stands as the final seconds ticked off, capping a strong first season for Fairchild.

"At one point, Colorado State was the elite team in the Mountain West," said Fairchild, an ex-Rams quarterback. "We're not at that level yet, but it is our intention to get back."

EagleBank Bowl

Wake Forest 29, Navy 19

Riley Skinner found a perfect way to open the bowl season in Washington, D.C., and redeem himself for a flawed September performance against Navy.

Skinner went 11 for 11 and threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Ben Wooster with 7:52 left, leading the Demon Deacons (8-5) past the Midshipmen (8-5).

The previous Wake Forest record for accuracy was a 12-for-14 effort by Mike McGlamry in 1975. Skinner passed for 166 yards and added a completion on a conversion attempt.

"I was really impressed with Riley today," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. "There were very few decisions he made that were wrong."

It was a rematch of a Sept. 27 game at Wake Forest, when Navy took advantage of five turnovers by Skinner — four interceptions and a fumble — to pull off a 24-17 upset.

"I think any quarterback who plays a football game like I had last time we played them, if you're competitive, you want to come out and play them again and get revenge," said Skinner, voted the inaugural bowl's most valuable player.

St. Petersburg Bowl

South Florida 41, Memphis 14

Matt Grothe and the Bulls (8-5) didn't have a problem getting motivated for what amounted to an extra home game. After floundering the second half of the season, the St. Petersburg Bowl gave them a chance to feel good about themselves again.

"I think the last few weeks we were trying so hard to win a game that we forgot how to play football," Grothe said after throwing for 236 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a rout of the Tigers (6-7).

Grothe moved ahead of West Virginia's Pat White as the Big East's career total-offense leader, also rushing for 83 yards on 15 carries to earn the most outstanding player award. Grothe has 10,242 yards total offense in 39 games.

South Florida scored on four of its first five possessions to build a 24-14 halftime lead.

Other games

Mount Union 31, Wisconsin-Whitewater 26

Greg Micheli threw two touchdown passes to Cecil Shorts as Mount Union (15-0) regained its spot atop Division III, beating defending champion Wisconsin-Whitewater (13-2) in the Stagg Bowl in Salem, Va.

The Purple Raiders of Alliance, Ohio, have won 10 Division III titles, all in the last 16 seasons.

Mount Union and the Warhawks have played each other for the championship in each of the last four years. The Purple Raiders also won the 2005 and 2006 matchups.

Sioux Falls 23, Carroll 7

Quarterback Lorenzo Brown threw a touchdown pass and ran for 129 yards as the Cougars (14-0) from South Dakota defeated the Saints (13-1) from Montana in the rain to win the NAIA title in Rome, Ga.

Note

• Iowa State has turned to former Cyclones assistant Paul Rhoads to revive a program that went 2-10 this year. Rhoads was Auburn's defensive coordinator this season. Last week, Auburn lured coach Gene Chizik from Iowa State to coach its team.